New Anglican bishop elected for Saskatoon: David Irving
November 18, 200918 novembre 2009

The Venerable David Irving, bishop-elect of Saskatoon[Leigh Anne Williams • Anglican Journal]
David Irving, currently the executive archdeacon of the diocese of Kootenay, has been elected the new bishop of the diocese of Saskatoon. Bishop-elect Irving will replace Bishop Rodney Andrews , who is retiring on Feb. 28.

“I am absolutely delighted,” Bishop-elect Irving said.

Although Bishop-elect Irving has spent most of his career in British Columbia, his work in the church began on the prairies. After completing his theological studies in England at two Oxford colleges, he was ordained a deacon in Edmonton in 1986 and then spent three years serving as the incumbent for the St. Thomas parish in Wainwright, Alta. “We had a wonderful time when we were in Alberta,” he said. “Prairie folks are special folks and we are certainly looking forward to being back there.”

He has since served as the incumbent at St. Barnabas in the diocese of New Westminster, and then in the diocese of Kootenay at the Parish of Woodsdale and St. Saviour’s in Penticton.

In 2007, Bishop-elect Irving accepted a new position working on congregational development and stewardship with the diocese of Kootenay. He is also a consultant for the Anglican Church of Canada on gift planning and stewardship. His experience in these matters will be useful in his new post where he hopes to foster growth, an important issue across the country, he said. “That’s not just Saskatoon. A lot of our dioceses are in the same situation where they are working on congregational development and stewardship, working to have the resources available for mission and ministry in the area.”

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Vatican offers new provisions for Anglican "converts"
by Nicholas Jesson, October 23, 2009par Nicholas Jesson, 23 octobre 2009

UPDATE:
On November 9, the Vatican announced the publication of the apostolic constitution enacting the canonical provisions for new Anglican ordinariates. As well, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued "complementary norms" to accompany the apostolic constitution.

• The Vatican Information Service press release is found here
• The apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" is found here
• The complementary norms are found at here
• An official canonical commentary issued by the Vatican is available here

Earlier this week the Vatican announced new pastoral provisions for Anglicans seeking to join the Roman Catholic Church that will allow them to keep aspects of the historic Anglican liturgy and patrimony. The announcement came from Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The CDF is the Vatican office responsible for doctrine. Since 1980, the CDF has supervised a special pastoral provision for former Anglicans in the United States that permitted married Anglican clergy to be admitted to Roman Catholic ministry and in a few cases for entire parishes of former Anglicans to continue to use Anglican liturgical forms. The announcement this week was touted as a means of making the 1980 pastoral provision universal.

According to Cardinal Levada, the impetus for the recent decision is the request by a number of traditionalist Anglican communities, clergy, and as many as 20-30 bishops, for a pastoral provision allowing corporate reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. In a joint statement from Rowan Williams, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, and Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, the new pastoral provision "brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church."

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The Bruised Reed: A Christian Reflection on Suffering and Hope
October 23, 200923 octobre 2009

The Bruised Reed: A Christian Reflection on Suffering and HopeMore than five years in the making, the Canadian Council of Churches' Commission for Faith and Witness, has published a beautiful theological text on Suffering and Hope. The book stands apart from others in its highly experiential quality. It follows eight real Canadian stories to give rise to a highly experiential encounter with these challenging theological topics. This resource is an invaluable addition to any library.

This pastoral resource is the result of the Faith and Witness Commission's being called upon to give shape and form to a paradox: the paradox of finding hope in suffering and suffering in hope.

The Commission for Justice and Peace has also pulled together a must have resource. It is a First Nations reflection on racism, truth, and reconciliation. You may order both resources through Erin Green, Communications Officer, . A donation of $10 is suggested to cover printing and mailing costs.

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KAIROS Week of Action: Connecting Climate Justice and Global Poverty
October 9, 20099 octobre 2009

KAIROS Week of Action: Connecting Climate Justice and Global PovertyBeyond the traditional categorization of climate change as an environmental issue, it is clearly also a development issue; a poverty reduction, food security, economics, health, human rights, governance and equality issue. It is a Millennium Development Goal issue. (UN Millennium Campaign)

As the global community looks towards this December's climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, we see a sorry record of rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rich countries, and the relentless march of poverty and growing inequality in countries of the global South. It is people in these countries who are already suffering the worst consequences of climate change. The United Nations Millennium Campaign is an effort to hold governments accountable to the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] to cut global poverty in half by 2015. It sees the connections between climate change and global poverty quite clearly. Do we?

This year KAIROS is marking two important days for Global Action - October 17 Global Day of Action Against Poverty and October 24 International Day of Climate Action - by calling for a Global Week of Action that highlights the connection between poverty and climate change.

KAIROS has produced a 4 page resource for churches and faith communities which draws the connection between poverty and climate change. Click here to download the resource.

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Preparing for Ecumenical Ministries
September 23, 200923 septembre 2009

The Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall (photo: standrews.ca)Saskatoon Theological Union (St. Andrew's College) will be offering a "Preparing for Ecumenical Ministries" course from January 18-22, 2010, for credit or audit. It will run from 9-5 daily. The instructor will be Sandra Beardsall (Professor of Church History and Ecumenics).

The course description is as follows:

Increasing numbers of Christian communities are working ecumenically to facilitate mission and ministry, especially in areas of depopulation or other financial struggle. Many of these choose to link formally as “ecumenical shared ministry” congregations or clusters.

This course will explore the dynamics particular to developing and sustaining ecumenical ministry initiatives in congregational settings. It will introduce participants to the structures of such ministries, and consider issues that are unique to ecumenical congregational relationships. It will include the study of pertinent theological documents and denominational agreements, practical issues like the production of covenants and constitutions, and the pastoral challenges that affect all congregations, but with attention to the nuances for ecumenical ministries, attending to sources of support for clergy and other congregational leaders. Finally, the course will engage questions of our personal struggles and delights in confronting Christian identity and otherness.

Participants will identify and strengthen their gifts for ecumenical ministries, in the context of these many aspects of faith, theology, and leadership. It is open to those already serving in ecumenical ministries (may be taken for STM credit) as well as those who wish to explore the possibilities. An audit course costs $300; credit is $600.

For further information, or to register, contact the Registrar at or call 1-877-644-8970.

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