Reflections on the heritage, life & work of faith communities in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
Language isn’t merely utilitarian — it has the capacity to be as beautiful as the most architecturally stunning building. The Dean of Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in downtown Ottawa, the Very Reverend Beth Bretzlaff, shared a Thanksgiving letter with friends of the Cathedral that captures, with lyrical language, the depth of the season and a…
When I was a kid, my dad would haul me out of bed early on a Sunday morning, order me into my ‘Sunday best’ including tights without holes and shoes that pinched my feet because I only wore them occasionally, and pack all of us into the VW van to go to church. We were…
Reverend Lynne Gardiner ministers at Bethel United Church in Perth, where the current church has stood since 1895. Rev. Gardiner began her ministry in Perth in 2019, having completed her Master of Divinity from Queen’s University in 2015, followed by ordination in 2017. In the piece below, Rev. Gardiner reflects on the unique gifts and…
Douglas Roche, the retired parliamentarian and senator who turned 96 this summer, wrote an essay for the Spring 2025 print edition of the Island Catholic News quarterly in which he shared memories of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s involvement at St. Joseph’s Parish, in Ottawa. We’re sharing an excerpt from this piece below. Mark Carney had…
There’s one image of Fr. Jim Bleackley that – at least to me – stands out above all others from his nearly three years as Pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish. The Pastor’s office is located right down the hall from mine in the rectory. Each morning when I’d visit the bookkeeper across the hall to…