News

Thank You and Thank God — A Farewell Letter

Dear Disciples, Friends, Everyday I pray with thanksgiving for the episcopal ministry we have shared. Filled with the capacity and yearning to offer and share thanksgiving as a way of life, we have journeyed in a joyous and meaningful relationship in God, and in communion with one another and the

May Issue: The Whole Armour of God

This issue begins with a farewell from Bishop Geoff. He reflects on the journey that he has shared with all of us during his time as Bishop in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, and how we can look to the future of the Church with hope. Before we welcome our

A Bishop’s Point of View

Hello Rupert’s Land Anglicans! Allow me to introduce myself. I am The Right Reverend Rachael Parker (aka “just call me Bishop Rachael”) and I am the 8th Bishop of Brandon. As I write this article, I am 3 days away from the first anniversary of my consecration as bishop, so

Introducing the Anglican Poetics Project

The celebrated American poet Christian Wiman recently published a collection of poetry, memoir, and literary criticism entitled Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair. I started reading it on New Year’s Day this year, hoping against hope that something in there would keep the despair at bay, at least

The Holy Potluck

The God of love, whom we are experiencing now in this time of Easter, shares His love by providing food for the hungry and offering up the bread of life for us who desire it. One way that I have been shown this love is by being fed. Food plays

To Have God is to Have Love

Easter is the fulcrum of the Christian calendar. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for our sins. He defeated death and was resurrected on the third day that we, unworthy as we are, might have abundant life and be reconciled to the Father through Him. This

April Issue: Rise Up, My Love

  To begin this issue, the Right Reverend Rachael Parker, Bishop of Brandon, writes on her experience stepping into the role of bishop. With just over one year of experience under her belt, she shares what she has learned about her ministry and how her experience and knowledge can help

Even Jesus Mourns

On the whole, we can spend a lot of time pondering the divinity of Christ. Our weekly lectionary is full of scriptures that display the miracles which Jesus performs as a way to reveal to everyone who He is. In Bible studies, there is plenty of discussion about the Trinity

Weeping for the World

In October 2019, just before Thanksgiving, the city of Winnipeg had a freak snowstorm with freezing rain, gusts of wind up to 80km/hr, and up to 35 cm of snowfall. It was one of those disasters that felt both unusual and ominous — a sign of the times. The storm

Now I was Cupbearer to the King

The title of this article is Nehemiah’s job description. Nehemiah was a prisoner of war who lived in Susa. Susa was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most

March Issue: Jesus Wept

To begin this issue, Rev. Di Panting and the Diocesan Search Committee have provided a brief description of what the role of a bishop is. These are important things to keep in mind as we seek a new leader for this Diocese. Please reflect on these things and keep the

Light

Light, We have passed the midnight of the year, but our Northern world is still in its deep dark cold; the dawn is still far off. In this time, the church, in her wisdom, turns our attention to light. Three of the four major feast days in the season of

All in Nothing

“If we are to know God it must be without means…if we do see God in this light, it must be quite private and indrawn, without the intrusion of anything created. Then we have immediate knowledge of eternal life”.1 This is one of many striking statements written by Meister Eckhart,

The Presence of God

On a warm June afternoon in the summer of 2024, I sat beneath the cross on St. Cuthbert’s Island with Psalm 27 open on my lap. I had come to meditate upon the fourth verse. “One thing I asked of the Lord, this I seek, to live in the house

February Issue: Lux et Origo

Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer begins this issue with an exploration of light — light as the source of creation, light as the Good, light as the glorious love of the Holy Trinity. She writes, “the creation story teaches us that the promise in the midst of the dark is not only

The Anglican Fellowship of Prayer Rejuvenated

On December 19, 2023, Heather Birtles lived out an adventure she always knew would happen, and she faced it with courage — perhaps even some excitement. Heather had been preparing for her death for a very long time — doing so was part of living out her faith. I have

The Challenge: Effectively Describing Jesus Today

Most of us who participate regularly in worship are fairly good at conversing about Jesus Christ. We paraphrase pieces of a Creed, a Catechism, or share a meaningful prayer from one of our prayer books. However, increasingly, the people we rub shoulders with in contemporary living – at work, school,

Neighbours Helping Neighbours

Holy Trinity Church in Winnipeg has had a long tradition of serving the community outside the church. Downtown Winnipeg is a place where people work during the day and entertain themselves at night. But it is also a place where people experience poverty and the issues linked to it: homelessness,

CURRENT ISSUE

The Whole Armour of God

This issue begins with a farewell from Bishop Geoff. He reflects on the journey that he has shared with all of us during his time as Bishop in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, and how we can look to the future of the Church with hope. Before we welcome our new bishop, I invite you to sit for a prayerful moment with Bishop Geoff’s farewell message and continue to pray for the future of the Church.

Next, Bishop Rachael Parker writes on what the armour of God means for us all, and what it means for our future bishop. She writes that this kind of armour is not something we should take on or off as it suits our mood, but that it should be one which is integrated into our skin. Just as we can never be dry from the waters of our baptism, so, too, can the armour of God never leave us.

Following this, Marcel DeGagné tells us about his search for what the soul is within each person, and how this sparked his journey to become a spiritual care provider. He believes that regardless of faith or creed, each of us has a ‘Burning Ember’ within us — a unique presence which is integral to each of our lives.

After this is the Convening Circular for the 120th Session of Synod, which most notably includes information about those who are currently nominated to be our next bishop. You will find the candidates’ answers to some questions, CVs, and short video interviews, among other pieces of valuable information.

Then, Bishop Don Phillips connects the famous passage from Ephesians about the armour of God with its Old Testament roots. He also explores what it means to live this out in our daily lives, and how our future bishop should do the same.

Lastly, Durell Desmond’s poem “The Angel and the Demon” encompasses themes relating to temptation, resilience, and salvation. Overall, the Demon could be taken as a metaphor for anyone who has made mistakes and is looking for redemption, while the Angel could be taken as a metaphor for Jesus.

Peace be with you; I hope you enjoy.

Skip to content