Sunday services continue at three-breakaway Canadian Anglican churches
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sunday services continue at three-breakaway Canadian Anglican churches*
Tobi Cohen, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - Two of three breakaway Anglican parishes in the Diocese of
Niagara spurned an Ontario court ruling issued last week requiring them
to share their church buildings with the diocese, opting instead to
conduct Sunday services at new locations.
The third parish honoured the Ontario Superior Court ruling and shared
its facilities, but not without problems, said Rev. Gerry Brodie, rector
of the Church of the Good Shepherd in St. Catharines.
"There was a point where some parishioners felt snubbed (by the
diocese)," he said, adding he found it "logistically" difficult when it
came to parking and the timing of services.
The breakaway parish typically holds services at 9 a.m and 10:30 a.m.,
but was forced to adjust its schedule to accommodate an 8:30 a.m.
service run by the Niagara diocese.
"I feel pressure on me to speed up things and I shouldn't, but you just
feel that pressure anyway," he said, noting about 130 people attended
his services compared to the 10 who arrived for the diocesan service.
The breakaway parishes - which split from the Anglican Church of Canada
over what they deem to be increasingly liberal leanings by the national
church - originally won an interim order that allowed them to maintain
exclusive control of their facilities. However, a longer-term ruling
issued last Monday said otherwise.
The Anglican Network in Canada, to which the parishes now belong, is
considering appealing the ruling, which is expected to remain in effect
until the issue of who owns the church properties is resolved - a
process that could take years.
The Good Shepherd, along with St. Hilda's in Oakville and St. George's
in Lowville, maintain that parishioners voted overwhelmingly in favour
of leaving the Anglican Church of Canada and that the diocese's
motivations for pursuing the case are purely political.
A previous court-ordered attempt to share the churches one Sunday in
February went so poorly, members of St. Hilda's and St. George's refused
to even consider the idea again.
"We knew all along we couldn't share," St. Hilda's parishioner Paula
Valentine said, noting Sunday's service held at the Oakville Christian
School went very well. "We tried that on the 24th and it was not
acceptable what happened then.
Parishioners have complained the diocese stacked the pews with
supporters during February's shared service and harassed members of the
breakaway faction.
While the diocese has publicly accepted the idea of sharing, Valentine
suggested its actions speak differently.
She said the three breakaway parishes were issued letters from diocesan
lawyers that said their members were not to show up to their services.
"It's not sharing when you come in and say you want the building from 7
to 10 when you know services at the church are from 8 to 10. Their
intention was totally to disrupt," she said.
"They would rather sit on an empty building to make their stand than let
an entire congregation of 150 people use it."
Rev. Charlie Masters of St. George's said while everybody was very
disappointed when the judgment came in, Sunday's service at the
Crossroads Christian ministry 20 minutes away in Burlington went very well.
"The church is a people, not a building," he said. "What's important is
we don't lose one another, that we keep meeting together, so it was
wonderful to see a good number of people there - to see all ages
represented from the little children to the elderly.
"I think (the dispute) has strengthened us and for that I'm very grateful."
Diocesan officials could not be reached for comment Sunday but have
maintained many members had left those parishes long ago over their
conservative stance and would be happy to return under the Anglican
Church of Canada banner.
The three parishes are among some 15 across Canada that have broken away
due to conflicting theological differences - particularly over the issue
of blessing same-sex unions.
It's not clear whether the Ontario Superior Court decision will have any
bearing on a similar case taking place in British Columbia. Arguments
were made in a Vancouver Island courtroom Wednesday, but the judge there
has reserved his decision in the case.