Celebrating queer saints and allies in the Anglican Church of Canada
On Sunday August 03, we celebrated the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost and remembered all who were celebraing Pride this weekend. During the children's talk, we spent some time "interviewing" queer saints and allies in the Anglican Church of Canada. The children had to match faces and names of people in the Church known for their messages of inclusion with a brief biography read aloud by a member of the congregation. To Peter Elliott, Margaret Cornish, Kevin Robertson, Lynne McNaughton, and Martin Brokenleg: thank you for the many ways you have participated in the decisions and conversations that make our church, at its best, the inclusive place for LGBTQ people we know it to be today. There are many other saints and allies, of course, but these were the folks we celebrated this year.
1 - “I was one of the bishops at General Synod 2019 who spoke in favour of Pastoral Liturgies for Journeys of Gender Affirmation and Transition. These rites and prayers are in regular use at St Clement’s and available to any member of the Christian family who wants to have their gender identity affirmed within a supportive worshiping community.
Who am I?”
2 - “When the Diocese of New Westminster was cited in the Windsor Report and the Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting over the issue of the blessing of same-sex unions, I was the highest-ranking openly gay cleric in the Anglican Church of Canada. In 2005, I made an official presentation to the Anglican Consultative Council in Nottingham, England. I spoke these words in my address:
I come to this issue as a man who is a Christian, ordained for 25 years, a gay man, in a committed relationship myself. I come to this meeting with the support of my partner Thomas, my family, my parish, my bishop, my diocese. And I have brought with me the very first Bible I received when I was just 4 years old. In it, in my handwriting, are the words, ‘Today I gave Jesus my life.’ It's dated March 29, 1962. I was eight years old.
Who am I?”
3 - “I am the mother of Calgary Stampeders superstar Jon Cornish. I am a priest and married to Andrea Mann, the Director of Global Relations for the Anglican Church of Canada. We were the first lesbian couple to have our marriage blessed at Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver.
Who am I?”
4 - “On September 17, 2016 I was elected as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Toronto and became the first openly gay and partnered bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada. When asked about the election in an interview with the Anglican Journal, I said:
I think that . . . my election today is a turning point for our diocese, and I’m honoured to be a part of that. I know that for some people that’s a real challenge, and for others it’s the fulfillment of what they’ve been hoping and praying for a very long time. I think LGBTQ clergy and lay people might naturally gravitate towards me looking for some leadership around the issue of full inclusion, but I absolutely see myself as a bishop for the whole church, including people who have a very different view of things than I do. I’m their bishop, too.
Who am I?”
5 - “I am the co-author of the book Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future and co-developer of the Circle of Courage model. I hold a doctorate in psychology and was once the Director of Native Ministries and Professor of First Nations Theology at the Vancouver School of Theology. In 2019, during a debate on the marriage canon where the General Synod would decide if same-sex marriage was approved, I delivered a meditation titled “How do we walk together, how do we live well in our diversity after the vote, no matter what the outcome is?” You can watch a video clip of that meditation now.
Who am I?”