History and Affiliation

The early days of saint benedict’s table

saint benedict’s table had its start back in 2003, as something of an experiment and a dream shared by a small circle of people who were committed to the idea that with its rich liturgical, theological, and spiritual heritage the Anglican tradition had the potential to speak anew into a changing world. Inspired by the liturgical theologian Robert Weber’s concept of “the church’s ancient-future,” we gathered for a simple communion six times over the spring of that year, with just nine of us present for the first gathering and fully twenty-five at the sixth. Sensing that something was clearly resonating with people, we scheduled a retreat day for later in the summer. Seventeen of us set aside a sunny day that August, and after a morning of silence and prayer we posed two basic questions to the group:

1. Do you want us to keep gathering for Sunday evening eucharist? Yes!

2. Are you committed to participating every week, and getting involved in the leadership of worship. Yes!

And with that we were on our way, spending our first nine months at what was then the Parish Church of St. Alban, and then moving to our current home at All Saints’ Church in June of 2004. All Saints’ was instrumental not only to the move to their building, but also in providing the financial support that made it possible for us to begin supporting full-time ministry, which commenced on the First Sunday of Advent, 2004.  Since then…

Rooted in Anglican soil

We are positioned within the Anglican tradition, which for us is less about denominational labels or institutional jurisdiction — though we do exist as a congregation of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land — and more about being rooted in rich spiritual, liturgical and theological soil.

This is the same soil that nurtured C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot, John Donne and George Herbert, Dorothy Sayers and Madeleine L’Engle and Desmond Tutu and countless others. Theologians and poets, musicians and novelists, reformers and rebels… all somehow linked through a tradition of breadth and depth and even the occasional controversy. It is good soil; the kind that gets embedded right into the skin on your hands as you work in it.