• Those who are sick, suffering or in need: Judy, Gerry, Linda, Rhea, Erin, Paul, Gail, Bill R, Bill, Eddie, Sheila and Meredith.
• Those who are struggling with physical or mental illness due to COVID-19; for "bending the curve" and bringing down the high number of cases in Alberta's third wave; for all who are doing their best to serve others in this time.
• Those who have died and those who mourn.
• Archbishop Sixbert and the Diocese of Buyé (Twinned Parishes).  
• Our brothers and sisters 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 light of news that the remains of an estimated 215 children have been found on the grounds of a former residential school in BC, we share this prayer, offered by the Most Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, on September 30, 2019, at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony honouring all children who did not return home from the Residential Schools:

Prayer for the Children Who Didn’t Return Home

Almighty God, we remember before you all of the children
– our dear relatives –
who did not return home from the Residential Schools.  
May you remember their suffering and pain.  
May you grant them rest in the Land of Peace.  
May you surround them with beautiful and sacred love and joy.  
We pray to you also for ourselves and our children.  
At a time like this we remember we need your Spirit so very much.  
We pray to you, your Spirit prays through us, in the Name of Jesus,
who suffered with us but raised us and will raise us with our departed loved ones.  Amen.

This is a very important week in the electoral process! As of Friday, June 5, the Diocesan Search Committee must present to the Diocesan Administrator, the Very Rev. Alex Meek, all the information it has gathered about the people who are letting their names stand as nominees for the position of the 11th Bishop of Edmonton.

Although she hopes to do it sooner, Meek then has until June 12 to share this information with synod delegates, having made sure it is all in order. The information will also be available on the diocesan website. So stay tuned and keep praying!

On May 28, Diocesan Administrator, the Very Rev. Alex Meek, updated clergy regarding re-opening plans for parishes this summer, based on plans announced by Premier Jason Kenney earlier in the week.  

“As we follow the restrictions in place from the provincial government,” Meek said, “parishes may be open for in-person worship as the stages allow.” 

The parish of St. Peter's, Edmonton hosted a special guest at a Surprised by the Spirit conversation held on Zoom Tuesday afternoon. Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), joined the session, in which participants shared their experience of being church through the pandemic.  

St. Peter’s rector the Rev. Heather Liddell and vocational deacon the Rev. Alison Ward-Westervelt both led the discussion using an outline provided by the ACC. The outline includes an opening and closing liturgy and a series of thought-provoking questions, encouraging parishes to think deeply about the issues raised over the past 15 months.

Join St. Thomas', Sherwood Park, and St. Columba, Beaumont on Wednesday, June 2, from 7:00-8:30 pm, for a local Surprised by the Spirit conversation on Zoom. This initiative from the Anglican Church of Canada is designed to gather small groups and congregations to reflect and pray on our experience of the pandemic. In the face of the disruptions of the past two years, prayerful conversations like this are an important way to emerge from COVID-19 as a resilient and hope-filled community of faith.

Edmonton Cursillo held our fourth Zoom Ultreya on Friday, May 21. We had 18 Zoom windows with 24 people attending, which was amazing considering it was a long weekend. Our Lay Director David Holehouse commented, “I thought that was one of the best Ultreyas ever - great flow, good attendance, lovely prayers and community support for one another.”  

The Rev. Sandra Arbeau shared an awesome witness talk which led to a lot of reflection in the breakout rooms, as well when we were all back together. It was a great night with great prayers and an abundance of love. See you all at our next Ultreya – June 18, 2020. Submitted by Janie Séguin, Cursillo Communications 

It’s no secret….we are heading into our second Pandemic Summer. As a result, many of us will be planning adventures closer to home. What better time to pack up the family vehicle and hit the open road for a day trip to communities around the Edmonton diocese.

We are blessed with an abundance of rural communities and parishes in the diocese. This week, whether you are a birder, camper, paddler, walker, or all of the above, you'll want to be sure to visit the historic and picturesque communities of Vermilion and Camrose. Take a selfie next to St. Saviour's and St. Andrew's Anglican churches and share them with @countryroadsyeg on FB and Instagram.

**Please Note: When you visit communities in the Diocese you are asked to follow the guidelines mandated in Alberta.  Stay 6ft apart. Wear a mask. Stay home if you are sick.

The Rural Ministry Initiative presents a Virtual Rural Ministry Gathering with Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, on Saturday, June 5, from 10 am to 12 pm. Please email Canon Chelsy Bouwman (chelsy.bouwman@gmail.com) for the Zoom Link. All are welcome! Note: a link to the presentation recording will be posted on the diocesan website for those who are unable to attend.

Registration for Education for Ministry is now open. The program gives lay people a basic grounding in the main theological subjects. It runs September through May, with registration due by July 15. For detailed information on the program, go to the EfM Canada website at www.efmcanada.ca. Interested people are asked to email the Synod Office (churched@edmonton.anglican.ca) for diocesan information. BROCHURE

Synod Office staff are working from home in compliance with current public health guidance in Alberta. The best way to get the help you need is by email. 

General office questions and communications
(Synod Scene, The Messenger):
Margaret Glidden churched@edmonton.anglican.ca
Shelly King at reception@edmonton.anglican.ca

Questions regarding finances and giving:
John Gee at treasurer@edmonton.anglican.ca

Questions to the attention of the Diocesan Administrator:
Jennifer Wirun at assistant@edmonton.anglican.ca

We have discovered that some of the document links on the diocesan website have been broken. We apologise for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work with our technical support team to resolve this issue.

Contacts: 
*The Ven. Travis Enright, Archdeacon for Indigenous Ministry: rector@stfaithsanglican.org / 780-477-5931
*Fiona Brownlee, Aboriginal and Rural Communities Liaison: f.brownlee@edmonton.anglican.ca / 780-312-9070
*The Rev. Lori Calkins, Priest: loriinkster@gmail.com 

Please see the Indigenous Ministries section of the diocesan website for leaflets, web links and other resources to help you pray and take action for reconciliation. See also the Anglican Church of Canada Reconciliation Toolkit.

This June, Indigenous History Month, the Social Justice Committee of the Edmonton diocese invites you, or a group in your parish or neighbourhood, to reflect on the book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, by Bob Joseph. Many parishes are planning special prayers for June 20 or 21, National Indigenous Day of Prayer, Visit the Social Justice page of the diocesan website for resources for prayer, information and action.

During the springtime we remember how excited we were as children for the school year to be nearly finished. For thousands of Indigenous children who attended Residential School the end of the school year meant they could finally go home to their families. We now know what happened to those children was not good for them or their families, We now know that thousands of children died while at school. 

The Indigenous Ministries Team invites families in our diocese to make hearts honouring the Indigenous children who went ot Residential School. We have attached a "Have a Heart" activity sheet from the “Messy Church Reconciliation at Home” resource. If you would like, share a picture of your heart being made and/or planted around your parish's chokecherry tree. Pictures, as well as questions, can be emailed to Fiona Brownlee at f.brownlee@edmonton.anglican.ca 

Fr. Michael Lapsley, honorary canon for reconciliation and healing for the Edmonton diocese and founder of the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM) in Cape Town, South Africa, has visited our diocese on a number of occasions, most recently for a workshop and training event in the fall of 2019. Five facilitators from the Edmonton diocese make up the Healing of Memories (Edmonton) network member group and are focussing their efforts primarily on the long-term effects of the residential school system.

“In early 2020, we were looking forward to a workshop that May with an inner-city ministry,” writes the Rev. Stephanie London in the IHOM 2020 Annual Report. “We were also working to build partnerships with several organizations involved in healing and reconciliation with Indigenous people. This relates to colonial projects that destroyed language and culture, separated children from their families, and often exposed them to abuse. Unfortunately, circumstances paused our progress. The pandemic prevented the workshop from taking place…”

You can read more about the work of the global IHOM Institute network in the 2020 report.

Nukskahtowin, the Indigenous Meeting Place of Athabasca University, invites you to engage with a vovie series about Two-Spirit stories:

Sex, Spirit, Strength (45 minutes) follows two young Indigenous men as they shed the stigma and shame associated with sexual health and gender identity.    

Journey of Indigenous Gender Identity (23 minutes) traces the gender diverse/Two-Spirit Indigenous people through their pre-contact and then after residential schools. 

Trans and Native: Meet an Indigenous Doctor Giving Them Hope (8 minutes)  introduces Dr. Makokis, a Two-Spirit Cree doctor providing a unique approarch to trans care on an Indigenous reserve that serves 2,400 people in central Alberta.  

Click below to create a new account or sign in if you have already registered. Please contact Ivy Lalonde with any questions at ivyl@athabascau.ca

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 Love My Neighbour project, in partnership with UNICEF, is a grassroots Canadian interfaith initiative which is seeking to respond to these questions by encouraging people of faith and compassion - Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, and many more - to "gift forward" the cost of 1 vaccination in another part of the world for every 1 vaccination administered in Canada. For just $25, you can cover the costs for someone else to be vaccinated and multiply the gift you were blessed to freely receive. Visit www.lovemyneighbourproject.org for more information, and a link to the donation page.

Throughout the month June, The King's University invites you to attend an ongoing series of public lectures exploring topics like natural theology, wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes, and faith organizations in the pursuit of environmental sustainability. These lectures will take place via Zoom on Thursday evenings, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, and are free of charge. Register today at kingsu.ca/public-lectures

June 3 - Working for God and Sustainability: Tales from Two Continents

June 10 - Astronomy and the Muse

For over 100 years, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) has been celebrated January 18-25 in Canada. But many communities have not been able to mark it this year because of COVID-19. The season of Pentecost is another traditional time for celebrating WPCU globally. The Canadian Council of Churches warmly invites you to this special opportunity for Christians across Canada to gather and pray for unity on Saturday, June 5, 1-2:00 pm.

This year’s WPCU theme, Abide in My Love and You Shall Bear Much Fruit (John 15:5-9), calls us to nourish unity with God and with one another through prayer, contemplative silence, and common action. Register on Eventbrite

In celebration of the 110th Anniversary of the U of A's Augustana Campus, all are invited to a free, online screening of a documentary chronicling the life of Chester Ronning, best remembered for his close and longstanding relationship with China. Over the course of his life, Ronning worked as a cowboy, ambassador, college president, missionary and a member of the Alberta legislature. But throughout all of his careers, his lifelong ambition was to explain China to the western world. His story is a rare example of the meeting of East and West in a compassionate, remarkable man.

Join David Goa (Founding Director of the Chester Ronning Centre) and Dittmar Mündel (Founding Associate Director) as they discuss the early history of the Ronning Centre and their work at Augustana during the Centre's formative years. This webinar is part of Augustana Campus' 110 celebrations. View other Aug 110 events 

Star of the North continues to host free, monthly online prayer rituals in anticipation of the fall launch of our signature spiritual formation program: Aurora Living: Word & Creation. Our scriptural theme for the month of June is Prophets. We invite you to join us on Tuesday, June 15th at 7:00 pm. Renowned artist Beverly Bunker will open the evening at 6:30 pm for a live-painting and reflection. Register to receive a participation link at starofthenorth.ca/aurora-ritual 

**Now accepting applications for the first module of Aurora Living: Word & Creation, an online/on-site three-year spiritual formation program. Through our emphasis on the intersection of Word, Creation, Communion, Contemplation, and Justice, Aurora Living will empower contemplative living and stimulate action for contemporary needs and times. 

Join one of two summer retreats through Providence Renewal Centre (PRC), or sign up to share a time of contemplative stillness with others each Wednesday morning, in a virtual gathering titled "Just Silence" (no charge).

Monday, July 12 - Friday, July 16 join the Rev. Susan Storey and Mary Jane Yates for a Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat focusing on a collection of poems by Thomas Keating titled, The Secret Embrace.   

Sunday, August 15 - Saturday, August 21 join PRC spiritual directors for a virtual silent directed retreat titled "Abundant Life" which includes the option of daily morning prayer on Zoom, (or receive an emailed document) and individual spiritual direction each day online, or by telephone.

Join us this summer for the Lutheran-Anglican National Worship Conference, happening July 6-7 online. Every two years, the NWC gathers worship leaders, musicians, clergy, and interested people from across the country to learn and reflect on the worship life of the church. This year’s theme, Disruption and Grace: Learning Edges in Liminal Times, reflects the many ways COVID-19 has challenged our worship to adapt and grow. We are excited to bring you an engaging group of speakers and workshop leaders to inspire you. Register now at nationalworshipconference.org. POSTER

Since 2016, Capital City Cleanup has provided grant funding to nonprofit organisations to help beautify neighbourhoods by installing murals throughout our City.  Community Mural Grants for up to $5,000 are available to help with consultations, artist services, paint supplies, anti-graffiti coating or other needs associated with the creation and installation of a mural. Grant applications must be made by July 15 and murals completed by September 1. Questions can be directed to capitalcitycleanup@edmonton.ca.

The News from General Synod e-newsletter includes online resources and information about upcoming virtual events.