Funeral to be held in Prince Albert on Friday
Jason Kerr
Daily Herald
Bishop Charles John “Charlie” Arthurson, the first Indigenous Anglican Bishop in Canada, has died at the age of 88.
Arthurson passed away peacefully at his home on Aug. 30. His funeral is scheduled for Friday afternoon at St. Alban’s Cathedral in Prince Albert.
“Charlie was very active in the diocese from that point forward, particularly in Prince Albert where he took regular services of Holy Communion until very recently,” reads a statement from the Anglican Diocese of Saskatchewan. “He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and we ask you to keep Charlie’s wife Faye, daughter Devon, and son Ritchie in your prayers.”
Arthurson was one of nine children born to Ben and Andrena Arthurson in Norway House, Man. His father died when he was nine, which led Arthurson to take on many adult responsibilities at a young age.
Arthurson met his wife Faye in 1965. The two married in 1968. He ministered in several communities in Manitoba and Northern Ontario before he became rector of All Saints Anglican Church in La Ronge in 1983. In 1988, he became the first Indigenous person to be consecrated Bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Rt. Rev. Tony Burton was Bishop of Saskatchewan from 1993 to 2008. In a column posted on The Living Church website, Burton remembered Arthurson as a humble, but independent, man.
“As first Indigenous bishop, he was continually under pressure to champion various and often conflicting ideological agendas, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal,” Burton wrote. “He knew his own mind, however, and frustrated all attempts to co-opt him. He was not to be bullied.
“He knew his calling was to eschew ideology or easy answers and instead to focus on Jesus Christ. He was a man of granite integrity, who knew both who—and whose—he was.”
Burton described how Arthurson would drive hundreds of thousands of kilometers on unpaved roads to reach remote northern communities. Often, Arthurson would pass the time singing hymns instead of listening to the radio.
Burton credited Arthurson for building bridges between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds.
“History will surely be kind to him,” Burton wrote. “I think it likely that he will be revered in death in ways he was never widely understood in life.”
Arthurson retired as Bishop in 2008, but continued to work in the La Ronge area until moving to Prince Albert in 2011. Outside of his work with the church, Arthurson was known for his wood-carving and carpentry skills.
“He was intensely proud of his Cree heritage but also treasured his Scottish roots,” reads his obituary. “He loved his Church and its people dearly. Despite his strongly held opinions, often voiced strongly, he was a kind and generous man.”
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5 at St. Alban’s Cathedral in Prince Albert. The service will be live-streamed on YouTube by Big Drum Media for those who cannot attend in person.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
