June 2015
A section of the
Anglican Journal
anglican diocese of quebec • diocèse anglican de québec
DON’T GO AWAY
CRUCIFIED WOMAN
by Louisa Blair
photo by Susanne Guenther
Loewen
12
13
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
ONLY TIP OF ICEBERG
by Michelle Chevarie
14
Contents
LETTERS
NEWS
Editor’s note 3
Bruce Stavert celebrates 50
years of ordination 7
Religious Language and
Resurrection: a Response to
Michael Pitts 4
ACW student bursaries 7
TRUTH, BEAUTY
& GOODNESS
Crucified woman 13
Happy Retirement To Deacon
Hayes! 8
Has your parish had a garden
party this year? 9
Stained glass windows 9
FEATURE
BISHOP’S LETTER
To the editor of the Diocesan
Gazette 9
Recovering our hope 5
Marching for climate justice 9
As scary as physical violence
against women seems, it is
only the tip of the iceberg 14
CANADA BRIEFS
COLUMNS
ODDS & ENDS
Tending the garden 10
6
Books
cont’d
Bishop’s letter 16
Récupérer notre espoir 5
Daisy and the Donkey
Church 11
cont’d
Canada briefs 16
Faithful reflections
Don’t go away 12
June 2015
A ministry of the Anglican Diocese of
Quebec founded in 1894 by the Rt. Rev.
A.H. Dunn
Jeff Metcalfe
Editor
Roy Stinson
Chair of The Gazette Board
Annalee Giesbrecht
Layout & Design
The Gazette is published 10 times a year
(September-June) and mailed as a section of
the Anglican Journal (Dépot légal, Bibliothèque
national du Québec). Printed and mailed by
Webnews Printing Inc. in North York, Ontario,
The Gazette is a member of the Canadian
Church Press and the Anglican Editors Association. Circulation: 3,800.
The mandate of The Gazette shall be to serve
as a means of encouragement, communication,
and community building among the regions of
the diocese, with special emphasis on regional
activities and matters of concern for both laity
and clergy. It shall provide an opportunity for
the bishop to address the people of the diocese
directly and seek to cover items from outside
the diocese that bear on its corporate life. The
Gazette shall provide a channel for infor-
mation and a forum for discussion, shall be
encouraged to express a wide range of opinion
within the diocese, and shall enjoy editorial
independence. (Canon 22 of the Synod of the
Diocese of Quebec)
Editorial and advertising enquiries,
as well as letters to the editor, should
be directed to:
editor@quebec.anglican.ca
The Editor
The Gazette
527 chemin Principal
Grosse-Île (Québec)
G4T 6B2
(418) 985-2715
Letters
WHEN I FIRST moved back to the country from
the big city, it was with great relief. It seemed
at that time I had made a real bargain, trading
concrete for beaches, oceans of traffic for actual
oceans.
Growing up in the country, but having lived all
my adult life in cities, I must confess, I was besot
by rural nostalgia. A great many of my peers felt
the same way, more then a few of them pining for
a placement that would take them out of the pollution and into a safer place.
However the thing about utopias is that they do
not actually exist.
For all its charm (and there are many) it turns
out rural Canada is not a very safe place to live,
especially if you happen to be female. According
to Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute
for Health Information, rural girls are more likely
to smoke and drink, have higher rates of suicide,
and have poorer mental health. As Saman Ahsan,
Executive Director of Girl’s Action Foundation has
suggested, they are also more likely to face social
pressure to ignore bullying, they are less likely to
seek help if they are depressed, less likely to report
being raped, and less likely to receive help if they
do report it. Oh, and if that were not bad enough,
if they are raped or the victims of other kinds of
violence, they are more likely to be blamed for it,
and shamed by their community.
So much for rural nostalgia.
It turns out that knowing your neighbours
doesn’t always make you safer. The majority of
violence against women happens not by strangers
lurking in the darkness of inner city streets, but
by family members: fathers, uncles, husbands (yes
almost all of the violent acts committed against
women are done by men).
As Michelle Chevarie points out, living as if
violence against women and young girls isn’t happening in our communities isn’t going to make the
problem go away, in fact, this is one of the reasons
it persists. The thing about pretending that we live
in a utopia is that it prevents us from addressing
the very real problems we face.
So here is my proposal: if you are a father, teach
your children that women and men are equal, and
do it not through lengthy lectures but by learning
how to cook, and sharing the housework equally,
by valuing your wife’s work not as something that
is good because “it keeps her busy,” but a career
just as valuable as yours.
If you are a church leader, think about the way
you pursue your ministry, not only the sermons
that you preach and how you interpret biblical
texts, but also the everyday decisions you make
like which parishioners you choose to visit and
who you equip for leadership. If you hear about
abuse, believe it. Do not be a bystander. As church
leaders we need to speak up and to speak out.
And if you are a woman or a young girl, know
that you deserve better from your communities
and your partner. If you feel unsafe, tell someone
you trust. I hope that your local minister can be
that kind of person.
Utopias do not exist but healthy and safe rural
communities might. I am convinced that if we can
get rid of our nostalgia and be real about our sins,
we can begin working towards the latter.
In August I will be returning to the big city to
pursue doctoral work at the University of Toronto.
I hope you have enjoyed my short tenure as Editor
over these last few months; it has been a great
blessing to me to bring you the kind of difficult
but needed reflections that Michelle offers us this
June.
Some outgoing advice to the next Editor: do
not shrink back from the darkness, for the good
news of our Christian story is that “The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
overcome it” (John 1.5).
If you are a woman or a young girl,
know that you deserve better.
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
Editor’s note
3
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
Religious language and resurrection:
a response to Michael Pitts
4
IN HIS TEXT about resurrection and religious
language, Michel Pitts invites us to move inside of
scripture: to share in the depth of the sense of love,
peace, joy, fear and awe found there.
This is certainly a praiseworthy invitation, but
we feel that it is unfortunate that the text does
not avoid the trap Nietzsche denounced when he
enjoined us to avoid overestimating the depths, by
depreciating the surface.
In this Easter season, Mr. Pitts discusses the
gospel of Mark 16:1-8, even though the first choice
in the Revised Common Lectionary for this Easter
is the text found in John 20: 1-18.
According to Mr. Pitts, Mark does not speak of
bodily resurrection or of the appearances. Clearly
there are no appearances in the passage in Mark,
but as to references to bodily resurrection, let’s not
come to any rash conclusions. After all, Mark tells
us that the women did not find the body of Jesus
in the tomb, instead they found a young man who
announced to them that Jesus the Nazarene, the
crucified , has been resurrected and is no longer in
the tomb.
For Mr. Pitts, Mark, in this text and others,
speaks the language of the heavens being opened,
of transfiguration, of angelic presence and of
resurrection. Pitts says that this is not the language of everyday use, not the language of history
or of science. We mention in passing, that Jesus
demonstrates amply in his parables that everyday
language can also be the language of mystery, the
language of the depths.
But to come to the heart of the issue, let us
enter into the simplicity of Mark’s text: the women
come to the tomb, the body of Jesus is no longer
there, and a being announces that the Nazarene
has been resurrected. If the reader dares to see in
the text, not only a story but a historical narrative,
why must this reading be automatically considered as a dangerous misunderstanding? Renowned
theologians, Anglican or otherwise have had such
readings. N.T.Wright with his 700 page volume
The Resurrection of the Son of God is an example. Why must we lock ourselves into the logic of
exclusion where a symbolic meaning to a text eliminates any possibility of historical truth?
Our religious language, in the Christian community, is also the language of the gospels, which
present aspects of the historical life of Jesus without necessarily establishing all the details.
It seems presumptuous to us to imply that
anyone can know the one and only way that religious language functions. It is even more risky to
affirm that other ways of understanding religious
language prevent people from becoming a part of
the Christian community. Sociological studies have
shown that churches whose benches are almost
empty are those in which it is preached that in the
scriptures there are only stories and no history, and
that expressions of transcendence: miracles, resurrection, eternal life, etc. are poetic metaphors.
In our opinion, the Christian community
should be spacious enough to include different
readings of the scriptures.
Finally, who can say what is at the surface and
what is in the depths? As the French writer Paul
Valéry wrote, “That which is the deepest in man, is
the skin.”
Edouard C. Lebeau and Violet Konrad,
Sherbrooke, QC
Outragé ? Inspiré Excité ? Ambivalent ? Faites-nous savoir ce que vous pensez !
La Gazette est l’endroit où notre communauté de foi au Québec peut s’exprimer et converser librement, Par contre,
une conversation n’incluant qu’une seule voix est plutôt unilatérale (et soyons honnêtes, plutôt ennuyante aussi…)
Alors, « Crie de toutes tes forces et ne te retiens pas. Fais retentir ta voix comme le son du cor ! » (Ésaïe 58 :1a)
Outraged? Inspired? Ambivalent? Excited? We want to hear what you think!
The Gazette is the common conversation of our faith community in Quebec. But a conversation with only one voice
is pretty one sided (and let’s be honest, it’s pretty boring too…) So “Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice
like a trumpet!” (Isaiah 58:1a)
- The Editor
Recovering our hope
Récupérer notre espoir
FOR TWELVE YEARS I have attended the Annual general meeting of the Church Society. Up until
ten days ago my intention was to be there as usual.
That all changed when I heard from the family that
Paul Almond, the noted film and television director and producer, had died. Paul was educated at
Baliol College at Oxford and did a great deal of his
creative work in England. He was also named as an
Officer of the Order of Canada. Despite his many
international achievements Paul was a “parsonage
kid.” His family’s roots are deeply embedded in the
soil of Shigawake and the Gaspe coast. His Father
was an Anglican Priest as was his uncle. They both
served in the Diocese of Quebec. Paul was a lay
reader in his parish of St. Aidan’s Malibu where
the funeral is being held on Sunday, the day of his
84th birthday. I will miss his irrepressible wit and
acerbic asides. Please pray for the repose of his
soul and for his family.
This year, like most years that I have been active in Church leadership in the diocese, has been
marked by a continued process of change. We are
challenged to find the ways and means of providing leadership and pastoral ministry over this farflung diocese. To achieve this we continue to work
at restructuring ministry in the various regions so
that we can respond to the needs of the small communities across central and eastern Quebec.
Crucial to our work is the fundamental need
to raise up lay and ordained leaders in the church
communities. We have been successful in certain
places and not at all successful in others. The days
are past when we would see our local minister
living just down the road. In today’s Church a
parish priest has become a community gatherer,
a discerner of pastoral ministers, and a traveling
teacher of the faith. Parish life is no longer what
happens in the church building, it’s what happens
as we engage the members of the larger community in every venue and in every walk of life.
Where people are unwilling to change their
DEPUIS LES DOUZE dernières années, je préside
l’assemblée générale annuelle de Church Society
(La Société d’Église du diocèse de Québec). Mon
intention de procéder de la même manière cette
année a été chamboulée lorsque j’ai appris, par
le biais de sa famille, le décès de Paul Almond,
réalisateur renommé à la télévision comme au cinéma et producteur. Paul avait reçu son éducation
au Collège Balliol et à Oxford, et avait complété
plusieurs de ses œuvres en Angleterre. Il avait aussi
reçu la distinction d’officier de l’Ordre du Canada.
Bien que ses réalisations aient atteint une envergure internationale, Paul est toujours demeuré un
« petit gars de paroisse ». Ses racines familiales
étaient profondément ancrées dans la terre de
Shigawake et de la côte gaspésienne. Son père et
son oncle ont tous deux été des pasteurs anglicans
qui ont œuvré au sein du diocèse de Québec.
Paul agissait en tant que prédicateur laïque dans
sa paroisse de Saint Aidan à Malibu, là où ses
funérailles ont été célébrées le dimanche 26 avril,
le jour de son 84ème anniversaire. Son esprit vif
et irrépressible et ses réparties mordantes vont me
manquer terriblement. S’il vous plaît, priez pour le
repos éternel de son âme et pour sa famille.
Comme toutes les années au cours desquelles
j’ai fait partie de l’équipe de gestion du ministère
dans notre diocèse, cette année est toujours sous le
signe d’un processus continu d’évolution. Les défis
se multiplient dans la réalisation de notre mission
qui consiste à trouver les façons et les moyens d’assurer le leadership et le maintien du ministère pastoral dans notre vaste diocèse. Afin de compléter
cette mission, nous poursuivons la restructuration
du ministère dans les diverses régions afin d’être
en mesure de répondre aux besoins des petites
communautés du centre et de l’est du Québec.
Nous avons un besoin fondamental auquel il
est crucial de répondre : il nous faut favoriser le
développement de leaders ordonnés et laïques
à partir de nos communautés religieuses. Nous
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
Bishop’s Letter
5
Canada Briefs
PREPARED BY BEN GRAVES
TRC report to be released
Numerous events, including a walk for reconciliation, the planting of a heart garden and a public
feast, have been planned to mark the release of
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC)
report at the last national event scheduled in Ottawa
May 31 to June 3.
The release of the report comes eight years after
the TRC was established by the Indian Residential
School Settlement Agreement in 2007, and signifies
the culmination of the seven national TRC events
held since.
It does not, however, mark the end of the process of reconciliation, according to Justice Murray
Sinclair, chair of the TRC. “If you thought the truth
was hard, reconciliation will be harder.” Crosstalk
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
Summerland church hosts World Day of Prayer
6
St. Stephen’s Anglican Church in Summerland, B.C.,
played host to the World Day of Prayer (WDP) in
March.
WDP describes itself as “a global ecumenical
movement of Christian women joined together to
observe a common day of prayer each year on the
first Friday of March.” It was started by women
in the United States and Canada in 1922, and has
since grown to span 2,000 different communities
across Canada and 170 countries around the world.
This year’s ecumenical service materials were
written by the WDP committee of The Bahamas.
As such, St. Stephen’s immersed itself in Bahamian
culture in anticipation of WDP, exploring Bahamian
history, music and traditional food. Lynette Lodge,
who was born in Grenada, but possesses a wealth
of knowledge on the Caribbean and the challenges
faced by The Bahamas today, delivered the homily,
which was followed by intercessional prayers for the
Bahamian community. The Highway
Council for Refugees calls on faith leaders to
stand with Muslims
The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) has
released a statement in response to what it terms
“increased prejudice and hostility” toward Muslim
immigrants. The statement calls for faith leaders,
along with political and community leaders, to take
positive action against what it described as a rising
tide of prejudice.
The CCR has raised the possibility that the
government itself may be engaged in discrimination
against Muslim refugees, noting that in 2012, the
minister of Citizenship and Immigration rejected
Somalia and Afghanistan—both countries with
mostly Muslim populations—as priority populations for immigration, despite the recommendation
of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees.
The statement notes that further prejudice and
discrimination will only “make Muslim young
persons question whether they can ever fully belong
in Canadian society,” and challenges non-Muslim
Canadians to question whether or not the current
political climate is truly reflective of “Canadian
values of tolerance, non-discrimination, and openness.” Anglican Montreal
Toronto youth ministers attend conference in
Chicago
Eight youth ministers from Toronto were among the
400 youth leaders across more than a dozen Christian denominations who attended the Progressive
Youth Ministry Conference at Fourth Presbyterian
Church in downtown Chicago this past March.
The conference’s tagline was “Fresh Voices, Radical
Ideas,” and participants said the content lived up to
its billing.
Particularly engaging was the Rev. Amy Butler,
who pulled no punches in her closing homily when
tackling the question of the church’s relevance in
the modern world. “In a world that considers our
cathedrals—and even the pulpit where Martin Luther King, Jr. preached—irrelevant,” she said, “what
is the future of our church? We could be afraid or
we could admit our irrelevance and get creative in
love.”
Rosemary MacAdam, youth minister for St.
Margaret’s Anglican Church, New Toronto, who
attended and reported on the conference, said she
“felt a deep sense of hope” at the end of the conference, knowing that people like Butler are leading
the church into the future while actively confronting
the challenges that it continues to face. The Anglican
Hamilton church’s outreach programs bear
fruit
The Rev. Mike Deed, rector of the Church of the
Resurrection in Hamilton, Ont., describes the area
in which his church is found as a somewhat “deceptive space.” Although it’s only a short drive away
from several wealthy, attractive neighbourhoods,
the Resurrection actually serves an area that a 2012
study found has the highest poverty rates on Hamil-
News
ACW student bursaries
SUBMITTED BY JANICE FRASIER
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH Women of the Diocese of Quebec have small bursaries available for
students from the Magdelen Islands, Lower North
Shore and the Gaspé Peninsula to enable them to
continue their education at CEGEP or University
level, if living away from home.
Application forms may be downloaded from
the ACW page on the Diocesan website.
BY PETER DENIS
On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of
our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Archbishop Bruce Stavert celebrated the Golden
Jubilee of his Ordination by Bishop Russell Brown
in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec City.
Many friends and family from Quebec and St.
Matthias’ joined Bruce for a Choral Eucharist, followed by a reception at St. Matthias’, Westmount,
where he has been serving as a Clergy Associate
since his retirement in 2009.
As it was only one week before his 75th
birthday on April 1, both milestones were the
focus of the evening. The lessons were read by his
daughters, Rosamond and Kathleen, and his son,
Timothy and his wife, Diana. Diana also assisted
at the Eucharist. At the reception his wife and
children read notes of best wishes from friends in
Quebec City and Prince Albert, Sask., where he
served most of his career, as well as participating in
a well-rehearsed roast of their father and husband.
Photos of Bruce in his younger days and banners
celebrating his birthday and Jubilee decorated the
Hall. About 150 friends were in attendance.
Congratulations to Bruce on his long service to
the Anglican Church of Canada and to St. Matthias’.
Patrick Wheeler is the new Rector of St. Matthias’ Church, Westmount, where Bruce has served as
Clergy Associate since his retirement.
Peter Denis attends St. Georges Church, Georgeville.
For more information, contact Margaret Woollerton:
41 Deacon St.
Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1B5
or at 819-346-6784
The deadline for applications is September 1,
2015.
Give the Gift of
IMAGINATION
This year,
make a gift to
provide a faith
community the
unique opportunity
to encourage their
creative potential
and build a strong
future for Canadian
Anglicans.
foundation@anglicanfoundation.org
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
Bruce Stavert
celebrates 50 years
of ordination
7
Happy Retirement To Deacon Hayes!
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
BY MARJORIE LEPAGE
8
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK, which took
place from April 12-18, was a great opportunity to show our most sincere appreciation and
recognition to local volunteers. Always ready to
give a hand, rarely missing any event, our local
volunteers are the one who helps our community
stay active and alive. To thank them and give them
the recognition they deserve, the Shigawake and
Port-Daniel community put together a volunteer
evening on April 17th.
What was supposed to be an event for all,
ended up actually being a secret retirement party
for Deacon Patsy Hayes. The Rev. Hayes who had
even participated in the organization, was absolutely clueless about her surprise party. She recalls
enjoying every minute of it after the initial shock.
Patsy has been the deacon for the Parish of
Chaleur Bay since January 25th 2006. She has lead
our churches for many years and has done many
volunteering hours. Fourteen years later, after
being the leader of both St. James, Port-Daniel &
St.Pauls, Shigawake church, she has decided to
retire. Her successor, Nicholas Forte, should arrive
and take her place this summer.
As a gift, she was given a beautiful painting by
Gloria Hayes Ethel Bradbury representing both
St.Paul and St.James church.
Being one of the most active ladies out there,
it was no surprise to see the Shigawake Community Center packed with folks from all around the
Chaleur Bay area, ready to honour her and thank
her for everything she has accomplished. Many
speakers were invited up front by the master of
ceremony, Bill Sullivan, to give thanks to Patsy
Hayes for everything she has done.
Among them was John LeGresley from St-Andrews church in New-Carlisle, Jimmy Huntington
from St-James church in Hopetown, Margaret
Marjorie Lepage is a young aspiring
journalist in the Deanery of Gaspe.
PHOTO CREDIT: MARJORIE LEPAGE
Ann Mauger, the Rev. Doreen Bird-Daley from the
New Carlisle United Church Pastoral Charge, Josie
MacWhirter from St-Andrew’s United church in
Hopetown, pastor Paul Bedford from Hope Baptist
Church, Ann MacWhirther, Elton Hayes from
St-Paul’s Shigawake, Melda Huntington, former
mayor Kenneth Duguay representing the municipality of Shigawake, Hartley Lepage and Marjorie
Lepage representing the Municipality of Port-Daniel-Gascons as well as the Anglican gazette, Gloria
Hayes representing the Woman’s Institute and her
husband, Garry Hayes.
Many entertainers were also called upfront to
sing and perform some of Patsy’s favourite songs.
Among them was George Hayes, Rob MacWhirter,
Warren MacKenzie, Mona and Bill Court, Lois
Hayes, Mark Dea, Lorne Walker, Melda and Jim
Huntington and Dave Royal.
To close off the party, the choir joined by The
Rev. Hayes, was invited to sing ‘‘Beautiful Gaspe’’
written by Ruth Duguay and Lois Hayes as the organist. A big thank-you to Landis Assels and Edith
Mackenzie who put together this lovely event. The
evening was a success and on behalf of all, I would
like to wish a happy and well deserve retirement to
Patsy Hayes.
Has your parish had a Marching for climate
garden party this year? justice
BY ROY STINSON
Stained glass windows
MANY OF OUR beautiful churches have stain
glass windows that tell the stories of Jesus and the
Bible in a way that words cannot. They also in their
dedications provide a history of the former families
in the parish. Some of these stories are being lost
when churches close. The Diocesan Gazette would
like to publish a record of some of these windows in
future issues. Those from closing churches or closed
churches are especially requested. Find a volunteer
photographer and send us your high-resolution
photographs. Beverly Dame (board member) can
advise you on the pixel requirements.
SUBMITTED BY CYNTHIA PATTERSON
Miriam Blair, Aurora Patterson-Drainville and
Hannah Blair (parishioners of Cathedral of the Holy
Trinity) set out with friends from cathedral close for the
Action Climate March on 11 April.
To the editor of the
Diocesan Gazette
UNFORTUNATELY THE EDITORIAL Board of
The Gazette has received the resignation of The
Reverend Jeffrey Metcalfe, Editor of the Gazette, as
he has been accepted at the University of Toronto
for studies towards another degree in Theology.
On behalf of all the readers and the board we
extend our heartfelt thanks and praise for a job
well done. Especially for moving the paper into the
21st century, with new columns and an easier to
read and hold format. Type faces, size and graphics
are now focussed on seniors vision needs. We ask
God’s blessings on Jeffrey and his family as the take
another journey to serve Christ.
Roy Stinson is the Chair of The Gazette Board and a
member of The Church of the Advent, Sherbrooke
SUBMITTED BY CYNTHIA PATTERSON
Bishop Dennis Drainville, Archdeacon Garth Bulmer
and deacon Cynthia Patterson at Action Climate
March where participants numbered over 25,000.
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
NO NOT A sunny afternoon social!!! But a grounds
clean up party. Send the Gazette, your photo’s and
description of it. Did parishioners come in droves
with rakes and shoves for planting? Was a committee struck to layout the plots or were they there already? Did you plant flowers to beautify the Church
or share with shut-ins? Were they a back drop for
wedding photographs? Or, did you plant a vegetable
garden to share with those in need?
Our Fall Issue awaits your submissions, please
send by July 24th.
9
Columns
Tending the garden
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
BY MARIE-SOL GAUDREAU
10
THE ANGLICAN FOUNDATION of Canada
(AFC) was one of the topics of discussion at the
last Diocesan Executive Council meeting. As
most of you know, the AFC has supported a lot of
projects within our Diocese and I’m positive it will
continue to do so in the future. However, I was
surprised to learn during the conversation that as
a Diocese our membership to the AFC is one of
the lowest contributors within Canada. There are
some Dioceses were all of the parishes within that
Diocese supports the AFC, for some reason we as
a whole do not. There might be a lot of reason for
that and I’m going with the easiest answer, that
of lack of knowledge and understanding. Lack of
knowledge about the AFC, what it is and what
it does, as well as a lack of understanding on the
fact that their membership is based annually and
most of us probably don’t think about it until we
want to write up a request for funds for one of our
projects. Let’s start by learning a bit about the AFC
– here’s what their website has to say:
“The Anglican Foundation of Canada seeks to
provide abundant resources for innovative ministries, Anglican presence, and diverse infrastructure
projects across the Canadian Church.
Each diocese may apply for funds twice per
year for—
• innovative ministry, Anglican presence and
diverse infrastructure projects
• church music in Canada
• education and programs in Canada’s North
• worship initiatives, liturgical arts, outreach
and community endeavours
• theological studies”
As you may recall, late last year the farming
project from Entry Island received the approval
of a substantial grant from the AFC for them to
be able to develop and maintain their community
farming. That’s innovative ministry! What’s great
is the fact that the AFC is around to be able to
support such projects.
How did the AFC get started and how do they
accumulate money to be able to support such
projects? Again, I found the answer to that on their
website:
“As a member-based organization, AFC invites
individuals, parishes and church organizations
to make an annual contribution so that it can
respond generously to applicants who are engaged in ministry to serve the Canadian Church.
At a meeting of the General Synod in 1957, the
agreement was that every parish would contribute $50 each year in order to build up a fund for
mission and ministry across the Canadian Church.
The Foundation’s ability to support ministry is also
funded by bequests, memorials and special gifts,
donor-designated trusts, life insurance, gift annuities and investment income.”
I was a bit surprised to learn that in 1957, the
contribution was $50 a year, and do you know
that in 2015 the contribution is still only $50 a
year! The Diocese contributes its $50 to the AFC,
I will admit that the amount hasn’t been paid each
year. However, last year when the AFC launched
it’s “Free up 50 Campaign” the conscious effort was
made to make sure that we book it as an annual
expense and make sure to send our cheque out.
In 2014 when the AFC launched its campaign it
reported that out of 1650 parishes across Canada
only 507 were donors. It would be great to see that
number rise and to know that it was because as a
Diocese our Parishes are contributing to the great
work the AFC has done for us here locally within
our borders but also for others across our great
nation!
Marie-Sol Gaudreau is the Executive Director of the
Diocese of Quebec.
BOOKS
Daisy and the Donkey Church
Daisy and the Donkey Church. Story and illustrations
by Louisa Blair. 2014
HAVE YOU HAD an opportunity to meet Aldo
and Alli, the donkey and goat who live in the
Cathedral Close? And did you know that these two
animals are more than just unusual pets located in
the centre of Old Quebec? In fact, they have a significant Christian mission: they provide a ministry
of peaceful hospitality and spiritual healing to the
many people who pass daily by the Cathedral.
In popular culture donkeys are usually portrayed as stubborn and stupid, but, unlike A.A. Milne’s
perpetually mournful Eeyore
or C.S. Lewis’s gullible
Puzzle, they are actually
gentle, intelligent creatures.
To be called an ass suggests
that one is dim-witted or
ridiculous, but for those
who know these placid
beasts the metaphor would,
in fact, be a tribute. Donkeys are humble, good-natured creatures who seem to
engender a calm, meditative
atmosphere. Sarah Blair and
her family discovered this
when they spent several months with two donkey companions walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain. On returning to
Canada, Sarah acquired Aldo in an effort to share
the salutary virtues of donkeys. So, while Aldo and
his loyal friend Alli enjoy the summer months in
the country with the Blair family, they live in the
Cathedral Close for the rest of the year where they
carry out their ministry of gentle friendliness.
To celebrate this quiet presence, Louisa Blair,
Sarah’s sister, has written and illustrated Daisy
and the Donkey Church, a charming children’s
book. The story depicts how Aldo transforms the
Cathedral Close from a busy thoroughfare into
a sanctuary where passersby slow down to greet
and visit with one other. The skillfully told story
presents the various individuals who live and
work around the Cathedral and benefit from Aldo’s
placid presence. Daisy, a young girl, approaches
the “lady with sticking-up hair and rubber boots”
who is feeding the animals and learns that Aldo
is actually a liturgical donkey. The lady describes
how donkeys play a significant part in much of the
bible and bear the mark of the cross on their backs
to signify their important role in the lives of both
Mary and Jesus.
Throughout the work
delightful naïve illustrations bring the story to life.
Anyone familiar with the
Cathedral will instantly
recognize the Close and
the surrounding buildings,
such as the Chateau and the
Monastery. Aldo is lovingly
portrayed, and his simple
purity of spirit is beautifully
rendered. The delicate line
drawings are highlighted by
a subtle watercolour wash
that perfectly evokes the
atmosphere of Old Quebec.
Daisy and the Donkey Church is not the only
work to celebrate Aldo’s ministry. A calendar featuring pictures of Aldo and Allie interacting with
their various visitors is also available. Bravo Ministries Burundi Sewing Workshop, run by Allison,
the third Blair sister, produces stuffed donkeys.
The funds collected from these ventures support
ministries associated with the Cathedral. So take
a minute to read this delightful book and discover
how a humble donkey and a goat uphold the covenant of hospitality in the heart of Old Quebec.
Ruth Sheeran is the Rural Dean of the Deanery of St.
Francis and a member of St. Mark’s Chapel.
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
REVIEWED BY RUTH SHEERAN
11
FAITHFUL REFLECTIONS
Don’t go away
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
BY LOUISA BLAIR
12
IT ALL STARTED off with a discussion about
leggings. Five teenage girls were sitting around our
kitchen table. They were discussing a school rule
saying that girls could only wear leggings if they
also wore a garment that came down over their
buttocks. They were outraged by this – that girls
should have to cover up to prevent their male classmates from being distracted from their studies by
lust. It’s another case of blaming the victim.
A few challenges to their increasingly furious
arguments were timidly offered by the dour, middle-aged kill-joy who was serving them home-baked
muffins – me.
Our discussion then moved on to violence
against women. The girls were well informed about
the facts – such as the fact that 66% of all female
victims of sexual assault are under the age of twenty-four (11% are under the age of eleven), and the
shockingly high rate of violence against women by
their intimate partners. Meanwhile my own intimate
partner walked into the kitchen carrying six bags
of groceries and began to quietly stack them in the
fridge and the cupboards. It’s best to just stay away
from men, someone was saying. The collective sense
of rage was towering, and then, suddenly, it toppled.
There was a silence. One girl said despairingly, but
I want to get married and have children! So do I!
confessed another.
As with so many issues, it is Aboriginal people who show me new directions when despair
threatens. They’ve mostly had to face our most dire
social problems in a much more personal and direct
form than I ever have, and their choices for how to
deal with them, especially in remote communities,
are far more limited. A Cree woman I was talking to
in northern Quebec once told me that most of the
jobs available for First Nations in the community –
mostly in healthcare and social services – were held
by women, which had given them new economic
and personal power. But the men resented this, and
some took out their anger by beating up their wives.
I asked about police responsiveness to reports of
wife assault, and about safe houses. “You need to be
able to get away,” I said, “you need help.”
“We all need help,” she corrected me. “We cannot live without our husbands and our sons, where
would we go? Where would they go? We have to
face this problem together. Our husbands and sons
need education, they need jobs, they need self-re-
spect.” You can’t dismantle community when it’s the
only resource you have left.
So often our solutions to problems are division,
separation. Separate offenders from society, divide
the men from the women. Put them away. Send
them away. The Cree woman made me question
profoundly the idea that there is a place called
“away.” There is a crucial role for separation in times
of crisis, and sometimes it has to be permanent. But
eventually, there’s no “away” left.
The irony of this is that the First Nations themselves were displaced when Canada became the
perfect “away” for British landowners who wanted
to kick tenant farmers off their land and replace
them with sheep. But the world has now run out of
countries to ship people off to when they become
undesirable.
Religion hasn’t helped. In most of them, including our own, going away is often seen as a solution
to the ills of the world. The material world is messy
and out of control, full of mud and blood. As lust is
embarrassing, and childbirth is terrifyingly savage,
women have long been associated with this dirty
material world. We long for our souls to be free
and pure, to be “away”. But in the voyage towards
spiritual purity, women are often despised, used,
and discarded as the clean, detached spirit makes its
way to paradise, or nirvana, or holiness.
What God loves is in fact our messy humanity,
not our spiritual control, our success at putting
distance between souls and our bodies. But this is
so hard for us to believe. To prove it, God had to
the plunge into time, space, our planet, our bodies,
like one of those Google earth zooms, and become
one of us. He did the opposite of this spiritual going
away and “did not abhor the virgin’s womb.” He
became mud and blood and embraced it all the way
through his life, which included walking into an
all-too-human violent death, so that he could love
us not from a majestic distance but through our
humanity. So don’t go away.
There will be difficult questions of leggings and
difficult questions about how to protect women
from sexual violence and how to prevent it. There
will also love, commitment, and babies. And in all
of it, God is with us, exactly here.
Louisa Blair is a writer and a parishioner of the Holy
Trinity Cathedral, Quebec City.
“Crucified Woman,” by Almuth Lutkenhaus-Lackey.
Photo Credit: Susanne Guenther Loewen.
FEMINIST THEOLOGIANS JULIE Clague and
Doris Jean Dyke write that “Crucified Woman” was
sculpted simply as an expression of women’s suffering, and the artist only reluctantly lent the sculpture to a United church in Toronto for Easter one
year, unsure of whether she wanted it interpreted
theologically. She was overwhelmed by the response, especially of women who for the first time,
saw “their suffering, their dying and their resurrection embodied in a woman’s body,” and thereby
felt God’s solidarity with the suffering specific to
women. Feminist Mary Grey explains, “Christa liberates not by . . . proclaiming that there is an innate
redemptive quality in [women’s suffering]; but by
being present with and sharing in the brokenness,
identifying this as the priority for God’s healing
love, Christ gives hope, empowers, and enables the
process of resistance.” Also, in 1989, upon hearing
of the Montreal Massacre of 14 women, hundreds
gathered around the “Crucified Woman” to remember the victims and God’s solidarity with them.
Susanne Guenther Loewen is a doctoral candidate at
the Toronto School of Theology. She lives in Winnipeg,
Manitoba.
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
Truth, Beauty & Goodness
13
Feature
As scary as physical violence
against women seems, it is only
the tip of the iceberg
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
BY MICHELLE CHEVARIE
14
I ENVISION A day when we can firmly state that violence
against women, and everything that this term encapsulates,
is an issue of the past. Unfortunately, it is something we
have yet to overcome, not only as a small community of
500 persons on the Magdalen Islands, but as society. Well
hidden within rural communities’ seclusive tendencies,
this is a violence that unquestionably thrives today and
ultimately remains a problem, not only for women, but
for human beings in a global community working towards
equality for all its members.
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
it is not happening. Something that we do not wish
Although sheltered from the outside world and
to observe, given that it coincides as something we
protected by bodies of water, women on the Magrarely do ever see in public, creates the perfect endalen Islands are no more immune from acts of
vironment for violence to remain and thrive behind
violence and discrimination than in other regions
closed doors.
whose human rights record we hypocritically like
On the other hand, I believe as members of
to condemn. We spend a lot of time worrying about
often-small communities it is our responsibility
Islamic women wearing headscarves, but are curito ensure that each person feels safe; safe enough
ously less interested in English and French culture’s
to reach out and ask for help, rather than feel the
methods of oppressing women.
apprehension of being judged by others. Let us be
For example, the occupancy rate for L’Accommunities that acknowledge violence against
clamie—a women’s shelter in the Magdalen
women and out rightly rejects ideology that allows
Islands—for the fiscal year of 2012-2013, was a
violence to persist. Be open to living equally, as men
whopping 115%! Of the admissible requests that
and women together.
were accepted, the ‘lodging/housing’ service was
utilized 76 separate times, whereas other external
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that
services were used 923 times. This makes for a
we belong to each other.”
grand total of 999 accepted requests for help (in—Mother Teresa, humanitarian and missionary
cluding the possibility of the same woman benefitPost scriptum
ing from a service twice). These statistics include all
Upon completing the article, The Reverend Jeffrey
women and children using the services offered by
Metcalfe asked me, ‘If the church could do one
the shelter on the islands.
thing to help improve the situation of women, what
A study recently conducted with the women in
would
it be?’ It is the frustration in my heart, as in
the community of Grosse-Ile, the community where
many
others,
that bears the answer to this question.
I live, was brought to my attention. The results were
While
searching
for a passage from the Bible, I
not surprising. Consistently, one of the statements
discovered
a
majority
of quotes illustrating the subpulled from this particular study clearly demonmission of women, references to the inferior status
strates an undeniable truth: women feel that there
of women, as well as quotes depicting the imporis more work required in order to achieve equality
tance of a woman’s role in household affairs—just to
between the sexes. Self-esteem tends to also pose
name a few. Gender equality is just one of the many
a certain challenge for these women. Their stories
challenges
Christianity faces in modern times. This
bear witness to an undeniable truth: women feel
burdening
representation of women is out-dated
depreciated, not only about themselves, but even
and
maybe
it is time for the church to remove the
more so when they are compared to the men in
shackles
of
traditional
scripture and belief. A structheir community.
tural belief that favours the oppression of women
Think of the word ‘violence’ and what imagdoes not correspond to the growing needs of our
es automatically come to mind? For myself, it is
world today or the fundamental teachings of Jesus
surely some type of physical act. Physical pain and
Christ and the Bible itself; such as that we are all
suffering is the most obvious form. Given an image
of blood trickling down a woman’s face or the image equal in the eyes of God.
Without uprooting its entire foundation, religion
of a woman who is simply depressed, evidently the
must
at least acknowledge women as equals in soformer will incite more disturbing feelings inside
ciety,
in
church life, and in the home. Can churches
us. As scary as physical violence seems, it is only
unanimously promote healthy, equal relationships
the tip of the iceberg. There are actually five widely
and respect towards women regardless? Providing
accepted categories of violence, namely physical,
more opportunities for individuals to speak out
verbal, psychological, sexual, and economic. Each
about violence against women and gender inequalrespective form is as serious and as dangerous as
ity will also help create awareness and a vital social
the others. Could there be some kind of misunderchange.
It remains necessary that we continue to
standing with regards to what is really considered
challenge
certain views and stray from what hinders
an act of violence, ultimately contributing to this
humankind
for the sake of future generations of
unintentional desensitization?
men and women, a future where men and women
Violence may not only be hard to detect due to
live together free from violence.
the aforementioned lack of awareness and understanding or misconception, but also because it is
Michelle Chevarie works for the Women’s Shelter of the
an issue embedded in an intricate taboo system. As
Magdalen Islands. Her work consists mainly of creating
simple as it may seem, because we know that vioawareness for the shelter through speaking about violence against women is unacceptable, one way our
lence against women and children.
culture has responded is to hide it, and pretend that
15
Odds & Ends
(continued from page 5)
understanding of what the Church is and what
we are called to do as Christians in contemporary
society we see the signs of the imminent death of
those church communities. In some cases there is
little that can be done. However, it is truly sad when
the possibility exists to embrace new life and people
refuse the call because of fear or a dogged attachment to a church building or an image of church
that died many years ago.
The wonderful thing is that in many places in
the Diocese of Quebec there are signs of new life.
More young people are engaged in the church communities. There is a newfound sense that things are
possible. My friends, this is more than just feeling
that spring has arrived again. It is a sign that the
Spirit is guiding us and helping us to recover our
sense of hope.
May God Bless you all.
+Dennis
Diocese of Quebec Gazette • June 2015
(suite de la page 5)
16
avons eu du succès avec cette approche à plusieurs endroits mais avons échoué dans d’autres.
Les jours où le pasteur local vivait tout près de sa
communauté sont aujourd’hui choses du passé.
Dans l’église contemporaine, le pasteur doit être
un rassembleur de communauté, un dépisteur de
pasteurs locaux et un enseignant itinérant de la Foi.
La vie paroissiale n’est plus ce qui se passe dans
l’église; c’est ce qui se passe lorsque nous cherchons
à impliquer tous les membres d’une communauté
plus large dans chaque aspect de la vie de tous les
jours.
Lorsque les gens ne sont pas prêts à changer leur
perception de ce que l’Église représente et de ce que
nous sommes appelés à faire en tant que chrétiens
dans la société moderne, nous pouvons discerner
les premiers signes de l’agonie de ces communautés.
Dans certains cas, il n’y a pour ainsi dire plus rien à
faire. Alors qu’il serait possible pour une collectivité
de s’embarquer dans une nouvelle vie, il est très
désolant de voir certains de ses membres refuser de
relever le défi à cause de la peur ou d’un attachement obstiné à un édifice religieux ou à l’image
qu’ils conservent de l’église, cette image ne correspondant plus à la réalité depuis longtemps déjà.
Mais la bonne nouvelle est qu’il y a des signes
de renouveau dans plusieurs endroits au sein du
diocèse de Québec. De plus en plus de jeunes s’im-
pliquent au sein de leur communauté religieuse.
Un nouveau sentiment se développe : nous pouvons réaliser tellement de choses! Mes amis, cela
va plus loin que la seule arrivée du printemps.
C’est un signe que l’Esprit-Saint est là pour nous
guider et nous aider à retrouver la confiance.
Que Dieu vous bénisse tous.
+Dennis
(continued from page 6)
ton Mountain.
And so in spring of 2014, parishioners at the
Resurrection gathered together to discuss how they
could better serve their community. One year later,
they have reported progress. The church began
a seniors’ drop-in program, a support group for
local women—spurred by the high percentage of
seniors living in poverty and single mothers in the
area—and together with local church partners St.
Stephen’s on the Mount, Holy Trinity and St. Michael’s raised $60,000 for the 2015 Coldest Night
of the Year benefit for the Neighbour to Neighbour
food bank.
Nor is the Resurrection resting on its laurels:
the coming months will see it hosting workshops
for those suffering from anxiety and depression,
and it will also seek to partner with the Hamilton
AIDS Network. Niagara Anglican
Canadian Anglicans attend UN Commission
on the Status of Women
Eight Canadian Anglicans—six women and two
men—made the trip to New York City in March to
attend the 59th session of the UN Commission on
the Status of Women (UNCSW).
The UNCSW affirmed the Beijing Platform for
Action, which was tabled in 1995 and urged governments worldwide to promote gender equality;
it called for complete gender equality across the
globe by 2030.
The Rev. Canon Alice Medcof, one of the
Canadian Anglican attendees, said, “The request
was that governments…work towards a society
where women gain equally with men the good that
society has…” She added that it was “thrilling…to
have women from parts of the Communion where
Anglicanism is perhaps two per cent or eight per
cent of the population. The Sower