February 2020
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ANGLICAN JOURNAL Since 1875 anglicanjournal.com @anglicanjournal vol. 146 no. 2 february 2020 Anglican heraldry a ‘There is truth here’ rich, artistic expression Residential and day school student artwork of church identity displayed at exhibit Matt Gardner STAFF WRITER Matt Gardner About a year ago, Barry Hill was STAFF WRITER rummaging through old files at the historic In 1960, a child named Jim Wastasecoot Mohawk Chapel in Brantford, Ont., “just painted a picture. Originally from Peguis to see what was in the musty manuscripts,” First Nation, Jim was around 10 years when he made an exciting discovery: a old and a student at Mackay Dauphin letter postmarked by Buckingham Palace. Residential School in Manitoba, run by IMAGE: COURTESY Dated June 7, 2005, the letter was sent the Anglican Church of Canada, when he OF THE ANGLICAN from the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace FOUNDATION and addressed to Hill’s predecessor as chair created his painting. The Anglican Fifty-five years later, Jim Wastasecoot, of the Mohawk Chapel Committee—a Military position Hill has held since 2013. The letter now a father and grandfather, stood Ordinariate’s apprehensively with his wife Karen and confirmed that as a result of petitions made coat of arms— in March 2005 by the chief of Six Nations adult daughter Lorilee in front of a box at an example of the University of Victoria anthropology and Tyendinaga, a grant had been made for Anglican heraldry lab. Inside the box was a collection of a coat of arms to represent “Her Majesty’s artwork from residential school students, Royal Chapel of the Mohawks.” including his own. With the passage of Hill enlisted the advice of the Rev. decades, however, Jim had forgotten the Canon David Bowyer, a member of the subject of his painting. Heraldry Society of Canada, to sketch up “I was absolutely sick to my stomach all some designs for a coat of arms, which morning, because I didn’t know what my the chapel sent to Ottawa. After some dad painted,” recalls Lorilee. “I didn’t know correspondence and suggestions, the coat how he would react, because we don’t of arms for Mohawk Chapel now has really talk about residential school a lot in a finalized design and has been sent to our family.” England for review and royal assent. Opening up the box, the family While Mohawk Chapel has a special began looking through the children’s status among Canadian Anglican paintings, which Lorilee says was “a very churches—being the first Anglican church powerful experience…like you opened in Upper Canada, the oldest surviving up a box of spirits or something.” As they church in Ontario and one of only three flipped through, University of Victoria See HERALDIC PRACTICE, p. 9 anthropologist Andrea Walsh warned them that Jim’s painting was coming up. rare examples of Indigenous children being When he finally gazed upon his long- 5 At centre, allowed to express their creativity and Michael Thompson to retire as lost painting, Jim let out what his daughter Jim Wastasecoot humanity in an otherwise dehumanizing described as a sigh of relief. Karen and stands with general secretary in June environment. Lorilee looked at the painting, and they too a childhood Art from students at three residential By Tali Folkins felt relieved. portrait of his STAFF WRITER schools and one day school could be seen “He painted something very beautiful, family, painted at the exhibit. Inkameep Indian Day School Archdeacon Michael and that was a picture of himself with while he was a was run by the Roman Catholic Church; Thompson, who has served as his mum and his dad and his little sister,” student at the Alberni Indian Residential School was general secretary of the General Lorilee says. Mackay Dauphin managed by the Women’s Foreign Mission Synod since 2011, will retire “He painted his family…. My mum and Residential Society of the Presbyterian Church and later June 30. I started crying. It was just so beautiful…. School. Flanking the United Church of Canada. Two of the In an email to General Synod By the end of the day, I felt happy and PHOTO: SASKIA ROWLEY Jim are wife schools—Mackay Indian Residential School staff on Jan. 6, Archbishop hopeful that these paintings had survived Michael Thompson Karen and in Dauphin, Man., and St. Michael’s Indian Linda Nicholls, primate of the all of these years, and that we have daughter Lorilee, Residential and Day School in Alert Bay, Anglican Church of Canada, Nicholls said she would work something very precious that my dad made co-curator of B.C.—were administered by the Anglican wrote that Thompson had told with the Council of General from the school with us today.” an exhibit of Church of Canada. her of his decision to retire Synod (CoGS) to form a search Jim Wastasecoot’s painting was one art created In a reflection on the University of shortly before beginning his committee with the purpose of many on display from April 2019 to in residential Victoria website, Jim Wastasecoot reveals current sabbatical leave, which of helping her nominate a January 2020 as part of an exhibit at the schools—art that he had no memory of painting the will run from January until the candidate. Museum of Vancouver. Entitled There is that was usually picture of his family. end of March. Thompson was principal Truth Here: Creativity and Resilience in forbidden. “But,” he writes, “it makes sense that I “Michael has served as secretary to Archbishop Michael Children’s Art from Indian Residential and Peers, former primate of the PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED would have painted that being a child and both Principal Secretary to the Indian Day Schools, the exhibit presented missing your parents a thousand miles Primate and General Secretary Anglican Church of Canada, away. Going to bed at night, after lights out. over many years,” Nicholls wrote from 2001 to 2004. He was I would hear the train whistle blow and I in her email. “His leadership of also principal author of Vision would be reminded of my home at mile 412 General Synod and work on the 2019, the church’s strategic plan, where my father worked on the Hudson Bay settlement regarding residential which concluded last year, and railway. And I would cry in longing for their schools have been unstintingly served on many General Synod c omp any.” offered with grace, compassion committees. Walsh is the Vancouver museum’s curator and wisdom. He now will have The general secretary over- PM# 40069670 for There is Truth Here. The collection of an opportunity to exercise other sees the day-to-day operations artwork in the exhibit marks a culmination gifts of ministry in new ways in of the Anglican Church of See RARE ART, p. 6 his retirement.” Canada’s national office. g 2 anglican journal • february 2020 TRENDS4 More visitors seek cathedrals, historic churches The Rachel Farmer congregation is from cruise ships or from ACNS vacation tours,” he says. English way “ In a time when attention has begun to St. Anne’s Anglican Church, in Toronto, of doing focus increasingly on declining church while younger than Holy Trinity and St. Paul’s, nevertheless attracts some tourists cathedrals is attendance, some places of Anglican interested in heritage and the arts. Built in to be really worship in both England and Canada— 1907, the church borrows its dome from including English cathedrals—are seeing an carefully the tradition of Byzantine architecture, increase in visitors. engaged exemplified by the Hagia Sophia in Visitors to Church of England cathedrals Istanbul. During the 1920s, ten artists, stewards numbered 10 million in 2018—an increase including three future members of the of art of all of more than 10% on the previous year, Group of Seven, painted the murals that according to a November report published generations. grace the church’s interior—the Group’s by the church. —Canon Gary only known religious works. There were also more than a million van der Meer, didn’t also play a role in some tourist visits. Recently the church has been more visitors to Westminster Abbey, the report 5 Quebec City’s incumbent, St. A National Historic Site of Canada, Holy intentional about inviting these visitors, states, and attendance at some major Cathedral of the Anne’s Anglican Trinity became the first Anglican cathedral says Canon Gary van der Meer, incumbent Church, Toronto Christian festivals grew. Some 58,000 Holy Trinity saw built outside the British Isles when it was at St. Anne’s. It offers a monthly tour, people attended cathedrals at Easter and almost 100,000 completed in 1804. Generating income participation in which has grown over the more visitors in 95,000 during Holy Week—the highest through tourist visits is important to the last three or so years from two or three 2018 than five numbers recorded for a decade. cathedral, Byrne says, given its costs— people to a dozen or more. years previous. On the other hand, participation at including an estimated $4 million in repairs English cathedrals, van der Meer says, Christmas services in cathedrals slipped to PHOTO: LUC-ANTOINE needed over the next decade. tend to attract visitors for a number of COUTURIER 133,000 in 2018, from 135,000 the previous Another National Historic Site, St. Paul’s reasons: the appeal of choral evensong, the year, and the number of people attending Anglican Church in Halifax, has seen a history of the buildings and the art in them. usual cathedral services every week also fell gradually growing influx of tourist-visitors “What they have as an advantage over slightly to 36,700 from 37,000 in 2017.