For thirty-five years, James Charles MacLeod Clarke (1920-2006) toted a military-issue rifle and a Bible as he sledded, walked, boated, and flew across thousands of miles of northern tundra to minister to his scattered congregation. He slept in whatever shelter was available: tents,
snowhouses, and poorly insulated houses. Most important to his service in the North, James Clarke (Jamie to his friends and family) was loved and trusted by the Inuit and all who lived in the North. Fluent in Eskimo (Inuktitut), German, and several other languages, he is best remembered for his mischievous smile, quick wit, and his glorious whistle. Wherever he went, he whistled. He whistled popular songs, children’s songs, folk songs, operas, as well as his favourite music, church hymns.

The Whistling Bishop is the story of the late Bishop James C.M. Clarke’s life. It chronicles a
life that began as a minister’s son through his growing-up years in Belleville, Ontario, and Toronto, until the Second World War took him overseas trained as military intelligence. After the war, his ministry began in Calgary before taking him to Canada’s far north at Fort Chimo (now
Kuujjuaq) on Ungava Bay. The Whistling Bishop is a story of love and courage. It is also the story of how the power of music (even in the form of whistling) can transcend the many language and cultural barriers to win hearts and bring all humans together.

For more information, check out the author’s website at: www3.sympatico.ca/mistymo

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