#Anglican Church of Canada

[trans-bread-of-life]

Happy Easter and happy Trans Day of Visibility!

On this day we celebrate the beauty, resiliency, and strength of the trans community, and we celebrate the fact that the grave could not contain the Son of God.

This year more than ever, the trans community is in need of hope. With visibility comes retaliation; and we are fighting against a wave of anti-trans governmental policies across the world.

The photo was taken last night at the Great Vigil of Easter. At the Great Vigil, we light a fire to symbolize the hope of the Resurrection, and each of us sits in the dark with candles, listening to stories of hope as we wait for the moment when we can proclaim Christ’s resurrection.

I chose to use this photo to talk about the Trans Day of Visibility because we in the trans community are sitting in the dark with glimmers of hope in our hands, waiting, hoping, praying (and working) for a day when our basic human rights are no longer under attack. We are waiting for a day when all members of our community can use public bathrooms, receive medical care, have equal access to housing and employment, and so much more.

But I think the joyful dawning of Easter morning has something to say to us, too. Jesus, God’s only Son, chose to take on human flesh and live in solidarity with humanity. Just as we face political violence, so did Jesus. He was publicly executed as a political dissident, a threat to the power of empire. But even death itself could not conquer him. He rose from the grave, his body bearing the scars of the hell that could not hold him, redeeming the human condition from the hatred and cruelty, even from death itself.

In light of Jesus’ resurrection, we can rejoice that the violence against the trans community will not have the final word. Jesus rose again and is seated above all powers and governments of this world. We can (and must) stand up against state violence because God‘s love is stronger than violence, hatred, strife, and even death itself.

#trans christian #queer christian #faithfullylgbt #episcopal #trans #trans man #transmasc #anglican church of canada #progressive christianity #transgender #tdov #tdov 2024 #easter #queer easter #trans jesus

[nerdygaymormon]

Liturgy for Gender Affirmation & Transition

The 43rd General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada officially authorized the “Pastoral Liturgies for Journeys of Gender Affirmation and Transition.” This is the first known authorized liturgies of their kind in the Anglican Communion.

#Anglican Church of Canada

[theologybird]

God's Shaggy Dog Story, August 2022

God’s Shaggy Dog Story, August 2022

Between some vacation, a guest preacher, and some other schedule oddities, writing and preaching meant finding some old habits. So we have a classic sci-fi reference and a story from Genesis. Which makes perfect sense when the text is the Epistle to the Hebrews. I am preaching from Hebrews 13. 1-8 15-16, but reference Genesis 18.1-15 heavily. (Both available here.)

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#Anglican #Anglican Church of Canada #Episcopal #Genesis 18.1-15 #God #Hebrews 13 1-8 15-16 #hospitality #sermon #stranger

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Bolshevism and Atheism Must Be Combatted in Western Canada,” Kingston Whig-Standard. November 11, 1932. Page 2. ---- Rev. R. G. Katsunoff of the Church of All Nations, Montreal, said that the rapid spread of Bolshevism and Atheism among the non-Anglo-Saxon peoples of Western Canada was alarming and added that the only solution of the menace was the Gospel of Jesus Christ and fellowship. Mr. Katsunoff lectured on “The New Canadian” in Sydenham Street United Church last evening. 

The speaker said that teachers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are brought to Winnipeg to take a short course for the teaching of Bolshevism and Atheism among the children. "What will Canada be within thirty years if this continues?" asked the speaker. Rev. Katsunoff said that the foreigners in the West are becoming conscious of the power of their franchise and he expressed the fear that if atheism and Bolshevism were allowed to predominate in the West, it would terminate in a sorry state of affairs. Different methods of combating the menace had been suggested such as force, while others contend that the situation would right itself, but the speaker emphasised that unless the non-Anglo-Saxons were assimilated and racial prejudice overcome there would never be a solution. 

Rev Mr. Katsunoff said that there were over 2,000,00 people in Canada of non-Anglo-Saxon birth, while in the western provinces alone one half of the total population was made up of people of foreign birth. He also stated that in Canada there were seventy different national groups and 100 different dialects. The speaker emphasised the fact that the young foreign people were not going to the churches and no great effort was being made to bring them in closer contact with the spiritual things of life.

Racial prejudices among the Europeans seem to be intensified in the country, said the speaker, and he cited several instance where fights had taken place between different nationalities. Mr. Katsunoff said that these people must be brought into unity, to work for the good of their adopted country, and added that the gospel and fellowship were the only ways In which this would be accomplished. The Europeans had a racial superiority complex and it is the duty of the Church and Canadians to annihilate this feeling, he said. 

The speaker spoke of the splendid work that was bring carried on by the missionaries among the non-Anglo-Saxons and said that in many places throughout Canada, congregations had been formed. 

In closing, Mr. Katsunoff said that the Europeans who immigrate to Canada have the same ideals and yearnings as the Canadian people and advocated that the service clubs, churches and people as a whole take a greater Interest in these new Canadians. 

[AL: European immigrants have a race superiority problem, quails the Eastern European Anglican priest worried about the loss of Anglo-Saxon dominance and assimilating of immigrants to ‘Christian’ values. Also, love how old the conspiracy that public lay schools teach Atheism and Bolshevism! Honestly, a western Canada without Christian supremacy sounds better than the alternative...]

#immigration to canada #assimilationism #racism in canada #christianity in canada #winnipeg #montreal #conspiracy thinking #atheism #bolshevism #christian supremacy #undesirable citizens #great depression in canada #kingston ontario #anglican church of canada #anglican church

[eopederson]

Église anglicaine, Georgeville, Québec, 2023.

#architecture #vernacular #church #anglican #georgeville #québec #canada #2023 #photographers on tumblr

[kimabutch]

a double congrats on seminary!! feel free to ignore this if it's too personal/complicated/you don't want to answer for any reason, but i wasn't aware that the anglican church was chill about queer people? most of my knowledge comes from having a special interest in cs lews though lol. is it one of those denominations that varies from church to church?

Double thanks!!

And the Anglican Communion is... complicated. Unlike the Roman Catholics, each national Anglican Church is independent and autonomous, and while they have occasional get-togethers (Lambeth Conferences) and make resolutions, those resolutions aren't legally binding. What this means is that Anglicanism can look pretty different depending on where you are and Anglicans worldwide have some pretty deep disagreements.

Queer people are one of those points of deep disagreements, and in fact at our last few Lambeth Conferences, there have been intense debate about it — at the conference last year, some conservative bishops refused to take communion with pro-queer bishops, and many pro-queer bishops (including my own!) wrote a letter affirming queerness.

The Anglican Church of Canada specifically is generally better about queer people; as you said, it varies, but more at a diocese (regional) level than a church-to-church level, because of the power afforded to dioceses to make their own decisions about things. My own diocese has allowed priests to preside over gay marriage for over 10 years, and has been blessing gay unions for 20. In various dioceses in Ontario, we've had openly gay priests and at least one gay bishop, and Manitoba's got an openly trans priest (so at least I wouldn't be the first in Canada!) I marched with my church and diocese in my local pride parade this summer; my church has a gay flag on it and has been pro-queer since before Canada allowed gay marriage. I have so many wonderful little stories about my church being affirming, actually, but I'll save those for another time — I'll just say that it's one of the places that I feel safest as a nonbinary person.

Other regions, particularly in the prairies, aren't so chill. Some conservative churches have broken away from the Anglican Church because anyone likes gay people. There's been a lot of effort at a national level to pass an act that would allow gay marriage throughout all Anglican churches in Canada, but it's still not happened, for reasons ranging from homophobic churches to COVID-19. I think one day it will, but for now, it's super shitty and sometimes causes me a lot of grief and anger. It's the reason I considered leaving the Anglican Church entirely, despite loving so many of its traditions and ways of worship. I decided it was worth it in the end, especially as I'm so supported in my region, but yeah, it's hard.

Anyways, yes, it's complicated!

#wow I didn't intend for this to go on so long! #if you're interested in more of the details wikipedia actually has a fair number of articles on it #especially for the Anglican churches outside Canada which I know much less about #although I know there are a few other national churches that are pretty cool about it #christianity

[thebirdandhersong]

one of the things I shall have to think through now is how to switch to a new church, on account of things going down Real Bad at my current one, and a plethora of headache-causing reasons that I am too tired to go into, but suffice it to say........ I can't stay at this one long-term and I need to figure out how to a) say goodbye and b) find a new community

#this sounds very dramatic. it's really not though #it's just a matter of needing to not be somewhere that's constantly full of conflict drama and a lack of humble and self-giving love to the #community. there's no direction here and i didn't want to believe that but it's become more and more obvious #anyway i need to figure this one out and soon! alas #the main problem is that the anglican network in canada doesn't actually have that many churches because of the split #but that's logistics i need to figure out on my own time ......

[vox-anglosphere]

Commonwealth cathedrals celebrating Christmas in the same style..

Though thousands of miles apart, the observance remains the same.

#Christ Church Cathedral #Victoria BC #Salisbury Cathedral #Wiltshire #Christmas tree #choir processional #Anglican #UK #candlelight #Christendom #Canada #British Commonwealth

[rabbitcruiser]

Houston, BC (No. 6)

Houston is known as the world’s Steelhead capital of the world, and is proud to be the home to Canada’s largest fl y rod which is located in our award-winning Steelhead Park located on Highway 16. It is also home to the Houston’s Visitor Centre. The park is a perfect setting for a leisurely stroll or picnic and includes the lovely Steelhead fountain and our majestic, giant “Phantom Grizzly bear” weighing 975 pounds (visible 24/7 at the visitor centre), and our local museum’s “Walk through History”.

Source

#old #Historic Houston Schoolhouse #historic heritage village #Historic Houston Firetruck #Historic Anglican Church of St. Clement #tractor #Steelhead Park #Yellowhead Highway #travel #original photography #vacation #tourist attraction #landmark #landscape #flora #summer 2023 #Canada #British Columbia #forest #tree #meadow #Bulkley Valley #roadside attraction #architecture #cityscape #“Walk Through #History #snowmobile #snow plow #old Mission House

[muttball]

St. Thomas Anglican Church

St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

#churches #pioneer churches #religion #anglican churches #visit St. Thomas Ontario #canadian church #graveyards #travel photography #travel canada #muttball

[trans-bread-of-life]

Tonight I drove by my ex’s old apartment and saw the spot where we first kissed. And it felt a lot like the trips I’ve taken down the memory lane away from Evangelicalism. Breaking up with a version of the body of Christ that loves power more than she’ll ever love me and being broken up with by the girl I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with feel surprisingly similar in my (literal and metaphorical) rear view mirror.

I don’t know whether this means that religion is romantic or whether this means that romance is religious. Maybe it’s both?

Evangelicalism was the kind of lover that catches you up in her whirlwind. In the dance of dating her, she pushes you away and then just as you start to wonder whether she really loves you, she pulls you back in with sweet words. And somehow it leaves you questioning—not whether she wants you, but whether you love her enough.

My relationship with my ex was the kind of religious experience that starts out in ecstasy. Prayers whispered late at night, hands laced together, a purpose to rely on. But the more I confirmed to Christ instead of conforming to her idealized likeliness, the more she grew cold and eventually she shunned me.

The two are the same in that I cannot belong to either because of the man that I am. Evangelicalism still doesn’t believe that I am who I say I am, and it would take me back if I shoved myself back into its neat little box. My ex finally saw who I am, and the moment she did, she left.

I don’t think it’s just the sense of betrayal and the fact that I lost both because I am a man that links the two experiences. They’re two of my only true experiences of belonging. In both I found and lost a family. Both showed me I had value, and somehow by the Grace of God and the skin of my teeth, I’ve been able to carry most of that value forward without them. I pledged my virginity to both (though one actually kept it). Both were places where I experienced profound safety that I don’t know how to find on my own. In the arms of each, I’d managed to quell all my doubts. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to lay down my doubts for anything or anyone the same way again.

I want to open my heart wider again to faith, but I think I need her liturgies to hold me like a mother. I’m not ready to find another love of my life—be she a bride of Christ or a woman. I’m not ready to shout my affection from the rooftops. I’m only ready to fall asleep in someone’s arms.

#this might be totally cringe and if so I’m sorry #queer christian #episcopal #anglican church of canada #exvangelical #faithfullylgbt #trans #progressive christianity #trans man #transmasc #self reflecting

[actualmermaid]

Today is All Saints Day, and I'm observing it in a somewhat unconventional manner: cyberbullying the Anglican Church in North America

The ACNA, if you're not familiar, is a group that splintered off from the Episcopal Church in 2009. The reason for the schism was that they believed TEC had "gone astray" by ordaining women priests and affirming LGBTQ people, so a bunch of conservative Episcopalians and clergy split off into their own group: the ACNA. They claim to be "continuing" Anglicans, representing the "real" Anglican tradition in the US and Canada.

The reason I'm cyberbullying them on All Saints Day is because they are conspicuously missing a lovely, pious, respectable, and orthodox Anglican saint: Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167 CE)

St. Aelred was a monk, abbot, historian, and spiritual writer from Northumbria. During his lifetime, the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and lay brothers, because Aelred was known for his friendly and gentle demeanor, wise leadership, and healthy community. He had the ear of kings and bishops all over northern Europe. He preached charity, humility, chastity, and all kinds of other Christian virtues. In short, he was the very model of a respectable medieval churchman.

He was also Very Much In Love With Men, and he wrote a treatise called "Spiritual Friendship," which might be nicknamed "How To Be In Love With Men In A God-Honoring Way." I've read it. It's wonderful and timeless and also very, very gay. He was in love with men. In a gay way.

Fast forward to the year 1980. Up until this point, St. Aelred had been a somewhat obscure local English saint. And then a groundbreaking new book was published which challenged all conventional narratives surrounding the Church and queer people in the Middle Ages: Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality by John Boswell. Boswell wrote at some length about Aelred and his love for men, drawing on his other work besides "Spiritual Friendship" and situating him into what was actually something of a "golden age" of gay culture in western Europe. Yes, really.

Fast forward again to the year 1985. At the Episcopal Church's general convention that year, members of Integrity USA (the original LGBTQ advocacy org in TEC) campaigned to have St. Aelred added to the calendar of saints. The House of Bishops agreed, and they added him to the church calendar with full knowledge that Aelred was gay.

Aelred was also physically disabled, and he wrote about his Spiritual Friend becoming "my hand, my eye, the staff of my old age": in other words, his Spiritual Friend was his caretaker as his health declined near the end of his life (which was still quite short even for a medieval person). He also describes the pain of his Spiritual Friend's early death in a way that remains tender 800 years later. I will leave you to imagine why that might be spiritually relevant to a bunch of nice church gays in 1985.

Fast forward again to 2009. The conservative wing of the Church has had enough of TEC's bleeding-heart liberal reforms, so they secede from the union leave and establish their own church without any icky queers or women priests. St. Aelred had been an official Episcopal saint for 25 years at that point, and the newly-formed ACNA had to consciously, deliberately choose to remove him from their calendar of saints.

Fast forward again to earlier this summer. I start doing research into queer Christian history and queer saints. I realize that Aelred is conspicuously missing from the ACNA's calendar, so I look into the background and decide to get obnoxious about it on Instagram. Because this is VERY embarrassing for a church that claims to be the "real" Anglican Church in North America.

A selection of memes for your enjoyment:

#christianity #lgbtq #history #anglican #episcopalian

[theologybird]

Counting the Cost, Sept 2022

Counting the Cost, Sept 2022

I love the image of a person figuring out how high their tower can be or the king sorting out the costs of war. They are so real, as I discuss. And they aren’t the point. Jesus is talking about Discipleship. I worked most closely with Luke 14.25-33 (link).

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#Anglican Church of Canada #Discipleship #Episcopal #Jesus #sermon

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Right Rev. Derwyn Owen Is Installed As Bishop of Toronto,” Toronto Globe. December 10, 1932. Page 13. ---- An impressive ceremony yesterday morning in St. Alban’s Cathedral saw the Right Rev. Derwyn T. Owen inducted into the office of Bishop of Toronto, succeeding the Most Rev. James Fiedling Sweeny, who resigned the post several months ago. Pictures above show: At the left, the new Bishop (left) with his predecessor in office, Archbishop Sweeny, photographed on the steps of the See House after the installation ceremony. At the right is the new Bishop and some of the prominent churchmen participating in the installation ceremony. Those in the group, from left to right, are: Canon W. L. Baynes-Reed, Rural Dean of Toronto; Right Rev. J. C. Roper, Bishop of Ottawa, who, as the senior Bishop of the Province, conducted the ceremony of installing the new Bishop; Rev. T. Stannage Boyle of Cobourg; the Right Rev. Derwyn T. Owen, newly installed Bishop of Toronto, and Rev. Canon F. J. Sawers, rector of St. Matthew’s Church, Toronto, and Clerical Secretary of the Synod of Toronto.

#toronto #bishop of toronto #synod #anglican church of canada #anglican church #christianity in canada #christian hierarchy #clerical officials #great depression in canada

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Archbishop of Canterbury says he will ensure any residential school-related records held by the Anglican Church in England are released, following calls from survivors.

The church is facing demands from survivors who attended the former Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ont., to disclose any records held overseas in hopes they may shed light on the true number of children who died at the residential school and where they are buried.

"Anything in the possession of the archives of the Church of England will be made available," Justin Welby said at a media scrum on Saturday during a visit to James Smith Cree Nation, about 200 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

#Anglican Church #Residential Schools #First Nations #cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #canadian #Indigenous #Metis #Inuit #racism

[aziraphales-library]

Okay, I've knocked myself out looking for this one. It's a human AU in which Aziraphale and Crowley knew each other in school, and Aziraphale jumped to his aid when he fell from a height in the playground. Time's moved them apart, and Aziraphale is now in church work in a rough part of town -- I remembered priest (Anglican flavor), but he might be involved with a religious charity. Crowley is now involved with a criminal gang, but in the course of the fic it develops that he's undercover trying to bring them down, and he gets injured. Aziraphale helps him again and shelters him. They come to terms with their attraction, but Crowley has to finish his job. It ends with their being in Canada in a protected witness program.

I've searched on Priest Aziraphale or Undercover Crowley and sieved sources like holycatsandrabbits' Human AU masterlist and I'm no closer to finding it. Any clues? Many, many thanks for your great work -- I've saved links to so many of your Found Fics lists!

I knew which fic you were talking about immediately! Took a bit of rooting, but it's...

Acts of Service by seekwill (E)

"You seem very familiar to me. I can’t say why that is." As Aziraphale spoke, Crowley turned away from the fire, and Aziraphale was momentarily concerned that the spell had been broken, that he had crossed some invisible line. But Crowley smiled and brought his beer to his lips. "Maybe we met in a past life. Does your lot believe in that?" "Past lives?" "Yeah." Aziraphale smiled into his wine. He was sure Crowley was poking fun, ever so slightly, but he liked it. "Not strictly speaking. No." Crowley shrugged, taking another long sip of his beer. “A mystery then." After receiving direct instruction from God, village reverend Aziraphale leaves his countryside congregation to serve the underserved and in-need at an urban church in London, a transition made all the more complicated by the mysterious and handsome Crowley, who always seems to appear when Aziraphale least expects him.

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #human au #adult omens #priest aziraphale #criminal crowley #mod d #priests au