Bishop Tom Corston to retire as Assistant Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Moosonee at end of 2019

Bishop Tom Corston has submitted his intention to Archbishop Anne Germond to retire as Assistant Bishop of Moosonee at the end 2019, according to a post on the Diocese of Moosonee Facebook Page. 

The post says that Archbishop informed the Diocesan Executive Committee of the Bishop's decision and of her acceptance.

 Bishop Tom was consecrated in July 2010 and retired as Diocesan in December 2013. He returned as Assistant Bishop at the request of former Diocesan Archbishop Colin Johnson. At the end of June he will have been ordained 45 years

For those of us with a Chapleau connection, we still call him "Tom",who was born and raised in Chapleau, Ontario, the son of Frances (Jardine) and the late Henry "Chicken" Corston

He had been  elected the ninth Bishop of the Anglican Church Diocese of Moosonee at a synod in Timmins in 2010. He succeeded Archbishop Caleb Lawrence who had retired.

At the time he was an  archdeacon in the Anglican church and also Rector of the Church of the Epiphany, Sudbury, Ontario,

Growing up in Chapleau, Tom was active in St. John's Anglican Church, as AYPA president. Tom becomes the first Chapleau boy to have become an Anglican priest to have been elected a Bishop. Tom was also a president of the Students' Council at Chapleau High School.

He graduated from Lakehead University with the Bachelor of Arts degree and Wycliffe College with a Master of Divinity degree.

In June,1974, 45 years ago, Tom was ordained a Deacon in a service at St. John's in a service conducted by Archbishop James A. Watton, then the Bishop of Moosonee. He was ordained to the priesthood a year later.

He started his ministry in the Diocese of Moosonee at Foleyet.

Just recently Tom conducted his "last" services at St. John's Chapleau and St. John's Foleyet where he has been serving as part-time "priest in charge".

Tom is married with two children.

Tom's grandparents John and Lydia (Swanson) Corston, came from James Bay in the Diocese of Moosonee to Chapleau in 1907 where his grandfather began work with the Canadian Pacific Railway. They established their family home on Grey Street.

In 2013 Tom was presented with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by the Ontario Command of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Upon learning the news, he posted on his Facebook page: "Just been informed that I am to be presented with the Queen's Jubilee Medal by the Ontario Command of the Royal Canadian Legion on April 13th. Very humbling. I am mindlful of the sacrifices made by my father, wounded at Caen, France in 19 and all Veterans past and present." On June 6, 2019 the 75th anniversary od D-Day was marked. Tom remembered his father in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile .....

Our Diocesan Administrator, Archdeacon Larry Armstrong, will be at St. John's Church, Chapleau, on Trinity Sunday, June 16th at 10:30 am. Come out to welcome him as he assumes responsibility as our new "Priest-in-Charge", the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee posted on its Facebook page. on behalf of St. John's.

On a very personal note I extend my most sincere congratulations to Tom on his retirement after 45 years since he was first ordained as a Deacon at a service at St. John's. May you  enjoy your retirement. Every blessing Tom... My email is mj.morris@live.ca