Church Communicators Meet in SK to Discuss Future of Anglican Media

Communicators from several dioceses across Canada met online and in person at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Saskatoon last week for the 2025 Anglican Editors’ Association (AEA) Conference. The AEA is comprised of members from 19 diocesan and two Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) publications.

The annual conference (offered both remotely and in person since the COVID pandemic) is an opportunity for editors and graphic designers to share ideas for enhancing their publications' layout and content and, most importantly, for collegial support.

Jayne Foster, manager of the digital newsroom Sasktoday.ca, provided a critique of every publication, while Sara Krahn, former Rupert’s Land News Editor and current creative writing instructor at the University of Saskatchewan, led a session on writing for brevity, which, incidentally, is more difficult than one might think.

According to Henrieta Paukov, ACC Communications Director, and Tali Falkins, Anglican Journal (AJ) Editor, as per a decision this spring by the Council of General Synod (CoGS), the AJ will continue to be distributed by General Synod in print and online for the next three years.

This is good news for diocesan papers, which are "beloved," said Paukov, as they are mailed as a section of the AJ and, as such, realize substantial savings for printing and mailing costs. She has also been mandated by CoGS to review national church communications and to discern the AJ's merit as a "journalistic enterprise,” for discussion by CoGS in November.

She also noted that the Primate's Commission report, Pathways, will be presented to General Synod in June. Established by former Primate Archbishop Linda Nicholls, the commission was a series of seven statements designed to spark discussion and explore potential structural challenges within the church, including discontinuing funding for the Anglican Journal as an independent journalistic entity.

The Anglican News Canada digital platform, anglicannews.ca, developed by the web manager of the ACC in collaboration with editors and offered free of charge by the national church, is continually being enhanced. Brian Bukowski said that, along with the AJ, 11 dioceses now publish to anglicannews.ca, with several more ready to join. One of the new features will enable sharing content across the platform.

Despite being able to receive Anglican news online, people still prefer to read in print. Alicia Brown, ACC Circulations Manager, reported that papers are valued especially by Anglicans in Indigenous and remote communities where digital access is limited. As of this June, The Messenger, covering the dioceses of Athabasca and Edmonton, has more than 1,000 subscribers. As well, the Synod Office and Cathedral receive bundles of the diocesan papers for public consumption.

Though diocesan publications primarily focus on local news and events, editors also work with Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF) and the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) to share stories about grants and fundraising initiatives that promote healthy communities and the common good.

Janice Biehn, Alongside Hope Communications Director, spoke about the agency’s multi-year process to change its name from the Primate’s World Relief and Development (PWRDF). She also spoke about a  Resiliency Fund established by Alongside Hope to aid communities affected by the US government's discontinuation of USAID. Biehn highlighted the upcoming Wild Ride fundraising campaign, which aims to raise funds for a partnership with Village Health Works in Burundi to help communities produce a peanut butter porridge for malnourished babies and children. Teams can also join the Wild Ride to contribute to the expansion of a solar suitcase initiative for mothers and babies. The solar suitcases are a source of light for doctors delivering babies where electricity is unreliable.

Michelle Hauser, Anglican Foundation Communications and Fundraising Coordinator, said the Say Yes! to Kids fundraising initiative is a way for people to support programs for children and youth. This year, Say Yes! to Kids teams in the Edmonton diocese are raising money for a library at Good Shepherd, Edmonton, and the Diocesan Children’s Choir, which is an opportunity for developing choristers from several parishes to participate at no cost to their families. Hauser also provided info about a toolkit being developed by the AFC that parishes can use to promote legacy giving.

At the conference banquet, the Rev. Laura Marie Piotrowicz shared her work with other Anglicans and ecumenical partners on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is dedicated to gender equality and empowering women. The annual commission met in March 2025, a “scary time” to be a woman in New York City.

For those able to participate in person, the AEA Conference is also an opportunity to experience the culture of the host diocese and meet and worship with its members. Together, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Qu’Appelle dioceses publish the Saskatchewan Anglican. The Rev. Peter Coolen, Associate Editor, organized the conference with members of the AEA Executive and led a eucharist service, officiated by Bishop Rodney Andrews, in the Lady Chapel of St. John’s Cathedral. A beautiful brick and terracotta building built between 1912 and 1917 on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River, the cathedral was filled with a butterfly installation in preparation for a special performance by the Saskatchewan Symphony Orchestra. The Columbarium, built beneath the cathedral in the 1990s, has won several provincial architectural awards.

The 2026 AEA Conference will be hosted by Leigh Anne Williams, Crosstalk Editor, in the Diocese of Ottawa.

Pictured from left, front row: Qu’Appelle Bishop Helen Kennedy, Canon Marie-Louise Ternier (Diocese of Saskatoon), Robert Parker (Mustard Seed), George Cribbs (Northland), Jacqueline Tingle (Under the Sun), Jason Antonio (Sasktchewan Anglican), Margaret Glidden (The Messenger), Peter Coolen (Saskatchewan Anglican). Middle row: Gisele McKnight (New Brunswick Anglican), Leigh Anne Williams (Crosstalk), Alicia Brown (ACC Comms), Back row: Janice Biehn (Under the Sun), Mary Brown (Saskatchewan Anglican), Carson W. (tech support), Stuart Mann (Toronto Anglican), Emily Rowe (Anglican Life).