Minister immersed in faith, community . . . and his kitchen
He’s a monk, an Anglican minister, and one heck of a baker.
Have you ever had a Krispy Kreme doughnut? asks Rev. Chad McCharles (a.k.a. Father Charles). “Well, you have not had a doughnut unless you’ve had it hot and fresh out of the fryer.”
The 33-year-old man of Christian faith, who moved his family to Mahone Bay from Manitoba last January, knows what he’s talking about. Not that long ago he and his wife Dawna operated a thriving Brandon, Man., bakery.
Among other delights, they once churned out 2,500 loaves of bread and 20-dozen cinnamon buns a day.
“The cinnamon buns were by far our biggest seller,” McCharles recalls. “Our customers absolutely loved them!”
It’s a passion he continues to harness. Mahone Bay’s priest of the Parish of St. James will pump out enough for his family of four and a surplus for random visits to parishioners.
Mahone Bay’s Brent and Jane Aulenback have been the beneficiaries of his tasty caraway bread and homemade strawberry jam.
“Just delicious!” raved Brent. “But he also plays an awesome bagpipe. Unbelievable. He’s played on our veranda. You should see the people going by doing double takes on the sidewalk. He’s a breath of fresh air, a real caring guy that’s already done a lot for our parish, our community. He took it upon himself to get the church’s historic bell tower restored. He’s kind of like Jesus, you know, but it’s not all about fancy prayers with him.”
Father Chad is all about taking a hands-on approach. He considers his parishioners like family and acts accordingly.
“I’ve made it a point to visit homes; they’re randomly planned. If I’m driving by, I might pull into your driveway and if it’s a bad time, great, I’ll just say hi. If you invite in me for tea, fantastic. I love tea. If it happens to be rum, I can work with that, too.
“One of my favourite things to do is bake bread and take a hot loaf of bread to someone or just leave it on their windowsill or doorstep. But that’s part of my philosophy: visit, visit, visit. Once you get to know people, they are invested in you and that builds a relationship.”
It didn’t take a whole lot of convincing for McCharles to pack up his family and head for Mahone Bay. A fellow minister told him about the South Shore vacancy during a conference in Winnipeg last summer. More than an opportunity to immerse himself in a close-knit parish community, he saw it as a return to his roots.
Going back a few generations, his people on both sides of the family come from the Truro and St. Ann’s, Cape Breton areas. Having grown up on his grandparents’ farm, he saw the value in touring the province, getting acquainted with its land and people. Back in 2006, he and his wife gave up everything to pursue his faith. With two babies to look after, they moved into a tiny Winnipeg apartment and for the next three years McCharles pursued an intensive three-year seminary program.