Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and her husband, writer John Ralston Saul, will share their perspectives as Anglicans, national figures and husband and wife at the Anglican church’s spring meeting of bishops, April 27-May 1 in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Canadian bishops meet in spring and fall to discuss and act upon national church matters. Every three years, spouses are invited to discuss the joys and strains of the episcopal life at what is called the “house (of bishops) and spouse” retreat.
Ms. Clarkson and Mr. Saul will “be offering leadership” in four sessions concerning “what they have been learning across the country, faith and public life, what is community and how can we belong together,” said Canon Gordon Light, principal secretary to the primate. The retreat is private, he said. As part of their participation in the spring meetings, the vice-regal couple will attend church on Sunday, April 29, at St. Mark’s in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
The vice-regal couple was invited to house of bishops by the primate, Archbishop Michael Peers, a personal friend who presided at their Toronto wedding in July, 1999. When Ms. Clarkson was appointed governor-general, she included Anglican symbols in her coat of arms. She has twice been honorary spokeswoman for the annual Anglican Journal appeal.
