Saskatchewan anglican
The newspaper of the Dioceses of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and Qu’Appelle • A Section of the Anglican Journal • January 2013
Qu’Appelle elects new bishop By Jason Antonio and Joanne Shurvin-Martin
Archdeacon Rob Hardwick was elected the 12th bishop of the Diocese of Qu’Appelle during its 77th session of synod, on Dec. 8 at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Regina. Photo – Jason Antonio
REGINA – The Diocese of Qu’Appelle elected its 12th bishop during its 77th session of the synod, held at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Regina on Dec. 8. Archdeacon Rob Hardwick, the current diocesan executive archdeacon, was elected on the first ballot – an electoral situation considered rare – to become the chief pastor for the southern diocese. Bishop-elect Hardwick received the necessary 50-percent-plus-one votes in both the clergy and lay houses to secure the position. Of the 45 clergy present, 24 voted in favour of him, while of the 84 lay delegates, trustees, postulants and others, 46 voted for him. The election must be confirmed by the House of Bishops of the Province of Rupert’s Land. The bishop-elect is expected to be officially installed on Feb. 2. “I’m very humbled,” said Bishop-elect Hardwick, after the election had finished. “Where do you start? I now know perhaps a little bit of what Mary went through. But I want to be a servant of the Lord and I want to do His business and to be about His business. Whatever the Lord calls me to, I want to do that.”
He added it was somewhat of a shock, considering bishop elections can often go to the fourth or fifth ballot (or more). With this election needing only one ballot, the executive archdeacon said it was a real sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. He also attributed his selection as bishop to the “amazing” support of the people in the diocese. Bishop-elect Hardwick, who spent eight years in Swift Current and the past three years in Regina, said he would describe himself as theologically similar to Bishop Greg Kerr-Wilson: “catholic in worship style, open evangelical and charismatic.” All those different strands have been part of his upbringing since becoming a Christian when he was 26 years old. As bishop, some of the initiatives he would like to focus on include: children and youth ministry – “going down to 32 youth members (in the diocese), that’s pretty low” – and walking alongside them; aboriginal ministry, particularly urban; the next phase of the Mission Action Plan and where the priorities and resources need to go; and ecumenical work. “The main thrust of the Mission Action Plan is about discipleship,” Bishop-elect Hardwick added. “How can we encourage people to come to
faith and how do we journey with them? (We should be) teaching disciples so they can go out and be (disciples) too. “The Qu’Appelle School for Mission and Ministry is a really integral part of raising up core leaders to disciple well.” As for any final thoughts, Bishop-elect Hardwick mentioned that everyone’s prayers for him would be much valued. There were five other candidates along with Bishopelect Hardwick, including: Rev. Canon David Fletcher of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (who received three clergy votes, 12 lay votes); Rev. Malcolm French of St. James, Regina (three clergy votes, seven lay votes); Rev. Norbert Haukenfrers of Prince Albert (two clergy votes, four lay votes), Rev. Dr. Trish McCarthy of All Saints, Regina (seven clergy votes, nine lay votes) and Rev. Canon James P. Robinson of the Diocese of Calgary (six clergy and six lay votes). A seventh candidate, Rev. C. Peter Molloy from the Diocese of Ontario, withdrew prior to the date of the electoral synod. The election was under the direction of Archbishop David Ashdown, Metropolitan of the (Continued on page 4)
Pittendrigh new dean of Saskatoon cathedral By Heather Punshon Editor’s note: On Oct. 21, Rev. Scott Pittendrigh was inducted and installed as the new dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Saskatoon. Prior to this, a service of thanksgiving on Oct. 7 was Rev. Pittendrigh’s and his wife Sarah Donnelly’s first service at the cathedral. After the Thanksgiving service a special cake was presented to welcome them as they began their ministry in Saskatoon.
Got the T-shirt! Dean Scott Pittendrigh and his wife Sarah Donnelly pose with their special Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist T-shirts, after the service for Dean Pittendrigh’s installation on Oct. 21. Photo – Derek Punshon
SASKATOON – The Service for the Celebration of a New Ministry and Installation, led by Bishop David Irving of the Diocese of Saskatoon on Oct. 21, was a wonderful celebration. Many of the cathedral congregation were present to support Rev. Scott Pittendrigh as
he was installed as our new dean and rector. It was particularly meaningful to welcome to St. John’s for this service representatives from other Christian denominations and the Jewish and Islamic communities of Saskatoon, who brought greetings. Presenting the symbols of ministry at the service were the following: Holy Bible, Tina Colistro; vessel of water, Meghan and Mary McDonald; anointing oil, Barry McLennan; a copy of the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of Saskatoon, Rev. Quenton Little; keys of the church, Wardens Bob Halliday and Michael Gibson; prayer books, Kathleen Storrie; and bread and wine, Norm McInnis. Lessons were read by Judy Crozier-Smith, Rev. Pittendrigh’s wife Sarah and Rev. Emily Carr. Prayers were led by Heather
Punshon. The sermon for the service was given by Rev. Canon Harold Munn. The choir led by cantor Michael Harris, while the organ music by Greg Schulte added to the glorious enjoyment of the afternoon, with the cathedral echoing with the singing of familiar hymns. After the service, a reception was held in the church hall. Wardens Bob Halliday and Michael Gibson presented welcome gifts to Dean Scott and his wife Sarah: two of our “Anglicans Have More Fun” T-shirts and copies of the four small booklets. These were prepared for the cathedral’s time capsules at the beginning of September. The booklets will help Dean Pittendrigh and Sarah learn about our church and congregation.