The box was empty.  More than 300 visitors had come into the church to look around during Doors Open Ottawa (DOO), but by the end of the afternoon not a single can of beans had landed in the box by the door.  There was nothing to give to the local food bank. While disappointing, this should perhaps not have been unexpected. When it is 22 degrees Celsius at 10 a.m. and you plan to visit the French Embassy, Rideau Hall and other nearby buildings on foot, who wants to carry around a can of beans or two, let alone a bag of flour or 2 kilos of sugar to drop off at St. Bartholomew’s Church? This was in 2023. That year, DOO had determined “Food” to be the event’s theme; participating buildings had been encouraged to incorporate this into their planning, if possible, with DOO offering to promote this in their media materials in return.

Little did we realize at that time that this initial disappointment would evolve into an established partnership with the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre (RRCRC) over the next few years.  Soon after the Doors Open weekend in early June 2023, St. Bartholomew’s reached out to the RRCRC to determine how we might be able to support the needs of the Community Food Bank in our city ward. Located in the former Rideau High School on St. Laurent Boulevard, the centre provides many and varied services for those most in need in Ward 13 (www.crcrr.org).  From monthly and special food drives initially, two tote boxes are now permanently left out at the church for drop-off of non-perishable items any day of the week.  And it is rare that they are empty!

The relationship with the RRCRC has grown and expanded in different ways.  Once a year, the church now helps the centre provide back-to-school backpacks for high school students. It is a mad dash along the aisles in early August as volunteers fill their shopping carts with school supplies and then stuff the backpacks in the parish hall. The packs are blessed a few days later in the main Sunday liturgy before being distributed to the youth by the RRCRC in mid-August.  Some staff members from the centre always join us for the filling of the back packs and bring their van to take them away following the blessing.

Another exciting development happened earlier this summer.  While helping with meal preparation for the Community Fridge at the RRCRC one afternoon, I was shown the centre’s 40 recently-installed cedar raised planters and was offered two for the church.  Being able to accept them required a quick check with the rector and wardens after our 10.30 service two days later.  Within the week, volunteers from the RRCRC had not only brought over the locally milled cedar but also assembled the two 8’ x 4’ planters on the front lawn of the church for us.  This generous gift had coincided with a recently expressed desire at the church to plant a Three Sisters Garden.  This companion planting method originates from Indigenous agricultural traditions, where corn, beans and squash are grown together in a symbiotic relationship.  The crops support each other, enrich the soil, deter weeds and provide shade for the roots of the other plants. At St. Bartholomew’s, one raised bed has now become a Three Sisters Garden, serving as a reminder to the community that we live on the ancestral territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin, who have acted as stewards and guardians of this land. The other raised bed is being used to grow vegetables that will go to the RRCRC Community Food Bank — assuming we can stay ahead of the squirrels. The planters were blessed by the Rev. Canon Catherine Ascah on June 21, National Indigenous Day of Prayer.

We cannot help but be reminded of the parable of the mustard seed as we look back over the past three years.  We trust that God will continue to guide, develop and strengthen the partnership between St. Bartholomew’s Church and the RRCRC in the years ahead so that together we may support those in greatest need in our community.

Judy Wiesinger is a parishioner at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Ottawa.

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A dedicated group of parishioners at St. Thomas the Apostle is preparing for our annual February celebration of Black History Month. Following the national BHM 2026 theme of Resistance, our theme is Faith as Resistance.

Guest speakers at Sunday services, and enhanced fellowship time following our 10 am service featuring refreshments from various African and Caribbean countries, are planned. (see details in poster below)

As well, a Lenten book study will start during Black History Month, beginning Feb. 4, 2026 on Zoom on Wednesdays at 7 pm and run until March 18. A special in-person session is planned for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.  We will be reading and reflecting on Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley. We are asking for a free will offering to cover the cost of these hard-cover books (suggested $30).

This year, we are excited to present a concert at St. Thomas on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 3 pm featuring the London Trio Plus Gospel Singers. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and children. Tickets can be obtained by emailing the church office at stthomasparishottawa@gmail.com

To get a taste of the talent of the London Trio Plus, visit their Youtube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/londontrioplus

St. Thomas the Apostle is located at 2345 Alta Vista Dr. in Ottawa. — The Rev. Maria Nightingale

St. John the Evangelist Ottawa plans a special service on Feb. 15

In his weekly parish newsletter, the Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer reflected on the importance of Black History Month:

St John’s joins the wider community in keeping Black History Month in February of each year. You may be wondering why this is important. I learned about its importance from a theological student who did an internship with me in the church where I served before coming to St John’s. Randy Williams, who is originally from Bermuda, pointed out how often we use the word “We” when we are trying to be inclusive. But our “We” does not actually include everybody.

Our schools taught history in a way that left out so much. We thought we were learning everything that was important, but by omission, we didn’t learn about slavery. We learned about ancient Greece and Rome but never the ancient civilizations of Africa. This is also true about Indigenous Peoples in Canada and how we were not taught about Residential Schools and their real damage to Indigenous families, their language and culture. St John’s Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, Kimberly Johnson, has helped us to understand that before there is reconciliation there must be truth — and that we are capable of hearing it, growing in understanding, and being transformed by our God’s passion for love and justice.

Black History Month is about this same process of recognition. It was our blind spot in many churches before the brutal murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020. This was the time of the pandemic and my church congregation of the time, St Anne’s in Toronto, was having worship services on Zoom with conversation sermons. The Black members of our congregation explained to us that they do not feel seen. We learned from their stories of being stopped by police in their cars for no reason, being followed around retail stores, passed over for employment opportunities and housing rental. We learned about the presumptuous use of the word “We” that did not include them. The passion and emotion from people we had known for a long time moved us deeply. We began to study. I read White Fragility by Robin Diangelo. I have come to appreciate that there are many good books about racism, but this was the one that started the opening of my eyes.

Here at St John’s, I hope you appreciate the ways our congregation has been blessed over the past two years with newcomers from Africa. You can see from the regular photographs in this newsletter (and the pictures above) that they are very involved in our community. We recognize the hardship and challenges of coming to a new place and starting over. This month, we are celebrating the richness of languages, cultures, music and food as we continue to grow in friendship. While each Sunday will bring its own blessings, we especially invite you to attend on Sunday, February 15. There will be African music during the service with dancing and lunch following. — The Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer

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“We are confident that we will reach our goal as parishes and individuals are moved to be part of addressing Ottawa’s critical shortage of safe, affordable homes for single folk and families in need,” the campaign’s co-chairs Sue Garvey and Cathy Seguin said in a statement.

Daniel Hussey, the campaign manager, said donations from parishes and individuals are part of a multi-pronged approach aimed at closing the gap. The other potential sources of support are suppliers to the project, the local business community and corporations.

Hussey is managing partner of Hussey Philanthropic Consulting, the firm that has guided the drive for $1.6 million, the Diocese’s contribution in partnership with Christ Church Bells Corners. The fund stands at about $1.1 million.

Garvey and Seguin have been visiting parishes to tell the Hollyer House story and gather support. “We sincerely appreciate the warm welcome and enthusiastic commitment we’ve received,” they said. Hussey adds: “We would like to thank all our individual donors, whose generous support has been fundamental to the success of our project.”

Applications have been made to corporations and foundations as part of the multi-pronged approach, he said. “All it takes is one to say yes and we’re on the cusp of our goal.”

Among those that have already said yes are the TD Bank Foundation, giving $100,000, Scotiabank giving $40,000 and the Anglican Foundation of Canada, contributing $15,000.

At an earlier stage of the project, the Hussey organization was able to land an anonymous donation of $250,000.

One part of the Hollyer story is already paying dividends. The FAMSAC Food Cupboard, providing emergency food aid to a wide area of west Ottawa and the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, offering a vast range of health and social services, are both in their spaces on the ground floor.

Trades are putting finishing touches to the residential areas. “We hope to have the building occupancy permit by the end of 2023,” the Rev. Canon PJ Hobbs, director general of Anglican Community Ministries said. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, tenants will then be able to move-in sometime in the first quarter of 2024.”

The Hollyer experience can be seen as a clinic in developing a project through a pandemic.  Commitments to proceed were made by the parish and the Diocese before the COVID-19 outbreak.The pandemic caused unforeseen shortages in supplies and labour, causing construction delays. Hopes for completion by last spring had to be moved ahead.

Campaign manager Hussey says that for fundraising, the pandemic served to raise the level of understanding about the importance of safe and affordable housing. This at a time when homelessness and the issue of affordable housing gained significant recognition in the public square.

He echoes the sentiments of Garvey and Seguin on the scale of need. “While the supply through this project isn’t going to solve the problem, this is an actionable project where you can make a difference, where you can add more to the supply of affordable housing. Every donation counts.”

The Hollyer apartments are open to everyone qualifying on the Ottawa Housing Registry, which has been an important fact for fundraising. “We had to assure [potential donors] that .. the conditions for benefitting are not religious in nature,” even though the project is led by a religious organization, Hussey says.

Both FAMSAC Food Cupboard and the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre are already benefitting from having a permanent, purpose-built space.

Jeremy Leblanc, chair of the board of directors at FAMSAC, welcomes the stability after years of moving around multiple locations. He cites two significant benefits in addition to permanency.

Many customers face challenges other than food insecurity. The location makes it easier to refer them to services offered by the resource centre such as counselling, medical or language help. As well, Hollyer’s commercial kitchen, while primarily for the resource centre’s Meals on Wheels program, opens up the opportunity for FAMSAC to offer cooking and nutrition classes.

Leblanc acknowledges the significant benefit to FAMSAC of having some fit-up costs covered by the Diocese’s fundraising campaign.

For the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, the move to Hollyer opens a new chapter in a longstanding relationship with Christ Church Bells Corners and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.

The centre operated programs, including its Meals on Wheels service, out of the former rectory for many years. But preparation of the meals was contracted out commercially. The Hollyer kitchen gives the centre the opportunity to develop a new business model for the program, allowing it prepare the meals in-house and serve more people.

“It’s a big challenge for us,” executive director Leigh Couture says, “to see if we can lower costs.” The service provided 32,000 meals last year, up from 25,000 the previous year. Demand is expected to keep rising.

Couture agrees that the proximity to the FAMSAC Food Cupboard offers mutual benefits. “We can be aware of each other’s services and support people better.”

Similarly, residents of the 35 housing units will have onsite access to the outreach services offered by the resource centre.

Couture also expects to see benefits coming from Hollyer’s community room, a common space that is intended to serve both residents and the non-profit tenants. The centre will be able to use the space to offer programs and services that align with the interests and needs of the residents. Examples are a group program for folks who feel lonely, a diner’s club program and a health support group.

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