Introducing the candidates for Coadjutor Bishop

James Pratt — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:42:20 +0000

The Search Committee was elected by Diocesan Council in May and began its work in June. Using information compiled from the World Café exercise at Synod, and consultations with and written submissions from clergy and laity across the diocese, we compiled a Profile of the Diocese. The Profile is posted on the diocesan website (www.montreal.anglican.ca/electoralsynod), and I encourage you to read it, even though it is quite long, as it gives context for the questions we ask the candidates in the interviews.
We began receiving nominations December 1, and then began compiling the materials to aid Synod members in their process of discernment. You will find these materials on our diocesan website (www.montreal.anglican.ca/electoralsynod), including; their nomination form, their letter of application, in which they were instructed specifically to respond to the Profile, their curriculum vitae, their written responses to five questions which we asked of all candidates, and a video interview.
The Search Committee does not endorse or recommend any candidate. Those who appear on the ballot have met the canonical requirements, are priests in good standing, and have the necessary police background checks. We have not weighed other qualifications.
We strongly encourage all members of the Diocese, not just the Delegates who will be voting at Synod, to take time to review all the materials, and especially to watch the videos. The candidates all have different gifts, different strengths, and different styles of leadership. Ask yourselves, and ask one another: who has the gifts and strengths to serve and lead the diocese over the next five to ten years? Who is God calling to be our shepherd?
The election of a bishop is a sacred trust, requiring careful discernment in light of scripture, tradition, and the needs of the diocese. The Search Committee invites all members of the Diocese to engage deeply with the Profile as a guide for discernment, and to seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

The post Introducing the candidates for Coadjutor Bishop appeared first on Montreal Anglican.

A Garden Grows in Montreal West

James Pratt — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:12:41 +0000

In August 2019, St Philip’s Church – along with the NDG group Incredible Edibles and a group of students at Concordia – launched a community garden. In 2020, we broke ground on a project to transform the land into a permaculture food forest.
This year, expansion continues. In May, despite rising lumber prices, we constructed two more raised beds, bringing our total to six. Volunteers planted lettuce, kale, mustard greens, various herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, zucchini, and radishes. We continue to experiment with what grows best in which location. About a dozen volunteers, both parishioners and neighbours, tend the garden, water, weed, and plant; we also have a few volunteers who pick some of the produce and deliver it to seniors. As socializing is otherwise restricted, it has been an excellent opportunity for small groups to get together and have face-to-face contact while working. Likewise, when working in the garden, there is an opportunity to interact with the many people who come through in the course of a day, some just passing by, others very interested in what is growing. We encourage visitors to sample the strawberries, take some lettuce or beans, or whatever is ripe for harvesting, for their supper. We also educate them about the plants and about gardening in general.
In the spring, I was spreading mulch between the plants, and a neighbour passing through asked about what I was doing. I took a break to show him how dry the soil was, and to explain how the mulch will help trap moisture in the soil, so that we don’t have to water it as frequently, thereby conserving water. That led to a discussion of how the flowers there will help attract bees and beneficial insects, which will also pollinate the squash, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, and fruit trees. From there, I could explain how the whole project is part of how we “strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain, and renew the life of the Earth”, as our Baptismal Covenant urges.
That care for creation includes our furry and feathered friends. Last summer, during a long dry spell, squirrels chewed off the tops of our plum and mulberry trees, in order to get moisture from the sap. This year, we have put out dishes of water around the garden, for them to drink. So far, they have left the trees alone. But they did feast on the sunflowers that we planted, before they even had a chance to bloom. We may need to allocate some plantings for the squirrels, just as we have for the birds: a mountain ash tree will in a few years’ time provide berries that last into winter, and (we hope) keep the birds away from the fruit trees.
For next year, expansion plans include an “herb spiral”, a mound with a spiral arrangement of rocks supporting a variety of perennial and annual herbs, and a few more fruit trees.

The post A Garden Grows in Montreal West appeared first on Montreal Anglican.

James Pratt, Author at Montreal Anglican

Introducing the candidates for Coadjutor Bishop

A Garden Grows in Montreal West