The Very Reverend Dr. Logan McMenamie, Dean of Columbia and rector of Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, was elected to become the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of British Columbia, which is made up members of the Anglican Church of Canada on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
On December 7th members of the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia, gathered to choose the 13th Bishop at an Electoral Synod held at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC. A body of delegates comprising 61 clergy (priests and deacons) and 110 lay members of synod participated in voting. McMenamie was chosen on the third ballot.
The Provincial House of Bishops unanimously concurred with the election of McMenamie as Bishop. Archbishop John Privett, Metropolitan (principal Bishop) of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon in the Anglican Church of Canada, announced to the Electoral Synod that the Very Reverend Dr. Logan McMenamie was Bishop-elect.
Dean McMenamie's thoughts on the future of the Anglican Church from his profile:
“It is very important over the next 3-5 years that we address a number of issues facing our church and the society in which we live. The most important issues, I believe, have to do with (1) faith development, and how that faith development helps shape our response to the social issues of our society; (2) violence, poverty, our relationship to creation and (3) the rebuilding of strong and lasting relationships with the original peoples of this land. We live in a society where the majority of people identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” We need to develop all age ministries. We need a caring and supportive ministry to seniors as our elders, enabling them to think of themselves not as the church of the past but rather equipping them for their role as elders and using the wisdom they bring with them today. Certainly the development of ministry with youth and children within the life of our Diocese and that of families must be an important concern for us.”
There will be a service to consecrate and install Dean McMenamie as Bishop, on Sunday March 02nd, 2013 at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria.
There were six candidates on the ballot. Besides Dean McMenamie there were the Reverend Dr. Anthony Dancer, the Venerable Brian Evans, the Reverend Bruce Bryant-Scott, the Reverend Canon Christopher Parsons, and the Reverend Dr. John Steele.
McMenamie was preceded as bishop by James Cowan, who retired at the end of August this year. Cowan saw the Diocese through a series of changes including restructuring in the Diocese, the introduction of same-sex blessings to the Diocese, closure and amalgamation of some parishes, and establishing a trajectory for ministry in the Diocese for the future. As Bishop-elect, McMenamie follows in the line of spiritual leaders, dating back to 1859 when George Hills was made the 1st bishop of the diocese of British Columbia.
Since Bishop Cowan’s retirement, Archbishop Caleb Lawrence, retired Bishop of Moosonee and Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, has been acting as Diocesan Administrator.
Image: The Bishop-elect (on left) with the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of BC and Yukon, Archbishop John Privett. PHOTO Catherine Allen, Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria