Lent, church strategy in focus for March issue

March’s Anglican Journal, which offers reflections on Lent while keeping you up to date on some key developments in the church, is now available online.

This month, the Rev. Grace Delaney shares with us memories of growing up on the trapline, and meditates on Lent as a journey through the wilderness. We hear from Wycliffe College professor Alan Hayes on the origins of Anglican Lent in Reformation-era theological wrestling—and the season’s growing popularity among evangelicals today. And, in their monthly columns, Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and National Indigenous Archbishop Mark MacDonald ponder the importance of Lenten repentance for sin both individual and communal.

Of course, there’s more on the church calendar this month than Lent; March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and we take a look at shifting perceptions of that saint over the centuries.

You’ll also find news and views in this issue about the national church, the Anglican Communion and the global Christian community: we update you, for example, on the development of the Anglican Church of Canada’s next strategic plan, for which your input is invited; and we take a moment to ask some church leaders how they think strategy fits into mission. We look briefly back at Vision 2019, which guided the church for nearly a decade. The issue also includes a report on the last meeting of the Anglican Communion’s primates before the Lambeth Conference of Bishops planned for this summer. And there’s news about World Day of Prayer, an ecumenical event to take place March 6.

Speaking of news, we share with you the story of a priest who walked 21 km to raise money for victims of gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We also keep you posted on the upcoming retirement of two Canadian bishops: Archbishop Ron Cutler, bishop of the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Canada; and Logan McMenamie, bishop of the diocese of British Columbia. And in our letters section, we share continuing correspondence from our readers about hockey commentator and Anglican Don Cherry, who found himself in national headlines last fall.

Read this issue’s articles on anglicanjournal.com or download the pdf version of the full issue here.