The Most Rev. Stephen Cotrell, Archbishop of York, visited several dioceses across Canada earlier in the fall. He was invited to teach and preach on the theme of “Becoming a Church of Missionary Disciples.” His two-week visit began in Corner Brook and ended in Vancouver.
Archbishop Cottrell met with clergy and lay leaders and delivered several addresses on spirituality, evangelism and discipleship as they contribute to becoming a Church of missionary disciples. He spoke at clergy gatherings and conferences, including the synod of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario.
“We were challenged by his words as we stand at the crossroads at a very important time in the life of our Church, and the archbishop’s call for us to become a simpler, humbler, bolder Church. And yet we’ve also been given words of great hope. We never walk alone because God is always with us,” said Archbishop Anne Germond, Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario.
Archbishop Cottrell said it was encouraging to visit people from the Anglican Church of Canada. “This has been a coast-to-coast visit, meeting with and speaking to hundreds of clergy and leaders, but also energizing because of the wonderful hospitality received, and by being inspired by the Anglican Church of Canada’s determination to find ways of sharing the gospel that are generous and inclusive and pay attention to the mistakes of the past,” he said.
He also witnessed some of the reconciliation work that has been done with Indigenous communities in Canada, discovering parallels with the Church of England’s commitments to racial justice. “We have much to learn from one another and it is always a joy to discover the breadth, diversity and unity of the Anglican Communion.”
Anglican Communion News Service
Canterbury experience was remarkable