Jay Koyle Reflects on the Election of the Primate

On Thursday, June 26, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada elected the Rt. Rev. Shane Parker, Bishop of Ottawa, to serve as the 15th Primate. For the Very Rev. Jay Koyle—Dean of Algoma, incumbent of St. Luke’s Cathedral, Sault Ste. Marie, and Provost and Director of the School of Theology at Thorneloe University—it was a day marked by prayerful discernment, pastoral strength, and Spirit-led consensus.

Reflecting on the atmosphere in the room, Koyle noted a remarkable attentiveness and care throughout the process. “There was a great sense of support for everyone who had let their names stand,” he said. “It was all held in a spirit of prayer.”

The election itself was guided with steady leadership by Canon Ian Alexander, Prolocutor of General Synod. “He handled both the procedural and spiritual dimensions very graciously,” Koyle observed. “His tone helped keep the gathering focused and grounded.”

Initially, no single nominee emerged as a unifying choice. After several rounds of voting, a motion from the House of Laity requested that the bishops consider adding another name for discernment. Following a break for reflection, Bishop Shane Parker’s name was introduced.

“There was a sense, when he was elected—just two ballots later—that he was the right person for right now,” said Koyle. “Nothing against the other nominees, but in terms of what the Church needs over the next three years—especially to put the Creating Pathways for the Transformational Change of General Synod document through—Shane is well-suited for that role.”

While Bishop Parker’s term will be limited to three years, Koyle sees strength in that clarity. “He can keep us focused on our faith while helping us do the institutional work required to build trust and momentum.”

Koyle was particularly struck by Parker’s remarks to Synod following the election, especially a personal story he shared with the delegates at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

“He talked about sitting on the churchyard wall as a child, watching the men of the church remove pink fiberglass insulation from the building—and how he and some of the other kids played in it,” Koyle recalled. “Then he said, ‘I carry pieces of the Anglican Church of Canada in my lungs.’”

Parker used the image to reflect on how insulation protects, but can also isolate. “He suggested that the Church has, in some ways, become too insulated—from the world, from one another, even from God,” said Koyle. “His call was to begin removing that insulation so we can engage more deeply and authentically.”

The delivery of that message made a lasting impression. “It was pastoral, but clear-eyed,” Koyle said. “Gentle but firm. He offered us a compass for the next three years.”

The mood following the election, according to Koyle, was overwhelmingly positive.

“There was a real sense of joy in the room. People felt this was right. Even bishops who don’t always align theologically or liturgically seemed to agree—we’d come to the right conclusion for today.”

While there was some tension before the final ballot—a motion from a group of clergy delegates expressing conscience concerns—Koyle admired how they ultimately engaged with integrity. “They complied with the canon and participated in the vote. That showed a lot of integrity.”

Asked to sum up the tone of the day, Koyle offered a single word: “Harmony.”

“There might have been disagreement, but there wasn’t discord,” he said. “There was harmony across all three Houses.”

At a moment when the Church is being called into a new season of renewal and restructuring, the peaceful unity that surrounded Bishop Parker’s election is, in Koyle’s view, a hopeful sign that the Church is ready to walk forward together.