Clergy Moves:

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that he has appointed The Rev. Brandon Witwer to be the new Incumbent for the Parish of All Saints, Cochrane as of March 8.  We ask for your prayers for Rev. Brandon as he transitions to this new role, and ask God to bless the parish as they journey together.

The Diocese Office is pleased to announce The Rev. Cmdr. (Ret). John Wilcox will be the Interim Priest for Christ Church, Calgary, beginning March 1, while the parish Search Committee considers a new Incumbent.  Please keep Rev. John and the parish in your prayers during this time of transition.

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that he has appointed The Rev. Willybert Galas as half-time Incumbent of St. Augustine, Calgary, beginning March 1.  Please keep Rev. Willy and the parish in your prayers as they move forward under his leadership.

Sabbatical:

Archbishop Greg will be on sabbatical from January 18 until April 16.  During this time away, he has appointed The Right Rev. Michael Hawkins as Commissary for Episcopal acts and representing Archbishop Greg at Diocesan committee meetings.  He has also delegated oversight of the Diocesan Office to The Rev. Deacon Charmaine Evans, our Executive Officer.

Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson along with the Diocesan Council has announced that the 80th Convention of Synod has been called for Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 2026, to be held at St. Peter Anglican Church, Okotoks.

Licensed Clergy and Lay Delegates to Synod must attend. Each parish needs to ensure that appropriate Lay Delegates have been elected at their Annual Meetings of Parishioners. These delegates must meet the criteria detailed in Canon 13.4c, and be willing to commit to the preparation for and attendance at Synod. Preparation includes the reading and being familiar with all materials sent out prior to Synod. Delegates, both Clergy and Lay, may be called upon to put their name forward for the following nominations:
- Provincial Synod (required: 3 Clergy, 2 Lay, 1 Youth)
- General Synod (required: 3 Clergy, 3 Lay, 1 Youth)
- Diocesan Council (required: 1 Clergy and 1 Lay from each of the 5 Deaneries)

This year’s Synod will be held over two days to allow for time to consider Missional, Financial, and Budget issues, and to avoid rushing the consideration of other issues. We are pleased to be celebrating this 80th Convention of Synod, and ask for ideas regarding how we can mark this occasion.

Please remember: Annual Returns must be in by Saturday, March 14th, 2026 in order for parishes to be permitted to send Synod delegates.

Any questions or concerns can be forwarded to The Rev. Deacon Charmaine Evans, Chair of the Synod Steering Committee and Executive Officer of the Diocese (officer@calgary.anglican.ca).

Clergy of our Diocese are asked to mark their calendars for two events that are being planned:

- Blessing of the Oils and Renewal of Ordination Vows will be held, God willing, at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary on Tuesday, March 31.   Our Assistant Bishop, The Right Rev. Michael Hawkins will be officiating.  Clergy are asked to robe; color will be RED.

- the annual Clergy Conference will be held, God willing, at Waterton Lakes Lodge from Monday, May 4 to Thursday, May 7.  Registration for this event will soon be forthcoming.

Please note that according to our Canons, Annual Meetings of Parishioners must be held prior to February 28, and the Annual Return forms must be in by March 14.

January 18 to April 16 - On Sabbatical

Please hold Archbishop Greg in your prayers as he takes this time away for rest and refreshment.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of The Rev. Eric Haffenden on February 4, 2026.

Please pray for his wife Amelia, and daughters Jennifer and Angela, for our Lord’s peace, comfort and strength.

In the 60s, Eric ministered to the parishes of St. Patrick, Delia, St. Paul, Byemoor and Holy Trinity, Pine Lake.  From 1971 to 1974, he served at All Saints, Calgary.  He began his ministry at St. Barnabas, Calgary in 1982 as an Honorary Assistant, then was Priest-in-Charge at St. Clement, Balzac from 1997 to 2009 and was Regional Dean of Palliser from 2002 to 2006, before retiring and returning to St. Barnabas as Honorary Assistant.

May he rest in peace and rise in Glory.

The Diocese Office has learned of the death of The Rev. Edward "Ed" Kostyk, who served in the Diocese of Calgary from 1989 to 1996, at the parishes of St. John, Claresholm; Christ Church, Nanton; and Emmanuel, Carmangay, and passed away in December.  We ask for prayers for his family at this sad time.

The Ministry Development team offers time for lay ministers from around the diocese (new and locally ordained too!)  to gather each week to discuss and reflect upon the readings for the week in preparation for preaching. Academic resources (commentaries, etc) will be made available for participants, and it will be a great opportunity to share ideas and resources for lay ministers who are preaching in their local services.  

Time: Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Location: on Zoom

Please contact Br. Jason Carroll to sign up or for more information. 

The Ministry Development team offers time for lay ministers from around the diocese to gather once a month for discussion and conversation around the opportunities, challenges and needs of lay ministry. It is also a great opportunity to create connections and fellowship with other lay ministers in the diocese. 

In the third week of each month, we will be producing a podcast with a different guest and topic for discussion. The Round Table will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month on Zoom in the afternoons, where the podcast and any other issues are on the table for discussion!

Please contact Br. Jason Carroll for more information (jcarroll@calgary.anglican.ca)

Along the road from Palm Sunday to the cross, Jesus told stories - riddles that revealed the heart of God's kingdom. Will Willimon invites us to walk that road again, listening to Jesus's most memorable parables as we journey toward the Upper Room. Through stories of reckless sowers, searching shepherds, prodigal fathers, and open invitations, we discover a God who refuses to take no for an answer.

This six-week Lenten study explores the parables Jesus told on his way to the Last Supper, where the Host becomes the meal and God's relentless love transforms betrayers into beloved.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Mike. (Your email is required to participate online or you can attend in-person at St. Martin's Church, 1009 Prominence Way SW.)  The book, "The Last Supper: Conversations That Led to the Cross"  by Will Willimon can be found on Amazon and Indigo. Speak to the St. Martin's office (403-249-3014) if you need help ordering!

At St. John's, Olds we will be looking at this book in Lent. The book is a defense of ordinary morality. It advocates a life of putting down roots, creating a good home, and living in solitude. It is okay to mind your own business, it argues, because a peaceful life full of commitments to people, place, and purpose is generous and noble.

This advice might be challenging (or a blessing) in our uprooted time. A time that seems to take inspiration from political revolutionary philosophies, radical liberationist movements, and phrenetic activism. The book does not go into the wider socio-cultural forces or expand on the affective disorders that appear to be driving it. Instead, it begins with the trope of Commencement Speech Morality. 

This morality instructs graduates to do something great, ambitious, and far-reaching. They need to question authority, disrupt the status quo, and save the world. The authors argue this ideology tends to generate characters that overstep normal personal boundaries. It promotes hectoring moralizers, presumptive busybodies, and high-minded on-lookers. The kind of characters that one says (or might really want to say, if they could bring themselves to it), "mind your own business".

We will be discussing the first four chapters together on March 1, then focussing on chapters 5, 6, and 7 on March 15, 29, and April 12 respectively. All are welcome. Discussions take place after the service and coffee hour.

For more information, please contact The Rev. Robert Sears.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact James Lawton.

February 28, 2026 starting at 8:30 am.

Please send a request for the Zoom Link here.

The 40 days of Lent symbolize the 40 days in the wilderness by Jesus. Spending time in the wilderness often coincides with a period of fasting but what if we need to fast from other things than food? Maybe our soul needs a different kind of fast. Maybe it needs a fast from the need to be strong or to be busy or to be right? This quiet day retreat will invite us to hold a different kind of fast during this season of Lent. 

For more information, please contact the Cathedral office.

The WOMEN IN NEED Initiative: In some societies, women and girls face discrimination and violence every day simply because of their gender. An ordinary task like collecting water or going to the toilet can put them at risk of rape or abuse. In times of displacement, this problem escalates.

Women and girls make up around 50% of any refugee, internally displaced, or stateless population, and those who are unaccompanied, pregnant, heads of households, disabled or elderly are especially vulnerable.  (Taken from the UNHCR website.)

The Women in Need program is a new initiative developed by the Anglican Diocese of Calgary Refugee Committee for the sponsorship of women refugees and their children who are victims of torture, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, discrimination due to their gender, or other violations of their human rights.

The Refugee Committee is accepting donations from individuals and parish groups to help fund sponsorships for vulnerable women and children. Please consider donating to assist these very worthwhile cases through the WIN Project.  For more information, contact refugee@calgary.anglican.ca

You can donate by:

• Cheque - Make the cheque to “The Synod of the Diocese of Calgary” and note “Refugee Sponsorship Group - WIN project” in the MEMO Please mail to the Synod Office. Tax receipts are available.
• Canada Helps - Click the Donate button on the Diocesan Website and select “Refugee Ministry” from the drop down menu.  Please specify the donation is for WOMEN IN NEED Project.

KITCHEN GARDENS IN KENYA BECAUSE OF YOU

You are not just helping out, but equipping change and building futures. 
The latest Alongside Hope report on their website describes the difference that kitchen gardens make. Alongside Hope does provide emergency food relief but the support does not end there. Training in local small farming practices lessens the dependence on emergency intervention and allows families to create food security for themselves and the community. Further to that, it can generate income which facilitates long term sustainability.

In this Lenten season, the notion of almsgiving is highlighted.  If this is how you are exercising your Lenten activity, please consider donating to Alongside Hope where your dollar is making a difference every day. Just a reminder, Alongside Hope is our unique Canadian Anglican charity and the  people and projects it undertakes appreciates your support and prayers. 

Thank you for checking out Alongside Hope. 

Lois Reid, Diocesan Rep

Parish Reps for Alongside Hope do important work.  They keep their congregations up-to-date on the important work of our Anglican Charity. There are many projects underway: emergency food relief, training in small farming practices, training in how to run a small business, water capture, solar energy the size of a suitcase for remote hospitals, purchase of livestock for food security and income generation, and on and on.  Many Parish Reps hold an annual fundraiser for Alongside Hope.  Many congregations enjoy keeping track of how many goats they can purchase from the Christmas World of Gifts campaign or collect donations for our Alongside Hope partner, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. This is not always an easy task and it is my job to support them.

In that light, we are hosting an informational and inspirational conference for ALL Alongside Hope Representatives. In the interest of pooling resources and generating enthusiasm, all the three dioceses of Alberta will be hosting this conference.   People from the Diocese of Athabasca, the Diocese of Edmonton as well as the Diocese of Calgary are invited to attend.

May 22-24, 2026.(The weekend after the long weekend.)  Most expenses will be covered and carpooling will be provided.

Not a Parish Rep?  That’s OK, you are still invited.  Any person interested in the work of Alongside Hope is encouraged to apply.

For more information or questions, please email Lois Reid, Diocesan Rep.

Members of the Diocese of Calgary are invited to join Rev. Dr. Rupen Das, the President of the Canadian Bible Society for an informal breakfast on Saturday, March 7 at 9:00 am at O-E-B Breakfast Co., 222 5 Ave SW, Calgary.

RSVP by email to jbirch@biblesociety.ca or call/text (647) 525-4891.

CBS is thankful for the many ways that we partner with the parishes and the Diocese, including in helping the Blackfoot Confederacy with their Bible translation project.

This is our 36th annual gathering and our theme is “Finding Comfort in the Valley” {based on Psalm 23}, with the Rev. Elizabeth Short.

The weekend is a nurturing and renewing time for women from a variety of Christian communities.

The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 Say Yes! to Kids (SYTK) campaign, the Foundation's national fundraising initiative supporting children and youth-focused ministry across the Anglican Church of Canada.

Parishes, dioceses and Anglican-affiliated organizations can register by April 1, here.

SYTK equips local ministry partners with fundraising tools, matching incentives and communications support to help strengthen programs that serve children, youth and young people in their own communities.   Campaign teams will fundraise locally in the spring, with Say Yes! to Kids Sunday taking place on Sunday, June 14.

To support teams who are new to the campaign - or those who would like to learn more before registering - AFC will host a series of Say Yes! to Kids Info Sessions via Zoom on Wednesdays in February at Noon EST (10:00 am MST).  Participants can register for a Zoom Info Session here.

For questions or more information, please contact Michelle Hauser.

Please remember in your prayers:

- for peace within our country, and in the world, for victims of violence, war, hatred and natural disasters, and for areas of unrest and riots.  We ask for wise discernment in our leaders; 

- for the Anglican Communion, and our new Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. Sarah Mullally;

- for the work of the General Synod, and for our Primate, The Most Rev. Shane Parker;

- for our Companion Diocese of the Windward Islands;

- for those who are sick, suffering, isolated or in need.  We ask for prayers for Barbara, Maureen, Karen, Ruth and James, Kate, Rosemary, Patricia, Rob, Gloria, Joan, James, Doug, Beth, Janis, Faten, John, John and Lucille, and Ronalynn;

- for those who have died and those who mourn, remembering the family of The Rev. Eric Haffenden, and the families of the victims of Tumbler Ridge;

- for the poor, the homeless, and the needy in our communities;

- for our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and their leaders in our diocese and country; 

- for refugees, remembering those fleeing regimes around the world.

Request a prayer:

Send prayer requests to ctubman@calgary.anglican.ca to let us know how we can pray for you.  We will only use first names which will be removed after two or three weeks.  We will also pray for you during our regular Chapel services each week.  Please ensure that you have permission from those whose names you are submitting for prayer, and that they understand their name will be made public to all who subscribe to the Newsletter.

We are interested in what is happening in your parish and would love to highlight those events and news in our newsfeed.

We look forward to your contributions - feel free to forward your event announcements, your parish news, your stories.  Send in your details and pictures to ctubman@calgary.anglican.ca.

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