Welcome to St. John the Divine Church celebrating our 100th year!
William’s Report from Clergy Conference and time with now retiring Bishop Michael Ingham.
Click here to see and read full report of six important events you should know about and six ways in which St John’s is responding.
Have you ever heard of Molly Brandt – or by her Mohawk name Konwatsijayenni. ? We celebrated her feast day April 17 at the recent conference of clergy from New West and Diocese of Olympia at a retreat centre east of Seattle. Our retiring Bishop Michael Ingham was anything but retiring in his homily on the witness and impact of Molly Brandt’s life for us today.
She was an important presence among the Iroquois Confederacy during the time of the American Revolution. But as a Mohawk surrounded by British forces she was baptized and raised as an Anglican and married one of the top British officials with whom she had nine children. At her death in 1796 apparently the streets of Kingston Ontario were lined with mourners from all sides and from the British, American and First Nations communities. The Cathedral in Kingston to this day honours her. She was a woman who I describe as a “Crossing Boundaries Person”
And how relevant she is to us in Squamish British Columbia. Here we are on the tradition territory of the Squamish Nation who have lived here for millenia, with British and Anglican settlers founding St JOhn’s 100 years ago, now with members, visitors, user groups and special events that engage us with American, European and increasingly Asian and interfaith communities. We are learning to practise the ministry of crossing boundaries – often so artificially and rigidly set.
The Gospel reading from John this Sunday has Jesus saying “by this will others know you are my disciples if you have love for one another” not just an affinity with those you get along with. To me Molly Brandt deeply understood Jesus words and became a crossing boundaries person.
And as we give witness to such love here at St John’s Squamish, we have work to do as we begin our next 100 years. Join us on this journey and let us learn together the discipleship of empathy, understanding, and faith.
William Roberts
Priest- In- Charge
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St. John’s Divine is a parish of the Diocese of New Westminster in Vancouver, BC.
