Bishop's Weekend Filled with 'Great Gospel Experiences'

Reflecting on the first week in May 2024, Bishop Stephen London writes: "I had two great Gospel experiences this last week which helped me to reflect on the shared nature of our Christian ministry. 

"The first great Gospel experience was the revived Cursillo Weekend. I am a Cursillista, and I love the Cursillo movement. But our last weekend was in 2019, and we knew we had a long road ahead to rebuild the ministry and put on another weekend… 

"Putting on a weekend is a lot of work, but it came together. I loved the joint effort of everyone using their gifts, with some people even being challenged to exercise gifts they did not know they had. It was a communal effort that created and led to a beautiful, Holy Spirit-filled weekend. 

"The second great Gospel experience was the induction of the Rev. Lisa Wojna as the rector of the parish of St George in Devon (...

"In my homily, I pointed out that the entire service of induction is built around a beautiful vision of a shared ministry between the congregation and the priest for the sake of the Gospel. In the service, members of the congregation bring symbols of ministry to the priest and ask that they be a reminder of the calling they all share. And then the priest responds with several variations of the same request: join with me in the work of ministry."

Cursillo Photos by Janie Seguin Cursillo Weekend Lay Director and Secretariat Communications Chair: Bishop Stephen London opens the Cursillo Moonlight Service, on April 28, at St. Timothy’s, Edmonton; musicians the Rev. Barry Rose and Andrea Montgomery-Di Marco prepare for the Cursillo Weekend Opening Service, on May 3, in the main chapel at Star if the North Retreat Centre in St. Albert.

Participating in the induction service, on May 7, for Lisa Wojna as rector of St. George’s, Devon are from left: Bishop Stephen London; Mary Burridge, lay reader; Mary Brinklow, people’s warden; Lisa Wojna; Susan Ormsbee, interim priest-in-charge, St. Margaret’s, Edmonton; Danielle Key, rector, Holy Trinity, Edmonton; Rob Key, assistant priest, Holy Trinity, Edmonton.