03/13/2026
Many in our Ascension community have been blessed by the ministry of The Very Rev. Dr. Jay Koyle. He was a pastor, teacher, mentor, and friend to many across the Diocese of Algoma. Please keep Jay's family in your prayers and they mourn this sudden loss. Please also keep St. Luke's Cathedral and Thorneloe University in your prayers as they grieve the loss of Jay. Jay cared deeply for these communities and they will both be shaken by the news of his passing.
In Memoriam – The Very Rev. Dr. Jay Koyle
Dear friends in Christ,
It is with deep sadness that I share the news that The Very Rev. Dr. Jay Koyle, Dean of the Diocese of Algoma and Incumbent of St. Luke’s Cathedral, died peacefully on Friday, March 13, after a brief illness, with his family by his side.
We ask your prayers for Jay’s devoted wife, The Rev. Susan Montague-Koyle, and for their sons Stephen and Kevin. Please also remember in your prayers Jay’s mother, Mrs. Irene Koyle, and his sister Ms. Julie Koyle of London, Ontario, along with the many members of the cathedral congregation and the wider diocesan family who loved him dearly.
At this time of grief, Algoma Anglicans—indeed Anglicans across Canada who knew and loved Dean Jay—are united in our grief and mourn with his family and the cathedral community. Even as we grieve, we give thanks to God for Jay’s life, ministry, scholarship, and faithful witness to the Gospel.
Jay served the Church with distinction for many decades. Ordained to the priesthood in 1987, he exercised a wide-ranging ministry in parish leadership, theological education, and the life of the wider Church. In June 2024 he was installed as Dean of Algoma and Incumbent of St. Luke’s Cathedral, bringing to that ministry deep pastoral care, intellectual curiosity, and a generous spirit of leadership.
Alongside his cathedral ministry, Jay served as Provost and Director of the School of Theology at Thorneloe University, where he contributed significantly to theological education and leadership development within the Anglican Church of Canada. A respected liturgical scholar and teacher, he was widely known for his work in liturgy, preaching, and congregational renewal.
Jay held a Doctor of Ministry in Homiletics from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Theology (Liturgical Studies) from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Divinity from Huron University College, and a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Music Education from Western University.
Throughout his ministry he served the wider Church through teaching, writing, and participation in national and international bodies devoted to liturgical life and renewal. He was a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, Societas Liturgica, and the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, and served as Chair of Faith, Worship and Ministry for the Anglican Church of Canada from 2016 to 2019.
Those who knew Jay experienced him as a gifted preacher, thoughtful theologian, and generous pastor. His warmth, humour, and deep love for the Church enriched the communities he served and the many students and colleagues who learned alongside him.
As we commend Jay to God’s eternal care, we give thanks for the compassionate care of doctors and nurses and for the love of family and friends who surrounded him in his final days.
Let us pray.
God of mercy and hope,
we give you thanks for your servant Jay,
for the gifts you entrusted to him
and for the love he shared with all who knew him.
Receive him now into the nearer presence of your peace.
Grant him rest from his labours
and the joy of your eternal kingdom.
Be close, we pray, to all who mourn his passing—
especially Susan, Stephen, and Kevin,
his mother Irene, his sister Julie,
and the community of St. Luke’s Cathedral
and the Diocese of Algoma.
Comfort them in their grief,
strengthen them in faith,
and assure them that nothing—not even death—
can separate us from your love
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
And we continue to pray:
“God our Father, be with all who love Jay. Watch over and protect them, strengthen their faith, unite them in your love and fill them with peace and confidence in your goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
(South African Prayer Book)
Even in our grief, we hold fast to the hope Jay himself proclaimed throughout his ministry: that our Redeemer lives, and that the promise of resurrection life in Jesus Christ is sure.
Details regarding funeral arrangements and opportunities for prayer and remembrance will be shared as they become available.
I remain,
Yours in Christ,
✠ Anne
Archbishop of Algoma
