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Province of Canada elects new Metropolitan

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Published on 
May 8, 2017

The Rt. Rev. Ronald W. Cutler, bishop of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island has been elected as the next Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada, succeeding Archbishop Percy Coffin.

The Archbishop-elect was ordained as deacon and priest in 1981 and elected a bishop in 2008 in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI. In reflecting on Episcopal ministry, he said, “My experience of episcopal ministry as suffragan, coadjutor and as diocesan, has been one of journeying with people in transition. Working with those discerning a call to leadership both lay and ordained, with communities experiencing demographic shifts and parishes struggling with what it means to be faithful in this time and place.”

When asked to describe his vision for the Province of Canada, the new Archbishop-elect responded, “I believe that if the Provincial expression of our church is to have any relevance to the ongoing faith life of Anglicans in Eastern Canada, we must take seriously the ways in which the ‘political, economic, educational and social dimensions’ of our lives have been changing. The gatherings of the Province may be the place where we share the ways in which we are seeking to engage God’s mission in these times and how we might best resource the faith communities where disciples are made, nurtured and formed.”

The Ecclesiastical Province of Canada consists of the Dioceses of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Fredericton, Montreal, Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, Central Newfoundland, and Western Newfoundland. The Provincial Synod normally meets every three years with delegates from all member dioceses.

The vote for the Metropolitan was taken electronically from May 2 to 6, 2017 by the Electoral Synod of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada with Archbishop-elect Cutler receiving the required majority in the Houses of Laity, Clergy, and Bishops. The date of the Installation of the Archbishop-elect will be announced in the near future.

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Press release prepared by:

The Venerable Sam Rose
Communications for Province of Canada

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.