Stories for Faith
St. Andrew's Church
An Anglican Church • Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
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How I Came to be an Anglican - by Arline Palmer
I was born in Montreal to Roman Catholic parents & we were very faithful Church goers. I was baptized & married in the same Parish by the same Priest. I never questioned what I was taught in school or at home. I was happy in my faith. Shortly after we were married my husband was given a transfer to Halifax. Of course we had no family there but settled in & attended Chuch as always.
Just 2 years after our wedding my husband became ill. Thus began his slow painful death, in fact he endured 15 years of suffering. My family helped from a distance & friends we’d made in Halifax also offered support but where were my Spiritual supports? No Priest or parishioner called or came. I went to Church, prayed & went home. Our sons prayed in the way small children do but soon began to ask why God didn’t make Daddy better. I asked for help with this question because I had no answer; I was offered platitudes. Finally we stopped attending Church. No call, no visit to ask if we were OK. So I turned my back on my Church, with no weekly soul food it was a short step to turn my back on God. He had not heard my Prayers nor those of my children.
Some 10 years later happily remarried, I found myself often hearing a prayer my Mom had taught me, in my head. I finally realised that God had carried me & my small family through the very difficult years when my boys’ father was dying. I talked with my husband, John, about the need I felt for Spiritual nourishment. We decided to attend a nearby Baptist Church: very welcoming but I felt something lacking in the Service. Next we went to a United & attended there twice, but the Communion Service was so different, we continued our search. We finally came home to an Anglican Parish where we soon became a part of that family. Young families came & children from Sunday School joined their parents at the Offertory; they were openly welcomed by all. The Priest & the Theological students who were assigned each year nourished my soul. I learned more about Faith, Hope & Love than ever before. It was with a deep sense of loss that we left that Congregation to move to Ontario.
So where would we be on our Spiritual Journey without that Church Family? The search began, we settled into one nearby Church & became involved but after almost three years knew we were lacking ‘food’ for the soul. We attended 4 Anglican Churches in the area and were welcomed by each but one stood out. We knew we were home when the Priest, Stuart Pike gave the Blessing:
May the Lord Jesus Christ who walks on wounded feet,
Walk with you to the end of the road.
May the Lord Jesus Christ who serves with wounded hands,
Help you to serve one another.
May the Lord Jesus Christ who loves with a wounded heart,
Be your love forever.
Bless God wherever you go,
And may you see the face of Jesus in everyone you meet.
You see that was the same Blessing our former Nova Scotia Rector gave. Also there were young families & children evident. I am an Anglican and my Church is living & encourages me to question; to continue to learn. I am happy to have found St Andrew’s my Church home.
