People can pray during the election in two ways:

1. Participate in the onsite prayer vigil at the Cathedral on February 28.

During the election an on-site Prayer Vigil will take place in the Reconciliation Chapel beside the main altar of the Cathedral, welcoming non-delegates and delegates. All are invited to come to the Cathedral and participate at any time after 8 am and join the Prayer Vigil. Participants do not have to be present for the whole time and may come and go as their personal schedule allows. People planning to come to the Cathedral to pray are asked to contact Paul Dumbrille at afp@ottawa.anglican.ca; 613-225-0806.

2. Those who cannot come to the Cathedral, either alone or with others, are encouraged to set aside time on February 28 for prayer.

Weekly prayers

Parishes are encouraged to include prayers for the election in their liturgies and gatherings in the weeks preceding the February 28 election. The following are suggested prayers for the 6 weeks prior to the election.

Week of January 18

Pray for the mission of the Church.

Everliving God, whose will is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ. Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Week of January 25

Pray for the Ottawa Diocese.

0 God, by your grace you have called us in this Diocese of Ottawa to a goodly fellowship of faith.  Bless the one who is to be our bishop, the other clergy and all the people.  Grant that your Word may be truly preached and truly heard, your sacraments faithfully administered and faithfully received.  Amen.

Week of February 1

Pray for the Electoral Synod.

Loving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who will take counsel in the Synod of this Diocese for the renewal and mission of your Church. Amen.

Week of February 8

Pray for those offering to serve as bishop.

Gracious God, you led your holy apostles to ordain ministers in every place.  Grant that your Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may choose suitable persons for the ministry of being a bishop, and may uphold them in their work for the extension of your kingdom. Amen.

Week of February 15

Pray for the election of the person God would have to be Bishop.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift, look graciously on your Church in this Diocese, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for us, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Week of February 22

Pray for the one who shall be chosen.

Gracious God, give your grace, we humbly pray, to the one who will be called to the office and ministry of bishop for your people in this Diocese; and so fill them with the truth of your doctrine and clothe them with holiness of life.  Amen

Prayer gatherings prior to the election

Parishes or deaneries are encouraged to hold in-person or online prayer gatherings in the time before the election focussed on praying for the election of a bishop. Resources for such a gathering can be provided by contacting Paul Dumbrille at afp@ottawa.anglican.ca; 613-225-0806.

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As we follow the tragic news from Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia we acknowledge that there is so much we do not know and cannot explain. We struggle to understand how violence takes root, how ordinary days can be shattered in a moment, how lives can be taken or forever changed. Although we find ourselves in a broken world—a world in which hurting people often hurt others—we believe that healing is still possible. Our faith teaches us that God can restore what is wounded, mending what is torn, and guiding us toward justice, fairness, and peace. With heavy hearts we lament the violence, the death, and the injuries that have struck the community of Tumbler Ridge, and we turn to God for mercy, comfort, and strength.

Prayer for Those Who Have Died and Those Who Grieve

God of all compassion, Receive into your eternal care the souls of those whose lives were taken in Tumbler Ridge. Surround their families, friends, and all who mourn with the shelter of your comfort. When words fail, let your presence speak. When sorrow overwhelms, let your peace steady trembling hearts. May those who grieve know that you weep with them and that your love holds every story, even those cut short by violence. Amen.

Prayer for the Injured, First Responders, and Survivors

Merciful Healer, We lift before you those who have been injured—body, mind, or spirit. Grant them steady recovery, patient endurance, skilled caregivers, and the hope that pain will not have the final word. We give thanks for first responders, for their courage in chaos and their willingness to step into danger for the sake of others. Strengthen them in body and spirit and surround them with support as they carry the weight of what they have seen. For survivors, witnesses, and all who now carry invisible wounds, we pray for resilience, for gentleness toward themselves, and for companions who will walk with them through the long journey of healing. Amen.

— with thanks to the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer and diocesan representative Paul Dumbrille

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The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus ascended from the top of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. At some time during the 4th century, a church was built on the site where people believed the event took place. That church was destroyed early in the 7th century and replaced in 1157 by a small Crusader church—which was attacked and abandoned 30 years later and fell into ruins (the Land of the Holy One continues to see this cycle of destruction: please consider a gift through Alongside Hope to rebuild our partner’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza).

In the 1870s, a Carmelite convent was built on the site, and, eventually, a new building was constructed using the old stones and footprint of the 4th century church. It became known as the Church of the Pater Noster (the Lord’s Prayer). No longer the place where the Ascension is remembered (another church now lays claim to that), it is a place where pilgrims commemorate the teachings of Jesus, especially concerning prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer, the way Jesus taught us to pray, speaks to the heart of Christian prayer. It has two basic parts: three petitions glorify God, and three others concern human needs (for sustenance, for forgiveness and for help in times of trial). An integral part of the prayer is an acknowledgment of the primacy of God’s will: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Lord’s Prayer helps us see our particular concerns in the context of the expansive, vibrant sweep of our Creator’s loving purpose for all creation.

Some Christians believe that God provides material wealth, grants favours, and meets very specific requests if you believe the right things, pray for the right things, and act in the right ways. This is not what Jesus taught! Most of us will find that solid faith doesn’t necessarily lead to economic gain, good health and a life of ease. Jesus taught that God is present to each person, regardless of material or physical well-being, and that following God has absolutely nothing to do with self-aggrandizement.

Prayer is about uniting your soul with God. We believe that the Holy Spirit enables us to be drawn into the eternal prayer of Jesus, the exalted Son, to God, the Creator of Creation. Praying is about freely sharing all the hopes, fears, cares, concerns, and contradictions of your life with God who loves you no matter what. Praying is about receiving love and forgiveness and strength to live in this world in a manner that is true to God.

In the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, God has shown us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are loved whether we win or lose, pass or fail—loved more than we love ourselves and loved more than anyone else can love us. Uniting yourself to God’s strong love as you pray makes you a better person and being a better person means being freer to love and serve other people—as Jesus also taught us to do. 

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If we restrict our understanding and the practice of prayer as being an activity only of the head, it can be likened to a bird trying to fly with one wing. We would be missing the richness of the use of the senses that God has given us. To “sense” something is to understand and experience life, gaining knowledge and achieving our potential. As we do with the physical world around in touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, and hearing, so, too, we can use our senses to learn about, and experience. God.

In this article we explore the use of our sense of touch and prayer.

There are several ways of using the sense of touch in prayer, and most often we are inclined to our hands. Often people will hold on to a small cross, or other small smooth object when they pray. We can also hold a Bible in our hands, either open at a particular scripture passage, or just closed resting in our hands, to connect to the Divine Presence. It is a way of focusing on God and bringing Jesus into the particular time and space of the prayer.

For centuries, people have used prayer beads as an aid to prayer. The action of feeling the beads and moving from one bead to another provides an internal rhythm. Feeling the shape, the texture, the size of the beads, and the spaces around them relaxes and helps focus our attention, which then brings us into greater silence and into contemplation, before God. There is an Anglican Rosary (pictured here) that is a blending of the Marian (Roman Catholic) Rosary and the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope.

Our sense of touch is not restricted to our hands. Our sense of touch extends to all parts of our body. Those in need of healing of body mind and/or spirit often find the comfort of God’s presence using a prayer shawl, which has been knitted by hand, blessed by a priest, and given to them with a prayer.

We are encouraged to feel God in everything we touch.

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