Starting this fall, the spiritual leader of 1.1 million Canadians will live in the Sault

Anne Germond is working hard these days to keep under the radar.

Germond is Anglican Archbishop of Algoma, Archbishop of Moosonee and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario.

On Sept. 15, the Sault Ste. Marie-based cleric will begin a 41-week stint as interim leader of the Anglican Church of Canada.

According to the 2021 census, 1.1 million Canadians self-identify as Anglican.

That makes Germond's flock the third-largest church in the country, after Catholics and the United Church of Canada.

Her appointment as the denomination's acting primate was made public on April 9.

"Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has announced that she will step down from her role on Sept. 15, 2024," said a news release issued by the church's national office.

"The canons of the Anglican Church of Canada require primates to retire upon reaching their 70th birthday. Archbishop Nicholls will reach mandatory retirement age in October," the release said.

"Until a new primate is elected by General Synod in 2025, Archbishop Anne Germond, who is Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario and the senior provincial metropolitan by virtue of having the longest current term of office, will serve as acting primate."

You haven't read a word about this, however, outside of church publications.

And Germond is hoping that will continue until she starts her new gig in September.

She's so determined not to steal her predecessor's thunder that she still speaks as though her own appointment isn't a done deal.

"If I serve as the acting primate for the Anglican Church of Canada from September this year until General Synod at the end of June 2025, I would consider it a great honour to serve the church in this way," she tells SooToday.

"I will do absolutely everything I can to carry out the duties as I am able, realizing that if I'm the acting primate, I will continue to also be the Bishop of Algoma and the Metropolitan for the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario.

"But until such time as I am the acting primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls, the primate of our church will continue to serve as the primate.

"I don't believe that it would be appropriate for me to make any comments on the Anglican Church of Canada beyond to say that I love it and it is my church.... Archbishop Linda has been a wonderful primate for our church."

What does a primate do?

"Overall, the primate leads the church in discerning and pursuing the mission of God," declares the national church's website.

"Personal visits are a hallmark of the primatial ministry. The primate travels widely to maintain pastoral and spiritual relationships throughout the church. Across Canada, he or she shares in parish and diocesan celebrations, meets with large and small groups of people, leads parish and diocesan retreats or conferences, and preaches in different settings.

"On certain occasions, the primate speaks in the name of the Anglican Church of Canada in accordance with the policies of the General Synod or the Council of General Synod. As well, he or she represents the church nationally and internationally, often in ecumenical partnerships and dialogues."

The soft-spoken, hard-praying Germond will assume her church's highest office as the denomination is faced with either slashing expenses or finding ways to augment income.

She grew up in South Africa, where she taught primary school and religious studies before moving to Canada in 1986 with her husband Colin when the cancer centre in Sudbury was recruiting oncologists.

"Germond’s career in the church has been marked by rapid and sometimes unexpected advancement," the Anglican Journal reported recently.

"In 2000, then-Bishop of Algoma Ron Ferris invited her to serve as short-term lay incumbent at the Anglican Church of the Ascension in New Sudbury, Ont., where she became a deacon in 2001 and a priest in 2002.

"She was nominated from the floor on the sixth ballot of the 2016 Algoma synod and elected bishop. She was elected to become metropolitan of Ontario just two years later."

During her term as acting primate, Germond intends to continue living at Bishophurst, the 147-year-old Neo-Georgian bishop's residence on Sault Ste. Marie's Simpson Street.

"My plan would not be to move to Toronto," she says.

"My plan would be to stay in the Sault and perhaps to travel down to Toronto once a month, as needed. So many meetings can happen on Zoom now.

"The acting primate is very much a bridging position. It's an interim position and I would not be expected to do all the duties or have all the responsibility of a primate, just because I will continue to have the other roles that I still have if I'm called.

"If there's something people can do, it's just to pray for our churches as we begin the process of looking at who the next primate for the church will be."