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National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop

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National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Chris Harper addresses delegates at Sacred Circle 2025. Shane Roberts

Archbishop Christopher A. Harper was installed on May 29, 2023, as the second National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop and Presiding Elder of Sacred Circle.

Archbishop Harper previously served as the 13th Diocesan Bishop of Saskatoon, elected on November 17, 2018. He was born in Saskatchewan and is originally from Onion Lake Cree Nation. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Wycliffe College in 2005 and was ordained the same year.

He has worked in parish ministry on reserve, off reserve and in shared ministry with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, in the dioceses of Saskatchewan and Algoma. He was the Indigenous Native Priest with Toronto Urban Native Ministry in the Diocese of Toronto. Archbishop Harper has served on many committees of the church, including the Council of General Synod, General Synod Planning Committee, Provincial Synod Council, Diocesan Executives in Saskatchewan, Algoma and Toronto, as well as with ecumenical and interfaith ministries. He is a member of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Anglican Indigenous Network.

Archbishop Christopher is widely travelled, and now calls Edmonton home. He and his wife of 44 years, Tracy, have two grown children and four grandchildren.

Recent news and statements from the Archbishop

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Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.