I don’t remember a time in my life before St. John’s. I’ve been coming to this church since I was a baby, and it’s quite surreal and overwhelming to imagine my life without it.
It’s a shame that this parish, this space, and this loving community is coming to an end in this manner. Rushed, forced, and without much care or empathy from the Diocese. On the other hand, our attempt to fight for our church to survive has brought our remaining group closer together. Despite the stress, sadness, and overall emotional exhaustion, I am happy to move forward with solid intergenerational friendships that I’m sure will last beyond the closure of this parish. I am also amazed by the community support we have received and the outpouring of love that our neighbours, friends, and even local political reps have given us after hearing of our situation. So many emails, and so much community spirit! St. John’s continues to have impact, even in our final days as an establishment.
I look forward to connecting with people at our final Community Potluck and Concert. It was another shame that our remaining community events were cancelled as of last week, but I am grateful that we were able to bring this one back to the calendar. The parish, whom have been largely ignored by the Diocese throughout this process of closure, deserves to end our time here on our terms. We deserve that respect and decency at the least. The St. John’s community is fundamentally creative, welcoming, and caring, and a final celebration through a shared meal with music reflects that.
Going forward, post-July 30th, when the building becomes no longer ours, I look to the local community to keep their watchful eyes on this place. It is up to you now to ensure its future, and that it remains – as verbally assured by Bishop Kevin Robertson – open to the community. For the time being, St. John the Beloved is permitted to run their services on Sunday afternoons, AA will continue to meet, and the daycare will continue as long as they can. If people are interested in renting the space, they can email Mario Bartolozzi (mario.bartolozzi@sympatico.ca) who is one of our new parish administrators. It is up to the community to keep up the public pressure. The last standing parishioners cannot stand up for this building alone. If you do not want to see this place get demolished, half-developed, and then abandoned, do something. St. John’s has always had a mission of radical activism, and I have only recently come to understand how much this has impacted myself and my own beliefs. I hope we can spread this radical activism throughout the neighbourhood, the community, and wherever we all go next.
I have many more memories and many more things to reflect on in the coming days. But for now, I want to thank all the people I have met at St. John’s in the last 27 years. You have shaped and changed me in so many ways. I’m happy God made you my friend.
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