Caleb Lawrence

Bishop Caleb Lawrence Bishop of Moosonee

Primatial Nominee - Caleb Lawrence

Accomplishments - Some Notes

My résumé notes the following:

CURRENT OFFICE AND LOCATION:

Bishop of Moosonee
Synod Office
P.O. Box 841
Schumacher , ON P0N 1G0

POSITIONS:

Bishop of Moosonee (November, 1980 - present)
Bishop Co-Adjutor, Diocese of Moosonee (January - November, 1980)
Missionary, Incumbent and Rector, St. Edmund’s Parish, Great Whale River, Quebec, Diocese of the Arctic (1965 - 1979)
Assistant Curate, St. Donard’s Parish, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Diocese of Down and Dromore (1964-1965)
Archdeacon of Arctic Quebec, Diocese of the Arctic (1975-1979)
Canon of St. Jude’s Cathedral, Iqaluit, Diocese of the Arctic (1974-1975)

DATES OF ORDINATION:

OTHER INVOLVEMENT :

Member, National EcoJustice Committee (2001-2004) [member, Indigenous Justice Working Group]
Member, Council of the North (1978, 1979 - present) [liaison from CoN to ACIP (1987-2001)]
Member, Council on the North (1973-1977)
Member, National Executive Council (1980-1986, 1989-1995)
Member, National Program Committee (1983-1989, 1992-1995) [Chair - 1989]
Member, National Ministries Committee (1980-1983)
Member, National House of Bishops (1980 - present) [Episcopal Visitor to Church Army (1987-1993), various task groups]
Member, Provincial Synod of Ontario (1980 - present)
Member, Ministries, Administration & Planning and Program Commissions (1980-1994)
Member, Provincial Executive Council (1980-1988, 1994 - present)
Member, Provincial Synod of Rupert’s Land (1970-1979)
Member, Ontario Provincial House of Bishops (1980 - present) [acting Metropolitan (1993)]

OTHER EXPERIENCES :

Companion Diocese Exploration Visit, Diocese of Paraguay, South America (1994)
Lambeth Conferences, Canterbury, England (1988, 1998)
ACNAC Conference participant, Belize, Central America (1983)
Deputation speaker, Mission leader (1970 - present)

Following graduation from theological college in 1964, I was allowed to study in Canterbury, England; the Ecumenical Institute in Switzerland; and Jerusalem, as well as travel in the British Isles and Europe. Returning to Canada in 1965, I served in the Diocese of the Arctic until the end of 1979. The area served was the meeting ground between two First Nations/Aboriginal peoples. There the two groups worked increasingly closer together, in the process developing into a strong, self supporting and self propagating ministry increasingly reaching out to give support and help to others. The Diocese of Moosonee was a move to a Church community made up of both First Nations and English cultures. My time here has been one of great change, particularly as Church populations declined in the south and exploded in the north. The change continues, and growth and transition sometimes involves pain and frustration. It was also during this period that I became much more deeply involved in the life of the Church beyond the immediate diocese. The experiences and learnings have shaped and influenced me beyond measure, and is a large part of who I am at this stage of my growing life as a Christian.

Primatial Nominee - Caleb Lawrence

I am the eldest of six children, and was born in the farmhouse in Nova Scotia, which has been my paternal ancestral home for five generations. My parents continue to live on that farm in their retirement years. My first name, Caleb, was the name of my father’s uncle, who died unmarried, and who bequeathed the farm to Dad when he was a young child. I attended a one room school until Grade 9, when a new rural high school was built for the district. I am a graduate in Arts from Dalhousie University (King’s College) in Halifax, with a major in Sociology and minor in History. I hold the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the University of King’s College in Halifax, and in 1980 was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the same university.

My wife, Maureen, is a graduate of the Belfast College of Domestic Science in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and taught at the collegiate level in Northern Ireland prior to our marriage in 1966. Maureen was for many years involved in the Guiding movement, culminating in five years as the Provincial Girl Guide Commissioner for the Province of Ontario.

We are the proud parents of three adult children, Fiona, Karen and Sean, all of whom are professional educators at the primary, high school and university levels. All three are married and we have four grandchildren.

The Role of the Primate - my Vision

The duties of the Primate are clearly outlined in Canon 3, Section 4 of the Canons of General Synod. These describe the perimeters within which the Primate is to speak in the name of the Anglican Church, give leadership in developing policy and strategy, and implement the decisions of the General Synod, while at the same time maintaining a pastoral relationship to the whole Anglican Church of Canada. While these outline function and duties, the Primate is expected to be far more than a functionary or a servant fulfilling a series of duties: the Primate is called to leadership.

What does that mean?

To me, it implies first of all a faith relationship to God, through Christ, the Head of the Church, and an openness to the leading, enabling, teaching and calling to remembrance of the Holy Spirit. The Primate who leads does so out of a deep sense of serving God, who is encountered not only in a life of prayer and devotion but in the lives of God’s people both within and beyond the Church, in the world which God loves.

The Primate is always a limited, fallible human being - a sinner in the midst of sinners in a fallen world. But the Primate is also a person whose shortcomings have been more than met by God’s grace made available at every turn and in every circumstance, in Church and out of Church. The Primate is part of a community of faith in which God’s transforming power is at work in us, and where God is yearning to work out his will in and through us in ways which are “more than we can ask or imagine”.

The Anglican Church of Canada is a rich mosaic of people of different cultures, histories, experiences and languages. Yet in many ways we are divided and isolated from one another by prejudice, misunderstanding, and an imbalance of power. One of the most painful divisions is when people of faith are isolated by interpretations of doctrine and the authority which is given to Holy Scripture. One of the most important opportunities inherent in the office of Primate is to affirm, welcome and value this diversity and ensure that all are welcome in this community. Whatever the particular theological bent or degree of understanding the Primate possesses, the challenge will be to respect, affirm and encourage those of other understandings and perspectives. The Church community is not a group of people who have reached a certain level of faith, understanding or commitment, but a band of pilgrims on an exciting journey of hope and discovery moving into an as yet undisclosed future, while carrying with them treasures and identity from the past.

The ministry of the Primate is effective to the degree to which it enables and affirms all the other ministries of Christian people - in Church and outside it, lay and ordained, singly and in community, including Church councils and other committees, of which the General Synod is a primary forum. On the national, international, ecumenical and interfaith scene the Primate is called to be an ambassador, representing the values and truths of the Anglican Church while being open to perceive, hear and share other truths which come through these other interactions in both faith circles and in society.