The Archbishop of Canterbury has honoured three local Anglicans for their outstanding service to the Church and the wider community.
The 2022 Lambeth Awards were given to 37 recipients across four continents. They are given to people within the Church of England, the wider Anglican Communion, other Christian churches, as well as to those of other faiths and none. Musicians, activists, clergy, peacemakers and educators are included, alongside people whose quiet dedication to their work hasn’t drawn the public eye. Those honoured work in countries from Burundi to Finland, and the U.S.A to Brazil.
Suzanne Lawson, ODT, a member of St. Peter, Cobourg, was given The Langton Award for Community Service. The award recognizes outstanding lay leadership at every level of Anglican life and non-profit community service and volunteer administration.
Archbishop Mark MacDonald, the National Indigenous Archbishop for the Anglican Church of Canada, received The Cross of St Augustine for Services to the Anglican Communion. He was recognized for outstanding service to support the Communion’s role in creation care and climate justice, including the voice of Indigenous peoples.
Bishop Philip Poole, a retired suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Toronto, received The Cross of St Augustine for Services to the Anglican Communion, for his leadership and support of the Compass Rose Society, Princess Basma Centre, Jerusalem, and St. George’s College, Jerusalem.
Announcing the awards on March 8, Archbishop Welby said, “The world around us is not as it should be. There is grave injustice and we currently face war in Europe, while COVID-19 continues to cause much grief. But we do not despair. Our faith in Jesus teaches us that we are justified in maintaining hope. One thing which feeds that hope is the work and service of the people we recognize today.”
Archbishop Welby added, “Many of those receiving an award have worked quietly, discreetly and are known only to a few. They have worked for justice and reconciliation, for the relief of poverty, for the extension of the Kingdom of God, for the advancement of education for all, for understanding between denominations and faiths, for authenticity in worship and prayer on behalf of this broken world. These awards represent an opportunity to acknowledge their valuable work. I present them on behalf of the Church of England but also, I hope, on behalf of people of goodwill everywhere.”
The current Lambeth Awards began in 2016. Recipients are recognized for contributions to community service, worship, evangelism, interfaith cooperation, ecumenism and education.
A heavy burden of grief and loss