The Anglican Parish of Central Saanich
1973 Cultra Avenue and 7921 St. Stephen Road V8M 1L7 Saanichton, BC, Canada

https://youtu.be/rANftD85QUQ

I suspect twinkling eyes and a wry smile (or an impish grin) may have been seen in Heaven this morning! As many of you may know, my Father was a faith leader in... the Anglican Church of Canada. From 1950 to 1960 he served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Qu’Appelle in Saskatchewan. During that decade Dad acted as both a Shepherd, ...and a Fisher. But also true to his calling, he was quite willing to challenge convention: in the 50’s he crossed some by saying he could find no Canonical reason that women could not be ordained to the Priesthood. He went even further, to the great annoyance of the more conservative, by adding that if women could be ordained, then there was no reason that they could not also become Bishops! So, this morning’s Consecration & Installation of Anna Greenwood-Lee as the 14th Bishop of British Columbia would have been most welcomed in my Father’s eyes. Even more so, the fact that the service saw women in the roles of Primate (leader of the Anglican Church of Canada), Metropolitan (leader Anglican Province of BC and Yukon), and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral.....something perhaps unthinkable two generations ago! Dad died more than 50 years past and so never saw many of the changes he knew had to occur. He was very aware, however, that change takes time and frustratingly, ...patience. Evolution can seem to be glacial, but if we keep the Faith, we do get it right! Keep smiling Dad!

As we look forward to today's Consecration and Installation of the Rev'd Anna Greenwood-Lee as 14th Bishop of our Diocese, we're having a look at some of the im...portant symbols that you'll see during the service. To illustrate some of them, here's a picture from Bishop Logan's consecration in 2014 where a "sea" of bishops (is that really the collective noun??) have donned their rochets and chimeres! Rochet and Chimere The rochet is the white billowy big-sleeved vestment bishops wear, and the chimere is the red long vest-like garment that goes over it. Typically these are worn in the liturgy when the bishop is not presiding at a service with the eucharist. They are akin to the choir habit that priests and deacons wear at non-sacramental services (cassock, surplice, black preaching scarf). Just as a priest’s black preaching scarf is a vestige of an academic gown, thereby indicating that he or she is learned enough to preach, so the chimere is the vestige of a doctoral gown. Doctoral gowns are typically red, and signify superior learning. Anna's rochet and chimere are gifts from the Diocese of British Columbia.

From the archives... Here's a look back at some of the musical forces at Bishop Logan's consecration and installation in 2014. See any familiar faces? Join us t...omorrow online at www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/live to watch the installation of our next bishop, the Rev'd Anna Greenwood-Lee. See more

As the writer of these prayers takes time off this week, we will repost a few from the past months: (6 August 2020) God of our protective impulses,... God of the common good: help us as we make decisions in the dark that will affect not just ourselves but those we love and those we should love. Give us the courage to trust not just our primal instincts, but the good news that what is best for the whole, for the neighbour and the stranger, is what protects the best in ourselves. Amen. www.corrymeela.org

To build up spiritual resilience, we offer this series of prayers. 17 November 2020 God of the stories that include us,... God of the inclusions that restore us: we need each other to thrive. Without the other we are incomplete. In our fiercer independence we grow narrow and less true. It is our inter-dependence that reveals what’s best within us all. If we should be cut off from our fullness, stunted by a sin of self-assurance, show us that the lack in ourselves is the space for something greater: that our work with others is the discovery of the holy in ourselves. Amen. www.corrymeela.org

https://youtu.be/SMoTQAJ0fkc The abbreviated service for today!

Advent Evening. Jesus Christ is the light of the World. The Lord is my light and my salvation. ... Lord, may I walk in your light, walk in your love. Lord, by your power, may I alway live in harmony with my own being, with my loved ones, with my neighbours, with the world and with you. Amen. Affriming his presence A prayer for every day of the year David Adam ~

The world needs community like never before. In that spirit, we offer this series of prayers. 16 November 2020 God of each breath,... God of this next breath: may the moment we’re in be a moment now filled with reassurance and grace; with kindness and patience for ourselves and for others. May it be marked by hope and compassion, by learning and unlearning. May it be a moment unencumbered by mistakes we’ve made or results we fear. May it be a moment of peace and renewal; a breath of new life. Amen. www.corrymeela.org

https://youtu.be/5no5v7Y7MJQ