People

St. Barnabas parishioners Kerri Norris (as Gertrude) and Stephen Elcheshen (as Hamlet), had leading roles in Shadows & Dreams Theatre Company's production of Hamlet, last month in New Westminster and Vancouver. The third actor pictured is Dana MacInnis (Claudius). (see left)

The Rev. John Sovereign of St. Thomas, Chilliwack, writes this story: “During communion one of our parishioners came up and whispered to me, "There is a little boy here with his guinea pig for you to bless and it is terribly important to him." So I decided to go ahead, at the end of the service. I asked him to come and have his guinea pig blessed.”

“As he arrived at the front, and other children came with him, he announced, "My guinea pig is dead. He died yesterday." And all the other little kids were looking into the box. All I could see was a round little body with its feet in the air. So I blessed the guinea pig, and wished it a beautiful burial.”

The president of the Coming Home Society, Linda Adams, reports that the group's Young Wolves Lodge has been chosen as winner of a national award for innovation in providing services to homeless youth. Each year the "Eva's Initiatives Award for Innovation" program sponsored by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce recognizes three projects from across Canada that best exemplify new and creative ways of addressing the needs of homeless youth. The Society works in partnership with the Aboriginal community through the Urban Native Youth Association to run a recovery house for young Aboriginal women at-risk on our streets.

The Rev. Brian Heinrich's house was destroyed in a fire last month while he was on holiday in Mexico. Head of the Lutheran Urban Mission in Vancouver, Heinrich is an honorary assistant at Christ Church Cathedral.

The Rev. Sarah Tweedale, Rector of St. Clement's, North Vancouver, announced to her congregation that in May she will resign her post and take some time to write and reflect. Ordained in 1997, she served a curacy at St. Alban's, Richmond, prior to her appointment at St. Clement's. She also served as Regional Dean of North Vancouver. The Rev. Neil Mancor, assistant priest at St. John's, Shaughnessy, has left that post and is moving to Montreal.

The Rev. Albert McLane has been appointed as honorary assistant at St. John, Sardis. Previously he served at All Saints, Agassiz and St. Peter's Rosedale and was a Regional Dean.

The rector of Holy Trinity, Vancouver, is now properly the Rev. Doctor John Oakes. He successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation at Simon Fraser University in January.

The Rev. Craig Tanksley in April will take up a new post as rector of St. Mark's Ocean Park, Surrey. He has been the incumbent at St. Alban's Burnaby.

Once again the diocese has an Anglican Chaplain working at Vancouver General Hospital. The Rev. Trudi Shaw began part-time work at VGH last month. The chaplaincy was suspended in 2003 due to diocesan budget constraints. The position is funded by the parish of St. George, Vancouver, a block from the hospital, as part of its outreach to the local neighbourhood. Shaw, a deacon at St. John's in Port Moody, has been part-time chaplain at St. Jude's Anglican Home, and also continues in that position.

Mary Murray: first female delegate to two synods

Mary Murray, 88, of St. Faith's, Vancouver, died February 1. She pioneered the role of women in decision-making positions in the Diocese of New Westminster.

After Diocesan Synod in April, 1966, voted to remove "all discriminatory powers against women" in the lay work of the Church, Mary soon become the first female Diocesan Synod delegate, and later the first female synod delegate from this diocese to General Synod.

Born in Lougheed, Alberta, she lived in Fernie, B.C. until she moved to Vancouver in 1945. She served on many diocesan committees, including the TOPIC editorial Board, and worked with many other organizations including the Junior League of Vancouver, the United Nations Association of BC, and the Canadian Association for Adult Education. A lifelong member of the Liberal Party, she worked for many years as executive assistant to former BC Liberal Leader Gordon Gibson.

A celebration of her life was held at St. Faith's on Feb. 9, the Rev. Paula Porter Leggett presiding.