Regimental Church to Host Community Remembrance
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A SECTION OF THE ANGLICAN JOURNAL SERVING THE DIOCESES OF ATHABASCA & EDMONTON THE MessengerNOVEMBER 2018 www.edmonton.anglican.org Regimental church to host community remembrance MARGARET GLIDDEN Edmonton Editor resent in Anglican churches throughout the Edmonton diocese (stained in glass Pwindows, engraved in metal plaques and forever etched in memory) are the names of parishioners who served in battle for their country; some of whom never returned home. Between 1914 and 1918 more than 650,000 men and women from Canada and Newfoundland, including approximately 4,000 Indigenous men, served in uniform. More than 66,000 gave their lives; and more than 172,000 were wounded. When the United Kingdom entered the war on August 4, 1914, members of the British Commonwealth, including Canadians, were called into action. Some of those soldiers were Shokoofeh Poorreza/Unsplash.com faithful members of Holy Trinity Anglican Church Pappas regularly visits the armoury (now located Milner (former SALH Honorary Colonel) Street in (HTAC), which had been established in the on 109 Street near the NAIT Campus), to provide the Village at Griesbach. community of Strathcona (across the river from pastoral care while hosting Pizza with the Padre November 10 and 11, the parish of Holy Edmonton) more than 20 years earlier in 1893. once a month. The men and women of SALH Trinity will observe the centenary of the end of the Among the Edmonton troops mobilised for Regiment, now based in Edmonton, Medicine First World War. The fighting ended on November training camp in Valcartier, Quebec were members Hat and Lathbridge, receive subsidized, or free, 11, 1918, with the signing of the Armistice; the of the 19th Alberta Dragoons, whose Regimental admission to all concerts and theatre productions at war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty Armoury was located one block north and two Holy Trinity. of Versailles in 1919. blocks west of Holy Trinity church. The Rev. Pappas, in turn, is often invited to participate As it has done for the past three years, Henry Allen Gray (priest incumbent, who later in ceremonies with the unit. At a recent Freedom HTAC will join with the neighbouring parish of became the first Bishop of Edmonton) had been of the City ceremony in Churchill Square, when Trinity Lutheran, 10014-81 Avenue, for a Service named the first Regimental Chaplain in 1911, and members of the regiment were recognized by of Healing and Remembrance on Saturday, the unit often held parade nights at the church. the City of Edmonton for “their trustworthiness, November 10, from 2-4:00 pm. This interfaith The church and the regiment continued in their honesty, their loyalty, their integrity and service will center on healing from the effects of relationship until November 1964, when the their commitment to peace and the betterment of war and violence, with a focus on Syrian refugees. King’s Colour of the 19th Alberta Dragoons, along all people,” Pappas and Edmonton City Chaplain On Saturday evening, at 7:30 pm, the Da with the Regimental Colours and King’s Colour of the Rev. John Dowds gave the Benediction. In Camera Singers, flanked by SALH honour the 101st Edmonton Fusiliers, were raised to the September, he attended the dedication of Stanley guards, will present a Remembrance Concert, rafters of Holy Trinity in a “Laying Away of the interspersed with readings from “Steps Towards Colours” service. Reconciliation,” a First World War Centenary In 2006, the 19th Alberta Dragoons resource provided by the Church of England. amalgamated with the South Alberta Light Horse Curated by guest conductor Stuart Sladden, (SALH) Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. the program features WWI related repertoire, Soldiers from the regiment have served in almost including “In Flanders Fields,” “Peace” (text every major peace-keeping operation to date, found on a war memorial in London), and “Ode including the former Republic of Yugoslavia and to Death” (Holst’s way to lament the deaths of his Afghanistan. friends and soldiers during WWI). Other selections Current HTAC rector, the Ven. Chris Pappas, is like “Ubi Caritas” and “Prayer of St. Francis are rebuilding the long-standing relationship between reminders of peace. The program will conclude the church and the regimental unit. with “Requiem,” by Eleanor Daley. Tickets for “We lost contact with the unit for about the De Camera Singers concert are available on 30 years,” says Pappas. “But in 2011, I was eventbrite.ca . approached by their commanding officer, LCol Picture of the 19th Alberta Dragoons displayed at HTAC in a cabinet made for the church by the SALH Regiment. Continued on page 4. Colin Michaud, about renewing our relationship.” Creating Safe Spaces p. 2 Youth Paint Night p. 6 Orange Shirt Day p. 8 2 THE MESSENGER News NOVEMBER 2018 Fr. Michael Lapsley inspires healing through story MARGARET GLIDDEN ended discrimination on the basis people reconcile their past by sharing Edmonton Editor of gender or disability? Does that their stories. n September 30, the Feast mean we’re not homophobic? Through his ministry, Fr. Lapsley of St. Michael and All Dream on. Dream on,” he said. provides safe and sacred spaces Angels, and the day many “God, the creator of all of us where people can tell each other O with our diversity, weeps at the pain who they are; and where they can members of the Edmonton diocese wore orange shirts and prayed for the caused by racism and discrimination. detoxify and let go of poisonous children and families who suffered We need to have our eyes open to memories so that, as victims, they do in the Indian Residential School all forms of othering. All the ways not become the victimizers of others. system, the Rev. Canon Michael people are discriminated against “Those who’ve had horrible Lapsley conveyed his hope to “my because of who they are,” said Fr. things done to them have every dear sisters and brothers” of All Lapsley. reason to hate, to be filled with Saints’ Cathedral (Sunday morning), Returning home to Zimbabwe anger, to be bitter, to want revenge,” and the Equally Anglican community after an international speaking Fr. Lapsley said. “But, in the end, at Holy Trinity Anglican Church engagement in 1990, Fr. Lapsley those things do not destroy our (Sunday evening) that, eventually, opened a parcel that nearly killed enemies. They destroy us.” “good will triumph over evil.” Fr. Michael Lapsley gives the homily at All him. The letter bomb blew apart To begin healing ourselves, Saints’ Cathedral on September 30, Orange “One of my favourite verses in Shirt Day. his hands and severely damaged we need to consider whether the scripture is the one (Revelation 12:7- his eyesight and memories we keep are redemptive: 9) we heard today,” said Fr. Lapsley. hearing. Uplifted the kind the Bible encourages us to “Michael and his angels fought by an “avalanche” have - memory of good that comes against the devil and his angels and of prayers, love out of evil, of life that comes out of evil was defeated.” and support from death - or destructive, he said. During the 65th Synod, in 2017, people around the “The question, my sisters and Bishop Jane Alexander installed world, he founded brothers, is ‘how do we move from Fr. Lapsley as Honorary Canon for the Institute destructive memory that is filled with Healing and Reconciliation at All for the Healing poison to life-giving and redemptive Saints’ Cathedral. Upon his return of Memories, memory?’ Fr. Lapsley told the All to the Edmonton diocese at the end in 1998, as a Saints’ Cathedral congregation. “The of September, to lead reconciliation parallel process key first step is acknowledgement. workshops and talk with church to South Africa’s The power of acknowledgement is congregations, he brought greetings Commission true in our intimate relations, in our for Truth and families, in our communities. It’s from St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Fr. Michael Lapsley gives the sermon at the Equally Anglican service Town, South Africa, where he holds at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, September 30, the Feast of St. Reconciliation true in nations and between nations.” a similar title. Michael and All Angels. led by Archbishop “‘I am sorry’ is the beginning of Born in New Zealand and speaking to the Equally Anglican Desmond Tutu. a different journey. And, in a way, ordained an Anglican priest in community at Holy Trinity “I wonder where each of us are this t-shirt I am wearing is about Australia, Fr. Lapsley joined an Anglican Church. on our journey of healing? Where do acknowledgement,” he said. “We’re Anglican religious order called the “But, 25 years into we see ourselves? How many of us acknowledging that ‘yes, it (settler Society of the Sacred Mission at democracy, just because we’ve have told our stories? How many of oppression of Indigenous people) the age of 17. He was sent to South written it into our constitution, us are waiting for listeners?” said Fr. truly happened. It was wrong. We are Africa in 1973 as a missionary does that mean we’ve ended Lapsley, a champion for restorative sorry, and we are committed to a new and served as chaplain to students racism? Does that mean we’ve justice, whose life work is to help journey of healing and restoration.” of all racial backgrounds on three university campuses in Durban. He became active in the anti-apartheid Edmonton Diocese Creates Space to Open Hearts liberation movement and became a member of the African National Congress (ANC). Exiled from South Africa for speaking out against the injustices of the apartheid regime, he then moved to Lesotho and later Harare, Zimbabwe, where he served as a chaplain in the ANC.