CHARGE OF THE RIGHT REVEREND DONALD F HARVEY
TO THE SECOND DIOCESAN SYNOD
Held in
ST. CATHERINE’S, ONTARIO
NOVEMBER 11 – 13, 2009

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Greetings!

It is a joy to welcome our Archbishop, the Clergy, the Lay Delegates, our guests and our visitors to this historic occasion as we gather here in this city of St. Catherine’s. It is not without some significance that this city is so very close to the Canada – USA boarder, which demonstrates that while that boarder is there, for most things it can be crossed with relative ease and has little interference in the life of these two nations. Nor did we feel it would affect us adversely when from the very outset we agreed to be founding members of what now has become our new Province, the Anglican Church in North America. This has been a long and at times arduous journey and the familiar phrase “a roller coaster ride” certainly can be applied to it. But through these ups and downs, wise leaders have persevered and when, in June we processed up the aisle of that beautiful edifice in Plano, Texas, there were not many dry eyes as we suddenly felt the impact of “what God hath wrought”. On reflecting on this “best of times – worst of times” era, I am certain that all involved give thanks for the incredible leadership of the Moderator and now Primate, Archbishop Robert Duncan. Even when the most optimistic of us felt that it could not survive, Archbishop Bob pressed forward and deployed those remarkable gifts of leadership and reconciliation with which he so uniquely has been endowed, and God’s Will was enacted. We offer profound thanks for that leadership. Absent from our gathering this morning is another dear friend and courageous leader, Archbishop Greg Venables. At the last moment, the Venables had to cancel their trip because Sylvia came down with a severe bronchial infection, which, especially with today’s concern with flu pandemics, made travel not only unwise but impossible. Still they are with us in spirit and the money that was refunded on their airfares is being ear marked for another time, when they can come and hear us express our gratitude. Archbishop’s Greg’s bold willingness to accept our Network into the jurisdiction of the Southern Cone on a pastoral, emergency, temporary basis, despite international opposition from very high sources, made what we are doing here today possible, and without that action, not just us,