Canon Donna Bomberry to Receive Award of Merit

At the Council of General Synod Meeting in March, General Secretary Alan Perry announced the latest winners of the Anglican Award of Merit, established in 1966 to recognize lay people for their service at the national or international level. Canon Donna Bomberry, a parishioner at St. Alban’s, Beamsville and retired Indigenous ministries coordinator for the Anglican Church of Canada is among this year’s recipients of the Anglican Award of Merit. Primate Linda Nicholls said it was a “joy to hear the ways in which lay people across church have contributed to our life nationally and internationally.”

Canon Bomberry has been recognized for her contributions to improving relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the Anglican Church of Canada, as well as within the Anglican Communion. Donna has played a key role in the establishment of the foundational documents for the Sacred Circle, the self-determining Indigenous church within the Anglican Church of Canada. Bomberry was the co-chair of the focus group tasked with developing the Indigenous Church. Bomberry has also served as an advisor to the Indigenous House of Bishops Leadership Circle.

Bomberry first volunteered at the diocesan level, before getting involved in the national Church, where she chaired the Council for Native Ministries, which became the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples. As chair of Council, she facilitated ‘Preparing the Way,’ a major consultation involving Indigenous leaders within the Anglican Church. She became a staff member of General Synod in 1994, as the Canadian development coordinator for the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. Two years later, Bomberry accepted a new role as the Indigenous Ministries coordinator in 1996, where she focused on Indigenous leadership development.

Bomberry was awarded the Order of Niagara in 2004, in recognition for her outstanding contributions in the Diocese of Niagara and relentless work for General Synod. In 2009, she was appointed as Secretary General of the Anglican Indigenous Network, an international network within the Anglican Communion. The primate will visit Canon Bomberry’s home parish in September to present her with the Anglican Award of Merit.