Then Jesus speaks one word: “Mary.” And there is instantaneous recognition. “Rabbouni,” Mary says. “Teacher.” How she must have wanted to embrace him. How she must have longed to draw close one more time. But Jesus says to Mary, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell my friends, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Two powerful lines stand out for me in this brief encounter. The first is the word “Mary.” For Mary, the hearing of her own name unlocks the identity of Jesus. She cannot recognize his physical form after he has risen from the dead, but as soon as he calls her by name, she knows him. Calling someone by name conveys knowledge, intimacy, relationship.

In the biblical narrative, when important things happen between God and God’s people, God gives a name. Abram was named Abraham, and Sarai became Sarah, when God made a covenant with them and their ancestors (Genesis 17). Jacob was named Israel after wrestling with the Lord (Genesis 32). Simon became Peter when he confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:17-18). Being known and called by name matters.

God calls each one of us by name too. “The Lord says, I have called you by name and you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1) This is more than mere knowledge. It is an intimacy so deep that the hairs of our heads are all counted (Luke 12:7).

Like Mary Magdalene, we are invited into a living relationship with the Risen Jesus. In his new life, we have life, and we are called to rise into resurrection-living every day. When you hear John’s gospel again this Easter, imagine Jesus calling you by name.

The second set of words that stands out for me is the command of Jesus to Mary: “Go and tell.” Mary Magdalene is sometimes called the “Apostle to the Apostles” because she carried the news of the risen Lord to the others. We wonder how the resurrection would have ever become known without Mary’s witness. When she gets to the other disciples, she exclaims, “I have seen the Lord!” And from that moment, the planting of the gospel in the garden of the world had begun.

Just as we have imagined Jesus calling us by name, so too we hear the call to “go and tell” as directed to us. Like Mary, we are also apostles, those who are sent out to proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ. Easter propels out of the empty tomb and into the world, because those who have experienced and been changed by the Risen Jesus cannot help but tell others. We can never go back to the old ways of being. We strive to live, albeit imperfectly, into the fullness of light and life which Jesus has given through his life, death and resurrection, and all because of God’s perfect love for the world.

As we pack away our Lenten resolutions for another year, here is an Easter resolution: “Go and tell.” Be an evangelist, be an apostle, be a fellow gardener. The fourth century bishop and theologian, St. Augustine of Hippo, wrote: “A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to toe,” which is a reminder of how we ought to go and tell: full of joyous praise and enlivened by the greatest news we could share. Christ is Risen. Alleluia! I conclude with this prayer by Rosalind Brown, reminding us that we are called by name and then sent. I wish you a Happy Easter in the garden of the new creation.

Lord Jesus,
sometimes, like Mary,
we mistake you for the gardener of an old way of life:
this Eastertime, invite us to walk with you
in the garden of your new creation.
O gardener of the world,
may the leaves of the tree of life bring healing to the nations.
Like Mary, call us by name
and send us out to be instruments of your peace. Amen.

(Rosalind Brown, Prayers for Living, Durham: Sacristy Press, 2021).

The post The Risen Jesus calls us to go and tell! appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Beloved siblings in Christ,

“So they cast [the net], and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish.” (John 21:6)

God’s goodness to the Diocese of Toronto amazes us every day. As your bishops, it is our joy and privilege to bear witness to the rich blessings, the varied gifts, the talents and skills, the sacrificial generosity, and the deep faithfulness of the Body of Christ in this diocese. Every parish and community, and the many devoted Anglicans who make them up, inspire us. It has been a natural response for us to “Lift Up Our Hearts” in a spirit of gratitude and encouragement in 2025.

The very first Call of our Cast the Net visioning process was a Season of Spiritual Renewal. We heard over and over again that our diocese is hungry to know and love God more deeply. During the season, over 40 workshops were offered, geared to priests, deacons, lay leaders and people desiring to deepen their spiritual lives, hone their leadership skills and discern God’s call. We held five “Lift Up Our Hearts” worship services: at St. James Cathedral; All Saints, Whitby; Trinity, Streetsville; St. James, Orillia; and St. Paul, Bloor Street. Large crowds gathered to worship, sing and pray for the renewal of the Church. Each one was a moment of grace and joy. The Season of Spiritual Renewal officially draws to a close with the end of the season of Epiphany 2026. Now a small group gathers to discern how we continue to grow disciples, enhance ministry and form servants of the Gospel, building on the foundation of what has been offered. Stay tuned!

The Netminders is a group of clergy, lay leaders and staff who continue to help parishes engage with the Cast the Net Calls, and to bring them to life in each community. Every parish was invited to choose three or four Calls from the 20 – those that reflect the ministry that they are a part of now or hope to be in the future – and to bring them to Synod for discussion and mutual encouragement. With each part of the Body engaging our common Calls in different ways, we move as one.

At the annual clergy conference last May at Trent University, our speaker, the Very Rev. David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury, offered reflections based on Jesus the Good Shepherd, an image that resonated with our clergy, particularly in this time of disruption and uncertainty. Our clergy work so hard at hauling in the nets, and we say to them now, to all our priests and deacons: we see you, and we are grateful to God for the ministry that you do. The annual clergy conference is always a wonderful opportunity to renew friendships and make new ones, and this year was no exception. It was also our joy to host smaller clergy retreat days in the spring and fall. These were opportunities for clergy to gather in deanery groups for Bible study, to hear from their bishop and archdeacons, to deepen fellowship with one another, and to share a meal. We want to respond to Call #12 to “continue and enhance support for all ordained people” as they engage in vital ministry.

Regarding shared ministry, our partnership with the Diocese of Brasilia, now entering our third year of seven, continues to flourish. Our motto, “Partners in Christ, united in mission” (Parceiros em Cristo, unidos na missão), is grounded in Calls #4 and #13 regarding our participation in God’s healing work and ministries of service in the world. Dr. Paulo Ueti from Brasilia and the Rev. Canon Dr. Christopher Brittain from Toronto offered an online bilingual study day on liberation theology for clergy and lay leaders of both dioceses last March. The Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Espiuca from Brasilia invited us to seek signs of resurrection in his keynote address at the Outreach Conference in October. Bishop Mauricio Andrade participated in our bishops’ Advent series in December. Looking ahead, we will welcome Dr. Paulo Ueti as our guest speaker at this year’s clergy conference, and we can’t wait to receive a delegation of Brazilian youth for the ReCharge Youth Retreat. We also hope a small group of Toronto Anglicans can visit Brasilia this year.

We are pleased to be moving ahead with our work on equity, decolonization, diversity and inclusion with the hiring of our new EDDI Advisor, Dilesha Stelmach. Dilesha brings a strong experiential and educational background in this ministry, centered around Ephesians 4: 4-6: “there is one body, one Spirit, one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, Creator of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” With support from our HR department and the Bishop’s Committee on Intercultural Ministries, Dilesha is mindfully engaging, both practically and theologically, with our people – volunteers, staff, clergy – and with our infrastructure – policies, practices and the constitution and canons of the diocese. She will be helping us to see the familiar in unfamiliar ways as we build up the ministry of every single beloved child of God in our diocese.

To all our faithful people in so many vital ministries in our Church: thank you. To our hard-working churchwardens and treasurers, children and youth ministry workers, parish musicians, office administrators and envelope secretaries, altar guilds and custodians, ACW and outreach volunteers, and countless committee members: thank you. To our diocesan volunteers, members of Synod Council and participants on bishop’s committees: thank you. To the staff team at the Synod Office: thank you. Together we all make up the strong net of the Diocese of Toronto, and together, by following the ways of Jesus, we receive “more than we can ask or imagine” – so many blessings collected in our net that we are barely able to haul it in.

When the nightly news seems especially dire, when anxiety is pervasive and the future seems uncertain, God’s reign can feel far away. Yet our commitment to our baptismal covenant, our tenacious acts of faith, our persistent resistance to the powers of evil, our small but powerful acts of kindness towards our neighbours, and a deep, unshakable, unwavering belief that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24) will carry us through troubled times.

Please pray for us, as we pray daily for you.

The post We all make up a strong net appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Beloved siblings in Christ,

In this Season of Spiritual Renewal, the Diocese of Toronto is exhibiting a burgeoning health and vitality that inspires us daily. To God be the glory! As your bishops, as we travel around to visit our parishes, we have witnessed the Holy Spirit engaging in marvelous ways with people, groups and ministries right across this diocese – from Mississauga to Minden, from Cobourg to Collingwood. The Season of Spiritual Renewal, this invitation to spiritual growth, has been enthusiastically received in so many ways, including the sharing of prayer resources, participation in online workshops and our bishops’ Advent study online. We are also looking forward to #LiveLent: God’s Story, Our Story, a daily Lenten resource with a helpful guide for small group use.

We are excited that the next phase in this Season of Spiritual Renewal is called “Lift Up Our Hearts.” Over the coming year, large worship services will take place across the diocese on five Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m. Each celebration of the Eucharist will feature excellent music, moving testimony and preachers from within our own diocese, each with their own unique approach to spiritual renewal. We hope you will plan to join us for one or more of these marvelous gatherings. Come on your own, bring a friend or hire a bus! We will see you there:

• March 22 – St. James Cathedral (preacher: the Rev. Molly Finlay)
• March 29 – Trinity Church, Streetsville (preacher: the Rev. Canon Stephanie Douglas)
• May 31 – All Saints, Whitby (preacher: the Rev. Gerlyn Henry)
• September 27 – St. James, Orillia (preacher: the Rev. Dr. Rob Hurkmans)
• October 25 – St. Paul’s, Bloor Street (preacher: the Rev. Dr. Alvardo Adderley)

The call to spiritual renewal, however, was just the first of 20 Calls articulated in the Cast the Net strategic vision adopted by Synod and the diocese in 2023. Over the coming year, you will hear us repeatedly emphasising the need for each congregation to review and consider all of the 20 Calls and then choose which two or three your parish will focus on. As you gather today for Vestry, this could be the perfect opportunity to start considering the question. A small group – the Netminders – has prepared resources to help you, which you can find on the Cast the Net web page on the diocese’s website, www.toronto.anglican.ca. While it’s important to remember that no congregation could possibly answer all 20 Calls, we strongly believe that each congregation can consider two or three. Leading up to our diocesan Synod in November, we hope that every parish will be able to identify which of the Calls they are living into.

We are pleased to welcome our new Executive Director, Varun Balendra, ODT. A familiar face around the diocese, Varun has served in many volunteer capacities over the years, and we look forward to working together in this new capacity. By the time of our diocesan Synod on Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8, we expect that we will be introducing a new Secretary of Synod and a new full-time Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisor, whose primary focus areas will be supporting the work of the Anti-Bias, Anti-Racism (ABAR) and other DEI training, and supporting individuals and parishes to grow, build community, educate and engage.

Some other new faces at Synod may include guests from the Diocese of Brasilia. This past June, at the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection in the city of Brasilia, the two diocesan bishops of Brasilia and Toronto signed the covenant that brings our two dioceses into a companion relationship. Since the signing of our agreement, a small representative group from each diocese has been meeting monthly – in both Portuguese and English – to pray together and to plan events. For example, clergy from both dioceses will gather online for a joint study day on liberation theology on March 25. In the fall, a youth delegation from Brasilia will join our own youth at the Re-Charge youth retreat at Muskoka Woods camp. And we anticipate sending a delegation from Toronto to Brasilia in 2026. We have even developed a shared logo for our relationship that combines elements of each of our own logos: our Diocese of Toronto dove springing from their Ipe Tree. You can expect to hear more about this companion partnership as we enter into the second year of it.

Closer to home, the partnerships within our own diocese continue to flourish. When we speak of casting the net, we are referring to the supportive, creative and collaborative ministry that occurs in each deanery and regionalization, between parishes and congregations, amongst church neighbours and colleagues. We are grateful to our hardworking and devout clergy and our dedicated lay leaders, especially churchwardens, treasurers, administrators, musicians and the countless church staff and parish volunteers who are Christ’s hands and feet of ministry in our communities. We are so grateful for all of your faithful work in our parishes and beyond.

We have embarked on a feasibility study to discern if this is the right time for the diocese to conduct a major financial campaign. Over the next six months, M&M International, a Toronto-based fundraising firm, will listen to parishes large and small, soliciting feedback on a case for support. It is proposed that if a campaign does go forward, the majority of funds raised will remain in the parishes, with a smaller portion supporting the 20 Calls at the diocesan level. Your feedback and commitment will make the difference as we look into this additional way of working together.

Lastly, we want to encourage each Vestry meeting to consider this year’s social justice motion: “Protecting and Expanding Harm Reduction in Ontario.” The Church has a role to play in calling on government for responsible actions in caring for our most vulnerable neighbours, to ensure life-saving protections for those experiencing addictions and other challenges. Please consider how your parish can speak up, and out, for those who require advocacy. As we anticipate going to the polls in the coming year – federally and provincially – let us remember our baptismal promises as we cast our ballots, choosing candidates who align with our values. And let us pray for them.

For it is in praying that we are drawn ever deeper into relationship with the Triune God and become more attentive to the will of our Heavenly Creator. In this Season of Spiritual Renewal, we ask every reader of this letter to commit more deeply to a life of prayer, that it may infuse your every day with Grace as you witness to the Love of Christ in your life and to the world.

In your prayers, please pray for all three of us, your College of Bishops, both in your personal daily devotions as well as your parish’s weekly intercessions. Know that we are praying for you too, giving thanks for our common life together across our wonderful diocesan family.

Yours faithfully in Christ Jesus,

Bishop Andrew Asbil
Bishop Riscylla Shaw
Bishop Kevin Robertson

The post Be renewed in the Spirit appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

At other times, I really like the message inside the card, but the image on the front isn’t quite right. It’s either too secular (Santa Claus and reindeer) or it depicts the image of the Magi presenting their gifts at the manger, which would make it more of an Epiphany card than a Christmas card. The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (which has recently been renamed Alongside Hope) produces beautiful Christmas cards every year. They are a great option, as the sale of them supports vital international work by our Church, but lots of other people use them too.

For me, the elusive search for just the right Christmas card points to a greater reality about Christmas. That is, many of us try to get Christmas just right, and that can be stressful! We go searching for a tree that is not too short and stubby, but also not too tall to fit through the door; we scour the stores and internet for the perfect gift for a loved one; we try to strike the right balance of time with various family members; we keep a watchful eye on the oven to get the ideal tenderness of the turkey on Christmas Day. There is somehow this expectation each year that Christmas is going to be just right.

In the many pressures of this season, it helps me to remember that the first Christmas wasn’t perfect either – far from it. So many elements of this story are unplanned. Luke, in his gospel, tells us that Mary and Joseph were far away from their home in Nazareth. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was over 100 km – a walk of several days for a very pregnant Mary! After arriving in Bethlehem for the required census, the couple searched for an inn that could house them. But there was no room in the inn, so their baby was born in a stable instead. Those first on the scene after the birth were not family members and friends, but shepherds, who had been keeping watch over their flocks out in the fields.

None of this was ideal for Mary and Joseph, I am sure. And yet, Jesus came. Into the messiness of the world, and in timing that was far from ideal, Jesus came. For me, this is the reassurance of Christmas. Our celebrations are never perfect, but the gift of Jesus is always perfect. For “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17) and we rejoice that this perfect gift becomes for us the “pioneer and perfecter of our own faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The abundant life we receive in Christ is the very best gift we could be given and is the source of our joy this and every Christmas. Even if nothing else turns out quite right, we take hold of this truth that Jesus is God’s amazing gift of salvation for the whole world.

Many authors over the centuries have tried to capture this sense that the birth of Jesus cuts through the mundaneness and disorder of our world and our lives. Whether we are ready for it or not, Christ comes. One of my favourite expressions of this is from Madeline L’Engle in her poem “First Coming”:

He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine.

He did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, and touch our pain,
He came with love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

As we prepare to celebrate once again the birth in time of the timeless Son of God, may we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. And in our striving to make everything perfect, may we instead rest in the joy of God’s perfect gift. Merry Christmas!

The post Jesus, the Perfect Gift appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

When Jesus comes to the tomb, he weeps the tears of a friend, deeply grieving. And then he declares that Lazarus will live again because, as Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.”

Next, Jesus stands before the tomb and commands, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man emerges from the tomb very much alive but still bound by his burial clothes.

One of the reasons this story of the raising of Lazarus is so important is because it points to the resurrection of Jesus himself. Some details in the two stories are strikingly similar: a tomb sealed with a stone just outside Jerusalem, several days between death and the raising from death, grave clothes, astonished witnesses, a new life where there had been only death. The raising of Lazarus foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus.

One of the other key similarities is that those standing by are invited to participate in the new reality. In the case of Lazarus, Jesus orders the bystanders, “Unbind him and let him go.” Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, but he wants others to help set the man free for his new life.

After the resurrection of Jesus in John’s gospel, those who encounter the risen Jesus are also invited in. To Mary Magdalene, Jesus tells her to go and tell the others. To the other disciples, Jesus tells them to receive the Holy Spirit and to forgive. To Thomas, Jesus invites him to reach out, touch and believe. To Simon Peter, the risen Jesus shares breakfast and commands him to feed his lambs and tend his sheep. The response to the resurrection is to be invited into it – to practice resurrection as we seek to be more and more like Jesus.

How do we do that? How do we practice resurrection? Well, first of all, by trying to take in the enormity of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. All the broken promises, lost opportunities, destructive ways and old animosities are washed away as we are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Exsultet, that ancient hymn proclaimed at the Easter Vigil, describes the effect of Jesus’ resurrection: “The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy. Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth, and we are reconciled with God!” The resurrection of Jesus turns the world upside down and sets it aright.

But secondly, and as a result of this realization that the world has changed forever through Jesus’ resurrection, we recommit ourselves to live as his followers. That means doing as he did: bringing good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, setting the oppressed free and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favour. (Luke 4:18) To practice resurrection means to clothe ourselves in the risen Jesus, and that means seeking to change ourselves and the world through this power.

Thirdly, we practice resurrection by practicing joy. We cannot receive this amazing gift of new life in Christ without it changing the way we see ourselves, one another and our world. Christ has won the victory over sin and death. In this, we rejoice!

Many theologians and hymn-writers have expressed this joy of resurrection through the centuries. One of my favourites is St. John of Damascus (translated by John Mason Neale). It is the final verse of one of the most beloved Easter hymns:

“Now let the heavens be joyful; let earth her song begin!
The round world keep high triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes of gladness blend.
For Christ the Lord is risen, our joy that hath no end!”

This Easter, may our practice of resurrection draw us closer to the risen Jesus and one another. Christ is risen, so we are risen. Alleluia!

The post Practicing resurrection appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Dear friends,

Followers of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, serve the world God loves.

Simple and elegant. These few words capture the essence of a vision that we have been pursuing and discerning throughout the Cast the Net process, a visioning exercise that began while we were still in pandemic mode. Over the course of several consultations, we listened to one another, and for the leading of the Holy Spirit. With time, sifting and testing, 20 Calls were revealed at Synod, which were supported with enthusiasm. A final version of the Calls will be received by Synod Council in February. We continue to be grateful to the steering committee and consultants, who have led our work together over the past 18 months. And now the work begins to incorporate these Calls into the life and ministry of the whole diocese. This is the time for parishes large and small, missions, ministries, committees and Synod Council to animate the Calls in our own contexts. It is almost impossible for one community to embrace all 20, but by serving together from Mississauga to Brighton, Midland to Minden, and all points in between, we can!

We begin this journey with a Season of Spiritual Renewal. We embrace the Call to deepen our walk together as communities by immersing ourselves in prayer, reading and reflection on scripture, worship and sharing our stories of faith with one another. As we promised in our baptism: we will “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.” The season will be supported by the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen, members of a steering committee and the College of Bishops. We hope that you will be able to join us for diocesan worship events, learning opportunities, programs and fellowship that entice us all to walk more closely in the footsteps of Jesus.

We are delighted to reach across our borders to deepen our friendship with the Diocese of Brasilia. Brasilia is a relatively new diocese, birthed in 1985, with a small number of parishes, missions and ministries. We were delighted to welcome their Bishop Mauricio Andrade and his wife Sandra to our diocesan Synod in November. We will learn from, grow with and support one another as we strive to serve Christ in our unique circumstances. And we look forward to opportunities for delegations of our clergy and laity to visit back and forth, both in-person and online, as we deepen our affection for one another.

We are proud of and amazed at the ministry taking place across our diocese, especially in the areas of youth, ecumenism, creation care, diversity and faith formation. We encourage you to consider this year’s diocesan social justice motion on housing, and to prayerfully support our Church’s advocacy for every person’s right to adequate shelter. We are convinced that the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us and challenging us to bravely find new ways to work and worship together, to increase in courage, to share our passion for the Good News of Jesus, and to seek and find new meaning as followers of Christ in the 21st century, where we are confronted with emerging economic and social challenges. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to all who make up our dynamic community of faith – lay people, deacons, priests – all helping to give a glimpse of the Reign of God as it unfolds in our midst.

As your bishops, we know the joy and privilege of serving the Church in this diocese. We thank all those who have joined us in giving leadership over the past year. We have recently celebrated one year of our new diocesan leadership model, and we are immensely grateful to our new territorial archdeacons and canon administrator for stepping into their roles so effectively and with such faithfulness. The five of them have helped to ease the bishops’ administrative load, allowing us to focus on some of the other work to which we have been called and ordained.

Whether your work is changing this year, whether you are stepping out of your role at this vestry meeting, or stepping into a new ministry, or continuing on in your good work, please know that we are here to support you in every way we can. We want to encourage you in gospel ministry, in the initiatives and relationships that you are building as you cast your nets ever wider in a world that is hungry for Christ – for meaning, connection and belonging.

Our mission statement is simple and elegant. And it invites us, like the dismissal at the close of the Eucharist, to action. We invite you to incorporate these words in your liturgies on Sunday morning: Followers of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, serve the world God loves. Thanks be to God!

Yours faithfully in Christ Jesus,

Bishop Andrew Asbil
Bishop Riscylla Shaw
Bishop Kevin Robertson

The post We are here to support you appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Nov. 2 – All Souls Day – has a slightly different focus. On this day, we remember and give thanks for those closest to us who have “fought the good fight, finished their course and kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Perhaps these are family members, friends or members of our church communities who have passed from this life and now stand on another shore and in a greater light. Some parishes invite people to write the names of loved ones in a book of prayers leading up to Nov. 2 so that they may be remembered by name during the Prayers of the People.

The end of this season of remembrance is Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day – when we recall those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace and justice. We also pray to the Prince of Peace for an end to all conflict between nations and peoples.

All Saints, All Souls and Remembrance Day are important days for remembering the past. But they are not only about memory. This season calls us to be transformed by the ways that others have inhabited the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their own lives. It invites us to see how the fruits of the Spirit were shown in others so that they might be manifest in our lives as well. Indeed, the stories of the great saints are of little value if they are simply memorialized in stained-glass windows. They come to life when their lives point us to Jesus.

I recently picked up a wonderful little book called Stick with Love by Bishop Arun Arora. The author reflects on the lives of various “saints” drawn from every corner of the world: India, Nigeria, Eritrea, China, to name but a few. Some of the saints in the book were well known to me, and others I had never heard of. Yet each story, each life, is an expression of a living faith in the God of love. In the foreword, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell writes, “In the daily stories of the saints, we encounter women and men whose lives are resonant with the love of God. Their music is part of our own story and song: with joy and lament they enable us to encounter afresh the surprising, all-surpassing love of God.” I encourage you to order this book for the season of Advent and use its daily reflections to live more deeply into our faith through the example of God’s saints.

For me, it is comforting to be reminded of our deep connection with all the saints and souls who have gone before us. In Christ, we are forever bound to them and they to us. They go on living not only in our memories, but in the nearer presence of God who has welcomed them home. Though gone from our sight and touch, our loved ones and the great saints of the Church are with us so closely in ways we cannot fully comprehend. It is perhaps only in the “thin spaces” of our lives – standing at the edge of the ocean, watching a sunrise across the lake, catching a glimpse of an old photo – that we sense how near they still are.

As we step into this season of remembrance once again this year, I invite you to be inspired by the examples of the great ones who have gone before us, transformed by their unwavering commitment to “stick with love” and comforted that they now dwell in the fullness of God’s presence.

The post For all the saints appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

We need more priests. We need pastors and teachers who will gather the people of God, preside at the sacraments of the new covenant, preach the word, and embody the love of Christ to a broken and hurting world. Our current clergy shortage means that we cannot consistently and reliably provide priestly ministry to every parish across our diocese. It also makes it challenging to create a list of candidates when parishes are in a selection process.

The shortage of priests has been particularly apparent during the pandemic, and I think there are several reasons for the dearth. First, I think the Church is not exempt from the overall labour shortage that is endemic across our country. As in secular society, we are experiencing the retirements of many baby boomers, and the “Great Resignation” of the early pandemic continues. Second, I believe concerns about the long-term viability of the institutional Church cause younger people in particular to think twice about their options as they test a call to the sacrificial life of a priest. With a decreasing number of full-time ministry positions, how can a young person contemplate a priestly vocation while also desiring to raise a family, especially with housing costs in the Greater Toronto Area? Thirdly – and perhaps most importantly – I’m not sure we always do a good job of looking and listening for those whom God may be calling. How often do we talk about vocation or ask people whether God might be calling them?

Back in the 1980s, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto launched a public advertising campaign seeking to raise up new priests. The roadside posters had a simple slogan: “Dare to be a Priest Like Me!” with the telephone number of the archdiocese under the slogan. The poster showed the crucified Jesus in the foreground against the backdrop of the City of Toronto. Several priests – including the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Ottawa – credit this campaign for having stirred something within them to consider this call.

Can we also find creative ways to help stir that longing within others? Can we be more intentional about planting the seeds that will yield a harvest of new clergy for our Church? I will never forget the day I returned home for the Christmas break from my first year of undergraduate studies. Waiting for me at my parents’ home was a letter addressed to me from Bishop Taylor Pryce, former suffragan bishop of our diocese. I had been confirmed by him a few years before at my home parish of Holy Trinity, Thornhill and I had met him just a handful of times. The letter included an invitation to come and have dinner with him and others at the end of the Christmas break. When I arrived at the dinner, there were about a dozen other 20-somethings around the table, all there to hear more about ordained ministry and to share their own tentative sense of perhaps being called to the priesthood. At least three of the young people around that table went on to ordination in our diocese.

There are other opportunities, too. In some churches, the Fourth Sunday of Easter (“Good Shepherd Sunday”) is a day to focus on vocations. The readings for that day provide wonderful opportunities to speak about calling. I would love to see Easter 4 revived as a “Vocations Sunday” for our Church each year.

On May 10, I celebrate the 25th anniversary of my ordination as a priest. And what a ride it has been! There have been some very difficult moments along the way, but many more filled with the sheer joy and privilege of serving the Church of Christ. If I had to do it all over again, I most certainly would. There really is no life like it.

This Easter season, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the new life we have in him, I invite you to look around and see who God may be calling to be a priest. Perhaps God is calling you. If so, please do not delay in speaking with your parish priest or contacting Canon Mary Conliffe, who oversees our postulancy process. If you believe God may be calling you into this wonderful ministry, dare to say yes. Dare to be a priest!

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Dear friends,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:2). As we come to our annual vestry meetings, it is a good time for us to reflect with thanksgiving on the past and look with a sense of hopefulness to the year ahead.

The past year was significant in many ways in the life of our diocese. First, we have been returning to some sense of normalcy after two years of Covid lockdowns and restrictions. While we continue to urge parishes to exercise caution, many of our communities have returned to something that resembles our pre-pandemic life together. We thank God that the worst of the pandemic now seems behind us.

Of course, parishes are continuing to grapple with the effects of Covid. Many of our churches continue to experience a decrease in Sunday attendance, fewer volunteers to fill key parish roles, and a diminished number of regular financial givers. Clergy and lay leaders also continue to experience a deep sense of fatigue and anxiety about the future. In that light, we continue to encourage a gentleness with one another and a renewed commitment to self-care as we navigate post-pandemic realities. Over the past year, we have been pleased to offer a mini-sabbatical opportunity for clergy. These 10 days – taken together or broken up – are intended for rest and renewal. We have been delighted to hear that many clergy have already taken a mini-sabbatical or have made plans to do so in 2023.

The past year also saw the launch of Cast the Net, a strategic visioning process for our diocese. Ably led by the Very Rev. Peter Elliott, Canon Ian Alexander and Dr. Anita Gittens, ODT, the Cast the Net team has surveyed the clergy in the diocese in various consultations, and is now engaging lay people from every parish across the diocese. Based on John 21, this biblically grounded initiative is seeking to help us chart of path forward as a diocese. We eagerly anticipate a full report from the Cast the Net team at our Synod next November.

Our restructuring of episcopal leadership also continued through 2022. The Episcopal Leadership Implementation Team followed up the good work of the Episcopal Leadership Working Group and brought forward a model for raising up and deploying territorial archdeacons and canon administrators to assist the bishops in their work. Interviews took place in November, leading to the appointment of four new archdeacons and one new canon administrator. Many of you were present at the cathedral on Jan. 15 as Archdeacon John Anderson, Archdeacon Theadore Hunt, Archdeacon Steven Mackison, Archdeacon Cheryl Palmer and Canon Laura Walton were collated. They have now begun their work and are already helping to share ministry with the College of Bishops.

After 20 years of service, Canon Clare Burns also retired as our chancellor and is now chancellor emeritus. We are grateful for Clare’s ministry and are also delighted to welcome Marg Creal as our new chancellor. Those of you who were present at the New Year’s Levee on Jan. 1 will remember the joy of Chancellor Creal’s installation.

Our work in the area of anti-bias and anti-racism (ABAR) also continued in 2022. The workshops for clergy concluded last year and we began to roll out the parish-based program. Clergy and lay facilitators are now trained to visit parishes and lead this important work. The ABAR Pod has also been formed to lead the ongoing work of dismantling bias and racism in our structures. May God continue to bless our efforts and encourage us in this vital work.

As we look ahead to a new year, we do so with a sense of great hope. Our beloved Church has changed dramatically over the past few years and will continue to change. But God is present and faithful, and our proclamation and sharing in the redemptive love of God in Christ continues to be the mission to which we are called.

Be assured of our prayers for each of you as you meet for your annual vestry meeting. We want to express our profound thanks to all who exercise leadership in the Diocese of Toronto. Whether you are stepping down from a particular ministry, or continuing on, or taking up a new role this year, thank you for your commitment and faithfulness. You are a blessing to the Church in our diocese.

We write this letter on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. As the Church celebrates the beginning of Paul’s evangelistic ministry to the Gentiles, please join us in praying and working for the extension of the gospel in every place, and for the renewal of the Church in our midst.

Yours faithfully in Christ Jesus,

The Rt. Rev. Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto

The Rt. Rev. Riscylla Shaw
Suffragan Bishop of Toronto

The Rt. Rev. Kevin Robertson
Suffragan Bishop of Toronto

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Thus began my understanding of Christmas as a time when we both give and receive. I looked forward to the gifts under the tree with my name on the tag, but I also looked forward to the reaction of my siblings and parents when they opened the gifts that I had carefully chosen and wrapped for them.

Christmas as a time of giving and receiving is embedded in our understanding of the celebration. At this time of year, we remind ourselves, “It’s better to give than to receive” and we talk about “the joy of giving.” The practice of giving and receiving gifts at Christmas also helps us to be more generous and compassionate with others. Just as we are mindful of the many blessings we have received, we also remember those who are less fortunate. Christmas is a “season of giving” in which we share what we have with others. If you haven’t done so already this season, I would urge you to be generous in support of your parish as well as charitable organizations in your community – especially this year when life is so difficult for so many. For Christians, this spirit of giving is inspired by the most important gift we have received: Jesus, the Christ, born for us in a manger in Bethlehem all those years ago.

As important as the giving and receiving is this season, I want to suggest another way for us to celebrate Christmas. And that is by simple adoration: “O come, let us adore him” is the refrain in one of the favourite Christmas carols. So, what does it mean to adore Christ? Well, there is nothing busy or frenetic or transactional about adoration. We don’t have to search for it at the shopping mall or wait for it to arrive on the porch by Amazon. It’s not wrapped up under the tree or cooked alongside the Christmas turkey.

Rather, the act of adoration slows us down and helps us to focus on the essence of Christmas. Very simply, adoration is an attitude of profound love and reverence. To adore something or someone means to fix the gaze of our heart and soul on something so precious that it exceeds everything else. For followers of Jesus, adoration means basking in the glory of what God has done for us. At Christmas, we adore Christ by seeking to take in the mystery of the Incarnation – that God loved the world so much that God sent his only Son for the salvation of the world. (John 3:16)

Adoration is more passive than active. But make no mistake – adoration changes us! To acknowledge with such love what God has done can move us away from ingratitude and self-centredness and open us to the wonderful possibilities of the world around. The adoration of Christ can reinvigorate us for the work of the gospel and transform our lives anew in Christ’s service. The Canadian Anglican writer J.I. Packer once wrote, “The life of true holiness is rooted in the soil of awed adoration.”

So how do we cultivate the soil of awed adoration? Many things can prompt a spirit of adoration from within us. For me, it’s helpful to find a quiet place where I can sit with a particular image or prayer or piece of scripture. Adoration also stirs within me when I’m out walking in the beauty of creation or plugged into some of my favourite music. It may also be helpful to step out of the rush of this season for a time, to tune out the many distractions, and give our whole attention to the contemplation of the majesty of God. Wherever adoration takes us, it ideally grounds us in the great mystery of God, and in God’s amazing love for us in Jesus Christ.

After a couple of years of more muted celebrations due to the pandemic, many of us are more than ready to return to some more familiar patterns of celebrating this season. As we go about the hurrying and scurrying once again this year, may we take time to slow down, step back, and adore Christ. For in Christ we have life in all its fullness. Merry Christmas!

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