On Sunday, October 29th, Christ Church Cathedral hosted a special service of Evensong in thanksgiving for 150 years of ministry at Montreal Diocesan Theological College.
The service included the debut of a new hymn for the anniversary entitled “Ascend, O Friends, With Gladness” with text written by The Rev. Canon Giuseppe Gagliano, a member of the Dio Board and a priest in the Diocese of Quebec.
Many stayed for a reception, which included a historical display that explored the college’s history through a lens of ecumenism and mission, and drew attention to key events that shaped Dio into the college we know today.
Montreal Dio was founded in 1873 by Bishop Oxenden of Montreal. At the time, the college was run out of the library at Synod Hall and overseen almost entirely by The Rev. Joseph Lobley who was appointed the first principal of the college.
There have been many changes over the decades, including three different buildings, various models of field education, many ecumenical partnerships, and, of course, the ordination of women, as well as shifting perspective on mission and intercultural relationships, which have slowly transformed the college community.
During his words of commemoration, Principal Jesse Zink noted that “sometimes we look at this history and see the college moving in a direction of openness and generosity faster than the church itself. Other times, the college took steps that seemed to constrain possibility…. This evening therefore we commemorate 150 years of faithfulness, but also of flaws, 150 years of fortitude, but also of failings. It is right, therefore, that we place our focus not on the college itself but on the God whose faithfulness has sustained this work and sustains it to this day.”
The commemorative service of Evensong was a joyful occasion of giving thanks for the blessing of Dio, its legacy, its surrounding community, and its capacity for transformation and innovation by the grace of God. It is with faithfulness, hope, and excitement that we look ahead to the next 150 years.
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