THE VAUDREUIL PARISH PULSE
February, 2006
JOURNEY TO FAITH: submitted by Elisa Proctor
Not sure where to start really, I can remember praying from when I was quite
young.
I don't know where it came from as my family is not religious at all. Then
my next
recollection was in high school in a religious education class, they showed
as a
video about Christ's life and his crucifixion. I was so upset by his crucifixion
that I cried and left the class.
So my life then continues leaving school, starting work and the beginning
of forming
relationships. This is a trying time in our lives and I was no exception.
You also
start going through a period in your life when your grandparents pass away,
what
faith I had disappeared.
Then I remember at Grandfathers Lawton's funeral, we were walking out and
shaking
the vicar's hand when he held my hand and said, "God is like the sun
- though
sometimes it is obscured by the clouds but it is always still there".
Unfortunately
at the time it was not enough to restore my faith but I do think about these
words
when going through testing times now.
So back to my life... and as I grew older I concentrated on trying to get
bigger and
better jobs and ending up going from one disastrous relationship to another.
By
1998 I decided that I hated what I had become, my job as a manager had turned
me
into a horrible person and the relationships I had been through had made me
a mess.
It was definitely time to stop and think. I ended my Job, got out of my relationship
and decided that I needed some time to sort myself out. I had to think about
some
practicalities first, I signed up for a two-year course in interior design
that I
wanted to do and found some less stressful jobs that fitted around the course.
I
also started some night school courses and enjoyed going out with the girls.
With step one done on trying to get back to normal I realised that there
was still
something a lot bigger missing in my life. After some thought I realised that
it was
handing my life over to God so he could put me on the right path, his pre-destined
path for me. I decided in Nov 98 that I would contact the vicar at a church
I used
to go to at Harvest festival time with the school and see if I could talk
things
over with him. He was just wonderful and we talked for a couple of hours,
I said I
was nervous about coming to church that Sunday and he said that a couple would
meet
me at the door and look after me. Indeed they did, Don and Maureen were fantastic
and introduced me to everyone and I felt very welcomed and at home there.
I knew
that day that this was the right decision for me; I handed my life over and
prayed
that he could put me on the right path.
It's quite strange how things start coming together.in February 99 while
out with my
sister I met this spiky haired funny guy who pestered me for a date. I finally
agreed to meet him that weekend, I suggested a "safe time" like
a Sunday afternoon.
I told him to pick me up after church. Ahhh was he going to run for the hills
after
I mentioned the word "church", he didn't and we went out for a lovely
meal. At that
meal we both realised that it was meant to be and we would be spending the
rest of
our lives together, the following weekend Jarrod started attending church
too. The
story goes on, we moved down to Devon in 2000 and were married in the June
of that
year and then in 2001 moved to Canada. We have been blessed with our Son Thomas
in
July 2003 and will be blessed again with our daughter in Aug/Sept 2006.
When you give your life to God it's not a magic ticket where everything goes
right
and nothing goes wrong because there are certainly times when he tests your
strength
and courage. You give your life to him to be put on the right path and follow
the
right way and when you do that who knows what will happen. Elisa.
CONFIRMATION CLASS NEWS: Alison Bentley
On January 20-22, the six members of the self-styled "Coolest Confirmation
Class
Ever" went away to Camp Tamaracouta in the Laurentians for a fun-filled
weekend of
learning, playing and generally getting to know each other better. Accompanied
by
Father John, Kate Ilaqua, Neil Gannon and Alison Bentley, the group arrived
around
8:30 pm Friday evening and immediately discovered that the canteen was open
for the
purchase of necessary chocolate bars and soft drinks to make the camping experience!
Once everyone was safely installed in their cosy heated cabins (one for the
boys
and one for the girls!) we headed up to the dining hall which was to be our
main
activity area. We soon set up a nice private little nook for ourselves and
immediately went into a game of "Human Bingo" where everyone had
to go around the
group asking questions to find out if they could sign off on the squares on
their
cards. The group certainly had a whole list of interesting achievements ranging
from winning Best Sailor Awards and acting on TV, to having snowball fights
on
Whistler Mountain and playing the Ukelele! We never did find out if Neil wears
his
cowboy hat while riding his motorcycle, however.
Saturday dawned as a picture postcard vista. The snow of the night before
sparkled
on all the trees and it was easy to give thanks to God for his marvelous creation!
Even a certain leader who had been sleeping under the stars and had to make
a quick
run for the cabin at 3:30 a.m. couldn't fault the beauty of the morning. After
a
hearty breakfast cooked up by the Tamaracouta staff, we headed into the first
activity of the day which was the main focus of the weekend - planning their
own
Eucharist celebration. After that we played a Scavenger Hunt based on Bible
verses
- would you know which two trees to look for if told to get a sample of those
mentioned in Song of Solomon 1:17?? Later on after lunch the young people
designed
an altar cloth to be used at their first and any subsequent group communions
and had
great fun adding their personal touches to this expression of their faith
and
commitment to each other.
Saturday afternoon continued with the fun activity of tubing and Father John
made a
literal leap of faith and came whizzing down the hill like a pro! The kids
managed
to create new runs (it should be noted that Neil's new run was slightly less
controlled and ended in a tree!), go down in a multiplicity of combinations
accompanied by wild shrieks and generally had a thoroughly good time. Shortly
after
we bade a fond farewell to Kate who had to leave for work and we thanked her
for her
great contribution to the weekend.
Saturday evening we had a candlelit service using the altar cloth the young
people
had made. It was a lovely occasion of fellowship with each other and with
Christ
and exchanging the Peace was a particularly meaningful experience. Afterwards
we
sent Father John on his way home armed with a map and our prayers that the
weather
would hold out for him. Neil assured him that he would be back in time for
the 7:45
am service the next morning! The kids then basically hung out and got to know
each
other better until bedtime.
Sunday dawned cold but beautiful and after breakfast we took everyone over
to the
Long House to get some snowshoes. We then took a hike out to the waterfalls
which
Alison told the kids was her favourite place to pray. The ice had sculpted
the area
into an amazing scene and we all drank in this natural beauty before heading
back.
Certain people found the hike a little bit of a strain on little-used muscles
(mentioning no names) and one camper was heard to gasp "Yes, yes, civilization!!!"
upon seeing the camp buildings on her return, however others were seen galloping
through the snow off trail like young gazelles and claiming it to be "extreme
snowshoeing"!!
The last activity of the weekend was the making of a banner to be hung in
the church
on the occasion of their confirmation on February 19 at St. Mary's 9 a.m.
service.
They did a beautiful job, naming their group the "Coolest Confirmation
Class Ever"
and vowing to continue to do activities as a group, especially coming back
to camp
in summer to see the falls! After lunch it was pack up time and everyone bid
a
farewell to Tamaracouta and to each other. In the car going home the comment
was
heard "I can't believe how we got to know each other this weekend. Now
we're a
family!!!" A family in Christ indeed.
PARISH FAMILY: Milestones of recent weeks
NEW GRANDPARENTS: Gay and Christopher Campbell have a new granddaughter,
Alice
Isabella, born January 3rd, 2006 weighing 9lbs. 10 oz. daughter of Gillian
Campbell and Brian Torrie.
DEATHS: We thank God for the life of Waltraud (Traudi) Tepfenhardt, Karen
Bradley's mother, who died on January 26th and whose Memorial Service will
be held
on Saturday February 11th at 2:00 pm at St. James.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
St. Mary's Vestrty Meeting: Tuesday 7 February; 6:00 pm supper,
8:00
pm
meeting
Confirmation Service: Sunday 19 February, St. Mary's Church
Bishop Barry Clarke will be the celebrant and a reception will follow at
St. Mary's
Hall.
Ladies Dinner at St. James: Monday 20 February at 6:00 pm.
Linda Cobbett (458-5100) and Margaret Lagimodière (458-4784) will
host an evening of
casual dining and conviviality. Bring a friend and PLEASE RSVP.
Communion at Manoir Cavagnal: Friday 24 February at 10:00 am
Pancake Supper at St. Mary's: Tuesday 28 February at 5:00 pm on..
RSVP Elizabeth Dempsey 458-4380
World Day of Prayer: Friday 3 March at 1:00 pm at St. James
World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions
who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in
many
countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service. It is a movement
initiated and carried out by women in more than 170 countries and regions.
It is
symbolized by an annual day of celebration-the first Friday of March-to which
all
people are welcome. It is a movement which brings together women of various
races,
cultures and traditions in closer fellowship, understanding and action throughout
the year. It is a time for women to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ and
share
their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows, their opportunities and needs.
NEW OFFICE HOURS:
The office will be open on Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
PULSE" CONTACT INFORMATION:
The Parish Pulse Editorial Team is actively looking for your articles. Please
feel
free to contact any of them with your ideas or suggestions for an article.
(Patti
Ann Gannon, 613-674-1376, pattiann@sympatico.ca; Paul Brierley, 450-458-1750,
paul.brierley@future.ca; Wilf Hall, 450-458-7913, wghall@sympatico.ca). The
deadline for the next issue is Wednesday, February 15th, 2006. The publication
will be Friday, February 24th, 2006.
Submissions should be directed to Patti Ann Gannon through:
pattiann@sympatico.ca, parishvaudreuil@ca.inter.net, drop off at the Parish
Office,
fax to the Parish Office at 450-458-8802, or mail to The Parish of Vaudreuil,
642
Main Road, Hudson Heights, Quebec, J0P 1J0.
WEB LINKS RECOMMENDED BY THE EDITORS:
http://www.montreal.anglican.org/index-01.shtml
http://www.alphacanada.org/
http://www.podm.net/po_how.htm
www.parishofvaudreuil.com
SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY
Sunday, February 5th: 5th after Epiphany - Presentation of the Lord
7:45 a.m. Holy Communion St. James
9:00 a.m. Holy Communion St. Mary's
10:00 a.m. Holy Communion Evergreen, St. Lazare
11:00 a.m. Holy Communion St. James
Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4; Psalm 24: 7-10; Hebrews 2: 14-18; Luke 2: 22-40
Sunday, February 12th: 6th after Epiphany
7:45 a.m. Holy Communion St. James
9:00 a.m. Holy Communion St. Mary's
10:00 a.m. Holy Communion Evergreen, St. Lazare
11:00 a.m. Morning Prayer St. James
Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Mark 1:40-45
Sunday, February 19th: 7th after Epiphany
7:45 a.m. Holy Communion St. James
9:00 a.m. Confirmation at St. Mary's
10:00 a.m. Family Service Evergreen, St. Lazare
11:00 a.m. Holy Communion St. James
Readings: Isaiah 43:18-25; Psalm 41; 2 Corinthians 1:18-22; Mark 2:1-12
Sunday, February 26th: Last after Epiphany
7:45 a.m. Holy Communion St. James
9:00 a.m. Holy Communion St. Mary's
10:00 a.m. Holy Communion Evergreen, St. Lazare
11:00 a.m. Family Service St. James
Readings: 2 Kings 2: 1-12; Psalm 50: 1-6; 2 Corinthians 4: 3-6; Mark 9: 2-9