North House is a not-for-profit charitable organization that supports the North Durham townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge through its mission of providing housing support to those who are at risk or in crisis. Established in 2004, North House has been assisting low-income residents of the community and those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

In March, the world was turned upside down when 2.6 billion people went into self-isolation. The impact on us has been immeasurable and involves the loss of many things. COVID-19 has affected the day-to-day lives of people in our community, but more specifically, the most vulnerable are facing greater barriers. As we continue to maneuver through the daily changes during this pandemic, we worry about our seniors and our homeless. We are all trying to do what we can to keep them safe and free from the feeling of desperate isolation.

North House has always focused on housing, but in response to COVID-19, we felt the need to make a slight shift to help meet the needs of our community. Our outreach staff prioritized both their senior and homeless clients, past and present, to ensure their safety and to help to alleviate anxiety and isolation. Completing more than 133 wellness check-in calls during March, staff identified the gaps in services in Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge townships.

Clients said that food insecurity was their biggest concern. Access to food has been an obstacle for many due to transportation restrictions, health risks, lack of funds and mobility concerns. Accessing a food bank has been a challenge, as many people who have restricted mobility or those with chronic illnesses are at greater risk if they access a public space during the pandemic.

As a result, North House has been delivering boxes of healthy food every week to those seniors who need it. On Fridays, the North House outreach team travels throughout North Durham delivering food, checking in and staying connected to residents.

North House has worked with several people who were either unsheltered or living in inadequate conditions; we helped them apply to, and move into, a new building in Cannington. Some of these individuals have been unsheltered for years and have had no place to call their own in a very long time.

Once the apartments were secured, North House, through its Community Share initiative, put out a call for gently used items to help fill the apartments. The community came together in true “North Durham” style, donating several items such as beds, couches, dressers and tables. With the support of partnerships with local Lions clubs and churches, people volunteered to help pick up and move the items into the building. With the help of this great community, our newly housed neighbours have somewhere to call home.

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“There has been almost no public reporting or conversation about this blatant act of disrespect and collective callousness by our public officials. The state and its agents can treat Black death as our natural state, devoid of any sanctity or need for care. Such neglect mirrors White indifference to our living struggle, and demonstrates that, within the context of this global White supremacist nightmare, our lives do not matter.”

More than 10 people of colour have been killed by Canadian police since the beginning of 2020. Grief-stricken and overwhelmed by the voracity of loss, I reached out to fellow clergy for prayer, support, and solidarity. The only person to reply to my plea was the Rev. Jacqueline Daley, the priest-in-charge of St. Margaret, New Toronto, and co-chair of Black Anglicans of Canada. In response to the killing of George Floyd, Black Anglicans of Canada had begun a weekly Wednesday night webinar series on confronting anti-Black racism. In our grief-thick conversation, Jacqueline generously offered to share this platform with Toronto Urban Native Ministry (TUNM). We held a joint meeting with community leaders from the Black and Indigenous communities, built relationships, and together developed a three-part series titled “Anti-Black and Anti-Indigenous Racism: Shared Pathway Series.” We also brought our hearts together to host a joint worship service of “Lament for Lives Lost” on July 19, which can be viewed at any time in the video section of TUNM’s Facebook page. The worship service featured songs of lament from Black and Indigenous traditions, a riveting sermon by Jacqueline, and prayers for all killed by police violence in our beloved communities.

Within the pandemic of COVID-19, our communities are also responding to the ongoing pandemics of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. Though we have not been able to gather in person, we have found new ways of grieving, praying, and resisting together. Our Shared Pathways Series held three online webinars throughout the month of September and has been viewed by hundreds of people. Participants “zoomed in” from all over the world, from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom. All webinars from the series can be viewed on the Black Anglicans of Canada YouTube page.

In these sessions, we learned from diverse voices about how Indigenous and Black people were both enslaved in the first several centuries of colonization. We learned how, after emancipation in Canada, Indigenous communities helped hide Black people escaping the tortures of slavery and seeking the underground railroad to freedom – how they shared pathways of liberation. We learned how Black and Indigenous communities are not separate, but deeply and intimately connected. We learned how Black clergy are overwhelmingly underemployed and unsupported in our Church; we dreamed together on decolonizing and shifting power dynamics in the Kin-dom of God. We learned from women who are both Black and Indigenous, from Aleshia Johnson of Osgoode Law School and Monica Forrester, Director of Trans Pride Toronto, about their experiences of racism and tools of resilience. Throughout the series, we co-conspired how we can build solidarity across Black and Indigenous experiences, to support each other in building spaces of transformation as we confront White supremacist violence against our community members.

These dialogues, our joint worship service, and the wisdom of Black Anglicans co-chairs Lance Wilson and the Rev. Jacqueline Daley, brought me into a deeper awareness of our living God. I encourage you to engage the 11 webinars that Black Anglicans of Canada has created since the series began in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Amplify Black leadership by sharing their series with your parish, friends, and communities.

I close with a prayer by Brother Reginald Crenshaw from the third episode of our Shared Pathways Series: “We thank the Holy Spirit for being present among us, for allowing us to break our silence, allowing us to have this kind of conversation… inspire us to continue to have these conversations, to continue to organize, to continue to heal, and disrupt, and lead. Amen.”

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“I saw deep and profound reverence,” he says. “People would come into the sanctuary and just kneel and pray. And they would be on their knees for a long time. With physical distancing, the usual Sunday morning buzz wasn’t there, but I sensed just how grateful people were to be back.”

That scene was played out in churches across the diocese on Sept. 13, the first day they were allowed to open for in-person worship since being closed in March due to COVID-19.

Clergy in all four episcopal areas say there was a good turnout for worship services on the opening day. Churches that opened had to follow strict protocols that included physical distancing, the wearing of masks and limiting attendance in their buildings to 30 per cent capacity.

Many clergy said attendance was better than expected and parishioners were grateful to be back in their churches.

At St. Cuthbert’s, almost everyone who pre-registered for the Sunday morning service showed up. There were 33 people in the church, most of them worshipping in the nave while a smaller group followed along via a TV screen in the parish hall. The church also livestreamed its service for those at home.

At its Wednesday service, seven people attended – about the same number as in pre-COVID-19 days – and another seven watched from home. “People were so grateful,” says Mr. LaFleur, reflecting on the services. “It’s hard to put into words. And there was a sense of humility. People told me that they did not realize how much being in church and participating in the Eucharist meant to them until this period of shutdown when it was unavailable to them.”

The Rev. Canon Geoffrey Sangwine says there was a similar experience at St. Peter and St. Simon, Bloor Street, where about 45 people attended on the opening day.

“People came in and they wanted to speak to each other,” he says. “They said, it’s a relief and a gift to be back in our church building together. There was a deep sense of prayer and gratitude that we’re able to come back.”

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, he is optimistic about the future. “Although we’re all still walking in the dark, a new journey has begun. The Church hasn’t packed up. I know at the beginning of COVID-19, there was a lot of fear around what would happen with the churches, but in some ways I think the whole situation has strengthened our faith and galvanized us to see what is crucial and important, and to be grateful for the gift that we have in the Church.”

Like many churches, St. Peter and St. Simon has been providing online worship for the past six months, something it plans to keep doing.

“I think it’s crucial for our Church to do it,” says Canon Sangwine. “There are some real benefits to it. We’re able to reach people we may not otherwise reach. We’ve had people who aren’t parishioners tuning into our services and they’ve been grateful for that. I think it’s our reality going forward and we need to embrace it.”

He hopes the diocese will help clergy and parishes adapt to this new way of doing worship, either through training or providing funds for equipment. “We need to see this as a new ministry of the Church and we need to make sure that we’ve got the people to do this,” he says.

At St. Aidan, Toronto, Sept. 13 was an auspicious day for two reasons. The church not only held its first in-person worship service since March, but it turned the sod on a massive renovation project.

The church was closed for renovations, so it held its two services on Sept. 13 in the former parish hall, which is now a school. About 80 people attended the services.

The Rev. Canon Lucy Reid, incumbent, says she had mixed feelings on the day. “I had pictured back in March that when we opened again it would be fantastic and I would be at the church door hugging people. But we can’t do that anymore, so it was very strange. We were also in our former hall and not in the church, so there was a lot of emotion about that as well. But I think there was genuine joy at being with one another. A few people said that even though we’re not back in the church, it’s so good to be together. At least we can see each other in the flesh, even though we are a couple of metres apart from each other.”

After the services, members of the church’s renovation steering committee joined Bishop Andrew Asbil out on the church lawn for the official sod-turning ceremony. The renovation of the church is expected to take a year to complete. In addition to a complete overhaul of its heating, lighting, electrical and sanitary systems, the renovation will include a new entranceway on to Queen Street East, providing greater access for the community, and an elevator for accessibility.

Canon Reid says the steering committee kept the plans on track despite COVID-19. “They’re an amazing team. We have people with all the right skill sets. We’re very fortunate. You have to keep pushing a project like this forward, and they’ve done it. It’s remarkable.”

All three clergy thanked the diocese for providing vital assistance and information to parishes throughout the COVID-19 shutdown. They said the diocese’s guidelines were essential to reopening in a safe manner.

“We really benefitted from the diligence that the Synod office did, first of all in drawing us into the sense of seriousness associated with the reopening, and also in developing the checklist and protocols,” says Mr. LaFleur.

Canon Sangwine echoed his comments. “Part of the success of opening for us and other churches has been the support offered through Q&As, ongoing financial support, and Bishop Andrew’s pastoral letters. On behalf of our parish, I want to thank the diocese for that support.”

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My responsibilities include coordinating visits within the parish, visiting, organizing meetings, providing some training and ensuring that our team members meet the diocese’s Screening in Faith requirements. I also coordinate with the incumbent on pastoral care team matters, lead prayer at meetings, and assist any team member with their own pastoral needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been working on coordinating telephone visits for all parishioners who are not able to connect to church through the Internet or otherwise. We have ongoing telephone visits with persons and families and have helped them with pastoral concerns and staying connected to the parish. I am excited about the new training that will be offered by the diocese in the future for lay pastoral care, as this will lead to high quality pastoral care.

The best part of my ministry is working with people, both those we visit and my fellow lay pastoral care team members. I find it very rewarding to be able to offer coordination, support and care to those in need, and to our team members as well. The worst part is paperwork. There can be a lot of paper to organize, and keeping track of it all can be a challenge at times.

I was born and raised in Weston, a part of Toronto, and have lived in this area all of my life. Before taking up this position, I had several roles such as a paramedic and an artist. I have a certificate in ambulance and emergency care from Humber College as well as an Hon. BA. in Fine Art from the University of Guelph. Today I am working at completing my Masters of Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College, which is part of the University of Toronto School of Theology. My goal is to be employed as a spiritual care provider in an institutional setting.

My spiritual journey began as a teenager when I accepted Christ into my life in an evangelical United Church setting. Eventually, I found that this expression of faith did not work for me, and today I am developing a contemplative, sacramental and incarnational faith. My faith journey has taken many turns, but today I practise centering prayer, lectio divina, and the examen as my main spiritual practices to develop a deeper relationship with God, others and the world. I also have taken part in the rich Anglican liturgical traditions of worship on Sundays as well as other occasions by participating in roles such as server, crucifer, chalice bearer, intercessor and lay anointer for healing services.

I am not exactly sure where I will be in five years. However, I am being considered as a candidate for the diaconate and, if I am able, would like to serve the parish in the role of a deacon. Professionally, I hope to be working in a hospital or longterm care setting as a spiritual care provider. I hope to be able to combine my professional development and interest along with diaconal ministry to provide care for those in need or who need support for social justice. However, I am open to where the Holy Spirit leads me and do not see this as all set in stone. It comes down to what God really needs and wants me to do, and that is why I am in a discernment process at this time. The most important thing for me in this process is to be gentle and open and self-compassionate about the journey.

My favourite passage from scripture is John 13:1-17, Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. This is my favourite passage and image because it reminds me of what I am to do in my ministry – to serve others with care, empathy, compassion, to bring about peace, wholeness, and justice. This reminds me that my calling is to be a servant and follow the way of Christ as he demonstrates here to the disciples. Servanthood is a challenging role but a rewarding one that needs some wisdom and the willingness to wash feet. The humbleness and love of Jesus is hard to match, and yet I am called to emulate it as best I can in my life, knowing that I will not always get it right, but that is okay, as God is all about unconditional love for us.

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Having a will drawn up is no big deal, yet surprisingly only 50 per cent of Canadians have one. In fact, most Canadians are hardly aware of the need to get one, and only do so when faced with situations such as an overseas trip or an unexpected illness.

If a person dies in Ontario without a will, the current law determines who is to receive the accumulated assets and the amount of any inheritance. The distribution of assets may not necessarily coincide with the wishes of the deceased. For example, no gifts will be made to friends or the Church or a favourite charity, no matter how much it meant to the individual during their lifetime.

By making a will, an individual can choose their own beneficiaries, based on existing and potential financial needs as well as their relationships. Furthermore, items of sentimental value can be given to beneficiaries who are specifically named in a will, thus avoiding conflict between family members.

We are all familiar with the gifts we give to the Church through our weekly offering, pre-authorized giving or to some other special offering or fundraiser. These gifts normally come from our current incomes. We are less familiar with the many ways we can give to the Church and its ministry from the assets we have accumulated over the course of our lifetimes – assets such as real estate or stocks or life insurance. Gifts made from our accumulated assets are a wonderful way to encourage and expand the mission of the Church for generations to come.

Making a gift of encouragement – either in a will or while living – seems like a relatively new concept in the Church, but it is as old as the Church itself. In the New Testament, Acts 4 tells the story of a man named Joseph, a native of Cyprus, selling a field that belonged to him and giving the proceeds to the apostles for them to distribute the money as needed. The apostles gave Joseph a new name, Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement” in Hebrew.

Each one of us can be a son or daughter of encouragement through the gifts we leave for the Church to be distributed when we pass on.

Estate planning is something most people approach with apprehension because it forces us to consider intimate details of our lives with lawyers, financial planners, family members and sometimes our clergy. It is not easy to talk about end-of-life issues. Grappling with matters relating to our estate inclines us to confront our own mortality and, for most of us, myself included, it is something we would rather put off. But ultimately, we all must deal with the reality that life in this world comes to an end.

As Christians, we believe that there is something beyond the here and now. Planning for how a lifetime of dreams, hopes and memories is properly distributed following our passing is an important part of the legacy we leave behind.

I urge you to make your will if you have not done so, or to review it if you have one. When you do, please consider a gift of encouragement to your parish, the Diocese or to FaithWorks. Even a person of modest means often has a considerable estate when property and insurance are considered. A gift to the Church can also help reduce your taxes. But more importantly, it will help sustain the good work you have supported over a lifetime and enable new ministry to flourish because of your generosity.

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Bishop Peter, a native of Barbados and a graduate of Codrington College, the University of the West Indies, and Huron College, was ordained a deacon on June 11, 1975, and a priest later that year.

Prior to coming to Canada, he exercised his priestly ministry in Barbados, serving as rector of the churches of St. Patrick’s (with St. Bartholomew), Christ the King and St. Matthias, and at the highest level in the councils of the diocese. His service to the wider community included working as a part-time teacher in secondary schools, guest tutor at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, and part-time tutor at the Barbados Community College. He was also the deputy chairman of the Board of Management of the Barbados Community College and a radio talk show host.

I know of the admiration and love the Anglican community had for him. To this day, members of my home parish still speak highly of him. Christian or not, Anglican or not, most Barbadians recognized his potential and leadership qualities and spoke expectantly about episcopal ministry in his future. There were those who longed for his return as their bishop.

In Canada, he was the rector of St. Lawrence, Montreal, and St. Joseph of Nazareth, Bramalea in the Diocese of Toronto. Mirroring his ministry in Barbados, he served at the highest levels of the Church in Canada and contributed to the development of the wider community. While serving in Montreal, he was a member of the board of the Black Community Council of Quebec. In Toronto, he served on the board of directors for Leap of Faith Together (LOFT) Community Services.

Writing about him prior to his election as bishop, his nominators said, “Peter will bring distinct gifts to the College of Bishops. In addition to being a consensus builder, he is not afraid to take prophetic stands on issues of importance in both the Church and the larger society. His considerable experience working with ethnic and racial communities has provided him with a unique lens with which to advocate for and work with the many different peoples that make up the increasing multicultural population of our city and Church.”

Following his election, Archbishop Colin Johnson said “Bishop-elect Fenty will bring a wide variety of gifts and a depth of experience to the job. Peter is a wonderful, passionate preacher. He’s been trained in a tradition of taking the scripture and making it relevant to people’s lives, and of building enthusiasm and encouraging people to engage with their faith. Peter is an extremely good facilitator. He’s able to go into a whole variety of situations, listen carefully to what’s going on, and help both analyze it and build a group of people who are able to address issues. He’s able to build bridges between different groups of people. He’s a very pastoral person. He listens well and prays with people and helps them in times of trouble and helps them celebrate their joys.”

I have been a witness to his outstanding service to God and God’s people throughout his ministry. Peter has spent a considerable amount of time sharing in the ministry to and with young people. He placed great emphasis on pastoral visitation and was very supportive of all who sought his pastoral care. As the good preacher that he is, he articulates the love and compassion of God in a way that reflects his deep knowledge of the Bible and that moves his hearers to respond in joy to the Lord. As a consensus builder, he is always willing to allow for full participation in or on any issue. He is not afraid, however, as a leader, to take a principled stand on any issue when that stand has to be taken.

His episcopal ministry in the diocese, and in the episcopal area of York-Simcoe in particular, reflected the truth of these testimonies. Many clergy in our episcopal area have been magnanimous in their satisfaction with his forthright and businesslike approach to matters that demanded his attention, and with the sincerity exhibited in his pastoral ministry as their bishop.

On a personal level, our relationship goes back to 1977, when he came to my home parish in Barbados, St. Patrick, as rector, a few months before I entered seminary. Peter was the preacher at my ordination to the diaconate in 1981 and was the officiating minister at my marriage to Lucy in 1984. When our family arrived in Toronto in 1993, he and his family drove from Montreal to meet us at the airport. We walked closely together in Barbados and even closer after he was called to Toronto. I stood with him through the episcopal elections in which he offered himself for higher service. It was a joy and honour to stand with him when he was made a bishop in God’s Church and to welcome him to Holy Trinity, Thornhill, the next day, when he celebrated his first Eucharist as bishop, pronouncing his first episcopal blessing on the faithful in his episcopal area.

Our wives share the same vocation as educators, at one time working in the same institution. Our children attended the same daycare and school in Barbados. They are like siblings whose relationship mirrors that of their parents. We have vacationed together. We have prayed together. Much to my amazement, people, on occasion, have confused Fr. Fields with Fr. Fenty. What an honour to be mistaken for “Fr. Fenty”!

My family joins me and the rest of our Church in wishing Bishop Peter and his wife, Angela, every blessing in his retirement.

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Testing, trusting, being open to the Spirit of Life who calls us forward with a mission and a promise, the words from the Prophet Jeremiah rest solidly in my heart: “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for a future with a hope.” While what that hope looks like varies, we can rest assured that God remains faithful to us. The process of perceiving, detecting and recognizing our path ahead can be disconcerting, as it upsets routines and increases our levels of anxiousness. This is already happening with our human responses to the pandemic, so adding extra layers of exploration and decision-making can unsettle more. Do not be afraid! Instead of becoming swamped and divided, we can learn to live gently with ourselves and each other in this change, these pains, this uncertainty.

There is hard work to be done, and being present to listen and respond builds relationships. “The kinship of God is where everyone matters,” from Gregory Boyle. Listen to God’s call in your life and learn everything you can. God knows you and loves you already (really!). Be bold in faith and see with the eyes of your heart. We need to learn how to adequately resource our ministries, especially in this time of contracting. How can we collectively discern new ways of doing ministry together that will reflect our current context, rather than cling to models that have become dangerously unsustainable? Are we being invited to consider helping our local church to be responsive to community needs through sharing space in social enterprise endeavours? In the olden days, many monasteries and churches were the hub of the community, with honeybees, gardens, markets, community partnerships – sacred space interacting with the secular. How can we reimagine the contexts of our sacred spaces to include the diversity of the communities in which we live?

Both as humans and ecologically, we are in a planetary time of great disruption and deep grief. Raise up your head, look, listen. How do we find ways to re-connect deeply with one another, find space to breathe, see the joy and the beauty of our Christianity? How do we learn from other Anglican traditions around the globe, including differing models of clerical ministry, raising up and equipping lay leaders, resource-sharing and shifting into right-sized budgets and programs? What connections do we have, and what innovations can we bring about? What were we “not ready for” in March, that now needs our flexibility, intentionality and faith-filled creativity?

Coming out of COVID-19, we will need to re-discover what it is to live, worship and work in the neighbourhood. What will be our new identities as disciples, as Church? We need to constantly renew ourselves to be responsive and to thrive. Who are the unexpected new leaders being raised up in our congregations, amongst our young people, in our larger communities? Where are the margins, and how have they moved? How can we widen the circles of cooperation and vision together, reflect, and pray? Good sense for figuring out who we are from poet/writer Nuar Alsadir: “Move towards what you believe in, and the person you are steps through.” And pure wisdom from poet and one of my favourite authors, Alice Walker: “Hard times require furious dancing.”

We are physical beings, so take care of your physical self. Be well. God is love, and our aim is to establish a culture of working things out together in our lifelong practice of being present to the reign of God and Jesus in our lives. Face the future with gratitude, courage and honesty. Pray. Pray some more. Be inspired by St. Francis, who prays to the Holy One of Blessing: make me an instrument of your peace. Amen.

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When the pandemic hit and the lockdown came, the organizers knew they couldn’t have everyone run the same route at the same time, so they opted for a virtual run. That meant anyone could participate anywhere. With people participating or supporting the run from as far away as Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and British Columbia, the virtual run became a surprising success.

“In some ways, it has eliminated a lot of logistical issues and because it’s virtual, we’ve had people participating or supporting all over the place,” says Bishop George Elliott, interim priest-in-charge of the Parish of Lloydtown, which organizes the run each year. “It’s kind of opened it up in a nice way.”

With 108 participants, many of whom were whole families registering as one participant, the run exceeded its participation from 2019.

The annual run was started 10 years ago by the then-incumbent of the Parish of Lloydtown, the Rev. Sheilagh Ashworth, who died this past June from cancer.

At the diocese’s 2018 Synod, the Rev. Sheilagh Ashworth spoke about how she started the run to engage the Schomberg community and invite newcomers to their church. At the time, less than one per cent of the town attended church. So, if they’re not going to church, she asked herself, what are they doing instead? And how can the church engage with them in activities they are already doing?

“What do people do religiously in our town?” she asked at the time. “We thought about it and came to the conclusion that running is something that people in Schomberg do religiously.”

In the first nine years, the run raised over $50,000, which was shared between Pikangikum First Nation, an Ojibwe First Nation located in Northern Ontario, and the Parish of Lloydtown. When they started the run in 2010, Pikangikum had the highest suicide rate in the world, and the same population as Schomberg.

“She was absolutely horrified at Pikangikum First Nation possibly being the suicide capital of the world,” Carol Ann Trabert, who has helped organize the run for 10 years, says. “The water was so bad, you couldn’t even bathe in it.”

One way to support the First Nation was to help it address its infrastructure needs. The funds raised by the run, along with additional funds from the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, supported it to secure an improved water source and run safe water to houses on the reserve.

The commitment to supporting Indigenous communities to access safe water and address environmental issues came from the Rev. Sheilagh Ashworth seeing these as central to her ministry.

“She was a person who cared for all people. That’s what called her to ministry in the first place,” Geoff Peat, another long-time run organizer, says.

Before she died, she asked that the run organizers raise funds for the Toronto Urban Native Ministry.

“She said ‘Don’t stop the run. Give everything to them,’” Ms. Trabert says.

The organizing committee wanted to fulfill her wish and honour her legacy. In recognition of her immense contribution, this year’s run was in commemoration of the Rev. Sheilagh Ashworth and her commitment to Indigenous issues and reconciliation. All the proceeds went towards supporting Toronto Urban Native Ministry.

“She was the original inspiration and we wanted her to be part of the 10th anniversary,” Mr. Peat says.

The organizers raised $20,000, which will be matched by FaithWorks for a total donation of $40,000 to the Toronto Urban Native Ministry.

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On Sept. 27, the church dedicated a new stained-glass window that depicts two prominent figures of the Anglican Communion – Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi.

The life-sized window, located high in the chancel, casts a blue light on the floor as the sun moves across the southern sky.

“It is wonderful to be worshipping together again with these two heroes of faith shining down upon us, calling us courageously to live up to our Christian ideals in these turbulent times,” says the Rev. Canon Peter Walker, incumbent.

The windows are a gift from parishioners Bettie and Mark Tullis. In the spring of 2019, they approached Canon Walker with the idea of a new stained-glass window that would depict people of faith who were not White.

“We looked around our church and saw a lot of White faces in the windows,” recalls Canon Walker. “That’s not unusual for a lot of churches in Toronto. But that’s not our context anymore. There is incredible diversity and multiculturalism in this city, our neighbourhood and our parish as well, and we wanted to reflect that.”

It didn’t take long for the church to choose Archbishop Tutu and the Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi for the window. “These are two people who changed our Church globally,” he says.

Born in 1907, the Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi served the Anglican community in Hong Kong during the Second World War. She became the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion on Jan. 25, 1944. Her ordination sparked outrage in the Church and she later resigned her licence though not her priest’s orders.

After the war, she studied theology in Beijing, but all churches in China were closed from 1958 to 1974 and she was deemed a counterrevolutionary. She was forced to work on a farm, then in a factory and undergo political re-education. In retirement, she immigrated to Canada and served as an assistant priest in the Diocese of Toronto, where she spent the remainder of her life. Trinity College awarded her an honorary doctorate degree in 1991. She died the following year at the age of 84 and is memorialized in the Church’s liturgical calendar on Feb. 26, the date of her death.

Archbishop Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town, was one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and was later appointed by President Nelson Mandela to preside over the country’s historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission, investigating human rights abuses. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

The window at Grace Church was made by Robt. McCausland Ltd. of Toronto, which has been making stained-glass windows since 1857. The company’s windows are in many churches in the diocese.

Canon Walker says most of the stained-glass windows in Grace Church were made by the company, but the latest one is extra special. “This one stands out, particularly now, for it signals a new and deeper consciousness of our story as Anglican Christians, reminding us of the breadth of diversity and inclusivity of our spiritual tradition. It’s not another image of Christ or the apostles or the biblical saints. This window shows two contemporary saints and two heroes of the Anglican pantheon – both trailblazers.”

Archbishop Tutu and the Li Tim Oi Foundation wrote to the church to express their thanks.

Archbishop Tutu wrote: “Leah and I are honoured and humbled that you should go to all the work of creating a beautiful stainedglass window of me. It is a double honour to be standing next to the Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi, a true pioneer and contemporary saint in our Anglican Communion history. It is clear that you got my nose exactly right! I hope and pray these windows will be a blessing to you and your wonderful congregation in Toronto and a witness to peace and harmony in your neighbourhood. Thank you, thank you, for all you and your team did to make this come about. Leah and I give thanks for you and pray for you in your ministry at Grace Church on-the-Hill.”

The Rev. Margaret Sentamu, chair of the Li Tim Oi Foundation, wrote: “The trustees of the Li Tim Oi Foundation are thrilled to see the beautiful stained-glass window of the Rev. Dr. Florence Li Tim Oi. It is wonderful that Grace Church on-the-Hill is honouring her in this way – and alongside Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, both faithful and inspiring disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“In 1994, Tim Oi’s sister, Rita Lee Chui, and Canon Christopher Hall, son of Bishop R. O. Hall, who ordained Tim Oi in 1944, set up the foundation that bears her name, in order to enable Anglican women in the Two Thirds World to be trained for ordained and lay ministries and for other positions of leadership in their churches, diocese and communities.

“Over the past 26 years, the foundation has given grants to over 500 women, who now call themselves the Daughters of Li Tim Oi. This stained-glass window stands as a testament to her enduring witness of courage, faithfulness and hope against all the odds, and to the grace of God, who brought her through many years of hardship, danger and suffering.”

The dedication ceremony at Grace Church included the Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi’s niece and the Rev. Canon Edmund Der, a retired priest of the diocese. Canon Der met the Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi as a boy in Hong Kong during the Second World War and celebrated the Eucharist at her bedside the night before she died in Toronto.

Bishop Andrew Asbil, who took part in the ceremony, gave this prayer: “Dear friends in Christ, remember before God with thanksgiving our forebears in faith. Remember those who by their courageous and faithful ministry have inspired and transformed our church worldwide. Remember those who by their patient struggle for justice and freedom prepared the way for liberation, social reform, and renewal. Remember those nourished by Christ’s teaching to recognize and value the equal dignity of all God’s children. Remember those who set for us a fearless example of unwavering perseverance and commitment to Christ even in the face of political oppression. Remember those who have suffered persecution and imprisonment for their faith. Remember those who have led us into a deeper, costlier understanding of God’s gift of reconciliation and peace. Remember those who by their office and ministry have inspired women and men of every language, race, and culture to serve God’s church in ordained and lay vocations.”

To view the window, visit Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd., Toronto.

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