Following from my posting of a sermon by Sam Rose, the Anglican Bishop of Central Newfoundland, the very distinguished, brilliant, and thoughtful music Matthew Larkin left a good comment. My response is below: Thanks for your thoughts, Matthew. Allow me to broaden the context somewhat. I am not sure that church leaders celebrate the loss... Continue Reading →
How to close a church well — A sermon
Sermon Notes at the Closing of St.Andrews Trinity East from the Right Rev. John Watton, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Central Newfoundland My friends, Iโll be honest. Throughout the three dioceses in Newfoundland and across the country, we will face increased Church closings. Itโs hard to talk about, let alone live through it. When... Continue Reading →
Best assignment yet
By Hankookilbo - Published Apr 13, 2026 Hankook Ilbo, Korea Visitors crowd the Yeongnangho Cherry Blossom Festival around Yeongnangho Lake in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, April 11. Yonhap {Ken Gray - As a child growing up in Victoria on Harlow Drive my street was drenched in pink cherry blossoms every March of April. I have fond... Continue Reading →
A new name for Good Friday?
A sermon for the United and Anglican congregations in Summerland BC on Good Friday, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray We need a new name for today, for what is โgoodโ about Good Friday? By definition, โGood Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is... Continue Reading →
Saving choral music by bike in the UK
The CEO of the Cathedral Music Trust is visiting 100 choirs across England and Wales over 50 days of cycling Meg Elliot writing in Cycling Weekly The late afternoon light is falling in greens and oranges and reds on the cathedral's terracotta floor. People clutter the pews as the music starts up, complex, layered sound... Continue Reading →
I could have said this, but I didn’t; he did, and he did it well
Anglicanism #1, from Dan Scott on Facebook Over the next few reflections, I want to share a few thoughts about Anglicanismโthe tradition that became my spiritual home. A Christian doesnโt exactly convert to Anglicanism. Baptized believers may eventually ask to be formally received and confirmed, but in practice they are welcomed to participate from the... Continue Reading →
Building for a new future โ A New House for UVIC Indigenous Law
I so enjoyed walking the corridors and some of the public spaces of the UVIC law building a few days ago. I was interested in the Indigenous program space, in part as a family member is a recent graduate of the JID program. At the same time I am researching the history of a faith... Continue Reading →
The influence of Climate Change on the Tuning of Pipe Organs โ Something different for a change
Recently published in The Guardian [Ken Gray] Many of us organ students in the 1970s worked for Victoria BC Organ Builder, Hugo Spilker. Part of our duties involved visiting local churches with Hugo to hold console keys as he tuned the organ pipes in the loft. While some pipes are built of wood, a majority... Continue Reading →
On the building of organs, and of those who build them
A number of student organists in Victoria during the mid-1970s worked for local organ builder, Hugo Spilker. We loved playing the organ โ I speak here of large instruments placed in downtown churches, many comprising four manuals and a pedal division โ These were not small electronic substitutes which proliferate where I live today in... Continue Reading →
An American history lesson of interest to at least one Canadian, me
Posted by Heather Cox-Richardson In his newsletter, Krugman noted that renewables have grown explosively in the past decade, spurred by what he calls a virtuous circle of falling costs and increasing production. That circle is the result of subsidies that made renewable energy a going concern in the face of fossil fuels. Today, he points... Continue Reading →