Amalgamation does not erase history of the three parishes in Stratford; it represents a continuation of their mission.
By Rev. Tianna Gocan
These first six months as a Curate in Stratford and St. Marys have been busy and eventful. Partially because I’m learning what it means to be a priest, carving out my own unique ministry while being attentive to the needs of the communities I have been called to serve, but partly because, ever since I started my appointment, there have been talks amongst the three Anglican churches in Stratford about the possibility of amalgamation.
Amalgamation is defined in the Meriam-Webster Dictionary as “the action or process of uniting or merging two or more things”, and in our case, we were discerning whether we were to undergo the process of uniting and merging not two, but three parishes, all with distinct cultures, worship styles, and communities: St. Paul’s, St. James, and St. Stephen’s.
As we discussed and discerned what this might look like, we got closer and closer to the date of our three respective vestries where each parish would decide for themselves if they wanted to amalgamate. I remember myself holding my breath as we awaited the results from each of the three parishes to come in. Where was the Holy Spirit going to lead us?
Each parish voted in support of amalgamation, and set the date of January 25th, 2026, as the first Sunday we would worship together at the church on 41 Mornington Street.
There were a lot of things that we needed to figure out for that first Sunday, and there are still things we are still trying to figure out now. Such as figuring out the layout for our added contemporary service, event planning in a busy parish, and figuring out where all the holy hardware is kept. But we went into this knowing that things won’t be perfect right from the beginning, but with faith and trust, also knowing that we are working towards making our worship, and our ministries, the best versions that they can be.
We have been truly blessed with such strong laypeople leadership and support during this time. From the moment we started to speak about amalgamation up to the present day, our lay leaders have been instrumental in helping this all come together.
And then, a few weeks after we started to worship together, we came together after our third and final service of the morning, to vote on our new name. After five rounds, we had our new, amalgamated name. We were to be Holy Trinity, Stratford.
We are still adjusting to our new name, our new service times, and our new communities that are forming as a result of our amalgamation, but I know that people have felt supported, heard, welcomed, and loved since we started worshipping under one roof at 41 Mornington, a tradition we plan to uphold for all those who will join us for worship in the future.
While this new adjustment has brought a lot of joy and excitement, this amalgamation has also involved a lot of grief. Members from all three parishes do feel as though things have been lost. At times it has been difficult to come to terms with what has had to be lost in order for something new to happen in its place, but we know that our God is with us in the mourning and in the dancing, and that He is the God of new life.
This amalgamation does not erase the history of the three parishes in Stratford, but instead, it is a continuation of their history. It is a continuation of the work which we have been brought here to do - to love and worship God, and to share the love of God with those in our community. We were three separate strands which have become one threefold cord, which, according to the Bible, is one that “is not quickly broken” (Ecc 4:12).
Rev. Tianna Gocan is the Curate to the Rector of Holy Trinity Stratford and St. James’, St. Marys.
Photo: The moment the name of our new amalgamated parish was revealed.
Credit: Rebekah Lemon