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People who live in remote Indigenous communities often feel neglected by the organizations that are supposed to represent them, says Roy Fiddler, a manager at the Indigenous suicide prevention organization Choose Life and brother to Bishop Morris Fiddler, suffragan bishop for Northern Ontario in Mishamikoweesh.

“[People] know we live up here, but nobody pays attention to us,” Mr. Fiddler says. “So to have him come there and acknowledge that we are part of the church and that we are part of society, that really meant a lot to people.”

Muskrat Dam Lake First Nation was founded on teachings from elders who wished for the community to be unified in the Anglican denomination, Mr. Fiddler says. He believes the nation is still holding on to that ideal, though they remain welcoming to people from other traditions, and says the Primate’s visit reaffirmed that connection. “For him to come and reinforce that belief, I think it spoke volumes for the church.”

Archbishop Parker also met with Ontario MPP Sol Mamakwa, who represents the Kiiwetinoong riding where Muskrat Dam is located, and Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Chief Carla Duncan of Muskrat Dam, along with the local band council and Anglican leaders. The Primate says the stories they told of the Anglican Church’s importance to the region and fond memories of former Primate Archbishop Ted Scott were a striking counterpoint to the pain associated with the church through the crimes of a former priest, Ralph Rowe, a predatory pedophile.

In 2023, a judge ordered the Anglican Church of Canada and Scouts Canada to pay $13.25 million in settlement money in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of survivors of Ralph Rowe’s crimes. The settlement also required the church and Scouts Canada to formally apologize. The shape the apology takes will be determined in consultation with the survivors and with the communities that have been affected, the Primate says.

Archbishop Parker’s visit included the Muskrat Dam Gospel Jamboree, a worship event that drew visitors from across the region and different Christian denominations to an evening of song, dance and celebration of the faith.

Mr. Fiddler has been an organizer of the jamboree for 38 years. He says it was good to see the Primate there participating not as a leader of the event but as one member of an interdenominational gathering. Archbishop Parker’s participation as the Anglican Primate was especially meaningful, says Mr. Fiddler, as the Anglican church Mr. Fiddler grew up in held a much more prescriptivist view of worship that frowned on gospel music.

The Primate likewise praised the jamboree’s ecumenical nature and the quality of music played on shared instruments by musicians from around the region, calling the event a “rich fair of food and music and praise and community.”

Archbishop Parker says he was “deeply touched” when some members of the community presented him with a hand-beaded medallion bearing the image of a muskrat.

The medallion is a symbol of Muskrat Dam as a nation, a sign that the community wants to work with the Primate and a reminder of his relationship and responsibility to uphold their trust, Mr. Fiddler says. Medallions like this cannot be bought, he adds, only presented to people the community decides have impacted it in a positive way. For that reason, he declined to say who made it.

“We don’t want to give up names because nobody can just order it,” Mr. Fiddler says. “Not just because he’s a primate, we gave him that to remind him, ‘You came to Muskrat and you made a commitment and we honour that. And here’s a gift to appreciate that and to remind you of that.’”

Archbishop Parker describes it as “a huge honour. This medallion represents the beginning of my particular journey as Primate into the healing journey of the people of Mishamikoweesh, especially of those who suffered abuse by Rowe.”

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Whenever I have the opportunity to speak with ordained and lay leaders from our country’s northern regions, I am moved by their faithfulness. Many of them work for low or no pay, travelling long distances to bring the Gospel and the message of Christ’s love to remote communities living with isolation, inadequate housing and mental health challenges.

Ministry in our church’s northern dioceses presents unique, sometimes formidable challenges, yet these devoted servants who embody the good news of Christ remain strong and resourceful. Our national church is proud to support clergy and people in dioceses serving the northern and remote regions of Canada through grants to the Council of the North.

This support is possible thanks to your offerings to our annual appeal, Giving with Grace. Because of your generosity, remote communities receive pastoral and sacramental care, training and resources for ministry, and most important of all, the love and hope of Christ.

And there’s more. Your donation to Giving with Grace allows our national church to support Indigenous communities through suicide prevention programming, youth ministries and the gathering of Sacred Circle. Your donations also enable us to build relationships with ecumenical, interfaith and global partners and to make worship and ministry resources available to Anglicans across the country. 

The resurrection of Jesus tells us that the hope we need to sustain us in this life can never be destroyed. At Easter, we celebrate the wonderful mystery of God casting aside the boundaries of time and space, and the limits of our understanding, causing us to see the powerful love that fills human hearts with meaning, purpose and hope.

May that strong love and indestructible hope be always with you,

The Most Reverend Shane Parker
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

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Dear Bishop Sean and friends in Christ in The Episcopal Church,

It has been heartbreaking for us, your northern neighbours, to watch the growing unrest that has arisen and persists in so many of your communities in the United States. We have seen and heard alarming stories of aggression, intimidation and harassment toward targeted communities and individuals, and the dehumanization of those perceived to not belong. We have seen images of violence, brutality and even death for those willing to challenge these actions and call out for justice.

We have also seen the ways your church has acted with faith and resilience in response to the call of the Gospel to serve those in need, welcome those who seek hospitality, feed the hungry and challenge those who abuse power. You remind all who seek to follow the way of Jesus that high cost and risks are sometimes required.

Jesus taught that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. We want you to know that your courageous words and actions in the face of disturbing and dangerous challenges are themselves a blessing, and we want you to know that you are not alone.

Be assured that my prayers join with those offered across the Anglican Church of Canada—prayers for protection, courage and peace. We are upholding you. We also uphold our full communion partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church in North America as they serve the Gospel in this time of distress for your country.

I am sharing this letter publicly to encourage Canadian Anglicans to continue holding in prayer all of you in this intense, unpredictable season in the life of the United States of America.

We remain steadfast with you in our shared belief in the indestructible hope of the Resurrection, that love and peace will prevail, that healing can happen, and that God will make all things new.

Yours faithfully,

The Most Reverend Shane Parker
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

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