Diocesan Post - The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia - the ...

6 THE DIOCESAN POST MARCH 2012
Clergy Retreat
small in numbers yet still meaningful
Brian Evans
The Oxford Dictionary of
the Christian Church has this to
say about retreats.
“A period of days spent in silence,
and occupied with meditation
and other religious exercises.
In essence the practice is
older than Christianity, but the
forty days Christ spent in the
wilderness have been considered
to give the ultimate authority
for its Christian use.”
Many religious orders include
retreats in their rule of
life. As well many religious orders
also offer retreats for those
outside of the community. Retreats
and retreat houses have
been a long practice of Christianity.
The Oxford Dictionary
also tells us the Church of England
adopted the practice of retreats
under the influence of the
Oxford Movement.
On a personal note in my formation
as a priest of the church,
the leader(s) of our seminary
were dedicated to the value of
retreats. I well remember col-
leagues complaining bitterly
about taking time out for retreats.
At the same time it was
part of the curriculum for one
retreat each year. To this day I
am thankful for the gift of the
experience of retreat and the
value inherent in taking time
away.
Each year our diocese with
the guidance of our Bishop offers
an opportunity for diocesan
clergy to make a retreat.
This year was no exception.
On January 30 four diocesan
priests gathered at Bethlehem
Retreat Centre in Nanaimo for
the Annual Clergy Retreat. Yes,
you read correctly, four. We
gathered with Archbishop Terry
Buckle, retired Archbishop of
British Columbia and Yukon.
Those gathered had the privilege
and honour of being with a
person who has spent 50 years
in formal ministry.
Archbishop Buckle first
trained as an Evangelist with
the Canadian Church Army
Lay Eucharist Visiting Ministry
Participants at the Lay Eucharist Visiting Ministry Workshop
Lon Towstego
The Selkirk Region held a
training course for Lay Eucharist
Visiting Ministry on February
3 -4 at St. John the Divine,
Victoria.
The course began with discussing
the theology of this
ministry and what it means to
be a sharing community as lay
members of the congregation
carry the reserved sacrament to
shut-in members of their parishes.
Clarity of the role as a
Lay Eucharist Visitor, self-care,
personal boundaries and safe
church practices were also important
parts of the course.
What one takes on such a
visit, as well as the pre-visit
preparations were discussed.
Before such a ministry begins
it has to have the support
of the local parish and visitors
have to be commissioned by the
Photo: Submitted
parish council as well as their
commissioning being ratified
by the bishop.
The course was lead/facilitated
by Shirley Siteman, The
Rev. Lon Towstego and The
Rev. Dr. Larry Scyner. 21 people
attended from the parishes
of St. Mary of the Incarnation,
St. John the Divine and St. Peter
and St. Paul; and the Sisters
of St. John the Divine.
The leaders described the
group as a very interested and
motivated group of laypersons
who look forward to connecting
with the shut-ins in their
parishes through this ministry.
The Rev. Lon Towstego is rector of
the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul in
Esquimalt.
(now Threshold Ministries).
From the Training Centre in Toronto,
Archbishop Buckle went
out to the streets of Toronto
and Montreal. Then shortly he
found himself heading for the
Arctic. As the years have unfolded
he was ordained deacon
and then priest. Later he was
elected Suffragan Bishop for
the Diocese of the Arctic. This
was followed by his election
as Diocesan Bishop for Yukon.
Prior to retirement two years
ago he was Archbishop of British
Columbia and Yukon.
The Oxford Dictionary
speaks of retreats being mediation
and other religious exercises.
For this retreat the meditations
and exercises were based
on the most widely read publication
among Christians, the
Bible. More specifically each
day was spent with the Gospel
for the Day. We read the same
pericope at Morning Prayer,
Evening Prayer and Holy Eucharist.
Respectfully we were
There are two related items from the
Archives this month. The picture on
the right is titled - Cathedral Boys’
Choir football team - 1890’s.
An 1891 article from the Daily
Colonist talks about a football game
played between Victoria College and
the Cathedral Choir.
It has been retyed to make it readable.
I have used ???? marks to
indicate that the first line is missing.
Photo: Ken Gray
Clergy at the 2012 retreat with Archbishop Terry Buckle (L-R): Brian Evans,
Chris Parsons, Ron Macluskie, and Ken Gray
asked three questions: What
sentence or word spoke to you?
What is Jesus saying to me?
What is Jesus asking me to do?
I cannot overstate the gift we
received from someone who
knows ministry, in particular,
parish ministry from the very
root of our great country - from
the largest of our metropolitan
communities to the very smallest.
I cannot help think of the
metaphor Archbishop Buckle
left us with: “The church sitting
here on the corner of the street
is not for decoration, it is rather
a base-camp for mission.” I
From the Archives
???? College teams was postponed,
yesterday, at the wish of Principal
Church, the college boys courteously
making way for the match between Mr.
Wastie Green’s school and the boys of
Christ church choir.
VICTORIA COLLEGE VS. THE
CATHEDRAL CHOIR.
This match was played yesterday at
one o’clock on Beacon Hill in good football
weather. The ground was soft and
there was little wind. The game was Association,
40 minutes half time, and the
result was a draw. The College had the
upper end during first half, and kept the
ball fairly down to their opponents’ goal.
In the second half the Choir, after changing
goals, pressed the College on several
occasions hard, and at one time the
College goal was in serious danger. The
faults of the Choir were chiefly in loose
high kicking; of the College, in following
and even encouraging play in front
of their goal. It cannot be too strongly
impressed on young teams that those two
faults are most dangerous. The scientific
dribble is not sufficiently understood out
of Britain, and a very small amount of
skill in dribbling in yesterday’s match
would have secured the dribbler fame
and probably the success of his side.
For the school Gillespie ma, Gillespie
mi Edmonds and Genn played with ad-
think of the Archbishop and the
many base-camps from which
he went out for over 50 years
fulfilling the great commission
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ.
Thank you to our diocese and
to our Bishop for the continued
commitment to clergy retreats.
My prayer is that many clergy
will afford themselves of such
an opportunity in the future.
The Venerable Brian Evans is Rector
St. Paul’s Parish in Nanaimo and
Archdeacon of Malaspina.
mirable pluck, and, “ubique frequentes,”
were always in the forefront of the battle.
Powell ma kicked with judgment, behind,
and Rithet, in goal, exhibited the
coolness which a goal keeper must always
possess, especially in playing the
Association game. For the choir, Berkley
and the brothers Johnson, and Goward
were the best, and were always on the
ball. It is much to be desired that all
these young players will make a point
of practising scientific dribbling; keeping
the ball close at their feet and running
with the bent knee, at no great pace.
Long kicking should be left to backs, and
high, short kicking always absolutely
avoided except were unavoidable; while
the first consideration for a defensive
team should be to keep the ball along
from the middle of the ground; the second
to mark the point at the touch line,
at which the ball goes into touch. With
attention to these two points they will
generally make ground, where without it
they will lose it, and be forced in front
of their goal. It would be difficult to find
two better matched boy teams, and the
return game will be interesting, if the
same sides be brought into the field.
Genn’s services deserve special notice,
as he was suffering from a severe strain
in the back.