About Us
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Overview
The Diocese of Saskatchewan, Canada, serves the northern two-thirds of the civil Province of Saskatchewan--an area about twice the size of Germany. In this area there are 68 scattered Anglican congregations grouped into 35 parishes. Missionary work began formally in the 1850s, and it became a Diocese with its see at Prince Albert in 1874.
Its Anglican population is about 23,000 people, sixty per cent of whom are Cree indians. At least half of these are under the age of 25.
The Diocese has 33 active and 15 retired clergy, a catechist, 110 lay readers, and two bishops. Half of the active clergy are non-stipendiary.The Suffragan, or Assistant, Bishop, Charles Arthurson, was the first Indigenous person made a bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada. Since 1989 he has served half-time as bishop and half-time as Rector of All Saints', La Ronge. half-time as Rector of All Saints', La Ronge.
The diocese has always been bilingual, English and Cree, and worship here has always been primarily from Cree and English editions of the Book of Common Prayer.
Holy Trinity, Stanley Mission, was the diocese's first church. Built in 1854, it is the oldest building in Saskatchewan and the oldest church in Western Canada.
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Bishop Burton
At the time of his election in 1993, Bishop Anthony Burton was the youngest bishop in the world-wide Anglican Communion, and the youngest Canadian bishop that century. More than fourteen years later he is the second-youngest of the Canadian bishops, though now one of the most senior and experienced of them. He has just concluded a term as Chair of the Council of the North (representing a third of Canada's dioceses and 85% of its geography). He serves as Co-Chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue and as the Episcopal Visitor to the South American Missionary Society, as well as patron or officer of a variety of institutions, societies and organizations. At the recent General Synod he was elected to its executive committee, the Council of General Synod, and has since been elected by that Council to its planning committee.Born and raised in Ottawa, Bishop Burton studied at the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and Oxford University. He was ordained in the Diocese of Nova Scotia, where he served in two parishes on Cape Breton Island, at which time he married Anna Erickson, a native of California. They moved in 1991 to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where he served as Dean and Rector of St. Alban’s Cathedral. They have two children—Caroline (13) and Peter (11). Bishop Burton has many interests, particularly church growth, Spanish language and culture, and choral music. He is an enthusiastic runner.
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Bishop Arthurson
Our Suffragan (assistant) Bishop Charles Arthurson was the first aboriginal bishop in Canada. Born in 1937 in Norway House, Manitoba, Dr. Arthurson was ordained in 1972 in the Diocese of Keewatin. He has served in the parishes of Shamattawa, 1966-70 (as Catechist); Norway House, Man. (1972-73); Big Trout Lake, Ont. (1974-76); Split Lake, Man. (1976-78); Sioux Lookout, Ont. (1978-83).
In 1983 the Arthursons moved to La Ronge, Sask., whence he was elected Suffragan Bishop in 1989. Bishop Arthurson continues to reside in La Ronge where he serves half time as the parish priest. The other half of his time is spent in episcopal ministry. He is currently the Provincial Chaplain for the Royal Canadian Legion.
Dr. Arthurson married school teacher Faye Bryer in 1968. The Arthursons have two adult children, Devon and Ritchie. Dr. Arthurson is an enthusiastic hockey player for the La Ronge 'Rusty Hookers', and a skilled carpenter.
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Our History
The Diocese of Saskatchewan was created in 1873 by an act of the Synod of the Diocese of Rupert's Land. Approval for this action had been granted by the Anglican Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1872. The first bishop of the new diocese, John McLean, was consecrated in 1874 and took up residence in Prince Albert in 1875.
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How our Church orders its life
The "Anglican Church" is not one thing but many things, and is not organized like a pyramid, the way many businesses are.
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Why is Christ our hope?
A great poet once wrote, "Midway this way of life we're bound upon, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, where the right road was wholly lost and gone."
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