Saskatchewan anglican
The newspaper of the Dioceses of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and Qu’Appelle • A Section of the Anglican Journal • December 2014
Suicide prevention, PWRDF priorities for northern Saskatchewan Can you name that disciple?
Bishop Mark Rylands (second from left), from the Diocese of Lichfield, points into the crowd seeking an answer as to which of Jesus’ disciples is being portrayed by the people on stage. Rylands was the keynote speaker during the Diocese of Qu’Appelle’s Q Event, which took place in Caronport from Oct. 25-26. For full story on event, please see pages 5 and 9. Pretending to be some of Jesus’ disciples are, from left, Rosa Heustis, Shannon Sherk, Julie Moser and Breanna Netmaker. Photo — Jason Antonio
Stony Creek church gets a facelift By the Reverend Canon Michael Stonhouse STONY CREEK (S’toon) – It only seemed right and proper, because 1914, that is, exactly 100 years previous, something special had happened with St. Peter’s, Stoney Creek. George Exton Lloyd, the first rector of the Lloydminster and the Barr Colony, and later bishop of Saskatchewan, propagated what he called “the Saskatchewan Plan.” The Plan’s central feature was the establishment of an Anglican church within roughly 10 kilometres (six miles) of every settler, that distance being a reasonable distance to attend church with the horse and buggy transportation of that day. One of the churches thus established was St. Peter’s, a tiny church located northeast of Lloydminster and still in use during the summer months. St. Peter’s was originally established in 1908, but unfortunately in 1912, was destroyed by a cyclone, which seemed to be a frequent occurrence in that neck of the woods. Not to accept that setback as final, the local people rallied together and in 1914, rebuilt the church, but in a slightly altered location a few kilometres to the
St. Peter’s, Stony Creek, looking loved and cared for. The rural church is 100 years old this year. Photo — The Reverend Canon Michael Stonhouse north. Unfortunately, over the years that church building was allowed to fall into a certain amount of disrepair. Firstly, and most serious, was its foundation. Built of fieldstone and cemented together, it had sagged considerably over the years. Fortunately, that problem was rectified several years ago by moving the church to one side and putting in a new foundation. But there still remained a problem with the bell tower, more specifically, in the junction between the bell tower and the
church proper. That joint had never been properly sealed, so over the years, water had seeped in and caused a certain amount of rot to the surrounding area. A local community group, however, foreseeing that the one remaining artifact of their pioneer heritage might be in danger of being lost, rallied together, and with funds from the sale of the former Trafalgar School, established a fund to restore the church building, its furnishings and its cemetery and grounds. See “FACELIFT” on page 5
Bishop Michael Hawkins addresses the Diocese of Saskatchewan’s 68th Synod during his Bishop’s Charge By Amy Dow PRINCE ALBERT – Bishop Michael Hawkins delivered the Bishop’s Charge to the 68th Synod in Prince Albert, during the eucharist on the occasion of the Eve of St. Luke (Oct. 17). Some of the highlights are given below. The bishop talked about the importance of working together, in particular with the Diocese of Brandon in indigenous ministry and with the Diocese of Athabasca in non-indigenous ministry. He also mentioned the possibility of working more closely with the Diocese of Saskatoon, in areas of rural ministry and diocesan administration. Regarding indigenous ministry, the bishop said the “congregational twinning” (the pairing of indigenous and nonindigenous parishes to pray and visit together) that began in 2012 was ending with the synod. In their response to the Bishop’s Charge, the committee offering their feedback asked him to “persist” in the idea, as it is the most practical way of implementing the diocesan vision of Mamuwe. They also asked the bishops to follow up with the congregations that were in those relationships, to see what was working and to encourage those who have yet to follow up with their partnerships. The Protocol for the Protection of Youth and Vulnerable Persons in the Prince Albert Deanery will be implemented and training will be provided.
Mike Foley, PhD, guest of the Diocese of Saskatchewan Synod. Photo — Amy Dow The first session was held Nov. 27 (for administrators and ministry leaders) and the second one is on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 at St. Alban’s Cathedral (for those involved in medium- and high-risk ministry). The committee responded in agreement, as well as suggesting the next step would be to ensure deaneries and parishes would implement to Protocol. Regarding the issue of suicide, the diocese has taken steps to provide training on this subject in the form of ASIST, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills training, and Linda Cairns from Embracing Life Saskatchewan. The two-day course is open to lay and ordained alike, with a limit of 30 participants. Please register with the synod office if you are interested in attending. The committee also suggested training in pastoral care be given for clergy and families dealing with the loss of a loved one by suicide. The Vocational Diaconate was discussed in detail, having had a task force to report on the matter. See “PRIORITIES” on page 4