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When Reverend Mother Amanda Ruston took vows as a Benedictine she took on the name Magdalene, the name of her patron saint Mary Magdalene - the first woman to exercise influence in the earliest iteration of the church. That link can be seen as fitting given that as of December 1, Mtr Ruston became the first woman to serve as rector of St. James church.

A formal service of induction was held on December 1. Elder Kelvin Bee and his son Hank Bee “blanketed” Mtr. Ruston with a traditional blanket, a sign of welcoming her as a spiritual leader. Kelvin Bee also turned his own blanket over, to show that the community was no longer without a leader.

Archbishop John Stephens presided at the Eucharist service and the Rev. Matthew Johnson preached.

In his sermon, Rev. Johnson said the biggest risk for any priest is believing they can handle everything their ministry throws at them on their own. “Every priest's ministry depends on the interplay between God's leading and that priest's best efforts. Yet, how does a recctor respond when God calls them to what seems impossible?” said Fr. Johnson.

Fr. Johnson added, “any rector of St. James will need God's ongoing involvement in her life to guide and uphold their efforts. At times, they may even require God's out-and-out intervention. As a busy priest in Rome in the 16th century, Father Philip Neri was run off his feet with God's work. And the clergy here and our bishop of course, will understand this from his own life. He well understood the clergy's inclination to rely on ourselves. So at the outset of a day crammed full of God's work, Father Neri offered this prayer:

“Watch me, O Lord, this day, for

abandoned to myself, I shall surely betray thee.”

Father Neri knew that it is easy, tempting even, for we clergy to depend on ourselves, our training, our skills, our expertise, and our wisdom, all of those important. But he also knew that to depend on these things was a dangerous delusion.”

In part, the tendency to rely on one’s own skill and expertise in ministry is folly because of the wide range of tasks and roles a priest must fill in their ministry. Fr. Johnson said those roles and duties “including but not limited to pastor, celebrant, preacher, cantor, team leader, counsellor, storyteller, crisis intervenor, church historian, emergency room visitor, conflict mediator, community advocate, scripture teacher, liturgy planner, business person, fisher of people, and diplomat. there. And you thought the clergy only worked on Sunday mornings.”

He added, “Mother Amanda has proven herself in each of these roles. In fact, she's pretty darn good at this stuff.”

Following the sermon, Mtr Amanda read and signed the oaths and subscriptions and was presented with symbols of ministry by members of the congregation.

The St. James community gathered after the service for fellowship and celebration of this new chapter in the life of their church. A recording of the livestream of the induction service is available here. A photo album with photos from the service can be viewed here.