The Northland Spring 2010, Volume 66, No. 3 Letter from the Diocesan eagerness to keep things sailing on an even keel, I am able to address issues that need to be Administrator addressed within a short time frame. I am only available in the Synod Office 2 days a week - Dear Northland Readers, usually Mon. and Tues. except on weeks when committee meetings are scheduled on different Welcome to this interim period in our Diocese days. I am available all week, however, in which we are all journeying through Lent in through email. prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (our time in the wilderness, if you will) to discern God’s will Everyone is aware of our upcoming Episcopal for us as a Diocese. Lent, as you know, is only Election on April 10, 2010. We have a list of one season of many in our Church. It is a time candidates that offer wonderful and inspiring in which we prepare ourselves for our ministry gifts to us should they be elected. I encourage as children of God. It is a everyone to visit our time in which we, as a diocesan website: Diocese, prepare www.domaa.ca, and read ourselves for our ministry the curricula vitae that are to each other and to the posted on the election world. Lent doesn’t page. I would like to ask continue all year. It takes each and every parish to us through the wilderness support their synod experience of Christ, his members/delegates in ministry, his journey their discernment process. through the cross, through Prayer is necessary to the “land of the dead”, to discover what the Holy the resurrection - to a new Spirit is saying to our life in joy and promise, Anglican Church in the love and light. It is into Diocese of Moosonee. this new life of love, and Discussing the many and light that we are called at different qualities and our baptisms to become gifts of the proposed disciples and apostles of The Rev. Edna Murdy Diocesan Administrator, Cochrane Regional candidates with each Christ, as his children, as Dean and Rector of St. Peter’s on-the-Rock other will allow the Spirit part of his body. (Kirkland Lake) & St. Paul’s (Virginiatown) to speak and be heard. Send your members to As your interim Diocesan Administrator and, th this synod with prayer, encouragement, and since the 6 of January, I have had my eyes confidence that God’s will will be done. And opened to the complexity, diversity, and deep then, on the day of the election, would you faith of everyone in this diocese. The open the doors of your church in each phenomenal assistance of the three Diocesan community and hold a prayer vigil - with Office staff, Julie, Ruth, and Aimee, has someone always present, holding the voters and allowed me to get settled into this position and the candidates in God’s presence. I truly still manage 2 parishes and the Deanery of believe that this prayerful support will allow the Cochrane. With their competence and choosing of a new bishop for the Diocese of Retirement of Moosonee to be a time of God’s people doing God’s will, resulting in a new season in our Bishop Caleb Lawrence Diocese. th On January 5 , As our whole Diocese is in the process of a few hours discerning and electing a new bishop, a couple before his of parishes are also in the process of finding a retirement new rector. St. Matthew’s Cathedral Parish began, Bishop presently are enjoying the wonderful interim Lawrence led a ministry of Bp. Eddie Marsh and Emma Marsh. service of They are, however, interim only until the end of Ordination in June, so prayer and discernment is a process St. Matthew's they are following to find a new rector. St. Cathedral, at John the Evangelist, in Mistissini, is also in this which Deborah process as they enjoy the interim ministry Lonergan- provided by the Rev. John Wiebe (at one time Freake was their rector). Please hold these two parishes in ordained to the Diaconate. It prayer as they seek God’s guidance through this The ‘Retired’ journey. Rt. Rev. Caleb Lawrence and was truly a his wife Maureen Lawrence. poignant Picture taken by the moment when, Although it may seem our interim period Rev. Deborah Lonergan-Freake without a Bishop resembles the 40 year after giving the experience of Israel wandering in the blessing, Bishop Lawrence laid the diocesan wilderness, I promise you we won’t be crozier upon the altar where, in time, it will be wandering 40 years. Spring, the season of new taken up by his successor. life, new hope, new promise and love is arriving quickly. May we all rise to the Thirty years ago, nearly to the day, Bishop promise it brings - a new bishop, new Lawrence had been consecrated Bishop incumbents in some parishes, rejuvenated Coadjutor in St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and there ministers (ordained and lay) in every parish, were some parishioners in attendance who had and revitalized faith in God’s presence in this been at his Consecration on January 6, 1980. beautiful land - the Diocese of Moosonee! Bishop Lawrence was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Moosonee in November 1980, and we are thankful for Bishop Lawrence's three Your sister in Christ, decades of faithful ministry in this diocese. His ministry was greatly appreciated throughout the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario where he served as Metropolitan for the past six years. At the National Church level, he made The Rev. Edna Murdy significant contributions through his involvement on various committees and in the National and Provincial Houses of Bishops. We wish Caleb and Maureen every blessing in their retirement on Canada's west coast. The Northland ~ Spring 2010 Page 2 Although this process will conclude very soon, In this Issue it began over a year ago. At the Executive Council Meeting in March 2009, three clergy and three lay members were chosen to make up ~ Administrator’s Letter an Episcopal Search Committee. The members front cover are: the Rev. Hal Graham, the Rev. Edna ~ Bishop Lawrence’s Retirement Murdy, the Rev. Capt. Rod BrantFrancis, Mrs. p.2 Anne Dyas (Chair), Mr. Ed Madill, and Ms ~How Our New Bishop Caroline Chum. Members were chosen to will be Chosen… p.3 ensure that each deanery was equally ~From the Mailroom………..................... p.4 represented. ~Ordination of Deborah Lonergan - Freake........................................................ p.4 The initial work of the Committee involved ~ ACW Retreat............................................ p.5 gathering information from parishes and Great ~Moose Notes Chapter Meetings which could be used to create * Constance Lake, Hearst, Deanery Profiles, a Diocesan Profile, and a Mistissini...................................... p.6 summary of what qualities and skills we are * Hornepayne.................................. p.7 seeking in our next bishop. This information * Timmins........................................ p.8 was put together into a Memorandum for ~Did You Know?....................................... p.8 Prospective Candidates, and a draft version was presented at the November 2009 Executive ~The Hat Came Back................................ p.9 Council Meeting. At this meeting, Archbishop ~James Bay Deanery Report .................. p.9 Colin Johnson, Metropolitan of Ontario, ~Site Seeker............................................... p.10 outlined some of the qualities needed in a ~Notes from the YCM ............................. p.11 bishop, reviewed the process by which our ~Heavenly Humor ................................... p.12 bishop would be chosen, and set a date for the ~A Good Friday Parable.......................... p.13 Electoral Synod. Soon after this meeting, ~Obituaries ............................................... p.14 notice of the Synod was sent to all parishes in ~ Links of Interest, Sub. Form, the diocese with nomination forms. The Diocesan Map. .............................. back cover revised Memorandum was sent to all Synod delegates and was posted on the diocesan website in early January. How our New Bishop will be Chosen Who is Eligible? The process of the election of a bishop is outlined in detail in Canon 13, When? An Electoral Synod will be held on and this Canon specifies minimum April 10th in St. Matthew’s Cathedral in requirements for a bishop (must be at least 30 Timmins. At this Synod, members and years of age and have been a priest for at least 7 delegates will cast their votes to determine who years). Only members or delegates to Synod will become the Ninth Bishop of Moosonee. may nominate a person for election, and the The nominees for bishop are: The Ven. I.L.J. House of Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province (Larry) Beardy (Keewatin), the Ven. Tom of Ontario may nominate up to 3 persons. Corston (Algoma), the Rev. Canon Cliff Dee Nominations were received by the Chair of the (Moosonee), the Rev. Hal Graham (Moosonee), Episcopal Election Committee who, with the the Rev. Wayne McIntosh (Keewatin), the Rev. Committee, verified that minimum Bruce Roberts (Moosonee), and the Rt. Rev. requirements were met and ensured that the Larry Robertson (Western Arctic). nominees had accepted nomination. The Northland ~ Spring 2010 Page 3 Canon 13 dictates the schedule for the My Ordination nomination process, and in mid-February the By the Rev. Deborah Lonergan-Freake names of nominees received by the first deadline were sent to all delegates with a letter explaining when the final nomination deadline was. In early March, when the list of nominees was finalized, biographical information received from the nominees was sent to all members and delegates to assist them in learning about the nominees. This information was also put on the diocesan website. Finally, after nearly a year of work and planning by the Episcopal Search Committee, on April 10th, the Electoral Synod will be held. It will open with a Eucharist celebrated by Archbishop Johnson, who will chair the election.