Slideshow image

On Sunday, October 26, Christ Church Cathedral will host a memorable and historic liturgy: Archbishop Shane Parker, the newly installed Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, will preside at the 10:30 a.m. Choral Eucharist, and during the service he will present Jane Osler with the 2025 Anglican Award of Merit, the national Church’s highest lay honour. The Very Rev. David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury, will preach at both the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services that day.

Jane Osler was among five lay recipients announced in March 2025 by the Council of General Synod.  The Anglican Award of Merit is conferred on “lay people who have made outstanding contributions toward the life and work of the Church.”  In announcing the 2025 recipients, the Anglican Journal noted that Osler “has devoted … time and effort to our beloved national church” alongside others honoured in dioceses across Canada.  Her service in this Cathedral parish has included leadership in liturgy, education, pastoral care, and engagement in diocesan and national ministries, marking her as a worthy recipient of this distinguished accolade.

Archbishop Shane Parker was elected the 15th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada on June 26, 2025, and formally installed on June 29 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ontario.  Before assuming primacy, he served as Bishop of Ottawa since 2020.  Prior to that, he spent two decades as Dean of Ottawa and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, having earlier served in parish and diocesan roles including archdeacon.  As Primate, Archbishop Parker now carries important responsibilities: he serves as the spiritual leader of the national Church, represents Canadian Anglicans in the wider Anglican Communion, and acts as chief executive officer of the national staff and operations.  Archbishop Parker has spoken of dismantling “insulation” that separates the Church from God, from one another, and from our truest selves — a metaphor he carried into his installation preaching. 

Dean David Monteith, installed as the 40th Dean of Canterbury in December 2022, leads the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion.  Before coming to Canterbury, he was Dean of Leicester (2013–2022), where he oversaw cathedral redevelopment, interfaith initiatives, and the reinterment of King Richard III.  Monteith’s earlier ministry included service in Birmingham, London (St. Martin-in-the-Fields), Wimbledon, and diocesan responsibilities in Southwark and Merton.  In his role at Canterbury Cathedral, he heads a senior staff of approximately 250 and oversees more than 500 volunteers, while also chairing the College of Deans for the Church of England.  His preaching reflects a deep engagement with the interplay of faith, culture, change, and mission in the public realm.

The upcoming Sunday promises to be a deeply meaningful celebration of service, leadership, and the bonds that unite our local parish to the life of the national and global Anglican Communion.