A Special Report on the Consecrations of two Suffragan bishops in Canada
By Deborah Gyapong
OTTAWA-On Jan. 27, Archbishop John Hepworth, Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, consecrated two suffragan bishops for the Diocese of Canada, preaching that the mission and vocation of a bishop is "to receive the treasure that Jesus committed to the Apostles and pass it on."
"They bear the burden of the Truth that is Jesus Christ," he said, during the consecration ceremony at St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church, lent by the Ottawa Roman Catholic archdiocese for the occasion.
The Very Rev. Carl Reid, dean of the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Ottawa and the Rev. Craig Botterill, the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada's (ACCC) chancellor and pastor of St. Giles parish near Halifax were the two candidates.
Participating in the consecration were the retired Canadian ACCC Bishop Robert Mercer and the Canadian Diocesan Bishop and Metropolitan Bishop Peter Wilkinson. Two other bishops also participated: the new Primate of Anglican Church of America (ACA), Bishop of the Northeast George Langberg of Tuxedo, New York, who succeeded former TAC Primate Louis Falk as ACA Primate in October 2006 and Bishop David Moyer of the Anglican Church in America, Vice President of the American House of Bishops.
Archbishop Hepworth noted the consecration is taking place in a "moment of history" when "what is old is despised and neglected and what is new is pursued even to the point of destruction" and that some openly despite the treasure they have received or "seek to ignore or to innovate."
"To this willful age, the Gospels are a mark of contradiction," he said, noting that the new bishops will "do the reminding" of the Gospel and speak out against sin.
The Archbishop noted that though the treasure of God remains the same, the times change and bishops must address issues such as abortion. In some countries it is illegal to protest against abortion. "It is our obligation to protest," he said, even if it means being "carted off." He pointed out that the present generation is the first to ever debate same-sex marriage.
He described human cloning as the "beginning of a new age of cannibalism," as men and women search for health and eternal life in the wrong places. In dioceses near Australia, some peoples had given up cannibalism relatively recently. They thought by eating parts of their bravest enemies they could incorporate their qualities into themselves. He compared that impulse to seeking cures through embryonic stem cells or cloning.
"Their [the bishops] task in teaching the faith will be as difficult as in any previous age," he said, noting the cost of being "revealers of the treasury of the Kingdom of Heaven to a world that has turned its back on treasure."
Archbishop Hepworth said the bishops had a duty to feed the sheep, animals that are notoriously stupid and hard to care for. He also spoke of the role the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was not an empty vessel accidentally used to give birth to Jesus Christ, but as someone "prepared" to be an enthusiastic participant in the Incarnation. He reminded the bishops-elect of how, at the foot of the Cross, the only Apostle who did not flee or deny Christ stood with Mary and Jesus said to him, "Son, behold thy Mother." As Mother of God, she is also the Mother of the Church, Christ's Body, he said, urging the candidates to invoke her help and intercession in their work.
Bishop Wilkinson announced the appointment of the bishops in the December 2006 diocesan circular. Bishop Reid will be responsible for parishes in Ontario and Quebec; Bishop Botterill will look after the Atlantic Provinces. Bishop Wilkinson, who is based on Canada's West Coast in Victoria, British Columbia, will oversee the western provinces in addition to his duties as diocesan.
Among the 250 guests were clergy from dozens of ACCC parishes across Canada, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church Archbishop Nicolae Condrea. A Romanian Orthodox congregation shares the Annunciation Cathedral's building for worship services and Bishop Michael Fedechko, Reformed Episcopal Church Diocese of Central and Eastern Canada. John Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien also attended. Ottawa Roman Catholic Archbishop Marcel Gervais sent his regrets.
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About the Author:
Deborah Gyapong's journalism career spans more than 20 years in
television, print and radio, including 12 years as a producer for the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television news and current affairs
programming. Deborah now covers religion and politics primarily for
Roman Catholic and Evangelical newspapers. Her Report is special to The
Messenger Journal.
