PARISH OF VAUDREUIL - PARISH PULSE – MAY 2009
Greetings,
Having served as a priest in this Diocese alongside your Priest and
Rector, the Reverend Canon John Bradley,
throughout the years, I now feel
especially honoured having been asked to
serve as Priest-in-Charge during this interregnum.
The Parish of Vaudreuil
has enjoyed a long history of faithful worship, ministry and outreach over the years, and I feel certain that such an important
contribution to the community will continue as you set the stage for the next
chapter.
Interregnums can sometimes be experienced with some degree of anxiety and
perhaps confusion. My hope is that
this brief interlude can proceed in such a way as to make this time of
transition as smooth
as possible. Changes will inevitably take place, but
always, hopefully,
with much care and consideration for the community as a
whole.
Please keep me as informed as possible in order that the needs and concerns
of the parish are addressed regarding sacramental ministry, and be assured that I am available to journey
with you as you move forward.
Yours
faithfully,
Gordon
CONGRATULATIONS: Joan Marshall is delighted to announce the
arrival of her grandson, Matthew David, born on February 23rd. Son for Ildiko
and David Marshall.
BAPTISMS:
James Luigi Ruffolo, son of
Karen Christensen and Salvatore Ruffolo was baptized
on 19 April at St. James.
Gabriella Renee and Charlotte Paige, daughters of
Trina Sheppard and Christopher Bleichert were
baptized at St. James on 19 April.
Beatrice Ada Louise Elliott,
daughter of Rebecca Fletcher and Murray Elliott was baptized at St. Mary’s on
26 April.
DEATH: Bruce Speiran husband
of Penny died on April 16th and his Memorial Service was held at St.
James on April 26th.
Your Parish Search
Committee (PSC) has been very active during the past month holding frequent
meetings, sometimes at the rate of three per week. On 1st April we had a
meeting with the Bishop, who gave us much valued advice and counsel.
Our main focus now
is the preparation of the Parish Profile which covers such items as parish
history, our community, local demographics, building description, liturgy and
music practices, programs and activities, attendance and financial results.
When complete and approved by the Archdeacon the profile is submitted to the
Bishop for final approval. The profile will also include the wishes of the
congregation for the vision and direction of the parish. After final approval
the profile is then made available to prospective candidates for consideration
when applying for the post.
We have given
ourselves a tight schedule as we wish to send the profile to the Bishop by 11th
May so that is available for the summer recruiting and moving window. This is
important if we are to consider and attract candidates who have a family and
have to consider schooling.
As part of our
preparation of the profile, we are currently consulting with the congregation
to gather input and wishes for the future of our Parish. Findings from these
discussions will then be reflected in the profile. The PSC has agreed on key
questions to pose so that there is a common approach to the consultation
process. St. James’ is holding group meetings while St. Mary’s is holding individual
interviews. Our aim is to talk to as many of you as possible, though, with the
schedule, we will not be able to meet with the entire congregation in the short
time available. If you have not been contacted and you wish to discuss the
future of our Parish, please call any of your respective church members of the
PSC. Your valued input, thoughts and ideas are essential to defining the future
direction of our Parish.
Our work continues
with consultations, finalizing the profile and weekly meetings. More news for
you next month
PSC Committee
Members:
St James:
Marcus Owen, Rector’s warden linmarc@videotron.ca 450-458-8627
Sue Campbell, People’s warden Sue.campbell18@gmail.com 450-458-2181
Michael Legg, Chair leggml@sympatico.ca 450-458-7219
Tom Pound tom.pound@videotron.ca 450-458-5127
St Mary’s:
Joan Marshall, Rector’s warden joan.marshall@mcgill.ca 450-458-5144
Alan Constable, People’s wardenpatetal@sympatico.ca 450-510-3919
Tracy Gallacher tracey.gallacher@videotron.ca 450-458-8631
Elizabeth McCrudden elizabeth.mccrudden@videotron.ca
450-458-5442
Youth:
Wanda Smith wandabray@hotmail.com 450-458-0481
HERITAGE STONEWORK RESTORATION UPDATE: Alan MacLeod
The St. James Corporation signed a contract this week for the
continuation of the heritage restoration work. The work will be carried out by
the same contractor as last year, LES ENTREPRISES DEN-PRO. We were very happy
with their work and they are happy to come and once again work at St.
James. Work is planned to start on or shortly before 18 May and will take
six to seven weeks to complete.
The main work will be on both
sides of the church (exterior) and the back or North end. The stone wall will
be inspected and grouting replaced to a depth of two and a half inches,
identical to last year's work. Also during this period the stained glass windows
will undergo repairs. Three of them will be removed or have sections removed
and taken away for the necessary repairs.
New window frames will be made and installed. New
exterior protective glass windows will replace the existing glass which
presently has the wire mesh imbedded. These new protective windows are
stronger and less opaque so more light will penetrate the nave. Some electrical wiring inside the church
proper will be replaced to bring it up to existing acceptable code. This work
will be completed by Leblanc Electrical contractors of
The work on the church will be accomplished by using scaffolding. There
may be some impact on parking but we are not anticipating a major disruption.
OTHER ITEMS IN THE WORKS:
Projects involving the kitchen and loft will be started at a
later date. We plan to better insulate these areas to save on future heating
costs.
One chimney serving the church furnace will be re pointed after the
stonework is completed.
The recent tree liming and dead branch removal in the cemetery and
church grounds proper has been completed. It is safe to sit on the benches and
enjoy your lunch and surroundings. They're beautiful.
During the summer we will be removing the four large tree stumps on the
rectory front lawn. We are also presently assessing and studying the
energy audit report we had generated by the engineering Corp. GES
Technologies. This audit will help us decide which route to go in updating our
heating systems etc.
If anyone knows what the inscription said on the plaque mounted on
the front left corner of the church commemorating our 150th
anniversary, would you please give it to Roger
Seguin or one of the wardens. We plan to replace these three stolen
items but need the exact wording if possible.
Your building and grounds hard at work.
ST. JAMNES CHURCH
WOMEN SPRING GENERAL MEETING:
Wednesday, 13 May
7:30 pm.
A Short meeting is
planned. This will be followed by our
guest speaker David Angus Ferguson who owns a small bistro in the east end of
ST. MARY’S LOBSTER
SUPPER Saturday 23 May, 6:00 pm
A reminder to all that the Lobster Dinner is May
23rd.Please reserve with Elizabeth Dempsey as soon as possible. There is Steak
for those only who can not eat Lobster. Phone 450-458-4380
COMMUNION AT MANOIR
CAVAGNAL: Friday
29 May, 10:00 am
DIOCESE
OF
On Trinity Sunday, June 7th, the Diocese of Montreal will be
celebrating its 150th Anniversary, with Brunch and Eucharist at
All of the congregations in the Diocese are being encouraged to attend
this event, with brunch being served on the Cathedral grounds beginning at
11:00 a.m., followed by a Choral Eucharist in the Cathedral at 1:00 p.m.
The special guest preacher at the Eucharist will be the Rt. Reverend Mark
MacDonald, and the theme of his address:
“Hear What the Spirit is saying to the Church.”
Patrick Wedd, Organist at the Cathedral, is
arranging to include choristers from across the Diocese.
Our Bishop, Barry Clarke writes: “Let’s come together as a Diocesan
family for this special celebration.”
The Joint Corporations of St. Mary’s and St. James’ have endorsed the
invitation to encourage our members to attend and participate in this special
diocesan-wide event.
As a result, on that Sunday, June 7th, the worship schedule
here at home will include two services instead of three. A 7:45 a.m. Celebration of Holy Communion
at St. Mary’s, and a Choral Eucharist (Joint Service) at St. James at 10:00
a.m. This
will enable members of both congregations to worship here in the community
should they so desire, while also creating the opportunity to worship with
members of the wider Diocesan family.
COUNTRY HOMES TOUR: Thursday 4 June, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Tickets $25 go on sale on May 1st in
1) Source (Aliments Santé) 448 Main Road
2) Décor Tissue Serenity 67 Cameron.
Lunch tickets available for St. James ($12) for two
sittings: 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. St. Mary’s will be serving coffee and muffins
from 9 am to 11:00 am, luncheon ($10) 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.
Reservations may be made by calling Becky Gittins 458-7160 or Elizabeth Dempsey 458-4380.
MOMS AND TOTS:
We are approaching the end of our third year of the
Moms and Tots group at St. Mary's Parish hall.
Each Tuesday Allan, Mark, and Georgia Jared host a drop-in centre; from
9:30 -11 o'clock, for young Mothers, caregivers and children from birth to 5
years old. We have had another very successful year. We start in September and
finish at the end of May. We have an average of 15 children per week. The
children become used to being with other kids but the big winners are the Moms
who have the opportunity to visit with new friends and talk about common
problems.
We have also had several outings in the evenings that
have become very popular. At Christmas, we went to Whitlock's Thursday night
Pasta Night. Twenty-eight happy Moms,
two Grandmothers and the Jareds had a wonderful time.
Our next activity was an afternoon of curling at
Whitlock. We were hosted by Paul Gilmore, head of curling at the club. The
girls had a ball!
We have been invited to
The girls have asked for a golfing outing. Allan and I
have planned an afternoon at the Par Three Golf course in Riviere
Baudette early in the summer.
For our end of
year party, it is a given that they will also want a repeat of Pasta night as
the Christmas party was so much fun.
I would like to thank Rev. John Bradley for supporting
our idea of starting this outreach program from the moment it was proposed.
Without his instantaneous support, this group may never have got off the
ground. I would also like to thank St.
Mary's Church for giving us the venue, free of charge, for the last three
years. I hope it will be offered for many years to come. It has filled a very
important role in the lives of these young mothers and has been great fun for
the children and for the Jared family.
SUMMER DAY CAMP:
Monday July 27th to Friday
July 31
Summer day camp ‘09 will be from July 27 to the 31. Please mark it on your calendar. We will need volunteers to help with snacks and lunch break supervision. We also welcome adults and teens to join our group as leaders and assistants.
The camp is open to all children in the area, and it is an ecumenical program. Please pass the word on to families and friends. A wish list for supplies will follow. Thank you in advance for making this week a special and valuable experience for many children.
For information contact Wanda Smith 458-0481,
wandabray@hotmail.com or Barbara Dodds at the parish
office 450-458-5897, parishvaudreuil@ca.inter.net.