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Virden priest to Brandon Cathedral

Prepared for change
Rev. Don Berhardt
Father Bernhardt Photo/Anne Davison

“This community has really made us feel welcome. Virden will always be a part of who we are, now,” says Virden’s Anglican Church minister. Father Don Bernhardt has been called to St. Matthew's Cathedral, in Brandon and will be leaving the parish where he has held the position of Rector of St. Mary the Virgin, in Virden; St. Mark’s, Elkhorn; and more recently Christ Church, Melita; and St. John’s, Reston. 

Although Bernhardt became Arch-Deacon of the Brandon Diocese one full year ago in November, he did not expect the recent appointment to the Cathedral on 13th Street in Brandon.

Rt. Reverend Bernhardt says he can see, in hindsight, that God was preparing him and his wife Heather for change.

November 20 will be the rector’s last Sunday service at St. Mary’s and the Wednesday following he will be officially finished work in Virden.

Although he says it is tough to leave Virden and the wider parish, Father Don (as he is known) takes satisfaction in what has been built here during his tenure.

The relatively new parish hall stands as a visible landmark; however, it is the warm fellowship and the community outreach the hall affords that he talks about.

He says of the hospitality ministry and yearly Christmas supper, “I’m so proud of the parish for doing this, because it’s an amazing ministry.”

Bernhardt calls St. Mary’s “a very welcoming and a very warm church that doesn’t care if you are somebody that is very well off or somebody who is struggling financially.”

As well as being padre for the local military/legion services, Father Don worked with the AA program in Virden, having worked briefly at Parkwood Treatment Centre (Addictions Foundation Manitoba) in Brandon.

 He remarks, “I’ve been very honoured and thankful that I’ve been able to do that.”

Considering his new appointment, he smiles saying, “It will be a very big learning curve for me.”

On December 1, Rt. Reverend Don Bernhardt will be the Dean (senior priest) of the Diocese and Honorary Assistant to Bishop of Brandon.

He looks forward to the pomp and ceremony of Cathedral ministry. “The Cathedral is where important events occur for Anglicans, which means, lots of fancy services.” This won’t be a hardship says Father Don, who enjoys high church.

“I love the mystery that surrounds the High Church; because, our God is both wonderful and yet a very mysterious God.”

He knows it doesn’t appeal to everyone, and refers to Virden services as more typically ‘broad church’, saying, “I also recognize that a lot of people want a very personal relationship with God. And I get that.”

As Rector of the Cathedral he looks forward to continued ministry.

“Part of what I love, is meeting people where they are rather than trying to tell them where they need to be, to explore with them where they think they want to go. To watch people grow - that’s them and the Holy Spirit at work.”

He has also seen changes in his own life and says, “They got a guy that was pretty raw. I had never been a rector before I got here, so they trained me as much as I ministered...it’s a two way street.”

The Bernhardts’ son, Josh and daughter, Jennifer are grown, and employed in Virden. Don and Heather expect to continue living in Virden, at least for the winter.

Ministry in the Cathedral takes the Bernhardts back the church their children were baptized in.

In fact, it was the baptism of their first child that triggered an important change.

At that time the family was away from the church, but, at Don’s mother’s urging, the Bernhardts decided to have their son baptized.

The priest at that time challenged them to a lifestyle in keeping with the promises they would make at the baptism ceremony.

From there, the family became increasingly involved in St. Matthew’s where Bernhardt eventually studied and was ordained a priest in 2006.

While his career in the church will be a short one, Father Don says, “At the same time, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.

“As much as I loved being a police officer, as much as I loved technology, it wasn`t until I started doing this, that I realized, this is exactly what I was supposed to do.”

He points to his years of secular work and says they served him well for work as a priest.

“I may not be the best priest in the world, but boy, I love every second of doing it.”

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