The thoroughly modern bishop elect of Toronto, Andrew Asbil, demonstrated his oneness with all things LGBTetc by marching in the 2018 Toronto Pride parade:
New bishop of Toronto marches in Pride Parade
7
Category Archives: Diocese of Toronto
Safe spaces then and now
A few years ago when I visited the Monasteries of Metéora, I was fascinated by the murals on the walls of the narthex where new Christians had to wait before being baptised. They were graphic images of what early – and possibly prospective – Christians had to endure for their faith: dismemberment, crucifixion, crushing, flaying and disembowelling.
If 14th century proselytes were undeterred by the sights in this safe space, they were led into the baptistry for baptism.
The Diocese of Toronto has a safe space too, where transgender youth can escape homophobic slurs and other horrors of the modern world.
Could this have something to do with how we have ended up with a generation of such feeble, enervated, impotent, milquetoast Anglican Christians?
From here:
In a conversation with his mother and aunt in 2015, Mylo Woods talked about how difficult it was to be a trans youth. “Everyone was bullying me, using homophobic slurs, making me feel angry and depressed, even suicidal,” he recalls telling them.
During the conversation, Mylo said he wished he had a place to get away from it all. “I just wanted something for me and other kids where we could be ourselves and forget worrying about those things anymore,” he says.
His comment struck a chord. “In my world, if a child asks you if you can build a safe space for them, you say yes,” says his aunt, the Rev. Erin Martin, the incumbent of St. James the Apostle, Sharon, located about 50 km north of Toronto.
Ms. Martin and Mylo’s mother, Kit Woods, had an idea. What about creating a safe place for LGBTQ youth and their friends at the church? The women, who are sisters, asked some parishioners if they would like to help. They said yes, and in 2016 A Safe Place was born.
Held in the parish hall, the twice-monthly gathering gives LGBTQ youth and their friends an opportunity to hang out together and be themselves. There is no structured program. Sometimes they simply shout out “I’m gay!” or “I’m trans!” or “I don’t know what I am!” It is a release for some of the kids because they can’t say it at home. Often they share stories about their lives such as being misgendered or rejected because they are gay. Then they rally around each other for support. It isn’t all serious – they have a lot of fun as well.
In case anyone thinks I am being callous and unfeeling – well, perhaps I am a little, but not as much as those who are encouraging children to celebrate their mental disorder rather than help them cure it.
Like or Share this:
Eucharist and Gospel Drag Event
Christ Church Deer Park Anglican Church in Toronto is holding a Holy (that’s the claim, at least) Eucharist and Gospel Drag event on June 22.
From here:
Happy #PRIDE2018! Join us on June 22 at 7pm for a fully inclusive and informal service of Holy Eucharistic (aka. Mass or Communion) with Canada’s first openly gay bishop, +Kevin Robertson, words from queer activists, and music by our very own Deb Whalen and friends.
The service will be followed by an evening of Gospel Drag with Carlotta Carlisle,Tynomi Banks and Katinka Kature, and a free round of ice-cold beer!
Using only the finest liturgy, featuring fantastic live music, and coupled with a pint of locally brewed beer, we have unlocked the perfect combination to kick off your Pride Toronto celebrations! Oh, and did we mention drag?!
For those wondering who these ladies are, please peruse these videos where you can admire their genteel virtues before you decide whether or not to invite them to perform at your church.
Here is Tynomi in full gospel drag swing:
Here is Carlotta practicing her audition for the position of next Bishop of Toronto:
And last but not least, here’s Katina demonstrating a tasteful liturgical dance:
Like or Share this:
Andrew Asbil to be new Toronto bishop
And what a surprise! He supports same-sex marriage:
The Very Rev. Andrew Asbil (answering whether he would vote to change the marriage canon)
I would vote in favour of the motion.
Bishops run in the Asbil family. Andrew’s father is Walter Asbil who was bishop of the Diocese of Niagara from 1991-1997. If son takes after father, Toronto might be in for interesting times considering how the Disaster – sorry, Diocese – of Niagara has turned out.
Like or Share this:
Nominees for position of Toronto Coadjutor Bishop all in favour of same-sex marriage
Well, apart from Jennifer Andison who is not partial to binary declarations and has opted instead for a stream of consciousness analogue waffle. In Anglican parlance this is known as “spiritual discernment” after “deep listening”.
All the rest are in favour. In Anglican parlance this is known as “diversity”.
From here:
If General Synod were held today, how would you vote on the Marriage Canon amendments?
The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Andison
I have been asked these questions during the course of our Diocesan discernment process and have consistently shared the following.
I understand that the laity and clergy of the Diocese of Toronto will feel supported or disappointed by how their Bishop votes at General Synod 2019 and that how the Bishop votes matters. However, there are a number of reasons why I don’t think it is pastorally helpful to answer this first question, today, with a simple Yes or No.
First, in our Anglican polity, Bishops vote “in Synod.” Synod is where Bishops, along with laity and other clergy, make such decisions. I want to be part of what the Holy Spirit is doing in General Synod 2019, and I am not prepared to pre-judge how I will vote then, and am not “in Synod” now. As a Bishop, I take spiritual discernment seriously. At General Synod in 2019, I intend to cast my vote after completing a process of prayer, scriptural discernment, and deep listening to laity, deacons, priests and other bishops, as well as those outside of the Church. I intend to seek the mind of Christ for the Church on this issue, whether I am voting in my current capacity as Area Bishop for York-Credit Valley or as Bishop of Toronto. The Bishop of Toronto also needs to be mindful that she or he serves on a national stage, both participating in the wider discernment of the Anglican Church of Canada and also acting as a witness of Christ’s love to our culture.
Second, the current wording of the proposed amendment is increasingly unlikely to represent what will be voted on in 2019. As our Primate, Fred Hiltz, has recently made clear, there very well may be amendments to the currently proposed canon change. Some other path may also emerge before 2019 as an alternative to a Yes/No vote, a binary and legislative approach that inevitably creates winners and losers, doesn’t account for culturally different ways of making decisions across our diverse Church, and risks oversimplifying the issue at hand. Although I would not abstain from a vote in 2019, locking episcopal candidates into such binary declarations at this stage is premature and potentially divisive.
The Very Rev. Andrew Asbil
I would vote in favour of the motion.
The Rev. Canon David Harrison
I would vote in favour of the change, as I did as a member of General Synod in 2016.
The Rt. Rev. Victoria Matthews
If the General Synod was being held this week and if I had a vote as the Diocesan Bishop of Toronto, I would vote YES to affirm the amendments to the Marriage Canon. I would do so believing that every Christian is called to interpret Holy Scripture in light of all of Holy Scripture, and I believe the weight of Scripture calls to care for every human person and give special attention and love to the marginalised. Secondly, I believe there are times when the church recognises a teaching in Scripture that has always been there but which has been undervalued. It is the work of the prophet to call the church to read Scripture with fresh eyes. In Luke 2.21-40, Simeon and Anna recognise the Christ in the Temple when everyone fails to recognise the Son of God. May our beloved church have eyes to see and ears to hear.
The Rt. Rev. Kevin Robertson
Unequivocally, I would vote “Yes” to amend the Marriage Canon, just as I did in 2016.
The Rt. Rev. Riscylla Shaw
Yes.
Like or Share this:
Humour from the Diocese of Toronto
Never let it be said that Anglican synods are dry, humourless affairs.
This from the Diocese of Toronto.
I might add an incredulous: “There are clergy with convictions in the diocese?”
Or, “Because we are driving all who disagree out!”
Or, “Tell that to Jake Worley“.
Like or Share this:
Bishops falling like dominoes
It is the season of quitting for Canadian bishops. Michael Bird is departing the diocese of Niagara and now Colin Johnson has announced that he is leaving the diocese of Toronto. Bird is moving to Ottawa, to “work more closely in parish work” – a hard to dispute career demotion from the position of bishop – and Johnson is retiring.
Both Niagara and Toronto are extremely liberal dioceses that have contributed much to the havoc that is undermining the Anglican Communion, so it is not surprising that, having steered their respective vessels into violent storms of Anglican controversy, both figureheads have had enough and are leaving it to others to mop up the mess. Messy Church is the in thing now, I gather.
From here:
This afternoon I have informed the members of Diocesan Council that, after many months of prayerful discernment, I am asking Diocesan Synod to concur with my request for the election of a Coadjutor Bishop for the diocese in the middle of next year. I will step down from my role as the Metropolitan of Ontario at the next Provincial Synod in October 2018 and concurrently as Bishop of Moosonee. More importantly for our diocese, I plan to retire as Bishop of Toronto at the end of December 2018. The Bishop of Ottawa, who is the next senior bishop of the Province, is now in receipt of my letter of resignation. A Coadjutor Bishop is elected by Synod to assist the Diocesan Bishop prior to his retirement and to succeed the Diocesan Bishop immediately on the Diocesan’s retirement.
Like or Share this:
The Parable of the Green Samaritan
St. Cuthbert’s in the Diocese of Toronto prides itself on its “environmental awareness”: it observes earth hour by igniting toluene polluting candles and, apparently, conducts eco-funerals; I’m not sure what they are but perhaps the bodies are cremated by candle heat.
In this spirit of Gaia awareness, St. Cuthbert’s has reinterpreted the parable of the good Samaritan. The answer to the question posed to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” has been expanded to include trees. For my part, that seems like an excellent idea: trees are so much easier to like than people – they don’t argue, fight, complain, or flatulate.
From here:
“For a long time, we’ve really struggled with (the question) what does that mean to love your neighbour? Now we are entering into this idea that neighbour should include endangered species,” LaFleur said.
To end the day, the massive white oak tree outside of the church was officially recognized as an Ontario Heritage Tree. Forests Ontario has been recognizing trees that have unique features, historical relevance, or artistic significance since 2009. For Canada’s 150th anniversary, Forests Ontario will be recognizing 150 notable trees.
Like or Share this:
Women’s March Anglicans
For those who just can’t get enough of Anglican clergy mixed up in politics condemning Franklin Graham for being too mixed up in politics, here is another choice selection of assorted reverends demonstrating in support of the Women’s March on Washington – you remember, the one where the alleged singer, Madonna, lovingly intoned that she “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House”
From here:
The Rev. Canon Mark Kinghan of St. George on Yonge, Toronto, the Rev. Joanne Davies, chaplain at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Rev. Dawn Leger, pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Toronto, were among tens of thousands who attended the Toronto Women’s March on Jan. 21 at Queen’s Park. The three-hour demonstration for justice, equity and social change was one of hundreds held worldwide in support of the Women’s March on Washington following the American Presidential inauguration.
Like or Share this:
Politics and the Bishop
Bishop Kevin Robertson, in this case, the newly minted Bishop in the Diocese of Toronto who happens to be a practising homosexual.
Here, he uses Lent to lecture us about the evil of walls:
Lent is an invitation to tear down walls
It is vital that this work of tearing down walls continues. Over the past few months, the world has witnessed an increase of suspicion and mistrust of “the other.” The proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico threatens the further separation of two peoples that, though divided by citizenship, are united in so many other ways. In a speech in Berlin 30 years ago, American President Ronald Reagan famously challenged his Russian counterpart, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” But now, a new president is threatening to erect new walls with the aim of keeping people apart. The recent executive order to restrict entry into the U.S for people of seven Muslim-majority countries is another kind of wall. It paints entire nations and peoples with a single brush, and heightens a sense of xenophobia around the world. Even here in our own country, we were shocked and saddened by the murder of six Muslim men at a Quebec City mosque in late January. Again, a reminder of the wall s that divide us.
None of this is surprising, of course. It is worth pointing out that the Mexico wall is designed to keep illegal immigrants out of the US while the Berlin Wall was used to imprison East Berliners in their communist paradise by their own government; that doesn’t matter much to Robertson. Robertson’s article is quite clearly one that aligns with a liberal-left view of immigration and national sovereignty; it has nothing to do with the Gospel and is likely to alienate people whose politics don’t match Roberson’s.
Now, had Robertson been in favour of the US-Mexico wall, he probably wouldn’t have got his new job in the first place, but if by some miracle he had, I’m sure there would be howls of righteous indignation from our clerical elite denouncing his opinions and demanding that he be prevented from speaking from any pulpit in Canada. Just as they have done for Franklin Graham.
Here is the bishop smiling happily within the walls of one of his churches:
