Iranian Christians in Montreal

 

Pourya Zaganeh (left), pictured here with Anglican bishop Victor-David Mbuyi Bipungu, was Muslim when he lived in Iran but was baptized at St Jax in Montreal after some powerful personal religious experiences. Now he leads a Farsi Bible study at the church. (Photo courtesy of Pourya Zaganeh)

We've been informed during this past week that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the supreme leader of Iran who was "eliminated" by US missiles has been replaced by his son, also a hard-liner. It would seem that the perserve version of Islam practiced by the leadership structure in Iran has not been shaken by the onslaught by the United States and Israel and the citizens of Iran are still in their iron grip. 

We might assume that all Iranians are fundamentalist Muslims but this is not the case. There are moderates in the faith as well as a small number of Christians, despite persecution. I came upon what was for me a suprising article in Broadview magazine, formerly the United Church Observer, about a growing group of expatriate Iranians living in Montreal who have been baptized as Christians in an Anglican congregation there: 

As participants logged into St Jax Church’s weekly Bible study on Feb. 3, the Zoom call filled with the warm echoes of “salam baradar” and “salam khahar”—peace, brother, and peace, sister. The study, held in Farsi, is one of the services the Montreal church has recently added to address the growing influx of Iranian congregants. St Jax has baptized over 140 Iranians since 2020, when it opened as a new Anglican church plant.

“The growth of our Iranian community actually started with a person who was a very dynamic community leader and came here saying, ‘I’m definitely not a Muslim. I’m definitely not a Christian, either. However, I know a lot of Iranians who are trying to explore Christianity, and I’ve looked into where the best churches for them are. It may as well be here,’” recalls senior pastor Rev. Graham Singh. 

While Iran is predominantly a Muslim nation, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha’i communities have rich histories in Iran and continue to gather as minorities, often at risk of persecution under the Islamic theocracy that has ruled since the 1979 Revolution. Although apostasy is punishable by death under the Islamic regime, Christian conversion among Iranians born Muslim is a growing movement both within the country and across the diaspora living in the West. Now, as Iran reels from levels of governmental violence that haven’t been seen since the revolution, Montreal’s Iranians are finding comfort at St Jax.

It's tempting to consider conversion as coercion but it sounds as though the people who have joined this congregation have experienced the Good News of acceptance in Christ in this setting. 

I'm grateful that Broadview shared this story and we can pray for this faith community and all whom they love in a war-torn land. Here is the link to the article:  https://broadview.org/st-jax-church-iranians/

A Canticle to Medieval Women

 I've mentioned that we listen to books together as we travel in our vehicle, downloading them from the library, often repeatedly, until we work our way through. 

We have just finished our most recent tome called Canticle, by Janet Rich Edwards which we both appreciated, although I did moreso than Ruth. A canticle is a song, often a religious song, and this novel is a song of praise to women of courage and faith. 

A review in the Washington Post drew me to the novel and this paragraph sums it up well: 

Edwards, like her late-13th-century heroine, Aleys, is walking a treacherous path. With “Canticle,” her debut novel, she has created a bizarre story of miracles and martyrdom by drawing on equally bizarre stories about medieval mystics such as St. Clare of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Catherine of Genoa. Some readers will catch echoes of Lauren Groff’s 2021 novel, “Matrix,” about the 12th-century poet Marie de France, but Edwards’s fidelity to the Christ-saturated imagination of the period is bolder — and, probably, less appealing to those modern readers who want historical women to be sweetened with modern feminist sensibilities like a Communion wafer dipped in honey.

I wouldn't describe the story as bizarre even though it is very different from our perspective of the world today, including the spiritual. I appreciated the many allusions to that era, some of them listed above but also the Beguines. The Beguines were religious lay communities in which the women were devout yet not nuns and were free to leave if they chose. 

As I listened I was reminded of so much I've read about women of that time who found ways to express their faith outside of the often oppressive control of men. They were often mystics who experienced God and Christ in unconventional ways that were viewed as a danger to the patriarchal control of the Church. If they strayed too far from that control their lives could go up in flames -- quite literally. There are also echoes of Hildegard of Bingen and Julian of Norwich in this well written novel. 

We agree that there were portions that could have been been edited to a degree but I'm glad we prevailed to the end. 

                                                            Print of a Beguine Woman from 1489

Bedside Manner in Medicine & Ministry

Opinion

A medical tradition worth reviving

I have found making house calls to be one of the most meaningful and satisfying aspects of my work as a family doctor. Although they have long been in decline in North America, there are still physicians fighting to save the tradition

Nicholas Pimlott

The Globe and Mail

Published January 31, 2026

When we lived in Halifax I got a phone call one Christmas Day evening about the death of an elderly woman I had been visiting in hospital, She was the mother of a member of the congregation but I ended up seeing her a number of times. She actually died at home because the family made arrangements for her to receive care there in her final days.

I went to be with the family so that we could pray and commend her to God's eternal care. She and her husband lived in one of the swankiest condominium buildings in the downtown and as I approached the elevator I realized that the man waiting there was my doctor, who, it turned out, was her physician as well. We were both a bit surprised to see the other and we chatted on our way up. 

A few weeks ago the artiicle above was publiished in the Saturday Globe and Mail and it brought to mind that incident. I was touched as I read it because I found pastoral "house calls" to be a deeply meaningful part of ministry, although my role was in spiritual health rather than physical. Dr. Pimlott began his piece with a story about the death of a woman and the solemn and intimate formality, with her care-giver daughter present, of verifying what had occurred. Dr. Pimlott went on to offer some facts and a reflection on the value of home visits:

Before the Second World War, house calls made up around half of all visits between doctors and patients; by 1950, that had fallen to roughly one in 10, and by the 1980s house calls made up just one in 200 of all such visits...

Not long after I started making those monthly home visits to her, the weekly trips to the emergency department suddenly stopped. Whether or not it was because my regular home visits finally had an impact, or because in her new home she had easy access to the help and advice of a nurse, I cannot say. Nor did I ever ask her. Like many doctors, I am vain enough and arrogant enough to think that somehow, I had changed her behaviour. The more obvious truth is that she changed mine. After years of frustration, I had finally stopped treating Isabel as a problem to be solved and began treating her like a person to be cared for.

Although still inadequately compensated compared to office visits and not always convenient to do, I have found making house calls to be one of the most meaningful and satisfying aspects of my work as a family doctor. They have provided me with insights into the lives of my patients that have helped me to better understand and care for them, and they have deepened my sense of connection to them.

I did have occasions when I was present as parishioners "shuffled off this mortail coil" and it was always a powerful experience. Thankfully, most visits were pastoral  in nature with conversation and perhaps a scripture reading, a prayer, and sharing in holy communion. I had my own version of the doctor's bag, a lovely walnut-cased communion set, and a visiting bible, a small version I would have trouble reading from now because of the tiny print. 

As with Dr. Pimlott there were individuals I didn't really want to visit and neither did the excellent pastoral care ministers I worked with through the decades in multiple-staff congregations. One imperious old soul insisted on holding court in her bedroom with the stock market scroll on the TV. I eventually convinced her to turn off the set for the time I was there. 

I'm grateful that son Isaac, also a United Church minister, visits congregants, mostly older,  where they live. As with physicians, home pastoral visits by clergy have been on the decline for decades. More than once colleagues opined that they didn't have time to "sit around drinking tea" (a direct quote) and I wondered what they were doing that was so much more important than this aspect of ministry. Of course, there are so many cautions and rules about time spent alone with vulnerable persons but compassion is still essential. 

While I will readily admit that I often felt mildly guilty that I wasn't keeping up with this ministry of presence in Christ's name I have no regrets for the time I "wasted" with my parishioners. 

Reproductions of The Doctor, a painting by 19th-century British artist Luke Fildes that depicts a house call to a sick child, hang in many modern family doctors’ offices.

The Crisis in Cuba and Christian Witness

 

                                                       Matanzas Theological Seminary

The United Church of Canada expresses its unwavering solidarity with Cuban Mission and Service partners and the people of Cuba. At a time of deepening interconnected crises, the United Church condemns the recent  executive order (opens in a new tab)issued by the Trump administration, which declares a national emergency and establishes a process to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell or otherwise provide oil to Cuba. This threatens the right to life and the wellbeing of Cubans. 

We spent time as tourists in Cuba on several occasions over time although we haven't been there in at least 15 years. Even though we enjoyed the respite from the cold of Canadian winters we became increasingly concerned about the the oppressive regime generally and the lack of religious freedom, despite statements to the contrary. We were very aware that tourism was an economic engine for the country and those who served us in resorts were dependent on Canadian dollars to lift them above poverty.

Now, thanks to an American embargo on Venezualan oil entering Cuba, most tourism has ground to a halt and the country is suffering from power outages and serious food insecurity. People have no money and are starving in the dark. This embargo is punitive for average Cubans who have no say over government policy. Canada is trying to figure out how to offer aid to those who need it most. 

On one of our trips we visited a Christian seminary in the city of Mantanzas, a simple oasis in the midst of the poverty. At the time the United Church had am active partnership with the seminary and our son, Isaac, considered doing a portion of his theological education there. We toured the grounds and saw the extensive vegetable gardens which provided produce for the seminary and the broader community. We had brought with us cloth and sewing supplies for a collective sponsored by the seminary and we met with the coordinator later in Havana. They simply didn't have the money for or access to these supplies within the country. 

I have been thinking about this Christian witness in Mantanzas and about the ministries of the Roman Catholic church in Cuba. A spokesperson for the RCs said recently:

“Food prices are rising. Medicines are scarce, medical services have been reduced, and surgeries are limited only to those whose lives are in danger. Access to drinking water has become more difficult because many people depend on water trucks, and without fuel, they cannot reach them.”

In this context, the Church — poor and among the poor — offers a pastoral ministry of charity and consolation. “It is in the area of charity that we are perhaps being renewed and continually growing, as we see increasing needs and experience the Lord’s call to serve Him in the poor,” he said, recalling the many assistance efforts carried out — often with great difficulty — for the most vulnerable.

The prospects for Cuba are bleak and while President Trump has mused about a "friendly takover" of the country, starving the poor is not a form of liberation. 

I'm not sure to what extent the United Church connection has continued but we can pray for Christ's church in all its expressions in the country. Here is a link to the United Church response to the current situation:

https://united-church.ca/news/new-us-tariffs-target-cuba-united-church-offers-solidarity-cuban-people

                Various moments from the social pastoral ministry of the RC churches in Havana

Living Water

 

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” (although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized),  he left Judea and started back to Galilee.  But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 

 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

John 4: 1-7. 13-15 NRSVue 

Both Lower Trent and Quinte Conservation Authorities have issued warnings about high water levels in rivers and streams due to heavy rain and rising temperatures. The message is that banks might become unstable and flooding is possible. These are important cautions although I'm somewhat pleased that they are necessary. Last year drought in our region was so sustained that water levels dropped alarmingly, wells dried up, and many dependable channels became a navigation nightmare. Our waterways need to be replenished. 

                                                               Samaritan Woman at the Well -- He Qi 

Wouldn't you know that the gospel reading for this Sunday in Lent is exclusive to John, the story of the encounter between Jesus and a woman at a precious source of water, a well. It looks as though our pastor (and son) Isaac will tie what is the lengthiest conversation between Jesus and any person in the gospels to International Women's Day, a thoughtful choice. In the back-and-forth of this exchange Jesus, the Jew, promises the Samaritan woman Living Water, even as she provides him with a drink to quench his thirst. 

Although this story abounds in symbolism, as is the case with so much of John, it is also a reminder of the value of water for daily sustenance. Finding sources of water and managing them was a vital part of every day, often women's work. Some of you may have read James Michener's novel, The Source, which unfolds the complex history of the region through countless generations with the focal point  of a particular water source. In years past I would recommend this entertaining saga to those who were going on trips to Israel and Ruth read it before we visited in 2023. 

The paucity of water in places around the planet due to global heating is becoming a crisis and even in normally watery climes such as ours is cause for concern. While we watch the extensive bombing of Tehran in Iran, there is another emergency for this city of well over 10 million.  Officials have been warning about Day Zero, when the taps run dry as the country has endured six consecutive years of severe drought.

When we read the story of the Samaritan Woman we appreciate that Jesus is offering a deeper spiritual truth to this rejected person, a message of hope and acceptance. Perhaps we can also rethink the symbol of  Living Water as the precious resource that brought the two of them together in the first place. Water is sacred in many religions, complete with rituals and liturgies. 

Am I suggesting that the seemingly endless snowfall of this Winter was actually a blessing? I'll let you decide!

The Cruelty of Bill 94

                                                                         Asma Qureshi 

The madness of Bill 94 continues in the province of Quebec. The bill, adopted last Fall, introduced a further set of secularism measures  banning the wearing of religious symbols for all school employees, students are prohibited from wearing face coverings, and the ban on religious symbols now also applies to parent volunteers at schools.

At the time former education minister Bernard Drainville said "In Quebec, we made the decision that the state and religion are separate. And today we say the public schools are separate from religion. " 

Now the ban on symbols and apparel extends to parent volunteers at schools. I've written before about how this targets Muslim women more than any other group because of the hijab head covering. Even though finding volunteers in schools is a challenge one mother will no longer be able to offer assistance in her childrens' library. Another has been planning an end-of-school meal for her kids and their classmates but won't be permitted to serve it.

Asma Qureshi, who wears a hijab, has volunteered in various capacities for seven years at the same school Khan’s [llbrary volunteer] children attend , including this year helping to organize a lunch for her daughter’s graduating class.She and her husband, who owns a restaurant, are donating all the food.

“One of the things that hit me hard is that when I asked if I could participate in that event and be there to distribute the food, I was told I couldn't because of my hijab,” Qureshi said, adding she’s feeling a mixture of hurt, sadness, anger and shock. 

Seven years of generous service to children. What if a parent showed up to volunteer wearing a toque, or a beret but was known to be a Muslim or a Jew? Would the secularism police be called in to make a judgement about the head covering as a "stealth" kippah or hijab? Who does this really serve, and doesn't it deepen the "us and them" prejudices that lead to hatred and misunderstanding? 

According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms we are all guaranteed freedom of conscience and religion. Quebec is still a part of Canada, isn't it? 

Rembrandt, Rediscovered

  In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.  But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty,  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. 

 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.  Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. 

Luke 2: 5-- 15 NRSVue

With my art history background stories about "lost and found" paintings and prints are catnip for me. Recently a set of 35 Rembrandt etchings were discovered in a folder left to a Dutch woman by her grandfather years before. This is an important reminder -- never throw out anything! 

Rembrandt is in the news again, this time in the form of a "lost"  painting from 1663 which was known by experts. disappeared for more than 60 years, only to be rediscovered and authenticated by experts. The rightfull owners presented Vision of Zacharias in the Temple for tests at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. According to the BBC

Rembrandt was 27 when he created the painting, which depicts the Biblical scene when priest Zacharias is told by the Archangel Gabriel that despite their age, he and his wife will have a son, John the Baptist.

The museum said Rembrandt had given the Biblical story an innovative twist. Instead of depicting the Archangel Gabriel visibly, he only suggested his presence. In doing so, he departed from established visual traditions and introduced a new way of representing this subject.

Rembrandt deliberately chose the decisive moment, just before Gabriel reveals his true identity.It is one of the few history paintings Rembrandt created during this period. At the time, he was primarily producing portraits, which were highly lucrative.

Rembrandt was in high demand at that stage of his career and spent his wealth faster than he made it -- why not? As he aged and was no longer the painterly flavour of the day he careened into bankruptcy and disrepute. Yet he produced another extraordinary work, The Return of the Prodigal Son, as he neared the end of his life. The late theologian and priest, Henri Nouwen offered:

Rembrandt is as much the elder son of the parable as he is the younger. When, during the last years of his life, he painted both sons in Return of the Prodigal Son, he had lived a life in which neither the lostness of the younger son nor the lostness of the elder son was alien to him. Both needed healing and forgiveness. Both needed to come home. Both needed the embrace of a forgiving father. But from the story itself, as well as from Rembrandt's painting, it is clear that the hardest conversion to go through is the conversion of the one who stayed home

I would encourage you to snoop around in your New Testament and read the rest of the story of Zecharia. And while you're at it, turn to chapter 15 of Luke for the Prodigal Son.  It's interesting that these two biblical paintings are from stories told exclusively in gospel of Luke. Hmm...who will unravel this mystery?...