• Those who are sick, suffering, or in need: Barry, the Johnstons, Don, Anne, Roger, Dorothy and family, Gail, Rhea, Madison, Jen, Megan, and Rebecca.
• Those who have died: Oliver, Jennifer and Meredith, and those who mourn: Travis, Val, Sheila, all family and friends.
• Those who continue to battle COVID-19 in Alberta, especially our health care workers, school staff, and the many in various situations now navigating the ending of provincial restrictions.
• Archbishop Sixbert and the Diocese of Buyé (Updated list of Twinned Parishes).  
• Our relations in Christ from Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 First Nations, from the Métis Nation of Alberta, and from the Métis Settlements in Alberta.
• Click here if you would like someone's name included in this prayer list. We will use first names only. Names are kept on the list for two weeks unless intentionally renewed.

In support of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, and for all people who long to live in peace, let us light a candle each night and place it in our window so the world can witness the peace and light of Christ. 
The Rev. Rebecca Harris, Holy Trinity Riverbend, Edmonton

A memorial service for Fr. Allan Bonertz who died February 18, 2022, will be held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037-84 Ave, Edmonton on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at 1:30 pm. Fr. Allan faithfully served in Strathmore, Boyle, Westlock, and Morinville. Prior to his death, he was an Honorary Assistant at Holy Trinity Old Strathcona. The in-person service will also be live-streamed on Holy Trinity's Facebook page. Inurnment of ashes with the family will be held at a later date in Pincher Creek. Please keep Marg and the Bonertz family in your prayers.

Members of the Buyé Mother's Union distributed medical care cards to people in Mwumba and Gatukuza parishes in the Buyé diocese. In 2021, $6,600 was raised by parishes and the Edmonton diocese through the annual $5 | 5 Ways Campaign. This money is used to purchase $5 medical care cards enabling vulnerable people to access the health care they otherwise would not be able to afford. Pictures submitted by Fr. Dominique Ciza, Buyé Diocesan Executive Secretary

On Sunday, February 27, St. Margaret's Anglican Church in Edmonton hosted a Zoom gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first service in their church building at the corner of Ellerslie Road and 127 Street. As with so many events over the past two years, it wasn’t the party they might have had if it had been less complicated to meet in person, but it was still an opportunity to see parish members, former members, and friends from over the years, and to give thanks for a church they love. As people joined the Zoom call, several called out, “Hey, I remember you! Remember me? Good to see you!” In the end, 33 Zoom ‘windows’ filled two screens.

The Remembering the Children diocesan weaving project began with a smudging of the loom by Fred Matthews, lay reader-in-charge of Church of the Nativity, Frog Lake. Fellow Indigenous ministries team member Fiona Brownlee, aboriginal and rural communities Liaison for the Edmonton diocese, welcomed loom keepers from several parishes and diocesan staff to Christ Church for ceremony. 

The March Messenger can be viewed as a PDF or a flipbook. Please send story ideas, opinions (Letter to Editor) and photo submissions relating to news and events of the Athabasca and Edmonton dioceses to anglicanmessenger@gmail.com. Submissions are accepted until the first of the month, one month prior to the publication date (for example, March 1 for the April issue). 

In an effort to support parishes as the province lifts its COVID restrictions, Bishop Stephen London has issued the following guidance. Please note, the phase-out will be contingent on case numbers and hospitalizations not rising in a dramatic fashion. 

"If the case numbers go in the direction that we hope," he said in an email to the clergy of the diocese, "then all restrictions on worship and church activities will be lifted by the end of March. During this time, we continue to ask that if you have symptoms of COVID, please stay home and join your community online for worship and prayer."

Over four Sundays in January and February, Bishop Steve provided a Zoom service option for the diocese, the sermons from which continue to be posted on the diocesan website as they come available. The Bishop addresses the questions: "What does it mean to be an Anglican in the 21st century?" and "Where does the Church go from here?" In the second of the series, the Bishop shares his own experience of coming to faith. Please take time to listen to our Bishop's messages.

St. Columba, Beaumont is watching the World Day of Prayer online this year from 7:00-8:30 pm, March 4. Everyone is welcome to join. The World Day of Prayer is a yearly ecumenical gathering for prayer and fellowship. This year's theme is I Know the Plans I Have for You (Jeremiah 29:1-14), written by the World Day of Prayer Committee of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

World Day of Prayer 2022 POSTER

Please email the Synod Office at churched@edmonton.anglican.ca if your parish is hosting a WDOP gathering that you would like to advertise.

St. Paul’s, Edmonton, is excited to announce our Tent Theology Lent program with Dr. Stephen Backhouse for Lent 2022! Our sessions will take place on Wednesdays during Lent 2022, at 7 pm, and will be hybrid sessions, live-streamed on the web simultaneously with in-person attendance. The stream can be available on our YouTube channel. See SCHEDULE

You are invited to join us in person at Holy Trinity, 10037 84 Ave, Edmonton, for our Lenten Concert Series. Every Tuesday in Lent, cocerts will begin at 12:00 noon and go until 12:50 PM. Free admission. Donations accepted

The Aquarius Guitar Duo of Jim Findlay and Andrea Lastiwka, will start the concert series off on March 8. For more info and full line-up, go to www.holytrinity.ab.ca.

You are invited to join us in person for the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037 84 Ave, Edmonton, Speaker Series on March 12, at 11:00 AM, in the Upper Hall. An ordained pastor who goes by his first name, Rob Key brings us a presentation on "The Things that Make for Peace: Adventures in Missing the Point".  Rob has lived and worked in several countries on three different continents, being involved in community development, education, and peace. He has also worked with youth and the disenfranchised in Edmonton. For further details on his personality, he recommends checking with Rev. Danielle! 

To streamline the process for completing parish returns (see attached checklist and schedule), we’ve converted some of the documents to Google forms which can be completed and submitted online. The links are also posted on the diocesan website. Please complete the forms as soon as possible after your parish AGM which needs to take place before the end of February. Thank you, this will be a tremendous help as we gear up for synod in October. 

Edmonton Cursillo would like to introduce you to the Weekly Challenge! This Challenge is a guide for keeping track of all we are going through and things we can do to help us, our friends and families better cope with the barrage of stuff happening in our world. Our physical, spiritual, emotional and mental health and wellness affect us in so many ways. The Challenge is a tool to make us mindful of what small changes could benefit our outcomes through the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a personal challenge. There are no winners or losers. For those of you doing the weekly/monthly challenge a Facebook group has been created and we would love you to join us.

Every Sunday in Lent, at 9:30 am, join your church family in exploring our faith together with themes from the film Encanto. We will gather on Zoom for a 15-minute activity and focus together. Email nick@trussell.ca for the Zoom link. There will also be opportunities for in-person gatherings at parishes throughout the diocese. Click below for weekly resources for your parish or at home.

This program, running Thursday evenings now until March 31, is for community elders, seniors and knowledge keepers to connect and learn about the drum from a traditional and multicultural view. Proof of vaccination is required to attend these in-person sessions. Contact Cynthia at programs@creatinghopesociety.ca for more information. 

"Team Anglican" continues to move steadily toward the 2022 goal of 120 donations of blood and/or plasma. Why not consider this simple yet important way of giving back, and join the team. Just Click here and enter our Partner ID: ANGL696986.  To donate blood, call: 1-888-236-6283 or visit Canadian Blood Services.

Back by popular demand… Virtual Marriage Encounter Weekend, May 13-15. For more info or to register, visit www.eame.ca 

"Our parents took the kids for the weekend so we could really focus on the sessions. It felt like the couples who presented were talking right to us in our living room. We could see the emotion on their faces and we related to many of their stories. What a powerful weekend for us.” 

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Registration is now open for Base Camp 2022, set to take place at Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park from July 3-8. Diocesan Camp Director, Dr. Mark Armstrong, is hopeful that Base Camp can go ahead after being postponed two years in a row because of the pandemic. For continued safe-guarding, all junior high aged teens who have had two COVID-19 vaccinations are invited to sign up to come and enjoy some summer fun.

This page lists online opportunities for worship, learning and virtual community provided weekly by parishes throughout the diocese.

In this time of continued uncertainty, the Church, the Body of Christ, remains a loving and connected community. we hope to do all we can to support each other, and the diocese grateful for any and all donations we receive. If you are able, please continue to support the ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton. You can make a secure online donation through the diocesan website.

The Rt. Rev. Ken Genge served as the 8th Bishop of the Diocese of Edmonton from 1988 to 1996. Many in the diocese who remember Bishop Ken will be interested to know that he has recently published an autobiography titled How We Got Here From There. As it is self-published, anyone who would like to purchase a copy ($32.00 plus shipping) can contact Bishop Ken directly at klrlg@telus.net. He is currently ordering a second printing.

ACC Archbishop Linda Nicholls and ELCiC National Bishop Susan Johnson have announced the postponement of Assembly 2022, originally scheduled to take place this July in Calgary. 

According to their statement, a new date for the Assembly will depend on the decisions of the Councils of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

"This decision has been a difficult one to make in light of our desire to worship and discern together at the close of the 20^th Anniversary year of the Waterloo Declaration. However, the level of anxiety regarding travel and personal risk tolerance made this the most appropriate decision in the midst of many uncertainties.

Who is eligible for funding through the Anglican Foudation of Canada "Say Yes! to Kids" campaign? Any parish in Canada with a vision for ministry and outreach to young people.  

When? Apply now and campaign alongside your peers nationwide from April 1 to June 30.  

Why? Raise the funds you need to bring your church’s vision for youth ministry to life.

Apply now for this paid internship. Participants will receive a stipend of $5000 for this nine-week program as they hone their leadership skills, working with a service organization in Montreal, and responding to some of the most pressing issues of our time. POSTER 

Healing the Healers is an internationally acclaimed workshop on spiritual suffering facilitated by the Sacred Art of Living Centre for Spiritual Formation. Drop-in Thursday, March 3 at 7:00 pm for an online conversation and an opportunity to interact with our presenters, get a sense of the program, and ask questions.

Discernment is a gift and an art by which we make both daily and major life-changing choices. Through prayer and practice we can better attune ourselves to the invitation and guidance of the Spirit. We can then not simply make more healthy decisions but find more grace-filled rhythms to live in relationship to others, ourselves, the world, and the Divine. This three-part workshop with Faith Nostbakken will offer ways to understand and enter more deeply into discernment as an intention, a process, and a way of life. Mondays: March 14, 21, and 28  from 7:00-9:00 pm. Cost: $85.00.

This Lent course, led by Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat, reminds us that when collapse threatened, our biblical ancestors told stories that kindled faithful love and visionary hope. Sessions will run on-line Sundays in Lent, March 6 to April 10, from 5:00-7:00pm and will be recorded for those who can't attend live. See POSTER for costs.

Once again, the Primate's World Development and Relief Fund is offering a series of Lenten reflections. This year's series begins on the first Sunday in Lent, March 6 and goes until Easter Eve, April 16, 2022.

Caring for others, responding to others, and coping with conflict and change on a continual basis is always part of the ministry of clergy. It can take its toll - especially in the context of a pandemic that has resulted in isolation, grief and loss, financial stress, and for some, despair. We believe that resilience arises and develops when self-awareness, self-care, and community and spiritual renewal are actively engaged. This 3-day workshop, to be held May 1-4, will provide a resilience development program with opportunity to reflect, interact with others, and to be seen, heard, and understood. The retreat is led by three skilled professionals: Marv Westwood, David Kuhl and Lin Langley. 

Is your family looking to get away this summer to a place where the sun shines, children play freely and adults find soulful nourishment with others who are also looking for meaningful experiences? Find a program for you and your family at Sorrento Centre. Click here to take a look at the variety of courses and leaders who bring rich and dynamic programming.   

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights is pleased to invite you to the 3rd National Social Stride Roundtable: "Experience in Media" on digital literacy. It will be held on Zoom Sunday, March 6, 12:00 PM MST. Founded in 2020 after the rise of social media activism on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook, Social Stride uses social media to address hate and discrimination by providing education, countering misinformation and amplifying the voices of victims. Come and hear journalists from across Canada share their experiences and perspectives on online hate in relation to reporting. Kindly pre-register via Eventbrite by clicking here and feel free to share this event with other individuals, community members, and organizations you think may be interested!  

The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is recruiting for a full-time, 12-month contract position for a Planned Giving and Major Gifts Senior Advisor. The location is flexible within Canada and involves remote work. PWRDF’s offices are located in Toronto. The starting salary is $70,000 and includes benefits.

PWRDF is an agency of the Anglican Church of Canada. It partners with agencies all around the world including here in Canada, with Dioceses, Indigenous-led organizations and First Nations, Metis and Inuit. We are looking for someone to fill this contract position with PWRDF. We are open and flexible for whoever fills this position to be based wherever it may be comfortable and productive.