The Diocese of Montreal is in a state of advanced disintegration. To combat the rot, St. Jax Anglican Church in downtown Montreal has consummated the Anglican Church of Canada’s pilgrimage from Christian denomination to pagan circus by having a troop of acrobats swing from its rafters to the accompaniment of a light show.

The rector, transported from the dark night of penury to a beatific vision of performing elephants (why are Canadian bishops so overweight?), counts it “a fantastic joy to see for the first time, we believe, a circus company permanently installed in an active, consecrated church”.

From here:

An acrobat dangles from the rafters of a 150-year-old church while a lightshow paints the altar in blue, pink and yellow lights.

Call it a leap of faith.

This was the first show of Le Monastère — the monastery, in English — a circus cabaret show held inside a downtown Montreal church.

Le Monastère has partnered with the Anglican church of St. Jax — and it could be the first agreement of its kind.

“It’s been a fantastic joy to see for the first time, we believe, a circus company permanently installed in an active, consecrated church,” said Rev. Graham Singh, incumbent pastor at St. Jax.

With lagging attendance and surging maintenance bills, churches in Quebec and elsewhere have struggled to stay afloat.
Singh’s three-year mission with St. Jax has included not only keeping the old, creaky church standing, but also redefining what it is to be a church in a downtown core.