Saint Barnabas Church is an Anglican parish in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As such, we are part of the Diocese of Ottawa, in the Anglican Church of Canada. We are also members of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide body of churches, in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England. The Anglican Church has been described as a "bridge church" spanning the distance between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. And as a wise priest once said, any useful bridge must be firmly secured at both ends. Seen in this way, St. Barnabas Church is at the Catholic end of the Anglican bridge: Anglo-Catholic, or High Church. We belong to the tradition in Anglicanism that emphasizes our continuity with the early and medieval church. This is not because of a fixation on the past, but because we place a high value on being part of the Christian community throughout time. And we believe that we belong to a wider fellowship, which transcends time and space, the Communion of Saints. For that reason our church is dedicated to St Barnabas, a companion of St Paul.

Our links with the church of past ages can be seen in the style of the building, which reflects the basilicas of the Roman Empire and early Middle Ages. Our worship also reveals our connection with the past, and our belief in a reality beyond the everyday concerns which so preoccupy our daily lives. In our worship we try to express something of the mystery of God, something of the eternal, revealed to us in our own time.

In attempting to do this, we rely heavily on the sacramental nature of Christian liturgy. Our "high church" tradition has always placed a high emphasis on the sacraments. They are, as Anglican doctrine holds, outward and visible signs of the inward and spiritual grace by which God redeems and sanctifies His people. In our parish we try, as best we can, to be a sign of that divine grace, and seek to reflect something of the beauty and holiness of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

May you experience something of that holy beauty as you visit this website. It is our hope that, if you are in the Ottawa area, you may decide to pay us a visit. And if you live further afield, may you nonetheless feel something of the spirit that binds us together in the faith of Jesus Christ, here at St Barnabas' Church, Ottawa.

[If you would like to see pictures of the church, please click here.]