Please note: Clicking on the registration links below will allow you to register for that session only. You will need to return to this page to register separately for each session (Opening Plenary, Afternoon Workshop and Closing Plenary). We don’t want you to miss out on any of the great programming we have lined up!
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Opening Plenary Session (9:30 - 11:30 a.m.)
REGISTER HERE for the Opening Plenary Session: “The Church as a Catalyst for Liberation”
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Dean Detloff is Research and Advocacy Officer at Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, a Catholic movement for international solidarity. Dean has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, where he is a sessional lecturer. He is the co-author, with Matthew Bernico, of “Enough is Enough: Degrowth, Capitalism, and Liberation Theology” (Fortress Press: 2026)
Afternoon Workshops (1:00 - 2:15 p.m.)
Please choose one of the following options:
A. Liberation and Reparations: Cultivating the Fruits of Repentance REGISTER HERE
In this collaborative and participatory workshop we will reflect on our Church’s relationship with land, power, colonialism, and the possibilities of transformation. We will reflect on how the past is present, and utilize theological reflections on praxis developed by liberation theologians. Contemplating the living legacies of colonialism and justice, we will imagine how the Church might bear “fruits worthy of repentance.” Together we will look at how holistic reparations can be a path to healing and spiritual renewal in our Church.
Facilitator: The Rev. Leigh Kern is the Right Relations Coordinator for the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.
B. Outreach, Reimagined: Lessons from the Receiving End REGISTER HERE
Does your church or community engage in street outreach, or want to? Come learn directly from people who have experienced homelessness and been on the receiving end of well-intentioned charity. In this workshop, TUHU members share practical insights about how outreach can centre the dignity and agency of people experiencing homelessness. Along the way, you may be inspired to see the strengths and leadership within the unhoused community in new ways, with ideas to create more space for those voices in your own context. After the workshop, Rev. Angie Hocking, a TUHU member and deacon in the Diocese of Toronto, will briefly reflect on how being part of TUHU has transformed and informed her ministry.
Facilitators: The Rev. Deacon Angie Hocking, Community Minister of Regent Park Community Ministry and deacon of All Saints Church-Community Centre, together with members of the Toronto Underhoused & Homeless Union (TUHU)
C. Practical Protest and Defiance: Loaves and Fishes REGISTER HERE
The workshop will explore the nature of Ecumenical Christian protest and advocacy in the context of small town politics in the midst of the housing, mental health and addiction crisis. It will follow the unfolding story of the avenues churches in Barrie have adopted when they have found their voices increasingly marginalized in seeking compassionate responses to the crisis in housing and food security.
Facilitator: The Rev. Canon Simon Bell is the Incumbent of both the parishes of Trinity and St Margaret’s, Barrie and team leader of the Central Simcoe Regional Ministry in the Diocese of Toronto.
D. Liberation Theology, Integral Ecology and the Ring of Fire REGISTER HERE
Facilitator: The Rev. Canon Michael Van Dusen is a deacon at St. Aidan’s in the Diocese of Toronto. A former member of the Social Justice & Advocacy Committee, he co-chairs Faith and Climate Action and has taken part in many public, non-violent actions against developments that would harm the planet.
Closing Plenary Session (2:45-3:30 p.m.)
At the close of our program, we will gather together again to share reflections on what we learned during the day, and pray for each other in our respective ministries.
REGISTER HERE for our Closing Plenary Session