As a young person who has been active in the Anglican church my entire life, I am often met with confusion (“young people don’t like church!”), fear (“the church is dying!”), and curiosity (“how do we get more young people in the pews?”). These concerns have been a part of church discourse for decades. Rather than inspiring action, I have observed how these well-meaning statements tend to create a sense of helplessness, and a lack of motivation to rise to the challenge. Yet, there is hope.
Since 2017, I have been a member of what is now known as St. Martha’s Chapel, one of the largest young adult ministries in Canada that is affiliated with the Anglican Church, and one of the fastest growing ministries in the diocese of Montreal.
St. Martha’s is an ecumenical chaplaincy for university students and young professionals that is affiliated with the Anglican and United Churches, and the Disciples of Christ.
Before the pandemic, we regularly had up to 70 people at our evening worship service hosted bi-weekly at Christ Church Cathedral. We now have around 30 as we rebuild, with new people attending each month.
St. Martha’s also has a weekly Bible study, annual retreats, and provides free pastoral care to young people regardless of their faith or participation in our group. St. Martha’s as it now exists represents a confluence of previous ministries from decades ago, including St. Martha’s of the Basement at Montreal Dio, and the McGill Ecumenical Chaplaincy, as well as century-old student ministries at both Christ Church Cathedral and St. James United.
The current form, under the name St. Martha’s Chapel, began in 2020, is deliberately bilingual and open to all young adults regardless of university affiliation. The Rev. Jean-Daniel O’Donncada has been chaplain since 2014, and before him The Rev. Gwenda Wells was chaplain for over twenty years.
While those of us in our 20s and early 30s are coming of age in an era of declining religious affiliation and increasing cynicism toward institutionalized power, we are still drawn to community and the truth of God’s forgiveness and eternal love. The heart of the Christian faith is alive and well in many young people, but there is a desire to re-imagine how that faith gets expressed. St. Martha’s is a malleable space that allows us to explore how we might bring about the kind of transformation that will keep the Gospel message alive as the institution of the church as we know it continues to decline. There is an openness to the structure of St. Martha’s that makes it an easy access point for young people who are curious about the Christian faith.
As a community, we prioritize education, often explaining why we engage in certain rituals during our services and drawing on our collective knowledge for rich debate and conversation during Bible study. Every week I am met with new perspectives that expose God’s presence in unexpected places.
As a ministry that caters largely to university students, many of whom are not from Montreal and will go on to other places once they graduate, one of St. Martha’s key strengths is building discipleship for the wider church. The fruits of discipleship begin in Montreal. Many members are actively involved in other parishes, often leading children’s ministry, music, volunteering to help at coffee hour or to serve at the altar. Some even go on to seminary, discerning a call to ministry during there time at St. Martha’s.
I have also witnessed how this ministry builds discipleship through affirming LGBTQ+ people and celebrating their identities. Young people, spiritually and emotionally damaged by their treatment in previous Christian communities give St. Martha’s a chance and find that there is a place for them in God’s Church. If this is the experience people are having of Church and of God’s presence in their lives while they are in Montreal for a time, no doubt, they will go out into the world prepared to spread that light to others and plant the seeds of God’s kingdom.
There will always be people looking for spaces and communities that ask the big questions. When young people are reaching into the unknowable, toward God, and they stumble across St. Martha’s, they have found a community that embodies God’s purest love. It is a place that gives people the tools to grow, to think outside the box, and to spread God’s love deeper and wider than we can ask or imagine.
St. Martha’s is currently in a time of transition as we continue to build back our ministry post-pandemic. In addition, The Rev. Jean-Daniel is beginning a new full-time ministry position so, we are preparing to search for a new director.
We ask for your prayers and financial contributions as you are able. You can donate at the following link by selecting “St. Martha’s Chapel” in the dropdown: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-anglican-diocese-of-montreal/
