André Forget

ARTICLES

Archbishop Fred Hiltz holds up his Lampedusa cross as a reminder that the church has a role in working for a more just world. Looking on are General Synod prolocutor Cynthia Haines-Turner and General Synod chancellor David Jones. Photo: André Forget

First day of CoGS emphasizes unity

In a wide-ranging address, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, opened Council of General Synod’s (CoGS) first meeting of the 2016-2017 triennium by encouraging members to see their church’s social justice work as grounds for unity.

Protesters from the Standing Rock camp face off against police outside the governor’s residence in Bismarck, N.D. Photo: Laurel Dykstra

Peace and violence at Standing Rock

On November 3, her first day at Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota, in the midst of a massive push to stop the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline, a stranger came up to the Rev. Leigh Kern and gave her a doughnut.

As part of the new Youth Internship Program, Lizzy Jones, left, and the Rev. Kerri Brennan are recording the memories and stories of Anglicans at the parish of Metcalfe-Greely & Vernon. Photo: Contributed

Internship gives youth a chance to build skills, deepen faith

Since late September, 18-year-old Lizzy Jones, of Ottawa, has been working on a unique project: she is collecting the memories and stories of Anglicans from the parish of Metcalf-Greely & Vernon, which she hopes will form the basis for a film or book.

Anti-Dakota Access Pipeline “water protectors” lock themselves to construction equipment at Standing Rock. Photo: Desiree Kane/Wikimedia Commons

National Indigenous bishop joins ‘water protectors’ at Standing Rock

National Indigenous Bishop Mark MacDonald has joined hundreds of clergy, from the U.S., Canada and beyond, in travelling to Standing Rock reservation in North and South Dakota to stand with the “water protectors” who have been resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline since August.

Joel Peters, music director at St. John’s Lutheran Church, makes a note while preparing the music for the “Electro-acoustic Vespers.” Photo: St. John’s Lutheran Church

Avant-garde vespers service renews ancient tradition

For centuries, the organ was the foundation for Anglican and Lutheran liturgical music, and in Europe’s great gothic churches and cathedrals, some of the greatest composers in the Western tradition held day jobs writing music that would be played at services, rather than concerts.

Archdeacon Anne Germond, who was raised in South Africa, is the first woman to be elected bishop in the diocese of Algoma. Photo: Contributed

Surprise candidate Anne Germond is Algoma’s new bishop

When the diocese of Algoma gathered for an electoral synod last week, Archdeacon Anne Germond’s name was not on the ballot; nor was she featured among the other official candidates for the position on the diocesan website.

While Lambeth Palace has no jurisdiction over the Anglican Church of Canada, three Toronto clergy have asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to intervene following the election of an openly gay bishop. Photo: Pete Spiro/Shutterstock

Election of gay bishop spurs complaint to Welby

Three clergy in the diocese of Toronto have sent a letter to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to register dissent and request an “intervention” following the election of Canon Kevin Robertson, a gay man currently living with his partner, to the episcopate in September.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s meeting with Pope Francis marks 50 years of ecumenical dialogue meant to foster a closer relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. Photo: Anglican Centre in Rome

Anglican, Catholic co-operation continues despite differences

While the decision by some provinces in the Anglican Communion to accept the ordination of women and same-sex marriage have hindered formal unity between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, a common declaration issued by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Francis October 5 reaffirmed their commitment to ecumenical work.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz (right) says he hopes to organize the national Indigenous event with National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald (left). File photo: Art Babych

Primate calls for national Native gathering

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has called for a nationwide meeting to assess the progress made since Indigenous Anglicans first declared their intention to work toward self-determination in the 1994 Covenant.

The Rev. Vincent Solomon, urban Indigenous ministry developer for the diocese of Rupert's Land, gives members of the House of Bishops and their spouses a tour of the Oodena Celebration Circle at the Forks, in Winnipeg. Photo: Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson

Bishops shift focus from same-sex marriage to mission

After three years spent in intense debate over a resolution to allow the marriage of same-sex couples, the House of Bishops intends to shift its focus to “evangelism and discipleship and mission” in the next triennium, says Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, following the house’s September 22-27 meeting in Winnipeg.

William Boushie, brother of shooting victim Colten Boushie, addresses media at a rally outside the Saskatchewan Provincial Court in North Battleford, August 18. Photo: Liam Richards/Canadian Press

Saskatchewan community struggles with reconciliation in wake of killing

After the killing of a young Indigenous man near Biggar, Sask., in August, local Anglicans and Lutherans have been confronted with the challenge of putting what they have learned about reconciliation into practice, says the Rev. Mark Kleiner, priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s Anglican Church and Redeemer Lutheran Church in Biggar.

The Rev. Jeffrey Metcalfe (right) leads a workshop on the theology of money at the 2016 Resources for Mission stewardship gathering. Photo: André Forget

How is a church different from a mall? How is it similar?

While these questions might at first seem academic, at the Rev. Jeffrey Metcalfe’s workshop on the theology of money at the annual Resources for Mission (RfM) stewardship gathering September 8, they galvanized a wide-ranging and passionate conversation.

Stewardship gathering participants discuss the impact of new expressions of Christianity on the church's fundraising efforts. Photo: André Forget

Stop putting new wine into old wineskins, says missioner

For decades, many parishes and dioceses of the Anglican Church of Canada have watched the money raised through tithes and offerings drop. At the same time, they have seen the growth of new kinds of spiritual practice based around tight-knit, less denominationally rigid communities of worship.

Fundraising “isn’t about asking [for money]-it is about inviting people to participate in your visions and plans for the future,” says Martha Asselin of M&M International, a fundraising consulting firm that specializes in services for faith-based groups and churches. Photo: André Forget

Primate: Fundraising and evangelism go together

Barnabas is best known as a New Testament missionary, apostle and companion of St. Paul, but Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, believes he can also teach the 21st-century church how to approach stewardship and fundraising.

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