CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE Dec. 20, 2017
In the recent weeks, there has been some changes to the organization of the local Anglican Parish and The Equity sat down with the three members of the local clergy who are eager to see what the future has in store.
Starting back in September, the Parishes of Clarendon, Renfrew and Northern Pontiac were merged into the newly created area Parish of Renfrew-Pontiac.
“It’s a new idea that the diocese has developed to try to ensure that places in the diocese, which in some cases have been struggling with numbers and stuff like that, that we pull together a number of former parishes and churches into a larger area Parish,” explained Reverend Deacon Tim Kehoe, who was appointed to serve in the newly created area Parish on Oct. 1.
There are currently five churches in the region that meet weekly: St. Paul’s in Shawville, Holy Trinity in Radford, St. Paul’s in Renfrew, Holy Trinity in Danford Lake and St. James in Otter Lake. There are also nine other chapels throughout the region that meet anywhere from once a month to once a year.
“For many of the smaller communities, there’s a filial duty to the graves that are there too, because many of them also have cemeteries,” explained Archdeacon Mavis Brownlee. “It’s really important to us as Anglicans to observe our filial duty.”
Brownlee added that she, along with Kehoe and her associate incumbent, Reverend Carol Hotte, will be travelling from church to church each Sunday in a circuit. So far, the results have been encouraging.
“The exciting thing about the area parish is that we now have a clergy team,” she said. “This is a travelling show. People really like the diversity in the preaching style and in the music. It’s been a very rich experience for us.”
“It stretches us as clergy,” said Hotte. “When you go from congregation to congregation, there’s a little culture in every [one], so we have to adapt too.”

Kehoe is the self-described “rookie” of the three, as he will be ordained next year, and currently lives in Ottawa. He has decades of experience working in various government organizations, from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and was appointed the deputy CEO of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in 2012.
He’s also a visiting professor in the field of ethics at St. Paul University and has been heavily involved in the ministry of the Ottawa Diocese before being appointed to Renfrew-Pontiac.
He said the changes were about improving the services that the church brings to the community, in addition to making efficient use of resources and staff.
“It’s going to be very exciting,” he said. “This isn’t about churches doing ‘church stuff’, it’s about being able to serve the needs in our communities, you know, from a social justice point of view.”
“In the Northern Pontiac, they launched a mental health first-aid day which was really ecumenical in nature and we’re bringing that to Shawville,” added Brownlee, who emphasized the great need for mental health and support services in the area.
Hotte has degrees in education, theology and psychology and has served exclusively in the Diocese of Ottawa. She served in the Parish of Northern Pontiac last year, travelling among her far-flung congregation every week. She recently moved to Renfrew with her family, in order to be closer to her parishioners.
“The people love it,” she said, of rotating between congregations. “A fellow came to see me a few weeks ago in Renfrew and he said ‘It’s just like Christmas, you never know what’s going to be under the tree.’ You never know who’s going to be there.”
Brownlee has served the region, based out of St. Paul’s in Shawville, for nine years. She said there are also several other clergy members in the region who will be available to help out as the need arises, as burnout is a real factor in rural areas like the Pontiac.
“We ground each other, it’s really important,” said Hotte of her teammates.
“For me being the rookie, I get mentored by these people,” Kehoe added.
“We’re stronger together,” Brownlee concluded.