St Catharines, Ontario – Three bishops were consecrated today in St Catharines, Ontario into the Church of God for ministry in the Anglican Network in Canada, a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. The Right Reverend Stephen Leung, the Right Reverend Charles Masters and the Right Reverend Dr Trevor Walters were consecrated today by the Most Reverend Robert Duncan in a service which saw the participation of 15 bishops and more than 60 priests and deacons from across North America.
The service of consecration was the culmination of the second synod (church convention) of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC). Bishop Don Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada, has indicated that he will continue to serve in his Canadian leadership role in the season ahead. Bishop Malcolm Harding was feted at the synod for his service to faithful Anglicans across Canada and “re-retired” from active episcopal ministry.
It was also announced that the third synod would be held in Ottawa in early November 2010. The synod is planned to coincide with the visit by the Right Reverend Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, recently retired Bishop of Rochester, to ANiC’s St George’s Anglican Church for their 125th anniversary celebration.
Messages of greeting, support and encouragement were sent to synod from a number of bishops from the Church of England and from Primates (Church leaders) representing the majority of active Anglicans in the global Anglican Communion.
ANiC is under the Episcopal authority of Bishop Harvey and is a diocese in the Anglican Church in North America which unites over 100,000 faithful Anglicans from across this continent. ANiC now numbers 33 parishes and eight forming congregations in North America with more than 3500 in church on an average Sunday.
Members of the Anglican Network in Canada are committed to remaining faithful to Holy Scripture and established Anglican doctrine and to ensuring that orthodox Anglicans are able to remain in full communion with their Anglican brothers and sisters outside North America. The newly adopted mission statement for the Anglican Network in Canada is “Building Biblically faithful, Gospel sharing, Anglican churches.”
