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This has been a very challenging summer all across our beautiful country, and especially here in our own province off Newfoundland and Labrador. It was so devastating to hear how many people were forced to leave their homes, not knowing if they would have a home to return to.

In 2023, in response to unprecedented wildfires from coast to coast, Alongside Hope established a separate fund for in-Canada emergency response. This was to enable them to respond quickly when a diocese asks for support, rather than waiting to raise funds for individual disasters.

How does Alongside Hope decide where and when to respond (since we know that they cannot respond to all domestic emergencies)? A decision as to whether or not to respond will depend on several factors: the severity and impact of the emergency; the presence of other agencies responding including the government; the extent to which additional support is needed; the time and abilities of the diocese to engage; and Alongside Hope’s available resources. Efforts will be made to ensure duplication is avoided, effectiveness is increased, and that all of us work together to be the best stewards of the resources that are entrusted to us.

What is an emergency? Emergency is the term Alongside Hope and other agencies give to situations during or following a disaster when the lives and livelihoods of many people are threatened. Most emergencies in Canada occur through natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or fires. The objectives of Alongside Hope’s In-Canada Emergency Preparedness and Response Guidelines are as follows:

• To provide a framework to help Anglican dioceses in Canada be prepared to effectively respond to emergencies in their dioceses

• To support dioceses and parishes to better leverage other national, regional and local resources to enhance their preparedness and response should there be an emergency

• To clarify how funds raised by Alongside Hope can be accessed and reported back to Alongside Hope

Suggested services that dioceses may offer for relief and recovery response

• Distribute relief items such as food, water, hygiene kits, gas, clothing, etc.

• Provide a place of refuge from extreme cold, heat waves and storms

• Act as a temporary relief shelter

• Provide a gathering place and emergency services such as washrooms, charging stations, etc.

• Lead prayers, offer emotional support

• Prepare a list of professionals to provide counselling for post emergency/disaster victims

• Invite these professionals to speak in parishes and gatherings organized by parishes

• Organize post-traumatic workshops/sessions for families and communities

Expenditures and activities that may be included in a relief or recovery response budget

• Diocesan/parish staff and/ or volunteer honorariums related to relief and recovery response

• Transportation, vehicle rental, logistics, etc., pertaining to the project/ response

• Gift cards for use by displaced individuals/ families for the purpose of purchasing food, water, emergency supplies, needed materials destroyed by the emergency or displacement due to a particular emergency/disaster

• Emergency accommodation

• Building materials

• Goods or services directly provided by the diocese/ parishes, or jointly with other agencies or outsourced to local specialized agencies

• Counselling and post trauma supports

• Locally identified long-term recovery activities that may help rebuild community assets and increase community resilience

For more information, read our Alongside Hope In-Canada Emergency Preparedness and Response Guidelines or our In-Canada Emergency Response booklet (as single pages or spreads).

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In the early 9th century, his tomb was purportedly discovered and a church was built on the site of his tomb. Since the middle ages, the relics of St. James have attracted Christian pilgrims from all over the world. Rev’d Maxine was delighted to share her experiences with us in a slide show of many pictures of her travels, which included a bus tour to the Northern Coast of Spain, and her pilgrimage from Sarria to St. James’ tomb. It was as if we had walked the 120km trek with her!

The post The Story of A Camino Pilgrimage appeared first on Anglican Life.

The Anglican Foundation of Canada’s 2025 Say Yes! to Kids campaign has been hailed as its most successful yet, with 30 teams across the country raising more than $160,000. This achievement surpassed the national goal of $150,000 and marked the first time since the campaign began in 2021 that every single team met or exceeded its target.

From coast to coast to coast, parishes and dioceses found creative ways to engage their communities, launching fundraisers that inspired generosity and strengthened connections between congregations and young people. Since its launch, Say Yes! to Kids has provided nearly $900,000 in funding for youth-focused ministry across Canada. These grants have supported dozens of programs in areas such as mental health, food security, arts and music, and outdoor recreation.

The Anglican Charitable Foundation for Children (ACFC) provided a significant boost to this year’s national results with a generous $5,000 gift. This is the second time since the launch of Say Yes! to Kids that the ACFC has supported this growing national effort.

Anglican East NL Team Surpasses Goal

While only one Newfoundland and Labrador team participated, the results were inspiring. Branded as “Anglican East NL Says Yes! to Kids,” the team represented the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador under the leadership of Bishop Sam Rose.

Together, the diocesan team raised $7,780 on a $5,000 goal—a remarkable achievement made possible by wide participation across the Diocese.

Funds raised locally will contribute to a variety of initiatives. Some of this support will make it possible for young people from our Diocese to attend CLAY (Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth Gathering), while other funds will bolster long-standing programs such as the Church Lads’ Brigade. In addition, the campaign creates space to explore new and emerging opportunities for ministry with children and young people—ensuring the Church continues to grow alongside the needs of its youngest members.

A Vision for the Future

Reflecting on the impact of this year’s campaign, Bishop Rose emphasized the importance of youth ministry in shaping the Church of tomorrow. “When we say yes to our youth, we are investing in a vibrant future for the Church,” he said.

The success of the Anglican East NL team demonstrates the power of generosity and a shared vision. Even with just one team representing the province, the campaign has helped plant new seeds of hope, reminding us that the Church’s future depends on how we nurture, support, and celebrate its youngest members today.

The post Saying YES! to Kids in Eastern NL with the Anglican Foundation of Canada appeared first on Anglican Life.

While the liturgy itself was beautiful, what moved me most happened outside the cathedral doors. The congregation was filing out of the service to the strains of glorious organ music. Seeing the Primate standing near the front steps of the cathedral, I approached him and offered my best wishes. “May I have a blessing?” I asked. He reached forward, traced the sign of the cross on my forehead, and spoke just four words. Such a brief moment might seem forgettable, yet it lingers in my mind, returning at unexpected times. These reminders have led me to reflect on the ancient practice of making the sign of the cross.

Anglicans approach devotional practices in different ways, as they do with many theological topics. Some will appeal to the Reformation-era principle of sola scriptura (only those practices that are mentioned in the Bible are to be adopted).

Interestingly, Martin Luther – a Reformer himself – instructed his followers with these words: “In the morning, when you rise from bed, sign yourself with the holy cross and say, ‘In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.’…At night, when you go to bed, sign yourself with the holy cross and say, ‘In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.’”

Luther was affirming a basic devotional act that can be traced back to earliest Christian times. A number of theologians from that era encouraged making the sign of the cross, including Cyril of Jerusalem in the 4th century, who wrote: “Let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Let the cross, as our seal, be boldly made with our fingers upon our brow and on all occasions over the bread we eat, over the cups we drink, in our comings and in our goings, before sleep, on lying down and rising up, when we are on the way and when we are still.”

The medieval church carried this practice forward, and the 1552 edition of the Book of Common Prayer features this note: “As touching, kneeling, crossing, holding up of hands, and other gestures; they may be used or left as every man’s devotion serveth, without blame.”

Signing oneself with the cross can signify many things, including that through the physical gesture the believer recalls – and proclaims – the source of salvation. It can provide a way of entering a state of worship which includes not only heart and mind, but also the body. In this way, it becomes an affirmation of the Incarnation. And it links us to a vast family of Christians – Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox – scattered across the world, most of whom we will never meet. Yet we are united with them by this shared, sacred gesture.

The post A Sacred Gesture appeared first on Anglican Life.

Ernest George Reid , KC

April 17, 1943 to July 19, 2025

Ernest George Reid, aged 82, of St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, passed away peacefully with family by his side on July 19, 2025, at the Health Sciences Centre after a brief illness.

Throughout his wonderful life, ‘Ernie’ shared many “experiences” that became memories with a wide circle of loving friends and family. His love of life and of those around him was undeniable. His loving charm and infectious wit were unavoidable. He saw the good in everybody that he had the pleasure to meet, and the world was truly blessed to have known him.

Predeceased by his wife Margaret “Peggy” (Grant) Reid, parents Ernest and Irene (Rose) Reid, sisters Phyllis and Elizabeth (Reid) Gibbons (Henry) and brother-in-law Roy “Sonny” Grant.

Leaving to mourn with happy memories his children Ellen Beth (Mark), Charlotte, Andrew (Andrea), and granddaughters Joni and Lexi (by whom he was affectionately known as “Grumpy”). Also sister-in-law Patricia “Patty” Fowler (predeceased by Frank), brothers-in-law Dr. Kenneth Grant (Heather) and Thomas Grant (Laura). Also leaving to mourn a large community of extended family and friends.

Born on April 17, 1943 to doting parents and big sisters, Ernie had many stories of growing up in post wartime St.John’s, including summers spent at C.L.B. camp. He attended Bishop Feild College and Bishop’s College before attending Memorial University (B.A. 1964) and Dalhousie Law School (LL.B.,1967). During his time in university he served in the Navy (Lieutenant RCR(N) 1968), forming many friendships that lasted throughout his life.

Ernie found much success in his career as a partner in the law firm of Stewart McKelvey.

He served as Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, President of the Newfoundland Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (1977-1978) and President of the Law Society of Newfoundland (1982-1983).

Very much involved in community endeavours, Ernie was active with the Rotary Club of St. John’s Northwest, The Newfoundland and Labrador Branch of the Naval Officers’ Association of Canada (NLNAC), the Baden-Powell Guild and was a proud member of the Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club, amongst countless other groups and committees.

All throughout, Ernie enjoyed travelling and exploring with his beloved wife of 50 years, Peggy, spending time at his cottage with family and friends, brewing wine and growing exquisite roses. In later years he enjoyed staying active with the Newfoundland and Labrador Cardiac Fitness group.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of 4 South at the Health Sciences Centre for their care during Ernie’s brief illness.

The post Former Chancellor, Ernest Reid, Passes Away appeared first on Anglican Life.

We made sunflower crafts and painted rocks, planted pumpkin seeds to be ready for Halloween, ate dirt cake and shortbread people, and played silent ball and musical lily pads. We even wrote a letter to the Earth telling how we planned to change the way we treated it—and received an answer back!

On the Friday we had an awesome tea party to which we had all invited one special person, like our Nan or Pop. It was fun to show them one of our action songs.

The next Sunday, we brought our families to church to celebrate and give thanks for all the fun we had learning about God’s World of Wonder and how we are called to care for it and for one another. We played our rhythm instruments and sang our special songs: “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Who Put the Colours in the Rainbow,” and “God Made the Chickens and the Cows and the Bees.” And we made the promises from our letter to the earth into our Intercessions that day, to ask God to help us keep them.

Our little homegrown VBS was a time of wonder, fun, and caring for one another. Our young learners were examples for all of us to follow of how to work and play together with kindness and cooperation and love—just the way God intended it to be.

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I hear this question so often from faithful Anglicans. It’s a valid one that I believe we should be wrestling with. But so often in these conversations, we end up blaming everybody but ourselves. We think that when they started opening the stores and scheduling hockey practices on Sundays, it lured children away from the Church. We think that when they stopped saying the Lord’s Prayer in school, it gave children the impression that religion didn’t matter anymore. Are families confronted with competing worldviews and activities now that they weren’t before? Absolutely. Do I think they are responsible for the decline of youth in our Church? I do not, because none of these “reasons” has done the hard work of self-reflection. The life of Jesus teaches us that when we see a problem, the first thing we need to do is look at ourselves. We need to embody the humility demonstrated for us by Christ and ask: “What about the Church has taught children that they don’t belong there?”

As a priest whose age puts her somewhere in between the young and the old, I have some thoughts on this question. On an institutional level, I believe the intergenerational spiritual harm caused by the Church to various marginalized groups has a lot to do with young people’s disillusionment with the Church. As an institution, however, we have started to repent for these detrimental mistakes. So what is it, despite our attempts at reconciliation, that keeps children and families away? This continued absence, I believe, is due to the contradictory messaging given by the majority of our churches.

Here is a short, non-exhaustive list of examples of this messaging:

• We tell young people they are welcome in our churches, but when they show up we do not make an effort to know them
• We tell young people we want them to be themselves, but then we try to fit them into what we do instead of letting them express themselves in ways that are honest to them.
• We ask young people to conform instead of letting them belong
• We express great desire for young people to become part of our Church families, but then when they come through the doors we separate them from us
• We expect young people to meet our need for a younger demographic, but we do not ask about or meet any of their need
• We want young people to come to us, but we are unwilling to go to them
• We declare young people have a lot to teach us, but we don’t give them opportunities use their voices
• We tell young people we love them for who they are, but then we see them only as symbols (of hope, degeneracy, change)
• We have high expectations for how young people should behave, but we do not demonstrate mature, responsible behaviour in return

I hope you felt uncomfortable reading some of these observations. They should be confronting. They should make us question what we truly value in our faith communities. These observations aren’t just true now. They were true long before the children disappeared. If we want to see youth in our churches we need to do the work. If it didn’t require work, if it didn’t require change, then our pews would be full of young people already. We need to be intentional about our desire to see young people in our churches again.

Not least because Anglican youth do, in fact, exist. They are alive and well. In June I went to General Synod where there was a large youth delegation from across the country. These youth didn’t just attend Synod; they played a major part. They were instrumental in the election of the primate. They brought forth several motions regarding youth involvement in the National Church. They were engaged in discussions on all topics. And they brought joy to worship and prayer. I was impressed and proud to be amongst them as they left their mark on the Anglican Church of Canada.

Just because there are no youth in your own church doesn’t mean there are no youth in the Church as a whole. Youth across this country, including right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, are doing amazing things. They care about the future of the Church because it is their Church too. They are committed to the life of Jesus. Their faith is alive and vibrant and active in exactly the way Jesus asks it to be. As one young person said at General Synod, youth are not the future of the Church, they are the present. They are here right now loving God just like you and me. We would do well to start acting like it.

The post Youth Are The Present appeared first on Anglican Life.

After creating a harmonious cohesiveness, all looked forward to a short reprieve before the resumption of the fall activities. The weather was ideal—brilliant and hot. It was turning out to be an exceptionally favourable summer. But unfortunately, these attributes do not always enhance our comfort zone.

So in this journey through life, we sometimes meet with unforeseeable rough passages that often interfere with scheduled plans—as was characterized this summer while experiencing multiple forest fires here in our province of Newfoundland. Drastic destruction ravaged entire settlements. Family homes that were nurtured for a lifetime were now being sacrificed to the flaming inferno.

This experience was a stark reminder of the fragility of earthly possessions, and how quickly they can be snatched away. We have a tendency to get so involved in catching up with our daily obligations trying to balance in a busy and anxious environment that there is little or no time spared to balance with the path less followed.

Unfortunately, but sometimes it often takes a catastrophic event like this one in our lives to realize the importance of redirecting priorities so that prayer, worship, and thanksgiving to God always take precedence.

As I write this, the province has finally been blessed with long-awaited rain, providing some comfort to the many volunteers fighting relentlessly in their pursuit of quenching what has spread across our land.

In retrospect upon the weeks just passed,
They all persevered to work, to laugh, to pray.
And with God’s help gained strength to take,
Whatever came their way.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed Elijah is coming first, and will restore all things.”
-Matthew 17: 11

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From time to time, I have said that I do not say prayers. I do not think that we should be saying prayers. Now, before you think I am a heretic of the highest degree, it is not the fact that I do not say prayers but rather, it is the fact that I pray prayers. “Saying” prayers is one thing; we can say prayers just like we can say that the sun is shining and give no more thought to it. Yet, if we “pray” our prayers, the act of praying becomes part of our prayer just as much, if not more than prayer itself. If we do it right, we know that our actions speak louder than words, so too, then our praying is more than just the saying of words. Once we become accustomed to praying our prayers, then it will become second nature, just as natural as our breathing, which itself can be a form of prayer.

We often sing in the hymn “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” the line “Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Prayer then becomes for us a place. As much as our church buildings are houses of prayer, prayer itself becomes the place where we find ourselves going when we want and, more especially, when we need to pray. It is in prayer that we can find shelter from the storms of life. It is in prayer that we can find comfort. It is in prayer that we can find the very things that we are looking for. Most of all, it is in prayer that we can find God. It is not that God leaves us but rather we leave God and it is in prayer that we find God right where we have left God.

We think in some ways that our prayers have to be polished and wrapped neatly with a pretty red bow placed on the top. Prayer is far from that. If anything, prayer is our conversation with God. Conversation, of course, involves at least two people in which one person speaks and another listens. There are times in which the one who speaks becomes the one who listens and the one who listens is the one who speaks. Thus, for prayer to be conversation, there are times in which we speak and God listens, but there are times in which we need to listen in order for God to speak to us. God speaks in various ways as the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, but we need to listen because the Word of God is certainly “living and active” in our prayer.

So, if you are one who has trouble praying because you think it has to be a certain way, in certain posture, in certain words, be assured, treat prayer as action, as place and as conversation and prayer will become what you need it to be—time with God.

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