Anglicans invited to evenings with bishops

The bishops of the diocese are inviting Anglicans to join them online this Advent for four evenings of prayer and reflection.

The four-part series, called Advent for Everyone, will be held on Zoom on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., starting Nov. 26. Led by the bishops, the gatherings will give Anglicans a chance to pause, connect and deepen their spiritual journey during this holy season.

“These evenings give us an opportunity to focus on what Advent and Christmas are all about,” says Canon Mary Conliffe, the diocesan executive assistant.

Bishop Andrew Asbil will host the first evening on Tuesday, Nov. 26, Bishop Kevin Robertson will host the second evening on Tuesday, Dec. 3, Bishop Riscylla Shaw will host the third evening on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Bishop Asbil will host the fourth evening on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Each gathering will be an hour long and will feature a reflection by the bishop, discussion in breakout groups and conclude with a short service of Compline. The evenings will be live and interactive.

Parishes that are used to holding their own Advent event can form their own breakout groups. When registering, participants are encouraged to provide the name of their parish so that organizers can put them together for the discussions. People who don’t have a parish can register for the evenings as well and they will be randomly assigned to a breakout group.

The Tuesday gatherings will help clergy and laity learn about and prepare for the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday. “It’s a way for the bishops to participate in the life of all the parishes by framing what they think the lectionary readings are saying, and clergy who are giving a sermon on Sunday can contextualize it for their congregation,” says Canon Conliffe.

Advent for Everyone is an initiative of the Season of Spiritual Renewal, which seeks to renew the spiritual lives of Anglicans in the diocese and, by extension, the Church. The Tuesday gatherings are part of the leadup to 2025, when five large services around the diocese are planned. The Season of Spiritual Renewal has been holding online workshops for clergy and laity since September.

Canon Conliffe says Advent for Everyone allows the bishops to engage in their teaching ministry, something that often gets put on the back burner. “They’d like to do more teaching, so this is a great opportunity for each of them to talk about the Season of Spiritual Renewal and also the season of expectation, anticipation, hope and joy leading up to the Christmas season.”

She says the evenings promise to be informative and meaningful. “The bishops are all such effective communicators, each in their own way, that it will be worth it for people to come back every week. I think they will find the bishops engaging, personable and prayerful, and they will have brought some really thoughtful reflections to the evening.”

The gatherings will be the first fully interactive event with the whole diocese, she adds. “We did something like this for the Clergy Pre-Lenten Day during the pandemic, but we’ve never done something like this that is open to the whole diocese. We’re hopeful that it will feel more interactive than what we’ve done in the past, which has tended to be pre-recorded videos. People are so adept at Zoom now, it could be quite fun.”

People are encouraged to register early, especially if they want to be placed in their church’s breakout group. To register, go to www.toronto.anglican.ca/spiritualrenewal.