Worship service creates solemn counter-protest

Advertisement

Advertise with us

While hundreds gathered at the legislature on Wednesday to call on the provincial government to eliminate sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum, pronoun changes, gender ideology and mixed bathrooms in Manitoba schools, a small group of about 25 people met a few blocks away at Holy Trinity Anglican Church to use worship as a form of protest.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/09/2023 (1090 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While hundreds gathered at the legislature on Wednesday to call on the provincial government to eliminate sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum, pronoun changes, gender ideology and mixed bathrooms in Manitoba schools, a small group of about 25 people met a few blocks away at Holy Trinity Anglican Church to use worship as a form of protest.

JOHN LONGHURST / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                According to Theo Robinson, a transgender male Anglican priest who sparked the idea for the service, it was an opportunity to “show support” for the LGBTTQ+ community.

JOHN LONGHURST / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

According to Theo Robinson, a transgender male Anglican priest who sparked the idea for the service, it was an opportunity to “show support” for the LGBTTQ+ community.

The worship service, which included prayers, candle lighting and the Eucharist, was held at the same time as the 1MillionMarch4Children rally.

In introducing the service, Andrew Rampton, the rector at Holy Trinity, said it was a time for silence, contemplation and healing. He added he hoped it would also be a time of “fellowship and unity building.”

According to Theo Robinson, a transgender male Anglican priest who sparked the idea for the service, it was an opportunity to “show support” for the LGBTTQ+ community.

“Something needed to be done to counter the rally,” he said, adding that the holding of that event left him agitated and angry. “This is my something.”

It was also important to Robinson that members of the LGBTTQ+ community see the church reaching out to them.

JOHN LONGHURST / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                The worship service, which included prayers, candle lighting and the Eucharist, was held at the same time as the 1 Million March 4 Children rally.

JOHN LONGHURST / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

The worship service, which included prayers, candle lighting and the Eucharist, was held at the same time as the 1 Million March 4 Children rally.

“Jesus called us to stand with the vulnerable and marginal, people who are hurting and suffering,” he said, noting that many queer youth are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts.

“I can see the hurt, the young people calling out for help. … As Christians, we are called to be healers.”

Churches have caused some of that harm, Robinson acknowledged. “We are not unaccountable for the hurt we have caused. But we can let queer and trans people know we hear you now. We want to rebuild bridges and show the church can be a safe space,” he said.

As for those participating in the rally, Robinson said, “They say they want to protect kids, but they aren’t protecting all kids. … That’s why it’s important for the church to be heard.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba through our Religion in the News project. This reporting continues because readers like you step forward to fund it.

Donate now to support our reporting on religion.

Your donation is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER

John Longhurst

John Longhurst
Faith columnist & reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

Report Error Submit a Tip

The Free Press acknowledges the financial support it receives from members of the city’s faith community, which makes our coverage of religion possible.

More Stories

A father and son arrested last month are accused of travelling across Canada — and using courier services and Canada Post — to supply their Winnipeg drug-trafficking operation, a recent court filing shows.

Don’t deny kids a bedtime bond with Gran

Maureen Scurfield 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My mother is coming to visit and our little kids want her to sleep in their bedroom, where there’s a double bed and a single. My husband thinks this idea is ridiculous and says grandma needs her sleep, but I disagree.

I remember sleeping with my grandma — who’s now with the angels — and she told us grandkids (two girls) some wonderful bedtime stories she made up herself. She even put our names into them, making us the stars of the stories.

The best part was getting into our pyjamas with our grandmother, who showed us the magic cord from the little thing that ran from her near-deaf ear down to the secret battery pocket hidden in the bra of her slip. It made her hear us better in the daytime. We thought, “Wow!”

Not surprisingly my own mother has inherited her mom’s fantastic storytelling talent and who knows what else she has to teach the kids when she’s alone with them? I want them to be close.

Staying away to keep the heat on

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Staying away to keep the heat on

Editorial 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

It’s a tough sell these days for U.S. tourism groups seeking to attract Canadian visitors as tension, tariffs and traded verbal barbs continue to rise between the two countries.

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Menstruation, consent move up in sex-ed lesson plan

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Menstruation, consent move up in sex-ed lesson plan

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

Manitoba’s newest curriculum introduces the menstrual cycle earlier and repeatedly calls for explicit lessons on how students can give, seek, and decline to provide their consent.

The education department has released its sweeping proposal to overhaul how exercise, nutrition and sexuality are taught between kindergarten and Grade 12.

Grade 5 has long served as a key turning point for “the talk,” said J Fiedler, a sexual and reproductive health educator who provided input on the new curriculum.

“There’s no ‘the talk’ anymore. Now, there’s continuations of multiple ‘talks,’ which can hopefully reduce stress for students and stigma that people experience talking about sexuality.”

Read
6:00 AM CDT

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Yesterday at 4:59 PM CDT

It’s safe to say Viggo Bjorck made plenty of new friends and fans this past weekend — including members of his own Winnipeg Jets prospects team which split a pair of tournament games in Quebec.

Take Davis Burnside for example. The undrafted 22-year-old forward, who signed with the Manitoba Moose last spring after finishing up at Ohio State University, couldn’t believe his eyes when he was put on a line with Bjorck, the eighth-overall pick from this summer’s draft and one of the most exciting young players in 2.0 Jets history.

“You see all the highlights and you just can’t wait to play with him,” said Burnside.

It wasn’t long before they teamed up for a highlight of their own. Bjorck made a sensational through-the-legs, no-look pass to Burnside on Sunday afternoon, setting him up for a shorthanded snipe in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs young guns.

Read
Yesterday at 4:59 PM CDT

Finding fulfilment as canines’ companion

AV Kitching 9 minute read Preview

Finding fulfilment as canines’ companion

AV Kitching 9 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

Tim Campbell loves dogs. He loves them so much that as soon he retired from his job at Panasonic Canada in early 2024 he began volunteering in earnest at the Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS).

He’d started his voluntary career five years prior with another local dog rescue organization. The work was rewarding, he says but the call-outs were unpredictable.

He was looking for a voluntary role which had a bit more structure to it, something he could build a routine around, while spending time with the animals he truly adores.

“In the summer, I’m there two mornings a week, and when the weather turns a little colder, I’m there anywhere from three to four mornings, depending on what’s going on,” Campbell, 59, explains.

Read
6:00 AM CDT