St. Marys' Metchosin | Anglican Church in Victoria, BC

Doors open by 5:30 pm, meal starts soon after 6:00, discussion concludes by 8:00.

Special Session: Following President Trump's talk of Canada as the 51st state of the USA, many Canadians have a sense of betrayal and loss of neighbourly trust. What are the spiritual resources people need to consider and respond to betrayal? This Spiritual Potluck focuses on our response to President Trump's talk. Please note, this is not a time for repeating or denouncing the talk - that can be done other times and places. We want to focus on a spiritual response to betrayal.

St. Mary’s is holding three conversations to help prepare candidates for Confirmation on May 4^th, 2025. These sessions will occur following the services on Sunday March 30^th, Sunday April 13^th and Friday April 18^th. Whether you wish to be confirmed this year or not, you are invited to join us for conversation and pizza. We especially welcome any youth age 12 and over. Please RSVP so we know how much pizza to order!

The following topics will be covered over the three sessions.

Who is This Christ We Follow?

There are many different ideas about who Jesus is. Is he the perfect model of a human which we aspire to? Is he the Christ, the promised anointed one? What does even mean? Is Jesus divine? We will explore the many ways Jesus has been understood inside and outside the church.

What is Anglican?

The Middle Way

Many Anglican clergy and scholars know the term via media (Latin for “middle way”), but many regular churchgoers in Canada are unfamiliar with it. Some who have heard of it think it means compromise—neither fully Catholic nor fully Protestant, but something in between. However, this is not the case.

Anglicanism’s via media is not about taking a middle ground to please both sides. Instead, it is a strong and unique position that embraces both Catholic and Protestant traditions in a way that reflects the mystery and vastness of God’s kingdom. The via media is a way to bring together opposing views and overcome division. Instead of sitting on the fence, Anglicanism stands on a broad bridge that connects Roman Catholic, Protestant, and even Orthodox traditions. This middle way has depth, as it preserves important aspects of Catholicism, embraces Protestant reforms, and revives elements of early English Christianity.

The Anglican Church follows a balanced approach known as the “three-legged stool”: scripture, tradition, and reason. While this is taught in seminaries, it is not always explained in churches. If these three principles are separated, we risk falling into extreme views:

Scripture alone can lead to rigid fundamentalism.
Tradition alone can create blind nostalgia for the past.
Reason alone can become arrogant, reducing Christian faith to cold logic.

However, when these three work together—through prayer, study, and community life—they help create a faith that is thoughtful, rooted in history, and spiritually alive.

Episcopal Versus Independent Congregations

So why do we have a Bishop? Historically, Anglican theologians opposed the idea of independent congregations, arguing that bishops provide necessary leadership, unity, and order within the Church. Is that still true today? We will explore the modern distrust in institutions and growing emphasis on personal independence, and how an Episcopal model can bring unity and clarity.

What Do We Believe?

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, which has an official teaching authority (Magisterium), or many Protestant churches, which have written statements of faith, the Anglican Church does not have a single document outlining all beliefs. This flexible approach began in the Elizabethan era when it was impossible to create a single, unified Church confession.

Instead, Anglicanism allows for a range of beliefs, similar to the diversity found in the early Christian Church. This open approach reflects the via media—the middle way, a broad and inclusive way of being Christian. We will explore a number of different creeds, both creeds of belief statements (orthodoxy) and creeds of action (orthopraxy), as we unpack this complex and rich topic.

The Apostles Creed
The Nicene Creed
The Shema
One of the Iona Creeds

What Is Liturgy and Why Do We Do It?

Liturgy is more than just words and rituals—it can create a powerful spiritual experience. When performed with sincerity and openness to God, it lifts us beyond ordinary time (chronos) into sacred time (kairos), where we encounter the Divine. However, when the meaning behind the rituals is not understood, worship can feel repetitive or confusing.

We will explore the theology behind the liturgy to engage more deeply in worship. While some may suggest simplifying the liturgy to make it easier, a better approach is to teach people its meaning so they can fully appreciate it.

In today's world, many people long for a sense of mystery and connection with God. Physical actions in worship—such as standing, kneeling, or making the sign of the cross—are not just empty gestures. They help people engage with their faith on a deeper level. Moving physically in worship can also stir something spiritually within us. Something mysterious and inexplicable happens when our body performs an act to signify something spiritual or emotional. This demonstrates that what has often been denigrated as church calisthenics is actually critically important in entering kairos time and communing with the Divine.

What Are Sacraments and Why Are They So Sacred?

The Church’s seven sacraments—Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick—each reveal God’s presence in a unique way. Understanding them helps believers see how the sacred and everyday life are connected. Just as body and soul are connected, so too are the outward and inward aspects of sacraments. Some moments may feel especially holy, where the “veil” between the divine and human world seems thinner. We will explore the sacredness of all of God’s creation, and how we can connect with God anywhere and anytime.

St. Mary’s Metchosin Challenge
Sharleen Thompson 18 Feb. 2025

St Mary’s Metchosin has, for the 9^th year, put together a Lenten Challenge. It is called the Metchosin Challenge. It is a challenge from St Mary’s church to all the community to live better by being more aware of the issues facing our world, so we can be empowered to act to make our world a better place. This Challenge is in the form of a speaker series designed for a general audience on a wide range of topics. We have had speakers such as Elizabeth May, Andy Mackinnon, Wally Eamer, and Herbert O’ Driscol. Each year we have had a theme. The first year it was Big Issues Facing the World. In the following years we tackled such topics as Climate Change, Native Relations, Species Diversity, Human Rights Issues, Empower People for Action, Little Things That You Can Do to Make a Difference, Hope in a Changing World, Embracing Change, What Are Children Worrying About, and in 2024, Issues in Our Own Health. This year, for the first time, we are having a non-secular topic, exploring modern religion. We are still reaching out to the whole community, not just Anglicans. We are trying to look at the religions around us from different perspectives. What are some of the issues, different forms of worship and big issues facing us.

The challenge is running Tuesday nights during Lent from March 11^th to April 15^th at 7 pm at St Mary’s Metchosin Church at 4125 Metchosin Rd across from the Golf Course. All but one of the presenters will be there in person but we offer a Zoom option as well so those not in Victoria can attend. Here is the zoom link. https://vst.zoom.us/j/89279807957?pwd=ITcX9fLKiSCEhVJj7mAJHoC8bMLitz.1

Schedule:

March 11^th: The Venerable Dr. Lon Towstego will look at religion as community and in the community. View recording HERE

March 18^th: Margaret O’Donnell will present on the Taizé way of being together by many types of Christians.

March 25^th: The Rev Dr. Ross Lockhart will speak on how the very secular Pacific Northwest is different from the rest of the continent and the challenges that it brings. He is from St Andrew’s Hall and Vancouver School of Theology in Vancouver, so will be presenting on Zoom. View Recording HERE.

April 1^st: The Rev Dr. Travis O’Brian will speak on Mystery in the Church; the draw and the role of it in modern faith.

April 8^th: Patricia Lane, a lawyer who challenges the churches to be the leaders in the climate and environmental struggles. Patricia will present on how the Canadian Churches can or should respond to President Trump.

April 15^th: Our own Dean Jonathan Thomas will talk about what is spirituality. So many people say that they aren’t religious, but they are spiritual. They usually try to end the conversation this way, but what are they saying? What is spirit anyway?

St Mary’s is hoping that other congregations will join us in-person or by Zoom and listen to the ideas and participate in the conversations around them. There are some of the other presentations from other years on our web site, if you are interested in listening to these. We are hoping all of this deepens our thoughts and enlivens our conversations and maybe even propel action in some people.