Primate’s World Relief
and Development Fund (PWRDF) Appeal
Keeping our Promise to the
Children of Haiti is encompassed in a PWRDF
appeal called Appetite for Learning. If you
would like more information on how you can help
with ongoing support for Haiti and its children,
please
download the flyer and share it with
friends.
|
Bishop’s
Action Appeal 2011 |
 |
Each year, the
Bishop makes an Annual Appeal for
support for projects that will
further our diocesan mission. This
year, the Bishop’s Action Appeal
will help Early Literacy, Youth
Ambassadors and Communication &
Information Resources in the
diocese; areas that are vital to our
ongoing participation in God’s
Mission. Most of you should have
received a copy of the Appeal in the
mail. For those who did not, please
pick up a copy (at the back of the
church, in the coffee room). Your
gift will make a real difference in
our Anglican family. Thank you! |
The Advent Chapel at Les
Promenades de la Cathédrale
The Advent Chapel will be
set up in the old Diocesan Book Room space, in
the Promenades de la Cathedrale mall. It will be
set up with chairs, music, toys & crafts, tea &
coffee. We will have resources about how to find
a local church and ways to observe Advent &
celebrate Christmas meaningfully available. It
will be staffed by welcoming volunteers! Please
download
poster for more information.
We are hoping to be able to be open during
Advent on the following days:
Thursdays and Fridays 3pm to close (9pm)
Saturday and Sunday 12pm to close (5pm)
This means the chapel will run December 1-23
(and perhaps the 24th if there are willing
volunteers!).
How you can help:
We need lots of volunteers!
Please share this exciting opportunity with your
parishioners!
-
to staff the chapel in three hour shifts,
providing welcome and hospitality (working
in teams of 2 or 3).
-
to help with set up (November 21-Dec 1) and
take down (early January)
-
to offer music (carolling by a few members
of a choir?), workshops, or other special
events. Let us know if you have an activity
you’d like to offer at the Advent Chapel!
We need money!
-
Donations to cover the cost of craft
supplies, tea and coffee, printing of
posters and advertising. These can be sent
to the Diocesan office, earmarked for the
Advent Chapel. Perhaps a parish group (e.g.
ACW or other group) would like to support
this project?
"When
you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the
Lord your God for the good land he has given
you." Deuteronomy 8:10
 |
As we approach
Harvest Thanksgiving and I am
reminded to thank the farmers who
work hard to feed us, I am also
reminded of a friend of mine who is
a farmer.
We once talked about how he truly is
a man of faith in God – not just
because he attends church each
Sunday, teaches the children in
Sunday School, is active on the
Parish Council, but because as a
farmer who must place his trust
outside of himself, he has come to
know and rely on the grace of God. |
|
Each year he
lovingly tills the soil to prepare
it for planting. I know this because
he told me that he loves being out
on the tractor and seeing the soil
in its richness turned in readiness
to receive the seeds of promise. He
also spends that time in
conversation with God – the God who
gave him the love of farming and
feeding the people of his community
and beyond.
“But,” I say
to my friend, “you have no control
over the weather or if the seed will
take or what kind of crop you will
have at the end of the season.”
A grin
crosses his face and he quietly
says, “That’s okay. The one I spend
so much time with is in control and
He’s always given me what I need. It
isn’t always what I wanted or hoped
for, but it has always turned out to
be what I need.”
“But,” I say to my friend, “this
year alone, you have lost crops with
all the rain. You were hard hit by
the impact of the mad cow disease
outbreak out west. And I know you
don’t get anywhere near what I pay
for milk for the milk your cows
produce. Doesn’t that bother you? It
doesn’t seem fair or right or just.”
His blue eyes sparkle. He flashes
his grin and his gentle voice says,
“I learned a long time ago life
isn’t fair. Some years are very good
and some not so. But I had parents
who loved me; brothers I can count
on; neighbours who lend a hand
whenever I need it; food on the
table; and a church where each week
I can share all that I am thankful
for with all the others like me who
know we have been given good land to
till and bountiful harvests over the
years.”
“But,” I say to my friend, “how do I
bring others to have such belief?
Such faith? Such thankfulness?”
“You won’t,” he says. “Together -
you, me and God – we will do this.
We’ll share our stories. We’ll
invite our friends to share their
stories. And like we do so often
here, we’ll do it at the dinner
table. There’s nothing quite like a
parish potluck to remind us we have
much to believe in and to be
thankful for.”
Memories … thanks be to God!!
May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Eleanor+ |
|
DID YOU KNOW
THAT.....
By Chris Haslam
The corn is as high as an elephant’s
eye?
You might recognize this line from
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s well known
song O What a Beautiful Morning,
from the musical Oklahoma…
There's a
bright golden haze on the meadow,
There's a bright golden haze on the
meadow,
The corn is as high as an elephant's
eye,
An' it looks like it's climbin'
clear up to the sky... |
 |
|
In the country,
farmers have gathered in all the
other crops. Corn is the last to be
combined. In fact, in Québec, the
last corn is often harvested in the
snow.
In speaking of Harvest Thanksgiving,
we remind ourselves that, up until a
century or so ago, our ancestors
were critically, and directly,
dependent on agriculture. They
recognized that everything we have
is thanks to God. There were years
in which the harvest was less
bountiful than in others; how hard
it must have been to accept that
God's way isn't always what we would
like.
Perhaps there are those among us
today, or people with whom we rub
shoulders, who have difficulty in
accepting God's way. Let's help
them, through our generosity: let us
emulate our Lord's generosity, in
living amongst us, and dying for us.
|
Not Just
Any Colour…
by Joy Forster |
 |
You may have
noticed from time to time the colour
of the hangings on the altar change.
On the Day of Pentecost, the altar
hanging is red as are the hangings
on the lectern and pulpit.
Pentecost, which is the celebration
of the Holy Spirit descending on the
Apostles takes place 50 days after
Easter.
During the
Season of Pentecost, which runs for
twenty-three weeks, the hangings are
primarily green with the exception
of the first and last Sunday after
Pentecost which are Trinity Sunday
and The Reign of Christ. The
hangings for these two Sundays are
white.
As we are nearing the end of the
Church Calendar Year, we look ahead
to the start of the next which
begins on the First Sunday in Advent
(this year it is November 27.) The
colour for Advent is Royal Blue
because it is the colour of Hope.
Advent is the four weeks just before
Christmas. |
|
In our Parish,
the Advent Wreath is decorated with
greens and four blue candles. On the
first Sunday in Advent the first
candle is lit in the early part of
the service. An additional candle is
thus lit during each Sunday in
Advent until all four candles are
lit. The Wreath is used for the four
weeks in Advent as a symbol of the
Hope, Peace, Joy and Love we
celebrate in the birth of Jesus. At
Christmas the white Christ Candle is
lit to complete the lighting of the
Wreath and to announce the arrival
of the Christ. |
The spirituality of exercise or the exercise of
Spirituality?
By Wilf Hall
On the way to Church on Sunday mornings we often
see joggers or cyclists out exercising and maybe
we think "Why aren't they on their way to or in
church?" and of course this is absolutely
ludicrous as they may well be, have been, or are
planning to be in church sometime during the
weekend. At the very least they can teach us a
lot about how strength is gained.
These enthusiastic followers of good health are
probably out every day and not just on Sunday
morning when we see them, or should I say,
notice them. They know that if you want to get
in shape or even stay in shape you need to
exercise and you need to do it regularly, indeed
religiously. They also hold to the value that
"If you don't use it, you lose it." The same can
be said of Faith. They also know that the
exercise that they are doing will help their
immune system, their cardio vascular system, and
help to ward off things like osteoporosis.
I haven't even mentioned that they enjoy
exercising once they get started and encourage
their friends to join them.
Let's look at ourselves. Are we exercising our
spirituality every day so that we can merely
maintain where we are on our Christian journey?
Is our plan to move forward on our Christian
path or are we satisfied where we are? If we
feel comfortable with where we are, (like a
couch potato), then we are probably in need of
some spiritual exercise.
How do we exercise our Spirituality? Read
Wilf’s full article on page 2 of the
September Pulse newsletter.
|
Operation
Christmas Child – October 9-November
20, 2011 |
 |
Boxes will be
available in the small hall at St.
James from Sunday Oct. 9th. Once
filled with your “goodies” return
them by November 20th. The following
instructions are recommended by
Operation Christmas Child:
Fill your shoe box with a
well-balanced variety of items from
the following categories: |
-
School Supplies
- Items such as pencils, pens,
pencil crayons, note pads, and
picture books
-
Toys & Other Gifts
- Items such as stuffed animals,
small musical instruments, hair
clips, toy jewelry, t-shirts,
socks, and candy (loose,
individually wrapped hard candy
in a sealable bag)
-
Hygiene Items -
Please place soap in a sealable
bag
-
Personal Note -
Include a personal note and/or a
photo in your shoe box (not
inside the donation envelope)
DO NOT INCLUDE:
-
Toothpaste
(due to customs regulations)
-
Food and any chewy, crumbly, or
soft candy:
Including gum (due to customs
regulations)
-
Used items
(due to customs regulations)
-
Playing cards
(card games such as UNO are
allowed)
-
Liquids or items that could
leak, melt, freeze, or break
– Shampoo, creams, lip balm,
bath gels, mirrors, or glass,
etc. (these can damage other
items in the shoe box). Items
that can scare or harm a child
– War-related toys, knives,
and toy guns, etc.
-
Using a backpack instead
of a shoe box is problematic
because it creates unfair
circumstances at distribution
events. Backpacks can also
cause problems when cartons are
being packed, and when shipments
are going through Customs
|
Churches Robbed, Communities Devastated… - News
from the Diocese of Montreal
Extra vigilance is paramount
Stealing religious
art and artifacts is a business and unscrupulous
buyers don’t care how the items are acquired.
These sad truths were recently brought home to
seven Anglican Churches in the Province of
Quebec and one Presbyterian Church just across
the border in Ontario. From March until mid
April – week after week – thieves managed to
break in and steal a large number of valuable
stained glass windows and panels; in some
instances they also made off with religious
artifacts. In one case, the stained glass
windows measured some 10 feet in height and
dated back to the early 1890’s!
The theft of these historic and irreplaceable
stained glass windows has left communities
reeling. Parishioners, many having attended
their church for decades, are still in a state
of shock and disbelief. Who would do such a
thing, and why? While these questions remain
unanswered, what is certain is that the thieves,
for the most part, targeted churches in a
geographically concentrated, isolated area of
the Province.
For a full report on measures churches can take
to protect their churches,
click here.
KAIROS
If you were
concerned by the recent government cutbacks to
the funding of KAIROS, you might be interested
to learn more about the organization. Click on
http://www.kairoscanada.org/en/who-we-are/
to learn that the Anglican Church of Canada
is a member church along with 10 other church
bodies. The website shows many areas of the
world where Kairos is working with local
national groups to address eco-justice issues.
On November 12,
2010 the Canadian federal government endorsed
the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples (UNDRIP). This is one step in a long
journey towards right relations; we must travel
even further together if we are to truly live
out the Declaration. Please join the KAIROS
community as we celebrate the Declaration
alongside Indigenous communities and leaders
this June 14-21 across the country and in
Ottawa.
If you want to
support KAIROS see
http://www.kairoscanada.org/kairostimes/special-11-03-RollDeclaration.html
for how you can get involved.
Christ is Risen, Alleluia! He is Risen
Indeed, Alleluia!
Rev’d
Eleanor Caruana
Just two weeks before Easter a group of 20
pilgrims returned from the Holy Land. While
there, we walked in His footsteps. We spent time
where He had performed miracles, where He taught
the disciples and His followers. We put our feet
on the steps He had climbed to the house of
Caiphus and we descended into the pit that had
held Him captive. We walked the Via Dolorosa and
took time to hear and reflect upon His journey
to the cross. We entered the tomb where His body
had been laid and where the news “He is not
here, for He has been raised...” (Matt 28:6a)
was declared.
While still in the Holy Land some of the
pilgrims professed, “Easter will never be the
same for me.” They weren’t sure how it would be
different, they just knew it would be.
After my first trip to the Holy Land, I too
professed that Easter would never be the same.
How could it be? I had stood in the Garden of
Gethsemane where He had cried out in agony. I
had climbed the steps, the very steps He had
climbed, to the place of the House of Caiphus. I
descended to the pit where He had been held
captive. My heart pounded not just because of
the physical exertion, but because of the
anguish and despair I imagined He must have felt
as He gave His life for me.
But my journey didn’t end there. At the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, I and my fellow travelers
encountered the place of His burial and
resurrection. Thousands of thousands of pilgrims
had passed through this same place and like me
knew Easter would never be the same. For you
see, no longer was it a story in a book. I was
like Mary Magdalene and the other women who had
gone to the tomb where He had been laid looking
for Him, or some sign of Him. And like them I
did not see Him in the tomb. But I knew He had
been there. I felt His presence and I knew He
was not dead.
And like Mary and the other women I return to
tell others - my parishioners, family and
friends – Christ is risen, Alleluia! He is risen
indeed, Alleluia!
Confirmation and Easter
Vigil – Saturday, April 23, 7:30 pm at the
Cathedral
Easter
Vigil… a time for Baptism and Confirmation
 |
The Celebration
of the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral
is now established as a joint
celebration of parishes from across
our Diocese. The shared Vigil
contributes to a sense of a real
meeting of the wider church to
celebrate the light and joy and call
of the risen Christ.
Once again, the Cathedral community
would like to invite any who wish to
come as a parish and join in the
service on April 23rd. The service
begins at 7:30 pm, and follows the
order of the Book of Alternative
Services. The Rev’d Eleanor Caruana,
as well as the Confirmands she has
been preparing for Confirmation,
along with their families will
joyfully take part in the Vigil.
|
|
The Easter
Vigil shares with us the story of
creation, the downfall of humankind,
the calling of God to the people and
the redemption of the world through
Christ. The powerful message through
scripture, prayer and music
highlights for we who are an Easter
People the true meaning of the
Resurrection.
It is fitting that at this service
of light and life that the Bishop
will confirm or receive candidates,
as well as sharing the rite of
Baptism for adults. Paschal Candles
are also blessed with the new fire
of Easter.
You are cordially invited to join
the Celebration of the Easter Vigil
at Christ Church Cathedral, 1444
Union Avenue, Montreal at 7:30 p.m.
on Saturday, April 23, 2011. In this
service, we look forward to three
members of our Parish being
confirmed by Bishop Barry.
Download the
Confirmation pdf file for
more information. |
|
Get Involved! |
|
Several Diocesan
committees are looking for new members. If
you would like to meet interesting people
and participate in meaningful work, please
consider:
·
The Standing committee on Mission
·
The Stewardship of the Environment Committee
·
The Partners in Mission Committee
·
The Montreal Unit of the Primate’s World
Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
To
learn more, please contact Nicki in the
Programme Office at 514-843-6577,
ext 244 |
Press Release from the Anglican Bishop of
Montreal, regarding the development of the shale
gas industry in Quebec.
You
may download this Press Release from the Bishop
by
clicking here.
A Message from the
Parish Search Committee
It may come as a surprise to see a communication
from the Parish Search Committee (PSC), if we
assume that our task was completed with the
appointment of our new priest. However, the PSC
has an ongoing role to play during the period of
transition, considered to last up to the first
24 months of a new ministry. Bishop Barry
reminded us of this at the time of Eleanor’s
appointment, emphasizing the supportive role the
committee can fill in that period.
As the Wardens’ Report to Vestry indicated,
Eleanor hit the ground running and accomplished
so much in her first year; not only identifying
issues of concern but also providing resolutions
that have enabled us to move forward and grow.
Now Eleanor is ready to lead us in the next
step, a step she is the first to state she
cannot take alone: seeking our path forward to
discover “who does God want us to be”. If we are
to achieve growth in our spiritual lives and as
a Parish, we need to envision what that parish
will look like and set our course to get there.
This will involve discussions around worship and
liturgy together with our mission and outreach
programs.
The PSC devoted several months to the
preparation of a Parish Profile, conducting
focus group discussions and one on one
interviews with a wide section of parishioners.
This profile provides a portrait of the parish
at the present and forms a building block to our
future. And in creating it, the PSC is well
positioned to take a leadership role in
supporting Eleanor to plan our course forward.
We also need others to join us in this
envisioning process. In the near future, we will
announce plans to begin open discussions to
which we will welcome your contribution. WATCH
THIS SPACE. We look forward to talking with you.
Michael Legg
Chair, 2009 Parish Search Committee
Primate asks for
prayers for earthquake victims
February 22, 2011 - In accord with a request for
prayer from the Bishops of New Zealand, I ask
for the prayers of our church for all affected
by the 6.3 earthquake near Christchurch. As the
Dean of the cathedral has said "the cathedral is
severely damaged but it's about people and
lives. We've got to take care of one another and
pray for each other."
Let us hold in prayer all those who await news
of loved ones believed to be buried in the
rubble, all who have died or been seriously
injured and all who are providing emergency
services.
In particular I ask you to remember Bishop
Victoria Matthews and all who are providing
pastoral care at this critical time.
I issue this call for prayer, confident in your
compassion, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Fred Hiltz
Archbishop and Primate of all Canada
World Day of Prayer – Friday, March 4, 2011 at 10:00 am
The World Day of Prayer in Canada is
organized and supported by the Women’s
Inter-Church Council of Canada. The motto
of the World Day of Prayer is "Informed
Prayer, Prayerful Action". One way to
understand this motto is to keep the people
of Chile in your prayers as they have
written the service for this year’s World
Day of Prayer.
The service will take place at St. Mary’s
Church on Friday, March 4th at
10:00 am. This year the theme will be “How
Many Loaves Have You? / Combien de Pains
Avez-Vous?”. We will be celebrating the
women of Chile and through preparation and
participation in the worship service, we
will come to know our sisters in Chile, we
will hear their concerns and needs and feel
ourselves in solidarity with them.
On request from the WDP Committee of Chile,
embroiderer Norma Ulloa from Copiulemu
faithfully created a colorful tapestry to
depict the theme
“How Many Loaves Have You?
/ Combien de Pains Avez-Vous?”.
The original piece is made of wool woven on
sackcloth. It measures 60 x 40 centimeters
and took over a month to be completed. In
the tapestry we see images from Mark’s
Gospel presented in the context of rural
Chilean life in a way that honors Christ’s
presence in our daily lives everywhere.
There are two
Bible studies associated with this day, both
of which are available for reading on the
World Day of Prayer website (see address at
the bottom of this article).
In addition
several Chilean recipes are available for
download in pdf format from the World Day of
Prayer website . You might wish to try
them!
The service
at St. Mary’s Church, Como is ecumenical and
open to everyone, men and women alike. All
are welcome!
Notes taken
from the World Day of Prayer website:
http://www.wicc.org/programsevents/World_Day_of_Prayer/WPD_2011.html
