In May, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, former primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, made the first of a series of pastoral visits to the diocese of Western Newfoundland. The diocesan executive council has invited Hiltz to facilitate discussion and reconciliation following a cancelled election for a new bishop, originally scheduled for April 25. 

The Rev. Mickton Phiri, who is acting as diocesan administrator until a new bishop of Western Newfoundland is elected, says the diocese has gone through “a period of strain” following the departure of former bishop John Organ early in October 2025.  

The circumstances surrounding Organ’s departure have proven divisive among clergy and parishioners. The synod executive requested Hiltz due to his long experience in pastoral leadership and his reconciliation work with Indigenous Anglicans, Phiri says. 

“The senior executive was confident that [Hiltz] would be a good listener and [that] he would be able to facilitate conversations that are needed in the diocese,” Phiri adds. 

Hiltz is scheduled for three more visits to the diocese over the next six months as he continues to listen to parishioners, clergy and diocesan leadership groups; compiles a report on the state of the diocese; and makes recommendations for further healing. 

Dismissal of dean was followed by turmoil 

Organ resigned and retired on Oct. 1 after a lengthy dispute over the results of an investigation into his conduct as bishop. In January 2025, Organ publicly announced the firing of the Rev. Catherine Short, dean and rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Corner Brook, N.L., during a livestreamed sermon. Short filed a misconduct complaint against Organ, the cathedral’s vestry resigned in protest and a group of parishioners opted to leave until Short was reinstated.  

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