On the afternoon of May 17, St. James Cathedral will host a beacon event for Thy Kingdom Come, the global ecumenical movement that calls Christians to a special season of prayer from Ascension to Pentecost – this year, May 14-24. Started by the Church of England in 2016, the movement now reaches around the globe as Christians join in prayer that more people would come to know Jesus.

The theme for 2026 is “God with us,” exploring God’s presence in the joys and sorrows of life. Over 11 days, the campaign will explore bible stories that demonstrate God’s transformative power and love at work in the lives of people and places. Participants are called to pray for five people in their lives, that they will experience the life-changing love of God and choose to follow Him.

“It’s encouraging Christians to think about how the good news would fit into the questions or challenges that people in their lives are having, and to see if they can find solace and purpose in the good news of Jesus,” says the Rev. Matthew Waterman, assistant curate at St. James Cathedral, who’s helping to plan the beacon event.

A representative from the Anglican Communion approached the cathedral’s leadership team in the fall, looking for cathedrals around the Communion to lead events for their regions. The beacon events are meant to be focal points for prayer and worship, and to serve as a visible reminder that local communities are part of a worldwide network of prayer.

“The hope is to draw more attention to Thy Kingdom Come so that more individual parishes will be inspired to participate in their own contexts,” says Mr. Waterman.

Plans for the event at St. James Cathedral are well underway. Archbishop Shane Parker, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, will attend, and Mr. Waterman has reached out to congregations to invite participants and worship leaders who reflect the diversity of the diocese. The liturgy will include many different languages, including Tamil, Twi, Spanish, Tagalog and Cantonese, in readings, prayers and liturgical expressions.

“We’re aiming to think about not just how the gospel is heard in the Church, but how the gospel is heard by those around us. We’re focusing on some of the major immigrant ethnic groups in Toronto, for them to bring testimonies about responding to the gospel from their contexts and their experience sharing it with others within their cultural groups,” says Mr. Waterman.

In addition to inviting people to join the worship service in-person, the cathedral team will livestream the service to share the Toronto experience of Thy Kingdom Come both locally and with Christians around the world.

“We will encourage people to have watch parties, maybe in their parishes or with their friends, to join in the experience,” says Mr. Waterman. “Even around the world, anyone at any place can tune in and see what we’re doing here in Toronto.”

The beacon event comes at a fitting moment for the Diocese of Toronto, which recently concluded its Season of Spiritual Renewal. The emphasis on prayer, listening and discernment from the past two years echoes many of the themes at the heart of Thy Kingdom Come, encouraging individuals and parishes to root themselves in prayer for their neighbours and the wider world and inviting them to build on practices they began during the Season of Spiritual Renewal.

“I hope they feel more inspired or more equipped to share the good news, and maybe more aware of where there’s a need for that good news,” says Mr. Waterman. “They may think more about who’s around them in their neighbourhood, that perhaps they could share the good news and have their parish represent the diversity that’s around them in whatever form.”

As plans develop, Mr. Waterman and the cathedral team are looking forward to sharing more details about the service.

“Stay tuned! We’ll have more exciting, specific details that we can share as it gets closer,” he says.

In the meantime, Thy Kingdom Come’s website provides free resources for individuals, families and churches, from prayer journals to a kids’ cartoon series. To learn more, visit www.thykingdomcome.global.

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The diocese’s annual outreach appeal raised $1,532,000 in 2025. The money will be given to ministries that help unhoused people and ex-prisoners, newcomers and refugees, at-risk women, children and youth, Indigenous people, and those impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Bishop Andrew Asbil says he is amazed by the generosity of Anglicans year after year. “With all of the upset in the world economy, with all of the chatter of communities and nations looking inward, here we have this program that gives so much to people who are in need the most – the vulnerable from the rural communities to the inner city,” he says. “I find it mind-blowing how this kind of generosity makes very effective front-line ministry happen.”

The good news comes as the campaign celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year. Since its inception, it has raised $45 million, helping hundreds of thousands of people in the diocese, across Canada and around the world.

To celebrate the anniversary, FaithWorks is asking parishes to give a little bit more this year to support parish-related food security programs, including food banks. “We’re inundated right now with the need for food,” explains Peter Mentis, the FaithWorks campaign manager.

This year’s campaign is called the FaithWorks 100% +1% Challenge, and the goals are twofold: first, that every parish in the diocese participate; and second, that each parish set a fundraising goal that exceeds their 2025 FaithWorks contributions by at least one per cent of their 2024 offertory amount.

If all parishes participate and achieve their fundraising goals, the campaign will stand a good chance of not only hitting this year’s target of $1.5 million but raising an additional $325,000 for food security programs, says Peter Misiaszek, the diocese’s director of Stewardship Development. The additional money will be put into a special fund earmarked for food programs and dispersed in 2027-28.

Since the pandemic, visits to parish meal programs, deacon’s cupboards, food banks and other food ministries across the diocese have skyrocketed. Mr. Mentis hopes the FaithWorks 100% + 1% Challenge will help alleviate the situation.

“We’re taking inspiration from the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of the multitude,” he says. “As Jesus fed them, we are called now, in our turn, to feed as well. We’re hoping people will be inspired by that and participate in Jesus’s miracle.”

Bishop Asbil urges all parishes to take up the challenge. “Food insecurity is a daily issue, where families have to make the very painful decision between paying the hydro or paying the rent. It’s becoming a perennial issue, and this initiative helps us address that. It’s an opportunity for Anglicans to show up and say, ‘We can help, we can make a difference.’”

Last year’s FaithWorks campaign had several highlights. Seventy-eight parishes exceeded the amount that they raised in 2024, $150,000 in matching challenges was met, and online and direct mail giving continued to be strong.

One of the reasons for the success is that there has been a transition in the type of ministries that FaithWorks funds, says Mr. Misiaszek. “Seven of our ministry partners now are decidedly parish-based, and another three are very closely associated with the Anglican family, such as Alongside Hope and AURA. It really can be said that we reflect an authentic Anglican United Way, probably more so than ever before. Because we have those profiles in places like St. Stephen in-the-Fields, St. Margaret, New Toronto, St. James, Orillia, and St. James Cathedral, people in the pew can see or hear about how FaithWorks-funded ministries are impacting their own community.”

He also credits Mr. Mentis and parish leaders, both clergy and lay, for the campaign’s ongoing success. “It takes a lot of work by a lot of people. It doesn’t just happen. I’m extremely proud of what Peter and all our volunteers have been able to accomplish.”

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So when Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island nation last October, killing 54 people and causing widespread destruction, he felt it keenly. “When you hear the stories and see the pictures of the devastation and people living with the aftermath – the damaged homes, the disrupted lifestyles, the anxiety and uncertainty – it truly brings ache and pain to the heart,” he says.

The hurricane was the worst in the island’s history, damaging elementary and secondary schools and creating food and water shortages. About half of the country’s places of worship were destroyed or damaged.

“There were a lot of people who had little resources and then had none,” says Canon Francis. “A lot of people are still homeless. They’ve built temporary shelters that will keep them from the rain and the sun. A lot of people are still hungry. A lot of people are still anxious and looking for avenues for hope as they face a future that is unknown to them.”

Canon Francis is urging Anglicans in the Diocese of Toronto and across Canada to give to the newly created Bishop’s Appeal for Jamaican Relief and Reconstruction, which will help with relief and rebuilding efforts. “When one part of the Body of Christ suffers, we all suffer,” he says. “As Anglicans, we are not strangers to one another; we are part of a global communion rooted in shared faith, shared history, and shared responsibility.”

He says the appeal is not just about reconstructing buildings: it’s about restoring communities. “Local churches in Jamaica are often the first places people turn to in times of crisis – for shelter, food, comfort and hope. By giving, Canadian Anglicans are helping those churches continue to be centres of strength and healing in the midst of devastation.”

Bishop Andrew Asbil, with the support of the FaithWorks Allocation Committee and Synod Council, launched the appeal in late February and hopes that parishes across the diocese will embrace it as part of their Lenten journeys. The appeal will end on April 17.

In his weekly Friday letter to the diocese, Bishop Asbil wrote, “In moments such as this, Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 speak with clarity and urgency: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these siblings of mine, you did for me.’ The call is not abstract. When churches lie in ruins and families gather without shelter, we are compelled not only to pray, but to act.”

Bishop Asbil has spoken with the Bishop of Jamaica, the Rt. Rev. Leon Golding, who told him, “The needs on the ground are so great. While many of the church buildings have been heavily damaged, the first priority is restoring electricity and water supply, rebuilding schools and homes.”

The appeal includes a $50,000 matching grant from FaithWorks, meaning that every dollar given up to that amount will be matched, resulting in a possible $100,000. All funds will be forwarded to Alongside Hope (formerly the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund) for distribution. Gifts may be made online at www.FaithWorks.ca or sent by mail to the Synod Office, 135 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, Ont., M5C 1L8.

“Please share this Lenten appeal as widely and as quickly as possible within your parish networks,” writes Bishop Asbil. “Together, during this holy season of Lent, we can restore sacred spaces, strengthen communities, and bear witness to Christ’s compassion in a time of profound need.”

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For Sr. Elizabeth Ann Eckert, the Reverend Mother of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, the words had special significance. After two years of renovations, the St. John’s Convent Guest House, an oasis of calm and spiritual nourishment in Toronto, was finally open again.

“Those were perfect words for this place,” she says. “That’s what we want when people come here.”

About 150 people attended the reopening event on Feb. 14. Starting at St. Margaret’s Chapel, the Sisters and their guests processed through the guest house, stopping to pray and reflect at some of the newly refurbished bedrooms, washrooms, pantries and meeting rooms, the entrance and office space, the library and the chapel itself. Between stops, they chanted “love is love is love.”

“It was phenomenal,” says Sr. Elizabeth Ann with a smile.

The event was held to thank everyone who supported the Sisterhood over the past two years and who gave to the financial campaign, which raised $7.8 million, including a $680,000 donation from the Diocese of Toronto. Every diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario gave to the campaign. Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the former Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Rev. Canon Sr. Constance Joanna Gefvert, SSJD, were co-chairs of the fundraising committee.

“We’re very grateful, and we thank you more than you will know,” says Sr. Elizabeth Ann. “What we’ve done is not for us – it’s for all the people who will come and take advantage of this space and time, to be renewed and refreshed in their own lives and to carry that peacefulness and prayer out with them when they go.”

The two-story guest house, which is connected to St. John’s Convent, can provide overnight accommodation for up to 35 people. It is used for a variety of purposes, including spiritual retreats, programs, meetings or simply as a place for people to rest and reflect in a Christian setting. Guests are welcome to take part in the Sisters’ regular round of prayer and to share meals with them in the convent’s refectory.

Not only has the guest house building been renewed, but so has the activity within it. Staff have started to offer Ignatian-style retreats, and some of the Sisters are training to become spiritual directors to meet a growing need.

The renewal all adds up to fresh energy and a sense of purpose.

“It’s great to be open again and getting back into the swing of things,” says Jeanette Strong, the guest house manager. “It’s lovely to have people who have never been here before reaching out to us and discovering us. We have all these workshops but some are just coming for the silence and to be with God, to unplug from the chaos of the world.”

The guest house doesn’t have a television but it does have WiFi – although many choose not to use it, she says. “A lot of people turn off their phones and just be. The feedback we’ve been getting so far has been really encouraging. People love it here.”

In addition to all the renovated rooms, the guest house has new carpeting, new windows and curtains, new light fixtures and new heating and cooling systems. It has been painted throughout and is fully accessible.

The guest house was built in the 1950s to serve as a residence for the Sisters and some staff who were working at the nearby St. John’s Rehab Hospital. It was lightly refurbished in 2004, around the same time that the new St. John’s Convent was built. The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine was founded in 1884.

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So when Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island nation last October, killing 54 people and causing widespread destruction, he felt it keenly. “When you hear the stories and see the pictures of the devastation and people living with the aftermath – the damaged homes, the disrupted lifestyles, the anxiety and uncertainty – it truly brings ache and pain to the heart,” he says.

The hurricane was the worst in the island’s history, damaging elementary and secondary schools and creating food and water shortages. About half of the country’s places of worship were destroyed or damaged.

“There were a lot of people who had little resources and then had none,” says Canon Francis. “A lot of people are still homeless. They’ve built temporary shelters that will keep them from the rain and the sun. A lot of people are still hungry. A lot of people are still anxious and looking for avenues for hope as they face a future that is unknown to them.”

Canon Francis is urging Anglicans in the Diocese of Toronto and across Canada to give to the newly created Bishop’s Appeal for Jamaican Relief and Reconstruction, which will help with relief and rebuilding efforts. “When one part of the Body of Christ suffers, we all suffer,” he says. “As Anglicans, we are not strangers to one another; we are part of a global communion rooted in shared faith, shared history, and shared responsibility.”

He says the appeal is not just about reconstructing buildings: it’s about restoring communities. “Local churches in Jamaica are often the first places people turn to in times of crisis – for shelter, food, comfort and hope. By giving, Canadian Anglicans are helping those churches continue to be centres of strength and healing in the midst of devastation.”

Bishop Andrew Asbil, with the support of the FaithWorks Allocation Committee and Synod Council, launched the appeal in late February and hopes that parishes across the diocese will embrace it as part of their Lenten journeys. The appeal will end on April 17.

In his weekly Friday letter to the diocese, Bishop Asbil wrote, “In moments such as this, Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 speak with clarity and urgency: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these siblings of mine, you did for me.’ The call is not abstract. When churches lie in ruins and families gather without shelter, we are compelled not only to pray, but to act.”

Bishop Asbil has spoken with the Bishop of Jamaica, the Rt. Rev. Leon Golding, who told him, “The needs on the ground are so great. While many of the church buildings have been heavily damaged, the first priority is restoring electricity and water supply, rebuilding schools and homes.”

The appeal includes a $50,000 matching grant from FaithWorks, meaning that every dollar given up to that amount will be matched, resulting in a possible $100,000. All funds will be forwarded to Alongside Hope (formerly the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund) for distribution. Gifts may be made online at www.FaithWorks.ca or sent by mail to the Synod Office, 135 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, Ont., M5C 1L8.

“Please share this Lenten appeal as widely and as quickly as possible within your parish networks,” writes Bishop Asbil. “Together, during this holy season of Lent, we can restore sacred spaces, strengthen communities, and bear witness to Christ’s compassion in a time of profound need.”

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Historically known as an enthronement, the installation service marks the symbolic start of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s public ministry in the Church of England and across the Anglican Communion.

Bishop Bell is attending as co-chair of the Anglican-Methodist International Coordinating Committee, and one of only a handful of Canadians who will be attending, including the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

“I am deeply moved to be invited to attend this historic event, not only for the life of our Communion but for the spiritual leadership of women in the Church,” said Bishop Bell. “It’s a great honour and privilege.”

The bishop has asked that the people and parishes of the Diocese of Niagara be steadfast in their prayers for the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, and for the Communion. “We must pray for her and for our beloved Church, especially in the days leading up to the installation,” she says.

Rooted in centuries of tradition, the service will look forward with the hope of Jesus Christ and celebrate the diversity of the Church of England and the Communion.

Archbishop Mullally will be installed on the cathedra of the Diocese of Canterbury, the oldest diocese in the English Church. Following this, she will be installed on the Chair of St. Augustine as Primate of All England, which also symbolizes her ministry in the Anglican Communion.

“It’s a great honour and privilege to have the opportunity to represent Niagara and, of course, our wider Anglican Church in Canada, and bear witness firsthand the bonds of affection we share across the Communion with the see of Canterbury,” says Bishop Bell.

Back at home, the bishop invites parishes to organize watch parties for the historic event and to offer special intercessions on the Sundays bookending the installation.

The role of the Archbishop of Canterbury is not only that of the most senior bishop in the Church of England, but also the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury.

The Niagara Anglican

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“Yeah, it’s definitely got that rec-room vibe,” says the Rev. Mark Kleiner, incumbent. Nutflakes – a pun on the streaming giant Netflicks – is the video store/community centre that’s been operating out of the building since 2021.

At Nutflakes, there’s no membership fee and rentals are technically gratis (donations, however, are accepted, and benefit CHEP Good Food, a local charity fighting food insecurity). Don’t have anything at home that can read a DVD? They have players available. And if you’re just looking to browse and talk with the volunteer staff about your favourite scene in Leprechaun 2, you’re more than welcome to.

At Nutflakes, the hang is really the point. Mr. Kleiner came up with the idea during the pandemic while thinking up ways to serve the community at large, and it was founded by volunteers. Nutflakes is part of the “third spaces” movement that is addressing Canada’s loneliness epidemic: the idea that everyone needs a comfortable place beyond home or work where they can mix with their neighbours and just be themselves. A communal living room. Or in this case, a video store.

When Mr. Kleiner pitched the idea for Nutflakes to a group of volunteers at his church, he acknowledged the concept was maybe a little out of step with the times. “It seemed kind of joyously anachronistic,” he says, but he bet on “a homespun little pop-up video store” attracting people from the neighbourhood and beyond, and for nearly five years, it’s been doing exactly that.

“We get a really wide-ranging demographic,” he says. Some visitors are just curious to experience the novelty of it all; others are there because they might not be able to afford another entertainment option. Mr. Kleiner says he’s noticed families coming to Nutflakes because they want to show their kids an alternative to “just scrolling endlessly through digitized choices at home.”

“Do we want to bring back the … Blockbuster (store) experience? You know, not so much,” says Mr. Kleiner, who doesn’t hold any special nostalgia for the golden age of home video. Before streaming, the corner video store filled a different, more transactional need, he says. You were there to grab a stack of new releases and retreat to the solitude of your living room.

Options for accessing movies are greater today, even if neighbourhood rental stores have largely vanished. When it comes to acquiring physical media, Nutflakes was able to quickly build its library by collecting donated Blu-Rays and DVDs from people in Saskatoon.

What’s in short supply now is a reliable place where people can gather, and for the two days of the week when Nutflakes is open, Mr. Kleiner and a team of dedicated volunteers welcome visitors to feel at home. “It’s a very low stakes community-sourced and community-run operation, but I would say that’s the whole point — and its charm.”

CBC Saskatoon 

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The letter writing was part of Amnesty International’s annual “Write for Rights” campaign, which takes place on or around International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10). Each year, the campaign highlights case studies of real people whose human rights are being violated or who have lost their lives due to human rights violations.

For every case, there are two types of messages that people can write: one to a person in authority, such as a prime minister or president, and one to the person being advocated for, or their family, so they know they will not be forgotten.

The cathedral has been holding a “Write for Rights” event for more than a decade. This year, participants wrote 451 letters pleading for justice and mercy and offering comfort to grieving family members.

“Real, physical letters can bring hope to people in the direst of situations,” says Susan MacRae, organizer. “When letters arrive in huge numbers, they are also an unmistakable reminder to the authorities that the world is watching. And for those who are engaging in this project as an action of their faith, letter writing becomes a prayerful project in which the person being written to or for is held in prayer by name.”

Faith Tides

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