Tag Archives: Diocese of New Westminster

Diocese of New Westminster blesses a petrochemical

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The demon fossil fuel – oil – is being blessed by Bishop Melissa Skelton; but only if it is to be used on a bicycle chain. If only I lived in Vancouver: I would have a can of oil blessed and pour it into my SUV – well, I don’t actually have an SUV but I would be sorely tempted to go out and buy one.

From here:

Praying a blessing over a canister of bicycle chain oil may seem unorthodox, but the Anglican Bishop of New Westminster assured Metro her ritual, conducted Wednesday, was doctrinally sound.

“Yes, it’s something I’m allowed to do,” Rt. Rev. Melissa Skelton said with a laugh, as she stood on the lawn of the Diocesan offices in Shaughnessy. “It’s the every day and the useful where God shows up.

“In this case, we’re blessing things … that lead to better stewardship of the environment. It starts with the small and goes bigger.”

[…..]

Adapting the ritual for chain lubricant may seem unusual, but the ideas of community and being anointed for action in the world is related to environmental commitments, Skelton said.

“This is also the oil used in vehicles that would be the implements of action — protecting the climate and finding other ways to get around that don’t depend so much on large amounts of fossil fuels,” she explained.

Diocese of New Westminster frozen out Vancouver Pride Parade

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The Vancouver Pride organization is compelling participants in the August 2nd parade to sign a pledge supporting transgender equality legislation. Neither the B.C. Liberal Party nor Premier Christy Clark will be taking part in this year’s parade because they have not signed the pledge. Although the wording may resemble an exhortation from the 19th Century Temperance Movement, this pledge is, of course, more a pledge of intemperance.

Ironically, this may have excluded the Anglican Diocese of Inclusion, New Westminster.

Read here:

Although Taylor said she is not aware any organizations other than the B.C. Liberals have been denied entry to the 2015 parade because their senior executives refused to sign the pledge, the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster has been frozen out for mostly bureaucratic reasons.

Michael Kalmuk, who in 2003 became the first Anglican in the world to take part in an Anglican same-sex blessing (with partner Kelly Montfort), said Thursday the diocese cannot take part in this year’s festivities because the church’s official decision-making process typically takes months or years to reach a conclusion on such matters.

“It’s really unfortunate. There was no intent to screw us up. It was just red tape,” said Kalmuk, who only learned this month about the transgender pledge required for entering the parade, which typically accepts about 150 entries. The first Vancouver Pride parade was in 1978.

Government donates $1 million to Diocese of New Westminster

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The diocese needs a new roof for its cathedral and BC taxpayers will, unwittingly, be paying a part of the bill. This means that the diocese’s prophetic voice, whose clarion call is heard most clearly during the annual gay pride parade, is unlikely to be decoupled from the state sponsored zeitgeist any time soon.

From here:

Earlier this afternoon, the province of British Columbia announced it will give $1 million to Christ Church Cathedral’s building campaign, which is raising money to repair the cathedral’s roof, add a new bell tower and expand its community outreach kitchen.

“This generous grant recognizes the place that Christ Church Cathedral holds in Vancouver and British Columbia,” said Bishop Melissa Skelton of the diocese of New Westminster, “and will help ensure that the cathedral community continues to play a significant role in meeting the spiritual and physical needs of the people of Vancouver.”

Diocese of New Westminster does Ashes to go

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From here:

Ash Wednesday, blessedly not raining, was bright with early spring sunshine which was welcomed because we went out on the road that afternoon. Signed with ashes, reminded that we are of earth and to earth we shall return, we gathered after the Eucharist, robed in albs and blessed by the community, to take ashes and the invitation to repentance and reconciliation to the neighbourhood.

Notice that rather than the usual “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, we have the Gaia cult incantation: “reminded that we are of earth and to earth we shall return”.

Here is a poster for the event.

Capture

Diocese of New Westminster wants to know more about Islam

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And why not? Islam could fill the gap in the diocese left by the departure of Christianity.

CaptureFrom here:

This event will seek to open up avenues of conversation.  What do we know about Islam and Muslims?  What do we appreciate?  What do we fear?  How do we understand current geo-political struggles, including terrorism?  What is the capacity of Islam for pluralism, democracy, human rights and the secular?

It’s interesting that there don’t seem to be any events organised by Muslims to understand Christianity better; Muslims may not feel the need because they are more secure in their beliefs.

The organisers of this event suggest: If possible, bring something that can be shared. A severed head, perhaps.

The Diocese of New Westminster: Lost in Space

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The Diocese of New Westminster is organising a tour of “sacred spaces”; for reasons that elude me, the diocesan cathedral is included.

In the spirit of mutual understanding, respect, and peace, I’d just like to point out that if I wasn’t reasonably certain that Christianity is correct and all other religions are not, I wouldn’t bother to get up early every Sunday to attend a service of Christian worship; the sacred space of my feather pillow would be more than adequate. That means I don’t go to a Diocese of Niagara or, indeed, any Anglican Church of Canada parish, in case anyone is wondering.

Updated Sacred Spaces tourFrom here:

If interreligious dialogue is to bear fruit–the fruit of mutual understanding, respect, and peace–it needs to be rooted in the specific spiritual space or milieu of each religious tradition. If we are willing to enter into and even dwell for a time in another spiritual space, we will be able to return to the space we call home, enriched by the gifts we have received and prepared to live in peace with those who dwell in a spiritual space that is very different from our own.

Diocese of New Westminster’s eco-quackery unit stirs up debate

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As well it might. It wants to increase sales tax in order to improve the well-being of “those who really struggle financially”. I’m surprised this hasn’t occurred to anyone before: take more money away from the impoverished to improve their lot; a lie so audaciously brazen everyone thinks it clever.

The increase in sales tax is to be used to fund more public transport – a worthy endeavour, no doubt, but one which the poor will not enjoy because their taxes have gone up and they won’t be able to afford it.

This is known as eco-justice, the latest Anglican replacement for the long outmoded pie-in-the-sky, fundamentalist fantasy of eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Who needs that when there is public transit?

Still, there’s probably no sales tax in hell, so it could be an improvement over living in Vancouver.

From here:

As Metro Vancouver residents prepare to vote in an upcoming transit referendum, members of the Diocese of New Westminster Eco-Justice Unit are hoping to promote discussion on wider issues of social and ecological justice.

Starting on March 16 and running through May 29, Elections B.C. will administer a plebiscite through a mail-in ballot in which voters will be asked to approve a 0.5 per cent increase to the Provincial Sales Tax in order to fund new transit projects.

[…..]

“Metro Vancouver Alliance is committed to a Yes [vote],” Marquardt said. “But let’s talk about it. Let’s think about it. Let’s engage people. Let’s think about what our role is as Anglicans in terms of reflecting ecologically, theologically and [on] the well-being [of] those who really struggle financially…being able to get where they need to go.”

So there you have it: Anglicans are still helping people get where they need to go. The only difference is that the destination used to be heaven, now it is a stop on the Millennium Line Skytrain.

Diocese of New Westminster moves its office to St. John’s Shaughnessy

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St. John’s Shaughnessy has been costing the diocese of New Westminster $20,000 per month to stay afloat. It’s so empty that it resembles a mausoleum. As a parish, it is a failure; what more fitting setting for a stifling Kafkaesque bureaucracy than the tomb of the interloper that deliberately displaced a once thriving congregation.

The only thing that concerns me is: will there still be room for all the same-sex couples?

From here:

The new Diocesan Office will accommodate existing Synod staff requirements with room for growth and change. There will be meeting rooms available to welcome the various committees and structures of the diocese large and small and these venues will also be appropriate for study

and research. A large classroom/training facility will also serve as a meeting room occupying the former gymnasium. The existing Trendell Lounge will be shared with the Parish for its fellowship time and receptions. Community user groups will be sought for the unused lower floor and the third floor with this income contributing to offsetting costs to the diocese.

The Business Administrator for the Diocese of New Westminster, Rob Dickson had this to say regarding the key components of the renovation project:

“This project is a good use of Diocesan resources now and for the future as the special synod imagined. it will benefit the diocese as a whole, the archives and the Parish by employing an asset of the Parish and the diocese.”

A flood of same-sex couples inundates St. John’s Shaughnessy

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St. John’s Shaughnessy, having ejected over 800 people from its former congregation, is finally seeing the fruit of its labours: one same-sex couple. It only took three years.

From here:

When I visited St. John’s, Shaughnessy for the first time I was immediately taken by how committed the congregation was to welcoming new worshippers and how committed everyone was to the mission of the church. Everyone shook my hand and asked me to come back. I eventually came back more often and now have chosen to become a parishioner at St John’s.

Eventually Douglas and I requested to have our marriage blessed at St. John’s, Shaughnessy. The Parish Council granted this permission and every parishioner that spoke to me about our Blessing Ceremony was encouraging, supportive and joyful for our happiness. As much as my rebirth as a Christian began before I attended St. John’s, this experience has given me deep conviction to the church and specifically to the ministry of St. John’s, Shaughnessy.

At our reception, after the Blessing Ceremony, a friend summed up my feeling more than I could say. He said that in our lifetime, as same-sex partners, we could never have imagined that we could ever legally marry. “And to have a Blessing Ceremony in a church is almost un-believable and to have this occur in a church that was so welcoming is just beyond my wildest dreams.” I felt like he had read my heart.

I am so grateful to everyone at St John’s for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to fully participate in Christian life without reservation because it allows me to feel God’s love and to love all of you.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life in the Diocese of New Westminster

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To celebrate its 125th anniversary, Christ Church Cathedral hosted an evening of musical entertainment.

From here (page 13):

Of course when one is inside an Anglican Church and two or three or more are gathered there is always bound to be some congregational singing and Jubilation was no exception. At the halfway point the four soloists led the audience in an enthusiastic rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Spamalot.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is a Monty Python song that had its origins not in Spamalot, but in the film Life of Brian. In spite of Monty Python’s denial that the film mocked Christ and his crucifixion, it seems to me pretty obvious that it did. While I don’t think such mockery should be banned, I do think it is an odd choice of song to be sung in a supposedly Christian cathedral – even in a Diocese of New Westminster cathedral.

Judge for yourselves: