Yousef and Ghiyab Wiso and their nine children have been living in the rectory beside St. George’s church since arriving in Haliburton last September. The village, with a population of just over 1,000, is located in the heart of cottage country, about a three-hour drive north of Toronto.

St. George’s used a grant from Our Faith-Our Hope, the diocese’s fundraising campaign, to fix up the five-bedroom building in preparation for the family’s arrival. “It was in really bad shape,” recalls the Rev. Canon Anne Moore, incumbent of the Parish of Haliburton.

The grant allowed the church to make major improvements such as putting in new plumbing, and local residents did the rest – cleaning, painting, laying carpet, installing kitchen cabinets and even planting a garden and flowers.

“It was just amazing,” says Canon Moore. “People really stepped up to the mark.”

The hospitality didn’t end there. As soon as word spread that the church would be sponsoring a refugee family, financial donations started to flow in. That was soon followed by clothes, parkas, furniture, toys, skates, bicycles, hand-knitted blankets and hand-made quilts for each bed. There was so much donated food that the freezer’s lid wouldn’t shut.

“We finally had to say to people that we had enough,” says Canon Moore. “It was just incredible how much came in. Everyone had seen the picture of the little Syrian boy on the beach and wanted to help.”

The family arrived in Toronto on Sept. 19, 2016. “To see the smiles on their faces at the airport was something I will never forget,” says Canon Moore.

Any concerns that the family might have trouble fitting in were soon put to rest. Shortly after arriving in Haliburton, they were taken on a guided tour of the village and people stopped their cars to welcome them.

The children, aged one to 19, loved the snow of the past winter, says Canon Moore. They wore snowsuits for the first time, went tobogganing and learned how to skate. All but the two youngest kids are in school, and the two oldest have part-time jobs in a local restaurant. The mother and father are taking ESL lessons, provided for free by retired teachers.

There is still much to do, but so much has been done already, says Canon Moore. “To see this community come together like this has been incredible,” she says.

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Not only that, but Anglicans were among the best cricketers of the time. Two clergymen in particular stood out. In 1889, the Rev. F. W. Terry, playing for Canada against the United States, set an individual score of 111, a record that stood until 1963. There is also the story of the Rev. T. D. Phillips, who captained the Canadian team during a tour of England in 1880. He replaced the original captain, who was arrested for being a British Army deserter.

The earliest recorded match between Anglican churches in the diocese involved St. James Cathedral and St. Matthias, Bellwoods, held in Toronto on July 20, 1889. The cathedral team won by 21 runs.

Mr. Mendis, a member of St. Thomas a Becket, Erin Mills South, Mississauga, says that while cricket lost its prominence in Canada soon after Confederation, it never really died out. In fact, he says, the sport is making a comeback due to generations of immigrants who played it in their native country, often in the former British Empire.

Even cricket among Anglican churches in the diocese is experiencing a resurgence. Last summer, Mr. Mendis and a handful of other enthusiasts organized weekly cricket practices at the church and a one-day event dubbed the “Mississauga Church Cricket Day.” Despite the threat of rain and thunderstorms, about 30 people turned out, setting up wickets and playing a friendly match.

It was so successful that the organizers are planning a similar event on July 22 in Mississauga. So far, teams from four Anglican churches have signed up to play – St. Thomas a Beckett, St. Peter, Erindale, Christ Church, Brampton and Holy Family, Heart Lake, Brampton. Mr. Mendis says that anyone can play, even people who have never tried the sport. “It’s a great way to have fun and bring our congregations together,” he says.

Mr. Mendis, who came from Sri Lanka when he was 30 and lives in Brampton, devotes much of his free time to promoting cricket in high schools in the Greater Toronto Area. He’s a volunteer with CIMA, a charitable organization that provides school boards with funds, equipment and training for teachers.

This summer, the group plans to bring students from across Ontario to Brampton for five days of cricket matches and cultural celebrations. “It’s a way of celebrating the culture of Canada – cricket’s relevance to the past and also to the present and future,” he says.

He says the school boards have been very receptive to CIMA’s support. “You find that most of the kids who want to play cricket are either new to Canada or they’ve played somewhere else, and they’ve never had the chance to get involved here in the game they love.”

CIMA sends 12 high school cricketers from Ontario overseas every year for a two-week tour. Last year, a team went to Sri Lanka. This year, a group will be going to Trinidad.

For Mr. Mendis, a life-long cricketer, it’s very rewarding to help young people play the sport. “As I get closer to my retirement, I thought it was time to give something back to the community and do something that the kids would enjoy,” he says.

To learn more about the cricket day for churches on July 22, contact Mr. Mendis at rmendis1@gmail.com or Peter Marshall at judipeter@hotmail.com.

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The women’s organization, commonly known as the ACW, will be marking the occasion at its annual general meeting, held on May 13 at Christ Church, Stouffville. The keynote speaker will be Health Minister Jane Philpott. Prior to entering politics, Dr. Philpott had an extensive career in family medicine, public health, medical education and advocacy for those living with HIV/AIDS.

The theme of the gathering, “Moving Forward in Faith,” reflects the ACW’s commitment to address the important issues of the day, says Anita Gittens, the current president and a member of St. Paul the Apostle, Rexdale. Among the subjects to be discussed will be healing and reconciliation, not just with Indigenous peoples but also with gay and lesbian people as well.

The theme also speaks to the ACW’s renewal, says Ms. Gittens. Like many churches and church organizations, the ACW is experiencing a decline in membership and is struggling to attract young women. Over the past couple of years, it has wrestled with the decision to close, stay the same or reinvent itself.

It has decided to reinvent itself. While continuing the work and fellowship it is known for, it is exploring new ways to reach new and younger members. “We don’t know how the diocesan ACW is going to look in the future, but we feel there’s an opportunity for us to be relevant and to be that focus of Christian community that is part of our purpose,” says Ms. Gittens. “We feel enough of our members have the dedication and commitment to do whatever is required to move forward.”

She says women’s lives have changed greatly since the ACW was formed in 1967. Often juggling full-time jobs and families, women today do not have the time or inclination to make long-term volunteer commitments. They still want to meet to discuss their faith, she says, but nowadays it’s more likely over a meal at the local restaurant. If they agree to help out, it’s often on an as-needed basis, she says.

The ACW is adapting to this new reality. It recently launched a Facebook page, hoping to engage a younger demographic. As well, some ACW groups in churches are meeting at different times and locations, and for a variety of reasons. “It’s almost like fresh expressions of ACW,” says Ms. Gittens, referring to the term used for new forms of church to reach seekers. “We have to meet them where they are and find out what’s relevant for them.”

She is confident that the ACW will succeed, mainly because its core mission is still as relevant today as it was 50 years ago: to be a focus of Christian community for all Anglican women, affirming their gifts and encouraging their ministries through worship, learning and service. “Everyone wants to belong and be part of something,” she says. “If young women see us being that and providing that, I think we will get there.”

In the meantime, she says, the ACW continues to be active in parishes across the diocese. “Our members love what they do, whether it’s catering, helping with worship, taking part in learning groups and Bible studies, lobbying their elected officials for change or doing charity work in the community.”

Indeed, the ACW has been active in every part of parish and diocesan life since it started. In parishes, ACW members serve as lay readers, Bible study leaders, Sunday School teachers and more. They organize parish dinners, bazaars, prayer groups, book clubs and travel clubs. They cater to bereaved families after funerals, knit prayer shawls for the sick, sew caps for cancer patients and dolls for sick children, and visit seniors and shut-ins.

Each year, the diocesan ACW gives money to a number of organizations, particularly those involved in social justice issues and outreach. For the past two years, it has funded groups that assist senior women, many of whom are battling Alzheimer’s disease. In previous years, the ACW has funded groups that work with homeless youth and those suffering from mental illness. A new focus for 2018-19 will be chosen at the annual general meeting on May 13.

The ACW funds some lesser known causes as well. It provides pension assistance to women who were missionaries but who are not entitled to a pension. It supports the Council of the North, and provides bursaries to female theological students. It provides funds to women who are training for the diaconate and also for women training to care for church chancels and sanctuaries.

The ACW has been ably led by 15 presidents over the years. They are: Pat MacKay (1966-68), Peggy Salter (1968-1970), the late Winnifred Goodaire (1970-73), Audrey Shepherd (1973-76), the late Lillian Bradstreet (1976-79), the late Peggy Lonsdale (1979-82), Georgi Doyle (1982-85), the late Betty McKim (1985-88), Gladys McClellan (1988-91), the late Jane Cook (1991-94), Marion Chambers (1994-97), Elizabeth Loweth (1997-2001), June Dyer (2001-2003), Marion Saunders (2003-08), Anita Gittens (2008-present).

The ACW in the diocese was created in 1967 with the amalgamation of four women’s groups: Women’s Auxillary, Mothers Union, the Chancel Guild and Church Year. The national ACW was created in that year as well, after General Synod passed a resolution in 1966 that the four organizations be combined to form the ACW. A national gathering of all Anglican women will be held on June 15-18 at Redeemer University College in Ancaster. It will be hosted by the ACW’s national executive.

For more information about the ACW’s annual general meeting on May 13, call the ACW’s office at 416-363-0018 or email acw@toronto.anglican.ca. For the national gathering, email Marian Saunders at mares@idirect.ca or call 905-439-2728.

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The idea of hosting a food hub in the church surfaced in early 2013 when the Jeremiah Community, a new monastic Anglican group, found a home in the church building. “Members of the community were looking around the neighbourhood trying to find places to connect,” says Mr. McKinney. The church had recently lost its daycare tenant, and local leaders wondered if it could offer space where food could be distributed to residents. “Parkdale remains a relatively affordable neighbourhood by city standards, but the pressure of gentrification is increasing,” says Mr. McKinney. “We’re concerned that healthy, culturally appropriate food will become more and more unaffordable.”

The church’s location at the heart of Parkdale makes it an ideal gathering space. With the Milky Way Garden just behind it, a park and community centre across the street and a public library next door, the church is positioned at the centre of a neighbourhood actively talking about what its future could look like. “Where the church sits, it can either be in the way of a lot of this grassroots momentum toward a more equitable, diverse and inclusive neighbourhood, or it can be an enabler of that,” says Mr. McKinney.

The food hub idea didn’t take root immediately, but the church continued to make connections with local organizations concerned about development in Parkdale. Meanwhile, a neighbourhood-wide planning study identified health and food security as an area of interest, and the idea of a community food hub re-emerged. “It became an idea of multiple organizations collaborating, ideally in a single space, by sharing resources and trying to think about creative solutions to food insecurity,” says Mr. McKinney.

The focus has also shifted to food security, rather than emergency food relief. “It takes into account the whole of the food system, beginning with the planting and growing of food all the way through processing, producing, harvesting, all the way to the table,” he says. “How do we make sure the system guarantees that people don’t find themselves in a situation where they need emergency food relief?”

While many models for food hubs exist, the concept in Parkdale is being driven largely by the church’s existing facilities. The building has two industrial kitchens, one of which is already set up as a space different groups can use to host food literacy programs. “It would offer programs that would teach young kids how to cook, for instance, which is happening now,” says Mr. McKinney.

Members of the church hope its other kitchen can be upgraded to accommodate a food production or food processing centre, which would connect with the Milky Way urban agriculture site just outside the building. “One of the things we’re looking at is increasing the production capacity of the garden and, if bylaws and zoning allows, creating a market garden so food can be sold,” he says. “This is a part of a longer-term vision of the food system in Parkdale where food is grown, processed and consumed or sold in the same square block.”

Plans for the food hub are still in their early stages, but the community of Epiphany and St. Mark will continue to advocate for its success as a member of the project’s steering community of neighbourhood partners. “Food has been identified by the neighbourhood as a need, and the church is in a position to contribute something towards that,” says Mr. McKinney. “I would say that the Holy Spirit is doing something in the neighbourhood.”

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We are the largest rare book library in Canada. The department of special collections at the University of Toronto has been around since 1955; we have been in our present location – the south tower of Robarts Library – since 1973. Our collections range in age from 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets through Egyptian papyrus from the time of Christ, medieval manuscripts, early printed books and modern Canadian literature. We have large collections in the history of science and medicine, Scripture, philosophy, theology, English and European literature, history and Canadiana, as well as the archives of Canadian authors like Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen.

I am responsible for the medieval and historic manuscripts, the early printed books and, for the last seven years, historic Canadiana as well. That means I work with antiquarian book dealers from around the world who have items for sale; I examine them and look to see if they will fit into our current collections. I also work with donors who have books from those periods or subject areas, to add their books and manuscripts to our holdings. I catalogue these items as they arrive according to rare book standards and assist with reference services. I also do a great deal of teaching at the library. I teach my own full-credit course entitled “Rare Books and Manuscripts” for second-year master’s students from the Faculty of Information, as well as about 30 seminars annually to professors who want sessions taught on topics such as “the book in the Reformation” or “the making of medieval books”, for example. As interim head, I am also involved in the administration of our department, its logistics and finances.

There are two very big projects with which I am presently involved. I am the curator of our current exhibition, “Struggle and Story: Canada in Print,” which traces the history of the nation in broad strokes, from the time of the first European encounters with Indigenous peoples through to Canada’s centennial year in 1967, but specifically through an examination of the print legacy that has been left behind. I’ve written an illustrated catalogue to accompany the exhibition and assist with the instruction and informational tours associated with it. That exhibition runs through the summer until just after Labour Day.

After that, I will curate our exhibition commemorating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, and that is taking up a great deal of my time at the moment. The exhibition is entitled “Flickering of the Flame: Print and the Reformation” and will open on Sept. 25, running until Christmas. It shouldn’t be surprising that the special collections department of a university that is 190 years old, with deep religious roots, would house important legacy collections that document the era before, during and immediately after the Reformation. Knowing that we wanted to mark this important anniversary, we started acquiring more materials from around the world, but especially in Europe and the United States, that filled in the gaps for us. So, for example, in the last few years we have purchased pre-Reformation vernacular devotional manuscripts and even an indulgence from Spain. We also have very rare and important early pamphlets and polemical caricatures by Martin Luther spanning the years 1519 to 1545, both in Latin and German, with their fine woodcuts from the workshop of Lucas Cranach. Because we want to tell the story of the Reformation as it spread across Europe in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, we have purchased rare copies of the 1549 and 1559 Book of Common Prayer, for example, to add to our already strong collections of BCPs. We have also acquired rare Recusant materials to show the ways in which English Catholics, for example, responded to the Reformation in England. Other materials, donated and bought, flesh out the movement as it reached deeper into the continent, Scotland, Ireland and even, by extension, into North America.

One of the side benefits of all this activity is that it has deepened relationships with dealers around the world. There are very few feelings of excitement, at least for someone like me, like going into an antiquarian dealer’s shop in Paris or Vienna, being made welcome, turning the pages of these books and having a dealer trust you enough to say, “We’ll send it on; I think you need it for your exhibition” – and knowing you have the support of the library administration back home to do it!

I think this exhibition reinforced what I already knew at a basic level: that when Christians stop listening to each other; when they allow pride to trump the Gospel, they sow the seeds of dissension. While researching and putting this exhibition together over the last six years, I’ve come to the realization that this wasn’t just a matter of Catholics versus Protestants. There was a lot of politics going on in the background, men and women quite willing to take advantage of the fault lines that existed within Christianity to press their own advantage at the expense of the church’s unity. That has reminded me that Christians are still susceptible to being played by those whose political agendas are more important than their faith, even by those politicians who profess to be Christians.

Most importantly, mounting this exhibition has reminded me that there are elements of truth and error to be found on both sides (if we can speak of “both” – it was in fact “multiple” sides). There is much, for example, that Protestant churches can learn from the Catholic spiritual and mystical traditional and its emphasis on the transcendental, and much that Catholics can learn from the continued Protestant emphasis on the fundamental importance of Scripture. If we know our history and how we got to where we are today, which this exhibition attempts to show, maybe there is still hope for unity in the future, though I doubt ever uniformity.

The best thing about my job is actually twofold: it’s working with these beautiful, ancient texts – with the annotations of their previous owners in the margins of their books, struggling to make sense of what they were reading – and then sharing their story with the current generation of readers and visitors. I get to time travel every day, and take people along with me for the ride.

Five years from now I’ll probably be retired from the library and, I hope, free to do more pastoral or educational ministry in the church.

My favourite passage of Scripture is Romans 8:38-39. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It speaks to my own faith journey. When I felt that I did not belong, whether in the church or in my family or among my classmates, I knew that I always belonged to him. The passage has always kept me grounded and hopeful. I belong to Christ, his love is unconditional, and despite my own failings, he keeps bringing me back to him. No power can take that away from me.

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As we were planning our fall outreach conference, we focused on themes of displacement and alienation – how vulnerable people get pushed to the margins, out of their homes and onto the streets, off their land and into reserves, out of their countries and into refugee camps and desperate searches for asylum. We lined up a keynote speaker and leaders for workshops addressing these issues.  All were and are excellent speakers, people who have devoted themselves to the work of justice. Some have experienced marginalization in different ways. But one thing they had in common: all of them were white.

A few weeks before the conference, we were called to account by a faithful member of the black community in our diocese. How is it, we were asked, that our committee had planned an entire conference around the themes of displacement, marginalization and alienation – even using a title drawn from a psalm which has become a renowned African-American spiritual – without reflecting at all on the experiences of people of African descent? Our diocese is perhaps the most diverse in Canada and is enriched by the contributions of Anglicans of colour at every level, yet the leadership of the outreach conference did not reflect this diversity.

It was certainly never our intention, as a committee, to exclude the voices of racialized communities. But that is how racism, like other forms of systemic oppression, works. It is insidious. It looks like “the way things are” or “the way we’ve always done it” or “we chose the people who were available on the occasion that suited us.” And even if our actions are unintentional, they cause real damage to the Body of Christ, because when any group of people do not see themselves included in the events, committees, or leadership of the church, they may legitimately wonder if we really see them. Do we value their stories? Do we care about the challenges and injustices they experience? And if not, how can we ever come to acknowledge our own part in perpetuating those injustices and take steps to change our ways? Will the church listen when people of colour, disabled people, the LGBTQ community and the poor express frustration and, yes, anger at the systems that have excluded and oppressed them? Or will we shake our heads and say, “but they are so angry” or “they are always raising a fuss” or “if only they used different tactics”?

Recently, the Anglican Church of Canada responded to Senator Lynn Beyak’s remarks lamenting that more focus had not been placed on the “good” of residential schools. While not denying that there were some individuals working in the schools who had good intentions, and even some students who had positive experiences, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Bishop Mark MacDonald, and General Secretary Michael Thompson reminded us all that “it is Indigenous people who have the authority to tell that story. It is our duty to receive that story and let it change us.” It has taken our church many decades and the witness of thousands of survivors to get to that place with Indigenous people. Can we begin to listen to others whom we have excluded, to receive their stories and let them change us?

To do so requires drawing back from our positions of privilege to make room for others. This is not an easy thing to do. It requires real intentionality and humility, and being willing to do things differently. Yet we are meant to have the mind of Christ Jesus, who emptied Himself for our sakes rather than exploiting His position as the Son of God. As church, we are a people formed by forgiveness and reconciliation, a new people formed by the breaking down of barriers in Christ. We are called to nothing less.

The members of the Social Justice and Advocacy Committee apologize sincerely for our failure to include and lift up the voices of people of colour. We pledge ourselves to the process of reception and change, and invite Anglicans of all backgrounds to join us on this journey.

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What a moment it was when he presided as diocesan bishop at the SkyDome for the sesquicentennial celebrations of the diocese! He was as interested in the conversation he had with a street person he met on a morning’s walk to the Synod office through Allan Gardens as he was welcoming the Queen to the cathedral. He read and talked and prayed and laughed in full measure. He had that special capacity to listen carefully and charitably to people who held views diametrically opposed to his, and to bring into helpful conversations people who would not usually speak to each other. He consulted widely before making decisions – too widely in some peoples’ view, but they had not borne the personal scars of times when that had not been done. Terry was immensely likeable because he so liked the people he was with at the moment: it was infectious. His compassion was generous and widely embracing. He lived his life abundantly as a follower of Jesus, and invited others to share in it. Even as he approached his impending death, he was busy living: preaching the Gospel, visiting the sick, advocating for the marginalized, playing with his family, relishing stories, mesmerized by a movie, devoted to the love of his life, Alice Jean.

I also had the rare privilege to witness the dark sides of episcopal life that the Archbishop had to endure. It was in these much more private times of anguish and sorrow that his faith was deepened and his mettle burnished. Those personal moments are not mine to tell but it was here I learned the most important lessons from him – how to live with courage and hope in the ultimate goodness of God’s redemptive love. The burdens of the office did not overwhelm the joy he felt in responding to God and the church’s call. For Terry Finlay, ministry was not so much a sacrificial obligation dutifully embraced but a compelling and life-giving vocation – life-giving to him and life-giving to others. He was embarrassed with his honorific as bishop, “My Lord”, but that for an archbishop fit him entirely: “Your Grace”.

If you were present at the funeral rites – the Friday night visitation, remembrances and vigil, and the Saturday Requiem Eucharist – you know how it was a celebration of Christian hope and confidence in the resurrection. Terry and AJ, with the advice and assistance of family and friends, planned it well. It was tearful and joyful, grief-filled and celebratory.

Following in his example, may I suggest that you think about your own funeral plans – not to be morbid about it or grandiose but realistic? What scripture do you want read, what hymns sung? Who do you want to participate? What service do you want? Where will you be buried? Have you a will? Tell your family, your executor and your parish priest. (If you don’t, how will they know?)

Terry remembered the church and other important charities not only in his will but through an insurance policy purchased for that purpose, a generous act by a generous couple.

My wife and I have our funeral wishes written out. They are stored in the parish files for future reference – hopefully long in the future! We have told our family so they know our wishes and where to find all the relevant documentation. We first made our wills before we brought our first child home from hospital when we had really nothing of value but her, and we have updated them regularly since then as our circumstances changed. We have appointed powers of attorney for personal care if we cannot make our own decisions, and powers of attorney for property if we cannot attend to our affairs. We have told our executor, so there is no confusion about what to do when we die. We have made provision for our family, for the church and for our favorite charities so that others may continue to enjoy the blessings that we most valued in our life.

That is not gloomily fatalistic but part of our personal witness in life as in death to the faith we have in God from whose love nothing will be able to separate us in Christ Jesus. This was Terence Finlay’s witness. “Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14).

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He surely wouldn’t have been disappointed. About 800 people, many of them shedding tears, including Archbishop Hiltz, packed St. James Cathedral on March 25 for the funeral of the man they simply and affectionately called Terry.

At the end of the nearly two-hour service, as his coffin was being carried down the aisle to the open doors, there was a collective sense that the church had lost a great leader, pastor and friend. Singing an Easter Psalm to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” many were overcome with emotion.

“It was a great celebration of Terry ‘s life and of our faith,” said Archbishop Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. “At times we were weeping as we let him go but for the most part we were celebrating who he was as a person, as a Christian, and as an Anglican.”

Archbishop Finlay, who served as the 10^th Bishop of Toronto from 1989 to 2004, died at his home in Toronto on March 20 at the age of 79. He had cancer.

His funeral started with Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and Oscar Peterson’s “Hymn to Freedom,” played on the piano by the Rev. Canon Tim Elliott, a former incumbent of Christ Church, Deer Park in Toronto. That was followed by native drumming and singing as the Rev. Canon Andrew Wesley smudged the coffin, walking around it and using a feather to bathe it in smoke.

The piano prelude and smudging ceremony set the tone for the service, which reflected the archbishop’s warmth, faith and passion for social justice. The first hymn, sung to the tune “Thaxted” (also the tune for “I Vow to Thee My Country”) began with the verses:

Let streams of living justice flow down upon the earth;
Give freedom’s light to captives, let all the poor have worth.
The hungry’s hands are pleading, the workers claim their rights,
The mourners long for laughter, the blinded seek for sight.
Make liberty a beacon, strike down the iron power;
Abolish ancient vengeance; proclaim your people’s hour.

The first and second readings (Micah 6: 6-8 and 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31) were read by Archbishop Finlay’s daughters, Sara-Jane Finlay and Rebecca Finlay. Archbishop Hiltz gave the homily, based on the the Gospel reading of John 20: 1-9.

“As Terry embraced and enjoyed life to the fullest, so he embraced death – with courage and confidence,” he said. “He knew the teaching of the apostles – whether we live we live unto the Lord, or whether we die we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord’s.

“When he called me to ask if I would offer a homily, there was in his voice a hope, a real hope that the funeral would be a celebration of our faith in the promises of Christ. ‘I want everything in place’, he said, ‘so that I could just lie there and enjoy it all.’”

Laughter rippled through the congregation, soon followed by silence as Archbishop Hiltz was overcome with emotion remembering the conversation. “When I hung up the phone after our conversation, I thought to myself, what a lovely final wish – that he be surrounded by family and friends as they listen to the word of God, praising God and singing to God with all our hearts and souls. What a lovely final wish.”

He spoke about how Archbishop Finlay touched people’s lives as a parish priest, archdeacon, bishop and archbishop. “Some would know him as the bishop who baptized and confirmed them, some as the archbishop who ordained them, some would know him as the liaison bishop to the Missions to Seafarers across Canada, some would know him as the bishop who created opportunities for dialogue across deep differences of theological perspectives, particularly over matters of human sexuality – not only in our own church but across the Communion. Some knew him as the bishop who was humble enough to be able to say I’m sorry that I have offended you – can you embrace my hope that we be reconciled?”

He spoke about Archbishop Finlay’s role as the Primate’s Envoy to the Residential Schools and as the co-chair of the Primate’s Commission on Discovery, Reconciliation and Justice. He said he ably represented the church and advocated for the needy in places of power such as governments.

“No matter the work to which Terry was called, no matter the office he held or the title he wore, the absolutely distinguishing mark of his character was friendship,” he said. “He had a wonderful way of befriending people in the name of Christ. He was kind and gracious. It seems that etched on his very soul were those immortal words of the prophet Micah: What does the Lord require of us but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our Lord.”

He continued: “Terry loved this church. He loved the whole ecumenical church. And he served it faithfully for 56 years. He happily gathered us for worship, fellowship and dialogue. Terry stood tall for all the church could be –  a light that shines in the midst of the world’s darkness, a bread that feeds the hungry, a building sheltering those in need.”

Following the homily, the Rev. Canon Douglas Graydon, the diocese’s coordinator of Chaplaincy Services, led the Prayers of the People. Afterwards, those in attendance shared the Peace and then took communion. Archbishop Colin Johnson, the current Bishop of Toronto, concluded the service with the blessing and dismissal.

Among the honorary pall bearers were Premier Kathleen Wynne, former senator Hugh Segal and Adrienne Clarkson, a former governor-general. Also in attendance was the Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.

In an interview after the service, Archbishop Johnson described Archbishop Finlay as warm and generous. “He really lived that sense of warm embrace of everyone, which is what Jesus did. He was modelling the life that he saw in Jesus, who was always inquisitive about people, always welcoming people, drawing them out and calling them to fuller life. That’s exactly who Terry was and why so many people were touched by him.”

Ordained deacon in 1961 and priest in 1962, Archbishop Finlay came to the Diocese of Toronto from the Diocese of Huron in 1982 and served as the incumbent of St. Clement, Eglinton. In 1986, he was elected a suffragan bishop in the diocese and served in the episcopal area of Trent-Durham. He was elected coadjutor bishop in 1987 and installed as the 10th Bishop of Toronto in 1989. He was elected and installed as metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario in 2000.

After his retirement in 2004, he served as chaplain to the national House of Bishops, episcopal visitor to the Mission to Seafarers in Canada, and was the Primate’s Envoy on Residential Schools. He continued to serve as interim priest-in-charge for several parishes in the diocese, most recently retiring this past Christmas from All Saints, Kingsway.

Throughout his ministry he was supported by his wife, Canon Alice Jean (AJ) Finlay, who has served in many international organizations, including the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.

Comments on his passing

Thousands of comments were posted on social media after the announcement of Archbishop Finlay’s death on March 20. Here are a few:

“Lovely man who kindly and whole heartedly touched all who encountered him. A great loss. Blessings, hugs to all his family.” Jennifer Kelly, Twitter

“Bishop Terry was a huge influence to me and laid the basis for my call to spiritual renewal. A huge loss to General Synod and to the ELCIC.” Bishop Susan Johnson, ELCIC, Twitter

“He was my parish priest in a key time. Always that ready smile & talk whenever our paths met. So present & joyful.” Sherry Coman, Twitter

“I learned so much in just one hour I spent in a coffee shop with Abp. Terence Finlay years ago… life-altering for me. May he rest in peace.” Irene Moore Davis, Twitter

“Archbishop Finlay supported, served, and led Huron through six decades. Thank you +Terry and AJ!” Faculty of Theology at Huron University College, Twitter

“We are ever so grateful for the time he spent with us. He was a blessing when we needed it, and we are better for having known him.” All Saints, Kingsway, Twitter

“Terry was an awesome guy who was always ready to answer your questions, have a conversation, and stand up for what is right.” Lauren Bryant-Monk, Twitter

“I am heartbroken at the loss of this kind, gentle man. Among the best of ecumenical colleagues.” Sara Stratton, Indigenous Justice Animator for the United Church of Canada, Twitter

“He was a lovely man and a Christian in the truest sense of the word.” Jennifer James-Meron, Facebook

“A great loss, indeed. He was a very caring and generous man. May his soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise to glory.” Bayani D. Rico, Facebook

“This was a wonderful man with deep compassion and a great sense of humour, who served us right up to the end. He has been loved and he’ll be missed.” Trinity – St. Paul, Port Credit, Facebook

“I haven’t shed that many years in a long time. I cried so much the woman beside me, in an incredibly kind gesture, gave me her handkerchief. I have my misgivings about the Anglican Church to be sure, but I can say beyond a doubt there are those in the church who are quietly and humbly seeking the face God, so as to bless others as God would have them do. I count Terry as one of them.” Matthias Mayer, Facebook

“I once called Archbishop Finlay with a quick question and the next day he showed up in my office with folders of information that he thought (correctly) would help situate his answer more fully and then sat with me for almost an hour as we continued to talk through the question. I am holding this memory today after hearing of his death this morning.” Dr. Ryan Weston, Anglican Church of Canada, Facebook

“Archbishop Finlay was the chaplain of the Canadian House of Bishops when we were going through a particularly hard time discussing same sex blessings. I had felt attacked on a personal level. There were rumours said about me that just were not true. For the first time in my life, I asked myself was it worth the personal cost to my reputation and emotional well being. I was thinking of early retirement from the House of Bishops. The archbishop felt my pain and sat with me through some late hours. Reminded me of God’s call of my life and to whom I had committed to serve. We were miles apart in certain theological issues but that night it meant nothing. That night he was my brother in Christ sitting with me through a rough time in my life. I will never forget it. I will miss him. My prayers go to his family.”
Bishop Larry Robertson, Facebook

“He became a good friend in my early days at St James and was a great rock to lean on in some difficult times since then. Always ready with a grin, a hug, and a ‘hello, how are you?’ He will be dearly missed by the very many he loved and ministered to.” Andrew Keegan Mackriell, Facebook

“Our prayers are with the Anglican Church of Canada and the family and loved ones of the Most Rev. Terence Finlay. Many in the United Church remember Archbishop Finlay for his commitment to ecumenism and the work of reconciliation. May he rest in peace.” United Church of Canada, Facebook

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