On the second Monday of each month, the Rev. Canon Allen Box celebrates the Eucharist in the hospital’s beautiful chapel, assisted by a team of Anglican volunteers led by Sheila Ruban and Tom Delsey who bring the patients to and from their rooms for the service, in wheelchairs or on gurneys. A choir led by Frances Macdonnell leads the congregation in singing four hymns and a psalm and all the service music by Merbecke; the choir also sings a choral prelude to the service as the patients are gathering.

As well as celebrating the monthly Eucharist, Canon Allen visits all the Anglican patients weekly, as do some of the volunteers. In these days in which more and more elderly people live in long-term care, this year-round Anglican ministry is of enormous value.

On Monday, Jan. 8 in the chapel, a particularly special service took place, since as well as celebrating the Epiphany, we were also celebrating the 60 years which Garth Hampson, Ottawa’s favourite bass-baritone, has spent volunteering at St. Vincent’s Hospital. When Garth first came to Ottawa in 1964 as the bass soloist with the RCMP Band, he joined the Cathedral Choir and started leading the music at the Anglican service at St. Vincent’s Hospital—and has continued doing that for 60 years, an unmatched period of service! In the last dozen years, this volunteer choir has been singing along with him—but Garth has been there faithfully every month since 1964!

For all his many kinds of  volunteer work, Garth has also been awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteerism, the Queen’s Silver, Gold, and Diamond Jubilee Medals, and the Governor General’s Commendation for Volunteerism.

At this special service, Canon Box was joined by Bishop Peter Coffin who has long been involved with the Anglican ministry at SVH, and we were thrilled to see Sister Louise Charbonneau return from retirement; she was the last of the Roman Catholic Sisters of Charity, the original founders of SVH, to serve in the chapel.

During the service, Garth sang the solo part in The Lord of the Dance, the choir and congregation joining happily in the chorus after each verse. Sheila Ruban had kindly organized a celebratory luncheon after the service, and many of Garth’s extended family and friends were there.

Fr Allen Box spoke during the service of Garth’s lifetime of volunteerism, and in his remarks at the luncheon, Bishop Peter thanked Garth and also Garth’s wife Eleanor for all her years of support.

Lacking a 60-year-volunteer-service pin, Rebekah Hackbusch, manager of spiritual care at SVH, presented Garth with two 30-year-volunteer-service pins!

Canon Box’s ministry at SVH is funded through the Prayer Book Society, Ottawa Branch, and is supported by several parishes such as All Saints, Greely, St. Mary the Virgin, Blackburn, and St. Barnabas, Ottawa, as well as by many individuals. All donations are tax-receiptable; cheques payable to “PBSC Ottawa Branch” can be sent to Frances Macdonnell, 303-3099 Carling Avenue, Ottawa K2H 5A6.

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