Oji-Cree archdeacon elected bishop in Canada
Using a time-honoured tradition of standing behind the nominee of their choice, delegates from 16 native communities in the diocese of Keewatin’s northern Ontario region elected Archdeacon Lydia Mamakwa as their first area bishop on March 6.
Bishop-elect Mamakwa is an aboriginal priest from Kingfisher Lake, an Oji-Cree First Nation located north of Sioux Lookout, Ont. She has been serving the Anglican Church of Canada at local, diocesan and national levels.
National Anglican Indigenous Bishop Mark MacDonald called her election “…one of the most wonderful things that has happened in a long, long time. I couldn’t have been happier with the selection. God is doing wonderful things and preparing us for even greater things.”
