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 received a wonderful welcome that included teaching, worship and music played on beautiful instruments, hospitality and answers to our many questions,” he wrote on the parish Facebook page and newsletter.

Here are some of the photo highlights and learning he shared:

The basis of Sikh religion is represented by the symbol in the photo at the top left, which represents the words, “There is only one God or one Creator or one Om-maker.” This is a short form for the full expression of Sikh faith: “There is one God and will always be ONE, the eternal reality, the creator, without fear and devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, and realized through Guru’s teachings.”

The basis of Sikh worship is the chanting of the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh scriptures), texts called kirtans – which reminded us of the Psalms. The singing at the Ottawa Sikh Gurdwara Sahib is led by Bhai Manmohan Singh, a world leader in kirtan singing.

The Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer and parishioners from St. John the Evangelist in Ottawa enjoyed meeting people at the Sikh Gurdwara and learning about their faith.

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