Priest honours mother with bequest to PWRDF’s Indigenous programs

For the Rev. Barbara Nangle, leaving a gift in her will for PWRDF is a way to honour her mother, who “never had much money to give to the church.”

Nangle was ordained at 63 and then spent 10 years as the Rector of St. Barnabas Church in the far northern reaches of Quebec in the diocese of Moosonee. She was delighted to share her story with PWRDF. 

Born in Toronto and baptized at St. Bartholomew’s, Regent Park in 1938, Nangle grew up “immersed in the church” from day one. “I am a lifelong Anglican,” she said from her home in Bracebridge. “Both of my parents were always church people in England and here in Canada. I have four clergy in my family background.” Nangle’s mother, Eunice Ivy Mills, was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary and later was head of St. Bartholomew’s ACW. Her father, Ernests Thomas Mills, was the head of the servers’ guild. “Church was their home, and I was included. I was brought up as a child of God with an interest in all cultures and colours of God’s people around the world.”

The path to the priesthood was long and winding, since women were not ordained in Canada until 1976. “My mother always told me I was going to grow up to be a missionary for the Bishop’s messengers, who were going across the North country helping people and sharing the Gospel.” Instead, Barbara would marry Robert Nangle and move to Boshkung Lake, Ontario, in the diocese of Algoma. They raised two children. Robert worked at the Frost Centre and became the local Fire Chief. Barbara started an English as a Second Language group in Haliburton. They attended church in Dorset.

“I never really thought about being ordained, but I got deeply into guiding in Dorset.” That’s where she met Maureen Lawrence, who was a guide commissioner and would later become the president of the PWRDF board. Maureen’s husband, Caleb, was the Bishop of Moosonee.

“My husband died in 1992. Clergy and friends were suggesting and encouraging me to get ordained.” Bishop Caleb was enthusiastic too and invited her to a clericus meeting. “He wanted me to meet the clergy of the diocese and he said they’d pay my way.” Eventually in 2001, at age 63, Nangle was ordained and headed to St. Barnabas’ in the Indigenous community of Waswanapi, a 13-hour drive from Bracebridge.

“My first visit there I baptized seven babies. There was a feast for everything.” The church had just been built by the band, and Nangle was its first Rector. “They were very glad to have the church. Everybody in the community of Waswanapi was a survivor of the residential schools. That’s where they got their Christian faith, even though there were horrors.

“Bishop Caleb figured I’d learn Cree in three years. I did learn some words. I preached as I could through the voice of their Chief. People were very, very kind, helping me out whenever they could. We talked to each other as women. We chatted often, long into the evening.” 

Nangle recalls the Sisters of St. John the Divine in Toronto were very interested in St. Barnabas. Four women came from SSJD to visit, but there was no hotel so they were billeted. “They taught us how to make communion bread and we taught them how to make bannock.” The residents still remember those days sharing the hospitality of the community and taking them into their homes.

“One night midweek I was invited to come to the Elders lodge for a surprise. There was a huge crowd. In high style I was escorted to a seat of honour with ceremony. This was the only time that this happened and I was surprised because it wasn’t a special occasion that I was aware of. It was a First Nations celebration with drums and incense and song and dance. It was in my honour and they went all out. The food was Aboriginal but it was all of their dishes that they knew I liked. The rice pudding had been simmering on the stove and all the dishes had particular significance to our relationship as priest and people.

“Before closing with the traditional bonfire the Chief called for quiet and in the silence of the dark night I was called forward and presented with an eagle feather, beautifully beaded. It is still one of my special treasures. The air was electric for days as people retold the story of a reward that I never expected. It changed my life through the deep spiritual Aboriginal life that I learned to respect. Many that were there that evening are etched in the love of acceptance, of acknowledgment of the bonds between God and all people in the world. This evening happened because people really loved and cared for each other. It shows how we are all gifted by our Creator and can change all the problems of the world. Thank you God for giving me this wonderful experience. Our God is an amazing God.”

It’s Nangle’s experience living in Waswanapi and her compassion for residential school survivors that connected her to PWRDF. Her bequest will specifically support PWRDF’s Indigenous programs. “My mom never had much money to give to the church although her offering envelope was ready every Sunday morning. This is the main reason I want to give this money, which is solely from the proceeds from the sale of her house in Toronto many years ago. It was her mother’s house, and she left it to me, so it represents three generations of women. I wanted a way to honour my mom. I feel so glad that I have a chance to put something into the community. This is really for her.”