our next Diocesan SYNOD is Saturday, June 20th, 2026

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"Diocesan Synod brings together clergy and elected lay delegates from every parish to make decisions about finances, ministry, priorities, and church structures..."

quote source: "To Love and Serve Anglican Beliefs and Practices" by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe (Adapted for the Anglican Church of Canada)

Find the Agenda below / click here for full Synod details


Bishop's Message from Anglican Montreal June 2026 / Message de L'Évêque

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photo by Stephen jay photography

le français suivra

From a Shared Meal to Witnessing of Christ's Love

In March, I invited you to join me and my team for a special fundraising dinner on May 1, 2026. Your response was a delightful surprise to me, especially as so many of you generously supported this initiative. I would like to thank each and every one of you for attending and for making this evening an exceptional moment of fellowship and friendship. 

 Prior to sharing the results of this project with you, let me first elaborate on its rationale and the reasons or motivations that led us to carry it out.  

 I was fortunate enough to spend nearly ten years as part of a community that helped me reconnect with my cultural roots—the ones that taught me the importance of family gatherings over a meal. Over the years, these gatherings have provided me with the most meaningful and memorable moments of our shared journey with God. Those very moments were occasions when God’s Word became more tangible. They were truly the embodiment of the deeply rooted connection between the human and the divine. The joy that filled our hearts helped us overcome conflicts and disagreements that any community—whether Christian or not—may experience. 

But beyond this community, sharing a meal remains an important bonding factor within all human societies. Sharing food is a powerful, universal act that turns the simple act of eating into an opportunity for deepening human connections. 

Meals are a prevalent element in the Holy Scriptures, and one of the best-known accounts of Jesus sharing a meal involves a few loaves of bread and a few fish being distributed to 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21). What seemed impossible to human eyes became a great miracle of God’s generous love, which embraces everyone without distinction. This has made eating together a fundamental value across cultures and throughout history, and for us Christians, it surpasses basic biological necessity to become a deeply spiritual act.  

The spiritual sense of this act is what is referred to in another well-known account, that of the Last Supper which was the final Passover meal Jesus shared with his twelve disciples in Jerusalem before his crucifixion (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13). During this meal, Jesus initiated the Eucharist (Holy Communion), identifying the bread as his body and the wine as his blood of the new covenant for God's new people—a people of brothers and sisters, friends, and human beings from all backgrounds.   

At our dinner on May 1st, I noticed that some people were speaking English and others, French, Creole, Swahili, or Spanish, and so on. We didn’t need to speak the same language to understand each other, the food did all the talking as it had the power to transcend cultural and language differences. The proof of that is simple. We didn't need to know the name of a dish or how it’s traditionally prepared to appreciate its flavors. Only our mouths and our tongues knew the truth and were able to reassure us. 

From this Spring Dinner, we raised nearly $5,000. As announced, these funds will be dedicated to support our youth ministry in building a strong sustainable future. We would also like to assure you that the Bishop’s Dinner remains very much on our agenda and that we are still planning to have the pleasure of inviting you to it in the fall. We are considering maintaining the overall format, with a few adjustments. Further information will be communicated in due course. 

Thank you so much for letting us hear the stories behind each dish and every menu item. We’ve learned a lot about each other, our families, our cultures, and our personal journeys. I hope that after this gathering, we may transform what started out as a simple meal into a movement of friends committed to sharing the love of Jesus Christ throughout this diocese. 

 +Victor-David Mbuyi Bipungu 

D’un repas partagé au témoignage de l’amour du Christ

En mars dernier, je vous avais invités à vous joindre à moi et à mon équipe pour un dîner de collecte de fonds exceptionnel, le 1er mai 2026. Votre réponse m’a agréablement surpris, tant vous avez été nombreux à soutenir généreusement cette initiative. Je tiens à remercier chacun d’entre vous d’avoir été présent et d’avoir fait de cette soirée un moment exceptionnel de fraternité et d’amitié.

Avant de vous faire part des résultats de ce projet, permettez-moi d’abord de vous expliquer sa raison d’être et les motivations qui nous ont poussés à le mener à bien.

J’ai eu la chance de passer près de dix ans au sein d’une communauté qui m’a aidé à renouer avec mes racines culturelles, celles qui m’ont appris l’importance des réunions familiales autour d’un repas. Au fil des ans, ces moments de partage m’ont offert les instants les plus significatifs et les plus mémorables de notre cheminement commun avec Dieu. Ce sont précisément ces moments-là qui ont rendu la Parole de Dieu plus tangible. Ils étaient véritablement l’incarnation du lien profondément enraciné entre l’humain et le divin. La joie qui remplissait nos cœurs nous a aidés à surmonter les conflits et les désaccords que toute communauté, qu’elle soit chrétienne ou non, peut connaître.

Mais au-delà de cette communauté, le partage d’un repas reste un facteur important de cohésion au sein de toutes les sociétés humaines. Partager la nourriture est un acte puissant et universel qui transforme le simple fait de manger en une occasion d’approfondir les liens humains.

Les repas occupent une place prépondérante dans les Saintes Écritures, et l’un des récits les plus connus où Jésus partage un repas est celui où quelques pains et quelques poissons sont distribués à 5 000 personnes (Matthieu 14, 13-21). Ce qui semblait impossible aux yeux des humains est devenu un grand miracle de l’amour généreux de Dieu, qui embrasse tout le monde sans distinction. Cela a fait du fait de manger ensemble une valeur fondamentale à travers les cultures et à travers l’histoire, et pour nous, chrétiens, cela dépasse la simple nécessité biologique pour devenir un acte profondément spirituel.

C'est à la dimension spirituelle de ce geste que fait référence un autre récit bien connu, celui de la Cène, le dernier repas de la Pâque que Jésus a partagé avec ses douze disciples à Jérusalem avant sa crucifixion (Matthieu 26, Marc 14, Luc 22 et Jean 13). Au cours de ce repas, Jésus a institué l’Eucharistie (la Sainte Communion), identifiant le pain comme son corps et le vin comme son sang de la nouvelle alliance pour le nouveau peuple de Dieu — un peuple composé de frères et sœurs, d’amis et d’êtres humains de toutes origines. 

Lors de notre dîner du 1er mai, j’ai remarqué que certaines personnes parlaient anglais et d’autres français, créole, swahili ou espagnol, etc. Nous n’avions pas besoin de parler la même langue pour nous comprendre : la nourriture était notre langage, car elle avait le pouvoir de transcender les différences culturelles et linguistiques. La preuve en est simple. Nous n'avions pas besoin de connaître le nom d'un plat ni la façon dont il est traditionnellement préparé pour en apprécier les saveurs. Seules nos bouches et nos langues connaissaient la vérité et pouvaient nous rassurer.

Ce dîner de printemps nous a permis de récolter près de 5 000 $. Comme annoncé, ces fonds seront consacrés au soutien de notre pastorale des jeunes afin de bâtir un avenir solide et durable. Nous tenons également à vous assurer que le dîner de l’évêque figure toujours à notre programme et que nous comptons bien avoir le plaisir de vous y inviter à l’automne. Nous envisageons de conserver le format général, avec quelques ajustements. De plus amples informations vous seront communiquées en temps voulu.

Merci beaucoup de nous avoir fait découvrir les histoires qui se cachent derrière chaque plat et chaque élément du menu. Nous avons beaucoup appris les uns sur les autres, sur nos familles, nos cultures et nos parcours personnels. J’espère qu’après cette rencontre, nous pourrons transformer ce qui n’était au départ qu’un simple repas en un mouvement d’amis engagés à partager l’amour de Jésus-Christ partout dans ce diocèse.

 +Victor-David Mbuyi Bipungu

 

 

 

Find the June issue of the Anglican Montreal HERE

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DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE

NEW JOB OPPORTUNITY - Part time incumbent St Philips Montreal West

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Parish Profile

How to Apply: Call for Applications 

Deadline: July 26th

The Bishop of Montreal invites applications for the part-time position of Incumbent of St. Philip’s Church in Montreal West/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG), Québec. Candidates are requested to specify whether a half-time or three-quarters-time ministry better aligns with their calling.

The bishop is looking to appoint a priest who will both serve and lead the parishioners of St. Philip’s Church in Montreal West/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in their efforts to organize for its future. The following profile outlines the stimulating challenges and exciting opportunities for the right candidate. As a priest of the Diocese of Montreal, in addition to your parish duties, you will be expected to support your colleagues in ministry and share in the wider work of the Diocese. As such, attendance would be expected at inductions, ordinations, meetings of the deanery clericus, Synod, and clergy conferences and participation in continuing education and information days would have to be considered as a priority. From time to time, you would also be called upon to take part in committee work outside the parish. Your example should help inspire the laity in your parish to also share in the life of the broader church. 

If selected, you are encouraged to seek opportunities for ecumenical collaboration and for building mutual understanding and respect among religious institutions within your parish. You should make yourself known to other community leaders and to cooperate with them and others who work for the common good in the surrounding area. 

With a letter of permission from their bishop, interested applicants may submit their curriculum vitae with covering letter, outlining why they feel called to this parish, to the Bishop of the Diocese of Montreal by mail or email: 

Applicants are asked to send their information to the Bishop of Montreal by July 26th 2026

The Rt Rev Victor-David Mbuyi Bipungu 

1444 Union Ave, Montreal, (QC) H3A 2B8 

bishops.office@montreal.anglican.ca 

(514) 843-6577

The Bible Story Walk is on the Move!

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The Bible Story Walk is back for another season, starting at St Hilda’s!!

The Bible Story Walk, a travelling outdoor art installation, has been making its way across church lawns sharing bible stories through vibrant illustrated panels.

This unique initiative was designed to engage neighbours who pass by or visit church grounds for leisure—offering them a moment of wonder, reflection, and connection with the host church. This creative outreach has proven to be a powerful way to build community, sparking curiosity and conversation.

Many churches that have hosted the installation noting how it has opened doors for connection with local families and individuals. The panels depict The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13). This beloved and familiar passage invites people of all ages to pause, reflect, and perhaps recall cherished memories of faith and prayer.

Our hope is that children and families, in particular, will see themselves in this story—encouraged by its message and inspired by its presentation. To bring this edition to life, we sought the creativite expressions of young people across the Diocese.

Learn more about the project HERE