Bishop Jane a Candidate for Next Primate

The Right Reverend Jane Alexander, Tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Edmonton, is one of five bishops nominated as the next Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Also nominated by the Canadian House of Bishops, which met in Niagara Falls, ON from March 25 to 29, are: the Most Reverend Ron Cutler of the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada; the Most Reverend Gregory Kerr-Wilson of the diocese of Calgary and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land; the Right Reverend Linda Nicholls of the diocese of Huron; and the Right Reverend Michael Oulton of the diocese of Ontario.

In “A Call to Prayer” posted on www.anglican.ca, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, who was elected the 13th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada in 2007 and will resign on July 16, asked for prayers for the nominees, for their families, and for their diocesan families, as well as for the nature of primatial ministry: “It is, as we all know, one of huge responsibility in:

• leading our Church in God’s mission in these times;
• visiting all of our dioceses and territories;
• pastorally caring for our bishops and nurturing them for their apostolic leadership;
• working in a particularly close relationship with the National Indigenous Bishop, with respect to the emerging of the self-determining Indigenous Church;
• representing our Church throughout the Anglican Communion;
• strengthening our relations with other Churches, particularly in Canada;
• writing and speaking prophetically to the issues of our times;
• forging relationships with people of other faith traditions and all people of good will dedicated to the building of a truly just, healthy and peaceful world."

The primatial election will be held during the meeting of General Synod (the national governing and legislative body of the Anglican Church of Canada), in Vancouver this July. The Primate will be elected by clergy and lay members of the General Synod at Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, BC on Saturday, July 13. Bishops do not vote in the primatial election.

The new Primate will be officially installed in office the evening of July 16.

You can read more on this story in the Anglican Journal or at Anglican.ca.

Pictured above, from left: Archbishop Ron Cutler, Bishop Michael Oulton, Bishop Jane Alexander, current Primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Bishop Linda Nicholls, and Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson at the meeting of the House of Bishops March 27. Photo: General Synod Communications