2026 ODNW Investiture Service Held

Saints are those who, even though they are human and have their off days, show us through their actions that God is near. Archbishop John Stephens made the comment during his homily at the Service of Induction into the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster.

During the service, 55 people were inducted into the order, created to recognize and honour lay members of the diocese who have shown exceptional dedication through volunteer ministry over a substantial period. The service was held November 7, 2026 at St. Andrew’s Wesley Church. The archbishop led morning prayer. The choir of St. John’s, Shaughnessy, under the direction of David Poon, provided the music for the service. The Warden of the Order, Robert Watt, ODNW, provided the territorial acknowledgement. Giselle Clarke-Trenaman served as MC for the ceremony.

“There is this river of the water of life that in fact all of us know very well, for we have touched it and tasted of it and been baptized within it. The water of life that is the source of all that we see and know and sustains all of life and living,” Archbishop Stephens said in his homily.

He added that there are people in this world who know this water of life very well. They “have had their thirst quenched in their discovery of what is most central and core to this life. People whom we have met who have revealed to us that indeed our connection, our relationship with God, is vital to our hope,” he said.

“We often refer to these people who do the pointing out and the revealing, we often refer to them as saints,” the archbishop said, though the last thing these people want is to be called saints.

Archbishop Stephens explained that the people being inducted into the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster are people who have encountered the “water of life” and share it with those around them by, “doing things like caring for the poor, the sick, the lonely, the forgotten, the ignored. For caring for the people in our parishes and beyond, for caring for buildings and church events and church activities and Christian formation classes, and much more.”

He said they are human, not perfect and have their off-days just like everyone else. “But they have reminded us that Jesus called people to follow when he walked on this planet and has continued to call people to be the Church of our day, to be the Body of Christ of our day, to reveal God’s love in actions as well as words,” he said.

The service continued with the inductees receiving their medals as a brief citation was read about them and were then congratulated individually by the archbishop.

You can watch the service here
The service booklet is available to download below.

The 2026 inductees into the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster
By Archdeaconry :

ARCHBISHOP’S NOMINEES |
Mr Rick Barr
Ms Amelia Cline
Mr Robert Dickson
Ms Stephanie Elder
Ms Talia Ferris
Ms Irene Pang
Ms Lea Starr
Mr Paul Thiessen

2026 ODNW Investiture Service Held

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