The Diocese of The Arctic

If you are interested in employment opportunities please send resume/application to the Diocese of The Arctic, PO Box 190, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N2

You will find the Application forms by clicking on the "Employment Application" button on the website. Please print the Application forms, and complete them by both the applicant and the applicant's spouse (if applicable.) When completed, please mail to the Diocese of the Arctic, to the address indicated above.

St. Jude’s Cathedral and satellite parish of St. Simon’s located in Iqaluit and Apex Nunavut, Diocese of the Arctic is searching for a Dean.

Iqaluit is the capital city of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut. Iqaluit is a dynamic city www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca. It is the centre of government and a hub of sports and music activities in the North. The parish is in the process of constructing a new Cathedral in the heart of Iqaluit and can be seen as an exciting challenge for our new Dean.

The Cathedral has a vibrant cross-cultural congregation. Worship styles range from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer to the Book of Alternative Services to Prayer and Praise. There are many active groups lead by parishioners, including: men’s and women’s groups, active lay readers, soup kitchen, Christian bookstore, English Sunday School, hospital visiting, prison ministry and music ministry.

There are some immediate needs of the parish that include: Inuktitut Sunday School, Youth Ministry and community and social gatherings within the church community. Teaching scripture and making it relevant to daily life is an important aspect of the ongoing work of the church.

We are looking for an energetic and diplomatic individual with strong leadership skills who would enjoy the opportunities of living and working in a cross-cultural community.

How to apply: Applicants must complete an application form that can be downloaded from the Diocese of the Arctic website www.arcticnet.org. All resumes and applications must be sent to the Diocese of The Arctic, Box 190, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2N2 for review and if acceptable will be forwarded to the parish for their consideration.

The Parish of St. Simon & St. Jude is a large, vibrant Parish in the city of Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut. Iqaluit is situated at the head of Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island. It is part of the Deanery of South Baffin in the Diocese of The Arctic. This Diocese is geographically the largest in the world, taking in Arctic Quebec (Nunavik), Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. The Diocesan Bishop is the Rt. Rev. Andrew Atagotaaluk. There are also Regional Bishops currently functioning in the West and Nunavik.

“The congregation of this parish is proud to proclaim in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we are committed to following the teaching of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in all we say and do daily. As members of the church we will strive both internally and externally to meet the needs of those we come in contact with daily.”

St. Jude’s Cathedral, Iqaluit: at 9:45am is the English language service. Two Sundays per month Morning Prayer uses contemporary language, two Sundays per month is Holy Eucharist using the BAS. The hymns used are from Common Worship and a folder of contemporary hymns for the English service. Lay leaders and clergy provide leadership for these services. The average English service Sunday attendance is 50. Sunday school is provided in the Parish Hall kitchen during the service. Coffee hour following the service in the Rectory allows parents to enjoy fellowship over refreshments.

At 11:00 the Inuktitut service begins. This service in Inuktitut is Morning Prayer, with Holy Communion once per month. Morning Prayer follows the BCP service, Holy Communion uses the BCP or BAS service. Lay leaders take an active role in these services, with clergy oversight. Hymns are chosen from the three available Inuktitut hymn books, with some from the supplements. People are regularly encouraged to come forward for special prayers, during the hymn following the sermon. The average Sunday attendance is over 200.

At 7:00pm the evening service is held in Inuktitut. Evening Prayer from the BCP is used, with Holy Baptism once per month. Again lay leaders take an active role. The hymns are chosen from the same books as above. The average attendance is 70. There are also regular lively Prayer and Praise services.

St. Simon’s, Apex: All services here are held in Inuktitut. The schedule follows as in the Cathedral with Morning Prayer or Holy Communion, and the hymns are taken from the above mentioned books. The evening service is held at 7pm. Again lay leaders take an active role in these services with clergy oversight.

Strengths in Our Worship: When we are together in church, we feel very much a sense of belonging, of being part of God’s family. Worship helps us feel a relationship to God. Singing the hymns gives peace and healing and strength, compared to the sometimes chaos of the world outside. Opportunities are present in the services for those in need of prayer both individually and corporately. The preaching of the Word of God is an important part of our service.

Areas that need to be addressed: It has been suggested that some more contemporary music and possible additional services that are geared to targeted groups might bring in youth as well as strengthen young families and older congregation members. As liturgy shapes the life of any parish, the incumbent must be willing to try new things to shape the liturgy around the people to allow them to grow into the people God meant them to be.

A healthy parish has a strong sense of itself as a community of faith, called by God, united in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit. The parish community is very much a shared ministry assisted by the clergy, with strong lay members in leadership roles in the groups listed below.

The Parish is a strong community inside the larger community of Iqaluit/Apex, and is very used to and open in welcoming newcomers and visitors to the city and churches. The Queen has visited here on several occasions. Visitors are made to feel welcome during the services by the leaders and by parishioners taking the lead by smiling, shaking hands, etc. Coffee hour after the English language service is an important tool in community building.

The Parish Hall is used by many community organizations and groups during the week, and is well known in the community as a gathering/meeting place with excellent facilities. The Blessings Bookstore, recently opened in the Parish Hall, supplies the community and the Baffin region with Bibles, Christian books and gifts.

Lay Leaders’ group: meet twice per month for Bible study, worship and preparation for the many important roles the lay readers play in the church and in the wider community, such as visiting the sick, counselling prisoners, youth and the bereaved. Training for Lay Leaders is provided by local clergy using course outlines developed by the Diocese.

Women’s group (Inuktitut): meet weekly on Monday evenings at the Parish Hall for prayers, sewing and fellowship. They are also active in meal preparation for special groups.

St. Jude’s Youth Ministry: St Jude’s at times provides youth conferences that reach out to the surrounding communities. There was once a youth group which met regularly from October to spring time in the Parish Hall welcoming all youth and having contemporary Christian music as a large component of their gatherings. This ministry needs to be reactivated.

Choirs: There is an English language choir and organist who meet regularly for practice, and also a larger Inuktitut language choir, who also meet for practice with their organist.

Sunday school teachers: use the same material, based upon the BAS lectionary, the English being translated into Inuktitut. The Sunday schools run concurrently with the morning services in Iqaluit and Apex.

Outreach Worker: The parish currently has a fulltime outreach worker who is responsible for the bookstore, hospital, soup kitchen (serves one meal a day 7 days a week) and prison ministries. The outreach worker is responsible for the training and recruiting of volunteers to work in these vital ministries.

Coffee hour after the English service is a great way to get to know people better. Another benefit of the Sunday school is that parents can concentrate on the worship service, knowing that their children are also receiving Christian education at their appropriate level. Special services are held from time to time, something for the congregation to look forward to. Special events, such as welcoming feasts for dignitaries are held when the occasion permits.

Ministry to the youth of the community is lacking in the parish. It is hoped that the new incumbent would be able to inspire and raise up leaders to take on this exciting ministry.

As is well known the cathedral building was destroyed in a fire and is in the process of being rebuilt. The new Dean will have the exciting opportunity of seeing the building through to the finish and to shape the liturgical life of the parish around this brand new cathedral.

This is not a parish for the weak of mind. It needs someone with imagination as to the possibilities for growth that are available to those brave enough to grasp them. The new dean will have to be one who can work with people of different cultures, one who can listen, learn and give and take direction. One who can adapt to changing situations and being in the Canadian Arctic one who can live in cold weather. In short we are looking for a hearty woman or man with faith, vision and an adventurous Spirit.