Trinity Anglican Church has an exciting announcement! Trinity has finally welcomed (back) their new priest, Reverend Mark Whittall.
Trinity was established in 1876, and has been a staple in Old Ottawa South ever since. While they have had a variety of outstanding priests, they are thrilled to welcome back a previous parishioner of the church to lead them through a new chapter.
Before finding his calling as a priest, Mark was a man of many talents, and Trinity is proud to say that they have a smart guy on their team - no really - he’s a quantum physicist! Mark even incorporates physics into his sermons. “I don’t mind preaching on quantum physics once in a while,” he says.
Mark has graduate degrees in Physics and Economics from Oxford University. He worked as an engineer and CEO in the high-tech sector before leaving his career to study theology at St. Paul University in Old Ottawa East. He was ordained in 2008.
Mark is also the author of two books in English, ReInvention: Stories from an Urban Church (2016) and ReImagine: Preaching in the Present Tense (2017), and his most recent, in French, Dans le desert: Prêcher en temps de pandémie (2021).
Having lived for many years in Old Ottawa South, Mark is glad to be back at the church he was a member of before his ordination. He says he feels a connection to the community.
“It’s really kind of cool to be the pastor at a church in my own neighborhood,” says Mark. “I know people in all sorts of different ways, I’ve coached their kids in sports, I meet people on walks up Bank Street, - it’s great to come back and serve the community in a different way as the incumbent of Trinity.”
Mark is excited to work with the community and welcome new parishioners to Trinity, starting with a ‘Welcome Back’ community event on Sunday September 12th, at 10am. This event will begin with an inperson service at Trinity Anglican at 1230 Bank Street - an official welcome back after the pandemic forced the church to take its services online. COVID-19 protocols will be in effect to keep everyone healthy.
While Trinity is excited to see the community come together with this event, the church will continue to live-stream their services for those who prefer to join online.
“We’ve been through a lot in these last 18 months, and it’s just great to see each other again, but beyond that we really want to engage with the community, beyond who was coming to church before,” says Mark. If you aren’t interested in the ‘church’ part, but still want to come out to join the community and see some neighbours, you can visit them outside Trinity on the lawn by Cameron Avenue at 11am for refreshments and a meet-and-greet with Mark.
Trinity will also be hosting a Student Welcome Event on October 2nd to meet Carleton students living in the neighbourhood. If you are a Carleton University student looking for your spiritual home, are new to the area and want to meet your neighbours, or even just looking for some volunteer opportunities, come to this event (we heard that there will be snacks!). With change comes exciting new ventures, and Trinity is looking forward to what the future will bring. Keep an eye on Trinity’s social media accounts (@ trinityanglican on Instagram and @ trinityanglicanottawa on Facebook) to stay up to date on all upcoming events, services, and volunteer opportunities!
Paige Kahkonen and Emily Koch are the co-founders of KKC an Ottawa-based and women-owned communications agency. For more information, visit kkcommunications.ca.