The Diocese of Algoma marked the beginning of the new liturgical year on Sunday, November 30, as Archbishop Anne Germond preached at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Sault Ste. Marie for the First Sunday of Advent. During the service, she announced her 2026 Archbishop’s Motto, taken from Ephesians 3:17:
In her sermon, Archbishop Anne said the new liturgical year invites the Church to reflect deeply on what it means to live as Advent people. “We are called,” she said, “to be Advent communities of Faith, Advent communities of Hope, Advent communities of memory, and Advent communities of alertness.”
Moving toward the heart of her message, the Archbishop introduced her 2026 motto by returning to St. Paul’s words: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” She continued, “Which leads me into my motto for the coming year… ‘That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.’”
She described Paul’s prayer in Ephesians as “poignant and powerful,” written “literally on his knees,” and offered it as a prayer that resonates with every pastor who longs for their people to be strengthened from within. “My hope today,” she said, “is that those hearing his words would be completely taken over by Christ.”
Reflecting on Paul’s image of being rooted and grounded in love, the Archbishop shared a personal illustration: “I see in my mind’s eye the 300-year-old Burr oak tree at Bishophurst, its roots so deep that they continue to feed the tree, even in times of drought. This is the depth of love we reach into when we allow Christ to come into our lives.”
She went on to highlight the transformative power of this indwelling love: “Our lives will be transformed. Conversations will change. Relationships will realign. Where we spend our time and money will relocate. Our prayer lives will deepen.” These shifts, she said, are the natural outflow of Christ moving into the hearts of believers, “when all we do and say is rooted and grounded in this love that is so amazing, so divine.”
The Archbishop concluded with a word of hope for the year ahead: “Let us enter this Advent time as an Advent people believing and trusting that beyond our small hopes, beyond our small lives, God is at work, fulfilling the plan laid out for all eternity. To God be the Glory.”
A PDF of the full sermon text can be downloaded here: SERMON
A video recording from St. Luke’s Cathedral is on the Diocesan YouTube channel: WATCH NOW