The day began with Elder Larry Langlois offering a smudge and prayers outside the church.

Then everyone moved into the parish hall where Belle Bailey and Charmaine Leonard, who came to the event from Mādahòkì Farm, demonstrated two beautiful traditional dances. Bailey performed a Fancy Shawl Dance, and Leonard performed a Jingle Dress Dance. Afterward, they spoke and offered some insights from their Indigenous cultures and advice on how non-Indigenous people can learn more and work to contribute to reconciliation.

Everyone attending was invited to participate in a collaborative art project, adding their own designs to rocks that had been painted red, white, yellow and black. Then all the rocks were carried out into the parish garden to be arranged into the four quadrants of a medicine wheel, an important symbol in many First Nations cultures, which represents the interconnectedness of all life, the cycles of nature and a path to personal balance.

The parish offered bannock with strawberry jam and strawberry water as refreshments for all.

Perspective

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Following reports that communities were being evacuated and residents were arriving in Thunder Bay, Archbishop Anne Germond reached out to clergy across the Thunder Bay–North Shore Deanery to learn what assistance was already underway and how the Diocese could best support local efforts. Alongside Hope, the Anglican Church of Canada’s national relief and development agency, also confirmed that emergency funds were available to assist ministry responding to the crisis.

Those conversations quickly developed into a coordinated deanery-wide response. Working alongside local organizations and Indigenous partners already serving evacuees, Anglican parishes are focusing their efforts on meeting practical needs while ensuring that support complements the work already taking place on the ground.

The Matawa Training and Wellness Centre, one of several organizations welcoming evacuees to Thunder Bay, has become a central focus for the deanery’s response.

In a pastoral message shared with the deanery, the Rev. Elizabeth Sipos, Regional Dean of Thunder Bay–North Shore, invited Anglicans to respond in the spirit of the early Church. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” She stressed that many people have lost everything, fleeing only with their lives and, in some cases, their pets. She encouraged churches to be “a witness of Christ’s love, compassion and hope during this dark season.”

The Diocese of Algoma

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The team reviewed and provided feedback on draft liturgies, including a Cree Anglican Baptismal Liturgy with a decolonizing Thanksgiving over the Water, and a Rite of Acknowledgment of Baptism for a Stillborn Child. Once they are finalized, these liturgies will be brought forward for approval. The Rite of Acknowledgment will go to the Faith, Worship and Ministry Coordinating Committee for recommendation to the November meeting of the Council of General Synod. The Cree liturgy will be presented to ACIP at their meeting in October.

The Messenger

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The St. Barnabas young adults’ group, newly minted “Sanctum,” is led by young adults for young adults seeking a rich tradition of faith. The Anglo-Catholic tradition offers young people a tie to a deeply sacramental expression of Anglicanism. It offers something real and tangible in a world consumed by image and performance. As young people seek identity amidst the fractures, the sacramental life offers a connection and belonging that nothing else can. The group believes that fostering scriptural and theological integrity connects people.

Every week, they gather a little differently. The mainstay is the theology study group, in which they discuss scripture, theology and faith practice. The key point for outreach is the biweekly social group. Oftentimes, the group meets in local pubs or around kitchen tables. Other weeks, they’re having campfires, dinner parties and hiking excursions. Regardless of what they do, there’s a focus on ministry and creating a place where people feel they belong.

FaithTides

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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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Mr. Budzin is a jazz fan. When he was a priest in the Diocese of Toronto, his parish offered jazz vespers twice a month for 13 years. Inspired by that experience, “I thought we should take the risk and offer jazz vespers in a rural setting.”

The monthly Sunday afternoon jazz vespers services at St. Paul, Osgoode, which began in 2024, have proved him right. “Attendance has been enthusiastic and strong. I think September and October, we had 65 folks, and then even on a dreary November day, we had 75. Several times, a number of people on their way out have thanked me for jazz vespers, and they say, ‘It’d be wonderful if this was offered more often.’” So, in the spring, the parish will test out holding services twice a month.

Mr. Budzin estimates that only 12-15 of those attending the vespers are regular Sunday morning parishioners. The rest come specifically for the jazz service. “They just love it, and they find it spiritually supportive and enriching,” he says. “It has really developed into its own kind of worshipping community. On her way out, one woman said, ‘I think you’re making me a recovering agnostic.’ I like that comment.”

Mark Ferguson is the leader of the quartet and plays keyboards and trombones. John Geggie is the bass player. Mike Tremblay is the saxophonist. The drummer is Jamie Holmes, and occasionally, for the quintet, Ed Lister is on trumpet. “Some folks scratch their head and say, ‘How do you get guys like this to come to Osgoode?’ But the musicians love it, too. They’re very committed and dedicated,” says Mr. Budzin.

The music is not all jazz. It’s a mix of music from artists such as Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, Stevie Wonder and Burt Bacharach.

Instead of a traditional homily, Mr. Budzin usually reads one or two poems and offers a reflection. He has read poems from Gerard Manley Hopkins,  e.e. cummings, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver and other less well-known writers, and he usually includes a copy of the poem in the order of service. “I love poetry as much as I love jazz, so I pick a poem that I think people would appreciate,” he says. “And so far, I’ve struck a chord. Some folks have said they’ve collected all the poems that I’ve used for jazz vespers and keep them in a little binder.”

St. John’s church in Richmond has started a monthly Sunday vespers for harp and flute with two exceptional musicians, he adds. “That is doing very well, too. Not quite as high numbers as jazz vespers, but it’s getting 25 to 30 people and developing its own group of supporters.”

Perspective

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Art Roth runs All Saints’ Anglican Church’s skate lending program. Tucked inside the church hall are shelves and shelves of skates, in all sizes. He encourages people to come by and borrow a pair for a few weeks or the winter season.

“It’s our gift to the community,” he says.

Skate lending at the church started in December and runs until the end of February. The program started more than 20 years ago, with a donation of six pairs of skates from Mr. Roth himself.

He hasn’t counted the current inventory, but there are hundreds and hundreds of pairs — maybe close to 1,000 all told, he estimates. Last year, the program lent out skates 1,150 times.

On Saturday mornings, people can go into the church hall, where they’ll be fitted with a pair of skates and welcomed to sign them out. The skates come in most sizes and a variety of widths. Due to demand, adult skates are lent out for shorter periods of time, but kids skates can generally be borrowed for the season. There’s also a small selection of helmets.

The program lends out skates to a huge variety of people, says Mr. Roth, everyone from families enrolling their child in skating lessons to corporate and church groups for a fun day out on the ice.

In recent years, about half of their loans have been to newcomers to Canada. “It’s great,” he says. “Some of them come from countries where they’ve never seen ice, let alone do anything on it, so they’re keen to do that.”

The program runs on donations, both of skates and money, but it doesn’t cost much and the program welcomes skate donations every morning except Sunday. Says Mr. Roth: “Our paycheque, we say, is seeing people happy with a pair of skates and coming back with a big smile and say, ‘See you again next year. It’s been great. We’ll need a new size.'”

CBC News

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With a grant of $7,815 from the diocese’s Future Fund, the parish invites students to “come over to Julian’s Place” once a month for a warm meal, to check out the affordable Nearly New Shop and renew their sense of well-being by walking a labyrinth in the parish hall.

The grant was among the first three approved by the Future Fund, which was launched in 2024 to support innovative and effective initiatives that foster engagement with the wider community and the formation of new worshipping communities.

The parish saw that among Algonquin College’s 20,000 students, there were concerns about the rising costs of food, affordable housing and education.

“Our parish anticipates that developing relationships with Algonquin students through Julian’s Place will plant seeds for a more fulsome and sustained engagement between students, the Julian community and the college itself,” says the Rev. Karen McBride.

Three students from the college’s culinary skills program have been recruited to work with parish volunteers. They each get a $100 honorarium to lead the cooking and serving. A website design student has been awarded a $500 honorarium to build a new parish website.

Faith Tides

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