Walking on Sacred Ground

An old bush-trail cuts through the back of my neighbour’s property, weaves its way around various hollows and high places, and opens at an old, grassy roadway, on the other side of Coney Island, on Lake of the Woods. The roadway connects a small seasonal community, a large beach, and

May Magazine 2020

In May’s issue of RLN, we’re taking a Walk. Alex Jackson takes us down forest paths; Hannah Foulger explores the nature of protest when one isn’t able-bodied enough to participate in the march; and Chris Trott reflects on the amount of time Jesus spent just walking. Download the pdf or

A Theo-Politics of Coercion – The Heresies of Jean Vanier

Jean Vanier was a hero to many, myself included. When I was in my undergraduate and master’s degrees, I was a live-in caregiver for persons with mental challenges. I later volunteered at at L’Arche community. I came to see Vanier’s theology of disability as not only a pastoral theology, but

End of Life – Reflections from a Spiritual Health Practitioner

A nurse asked me a question during my first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at the Ottawa Civic Hospital 19 years ago. The question involved her expectations that chaplains provide primarily religious support to patients. This expectation often surrounds this job. I knew it then, and the intervening years have

Reflecting on Endings

Our minds like patterns and predictability, so we seek to establish routines and rituals to bring order and meaning to our lives. We use words to frame our understanding, but our vocabulary, like our understanding, is limited. We pretend our days start at a given time, or that our activities

It’s Hopeless

“I’ve tried. You know I’ve tried. For the past few years I’ve tried everything I could think of and now I’m ashamed to admit that I think the situation is hopeless. There isn’t anything left for me to do except admit it’s hopeless.” My spiritual director leaned in, smiled, and

April Magazine 2020

In April’s issue of RLN, we’re exploring “Endings.” No, this issue isn’t as bleak as the title would suggest. Alex Jackson offers a reflection on how endings can be moments of transformation. Rachel Twigg Boyce writes about how to recognize when something does truly need to end. And, Helen Holbrook relates her

Spiritual Gap Year Gives Women Space to Reflect

One is a music therapist, recently graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University. The second is a spiritual director from Hong Kong. And the third, from Lethbridge, Alberta, is discerning a call to the religious life. Three women from different backgrounds, but with one thing in common: they are all spending a

A Reflection on Modern Psalms

I was a teenager when I first heard it, a song released several years earlier. As Depeche Mode’s “Somebody” spun off of the cassette tape to my ears that first time, all I could do was sit there, still, with a lump in my throat. Rewind. Repeat. Rewind. Repeat. It

Bishop’s Directive – March 18, 2020

What to Do and Be Now They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. –Mark 14.32-33 Since Friday, March 12, the Diocese of Rupert’s

CURRENT ISSUE

Length of Days

To begin this issue, I got a chance to sit down and chat with our new Bishop-Elect, Rev. Naboth Manzongo. In this interview, he shares his interests and hobbies, information about his prayer life and ministry, and some of the lessons he has learned throughout his life.

Then, on behalf of Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF), Kaitlyn Duthie-Kannikkatt writes on the Grow Hope campaign. She tells us about what it is, how it works, how Manitobans are helping those all the way in Marsabit County, Kenya, and what each of us can do to support the project.

Following this, Rev. Theo Robinson says goodbye to the Diocese of Rupert’s Land as he moves to B.C. at the end of the summer. Looking back, he reflects on his faith journey and offers some advice for those who may be wondering what the point of going to church is.

Lastly, Rev. Andrew Rampton looks at how the patterns of daily prayer reflect the rhythms of our entire lives, not just our individual days. He does this by looking at how morning prayer reflects new life, midday prayer reflects the energy of midlife, evening prayer reflects the wisdom of age, and night prayer reflects the preparations for our death.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Corinthians 13:13).