Category Archives: Diocese of Huron

Respect Justice Camp

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Whenever the Anglican Church of Canada’s Justice Camp rears its annual inclusive summer head, I always wonder whether, this year, it will be located where it belongs in Oceania. Although it won’t, it will be hosted by the next best thing: The Diocese of Huron.

The ostensible theme for those needing a safe space to in which converse in Anglican Doublethink is “Respect”.

The Anglican Church of Canada rarely communicates in anything but arcane code, replete with inner meanings, secret passages and hidden trapdoors. Respect for whom? Those who disagree with same-sex marriage, perhaps?

Don’t be silly.

From here:

Ever pondered the blessings and challenges of being #LGBTQ? Let’s talk. Register with an [sic] friend by June 21st and you will both get $50 off the registration fee: https://justicecamp.ca/

play-sharp-fill

Respect Justice Camp 2019

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I’ve always harboured the suspicion that the Anglican Church of Canada’s Justice Camps are actually places where conservative clergy who refuse to deny their faith are sent for re-education, rather like Mao’s RTL camps.

This year’s inmates are to be sequestered somewhere deep in the bowels of the Diocese of Huron to learn all about Respect:

Respect Justice Camp, 2019 thus seeks to bring together people of faith in an effort to further explore the ways in which we can respect God’s Beloved children, including God’s creation, so that we, in turn, seek to collaborate with these individuals in meaningful and progressive ways.

No one is suggesting respecting God’s Beloved children who haven’t yet made it out of the womb, of course, because that would not be meaningful and progressive. To make up for that, the organisers have found some more letters to respect on the end of LGBT:

Respect for and Collaboration with LGBTQ2ia+

I gather the “i” is for Intersex where a person has an indeterminate mix of primary and secondary sex characteristics. As you can imagine, the church is teeming with people in this category.

The “a” is for Asexual where a person experiences no or little sexual attraction to people. I understand many ACoC bishops have taken up this calling, leaving their wives and sleeping, instead, with inanimate objects. Like hairbrushes and tea strainers.

The fact that the “a”s and the “i”s have been reduced to insignificant lower case letters is a clear indication that, defying the best efforts of Justice Camp indoctrinators, prejudice still runs rampant in the Anglican commissariat.

The “+” is for anything yet to emerge from the sludge of the lurid fantasies that gurgle noxiously from the fevered sexual longings of our Canadian Anglican clerics.

Diocese of Huron faces civil lawsuit over sex abuse

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The victims were all boys.

From here:

Disgraced ex-cleric David Norton’s legal troubles appear to go way beyond the criminal courts.

The former Anglican priest who was convicted Tuesday of four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault of boys from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation already is facing civil action from another victim in London and a counter-claim from the Diocese of Huron.

The plaintiff in a $4.9-million lawsuit against Norton and the Diocese of Huron is the victim in Norton’s sexual interference conviction registered earlier this year. He was abused by the priest at St. Mark’s parish in the 1990s.

Norton, 72, pleaded guilty in March and was sentenced in August to four years in prison.

Just like the rest of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Diocese of Huron likes to trumpet its virtue by participating in Truth and Reconciliation blanket exercises, walks, bicycle rides or, as the Diocese of Niagara so charmingly puts it by: “live[ing] into the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action and confront the ways in which it has embodied colonial attitudes.”

Of course, extirpating colonial attitudes is a lot cheaper than $4.9-million, so the Diocese of Huron has decided not to live into taking any responsibility for the abuse, let alone reconciling with the victims. Instead, we have a litany of denials:

In a statement of defence, the diocese denied “each and every allegation in the statement of claim.”

They deny Norton was an employee and they deny they knew about his activities. They also deny the boy was injured.

The diocese has issued a cross-claim against Norton, holding him solely responsible for any liability.

Tanya Phibbs, Archdeacon of the Diocese of Huron, told Global News that the Diocese was “deeply saddened” by the allegations. Not $4.9 million worth of saddened, though.

Deconsecration and Transgender Remembrance

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Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in the Diocese of Huron is inclusive:

Bishop Cronyn Memorial’s core values speak to inclusivity. The church treats all as made in God’s image, regardless of race, gender, orientation, age, ability, nationality or economic class.

It is so inclusive that on November 7th it is being deconsecrated due to a lack of attendees. Shortly after that, on November 19th a Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held in the building. I don’t suppose the two are connected.

The church was named after Benjamin Cronyn, London’s first resident Anglican clergyman and the first bishop in the Huron Diocese. Cronyn had an eventful and colourful life but I don’t suppose that even his most fevered nightmares could have conjured up the antics that would be embraced by a church that was to bear his name.

For those attending, be warned, the bathrooms are:

That means the you must relieve yourself in a location determined by your chromosomes, not your whimsy. Pretty upsetting, I know.

Diocese of Huron in Pride Parade

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The Diocese of Huron is inviting us all to join them in the annual London Pride Parade.

You can dress (or undress, I expect) any way you want, so long as you bring a reusable water bottle.

On reading this, I found myself musing on whether there is anything at all that could be done or worn to scandalise these proud Anglicans. And then it came to me: I’ll hand out plastic straws to put in their reusable water bottles.

From here:

It’s Pride Parade Time! Here is what you need to know. This year, the parade is assembling on the Western Fair race track. Parking will be in the Western Fair Market parking areas off King or Ontario Streets. Come to the race track between 11:30- 12 noon and look for the Proud Anglican location which will be numbered as D4. The numbers will be posted on orange traffic cones. St. Jude’s is right in front of us and “Circles” behind us. We are to be ready to move into position by noon, so please try to arrive as early as you can. If you are late, it is possible to join us from the parade route. The parade will go on rain or shine.
If you have T-shirts from your church you might want to wear them or if you have a church banner you are welcome to bring it. We will have a “Proud Anglicans” Banner out front. Dress colourfully (even flamboyantly if it suits you) and don’t forget a hat and a (reusable, please) water bottle.

The bishop is the purple shirt on the right:

Anglicans for getting high

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The Diocese of Huron’s Bishop Linda Nicholls is agitating for the setting up, in London Ontario, of a safe injection site, a place where people can get free sterilised needles to inject themselves with illegal drugs.

There are pros and cons to these establishments, not the least of which is that nobody wants to live next door to one. Since the bishop doesn’t, she doubtless feels quite comfortable in writing this letter:

I write in support of the proposed safe injection sites being considered by Council at 441 York Street and 241 Simcoe St.

As noted by the Sisters of St. Joseph in their recent letter to you:

“A recent academic article in the Harm Reduction Journal, “Supervised injection facilities in Canada: past, present, and future,” offers a careful review of the experience and impact of supervised injection facilities (SIFs). It notes that Canadian efforts have learned from positive experiences in Western Europe. In addition, Canada’s first sanctioned SIF, which opened in Vancouver 2003, was rigorously evaluated and met its objective of reducing public disorder, disease transmission and overdoses. Equally important, it successfully referred individuals to a range of external programs including detoxification, and addiction treatment programs. The evaluation demonstrated that the SIF was cost-effective and did not result in increases in crime or encourage initiation into drug use.
It should be noted that over 40 peer-reviewed studies have highlighted the benefits and the lack of negative impacts for this site. Moreover, the Supreme Court of Canada justices ruled 9-0 in favour of the continued operation of the SIF, noting that it “has been proven to save lives with no discernible negative impact on the public safety and health objectives of Canada.” (2011 ruling, p. 139)”

We would, of course, prefer to end the prevalence of drug addictions in our city. However, for those who are addicted the process leading to recovery is long, slow and difficult. Along the way the need for support including harm reduction through safe injection sites is a proven factor in assisting such healing.

Surely a safe injection site is preferable to the proliferation of the discarding of needles in public areas where they can be a hazard not only to the user but to other members of the public.

Ironically, I have heard nary a peep from the bishop on Canada’s plan to legalise marijuana, a drug known to cause irreversible brain damage. Surely standing against the legalising of a harmful drug makes at least as sense as providing safe space for the already addicted to further stupefy themselves?

When love is the way, it’s easy

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At least, Michael Curry thinks so.

The Diocese of Huron, ever willing to be sucked into the black sinkhole that lies beneath the swirling vortex that masquerades as 21st century sagacity, has retweeted the salient points of the Royal Wedding sermon:

The truly sad thing about this is that John Lennon has already said it and, even though he said it better, it was still rubbish:

Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love

There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done

Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It’s easy
There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made
No one you can save that can’t be saved

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It’s easy
All you need is love
All you need is love

Diocese of Huron continues its Marriage Canon Newspeak

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The diocesan paper reports:

Conversations on the Marriage Canon
The Diocese of Huron is in the midst of a consultation about the proposed changes to the Marriage Canon. The first of these consultations have taken place and several more are planned throughout the diocese.
As the diocesan Marriage Canon Task Force reports in this HCN edition, a question raised at some of the first deanery gatherings was, “Does our input matter?”, and related to that question there were comments such as, “It feels like the decision has already been made.”

For those who question the impartiality of the decision makers in the diocese, this image, accompanying the article, of diocesan leaders conspicuously marching across a rainbow crossing brandishing crosses and an umbrella should leave little doubt in any mind whose neurons are still firing:

Of course your input matters. As long as it supports same-sex marriage.

Of course the decision to marry same-sex couples hasn’t already been made. Yes, we may already be doing it but that doesn’t mean we have decided anything.

Diocese of Huron Bishop and clergy protest anti-Islam rally

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From the Huron Church News:

Clergy and laity from the Diocese of Huron, led by Bishop Linda Nicholls, joined 500 counter-protes­tors in London, Ontario, August 26, in response to an anti-Islamic rally led by the Patriots of Canada Against the Islamization of the West (Pegida), a group that says it opposes “the Islamization of the West.” The collective Anglican re­sponse was organized within a day’s notice as word spread of the counter-demonstra­tion. Nicholls led the group of 40 Anglicans from the parking lot at Huron Church House, where they prayed, to London’s City Hall. Pegida members, who numbered about 20, arrived at City Hall at noon, and were met by the counter-demonstrators. Those involved in the counter-rally carried signs, listened to speeches, and sang 1960s protest songs. The counter-protest ended with a march, led by drum­mers, around nearby Victoria Park.

I’m sure the bishop and her clergy rarely feel more at home than when singing 1960’s protest songs. I used to sing them too in the 60’s; then I grew up.

The gentle, mellifluous tones of We Will Overcome were not the only sounds to waft over the anti-protest protest: as you can see in the video below, there was a lot of screaming, some violence and a few arrests. Mostly from those holding signs proclaiming love and tolerance for all.

I don’t see the bishop thumping anyone with pious punches but the cameraman can’t be expected to catch everything.

One of the attendees filming the event described the fracas this way:

I was there filming. Most of the counter protesters were elderly hippies and lqbtq people.