2016 Christmas Pastoral

Posted on December 20, 2016January 9, 2017

Advent 2016
Fredericton NB

Dear Friends,

Yet again we approach the season in which we celebrate a most central doctrine of belief — the God of the universe came to earth in the flesh of Jesus Christ the Son. The truth of that reality is essential to our living the Christian life in the midst of a world with ever increasing secular values.

It may be of use, as Christians, to take to heart the somewhat familiar and possibly over-used slogan, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Even those most conscientious in faith need to be reminded of that simple fact. We are pushed and pulled in our living environment to begin Christmas celebration, even before the Advent Season of preparation begins, and to end it abruptly late in the evening of Christmas Day. Christmas Day can almost be an anti-climax to the festivities of the season enjoyed in our society.

If we remember the true meaning of the season, we will note with interest and particularity that Jesus was born on Christmas Day and that his coming in time and history changed the world and the way we live in it forever. The fact that God would have such concern for his creation that he himself would take the initiative to enter it in a physical form is almost beyond the possibilities of the imagination. This is the truth that originally made cause for rejoicing and Christians have traditionally taken time to adequately prepare and give serious thought to how they would appropriately mark one more Christmas in their own lives and those of their families. The trimmings we display and the gifts we give are to be symbols of the joy in our hearts placed there by the mystery of the gift of the Incarnation of God among us. Through the symbols and celebration, the observance of that Incarnation continues even two millennia after the original event. If we look intently and prayerfully at our own lives we can see the reality of Incarnation there. Indeed, Jesus IS the reason for the season.

This year the Cathedral will celebrate the reason for the season through corporate worship and the preparation for it. The schedule outlines specific times. You are encouraged, as usual, to make your Communion during this season. If it is impossible to be present due to illness or other cause, please contact the Cathedral Office (506) 450-8500 <office at christchurchcathedral.com> to make an appointment and schedule a visit with home Communion during this Christmastide.

It is my hope and prayer that you will receive the comfort and joy of Christmas. Have a blessed season!

Faithfully yours,

Geoffrey Hall
Dean of Fredericton

Give your Christmas Festival Offering ONLINE now

PDF version here

Christmas in a new land

Posted on December 15, 2016January 6, 2017

“When will the snow melt?” asked Phillip Weah anxiously, bewildered by two snowstorms in a week – the first two snowstorms in this Liberian refugee’s life.

“Oh, around Easter,” he was told, but it wasn’t the answer he expected or wanted to hear.

Cold, snowy days are taken for granted by longtime Canadians, but newcomers find the weather amazing. On the positive side, Phillip is seeing outdoor Christmas trees and the exteriors of houses brightly lit for the festive season. This, too, he finds astonishingly beautiful.

He is proud to show off his Christmas tree – another first – to visitors to the family’s cosy apartment. The cathedral congregation donated an artificial tree, all the lights and several boxes of beautiful ornaments.

READY FOR CHRISTMAS – Phillip Weah visits his wife, Esther Gmah, daily in hospital. Daughter Catherine, holding a cheerful teddy bear, told her about the decorated Christmas tree which she is eager to see. She hopes to be home for the holidays.

Catherine Gmah, Phillip’s step-daughter, squealed with delight when she saw the tree and enjoyed decorating it. She caught on quickly. “Not enough,” she announced, pointing to a shortfall of the sparkly garland, which was soon remedied.

It’s fun to see her smile. This year has been full of upheaval. In July the family left a refugee camp in the Ivory Coast to fly to Canada where a warm welcome awaited from several parishes in the diocesan archdeaconry of Fredericton. Still, everything was new, different and often difficult for them.

Currently, Phillip is attending English classes daily at the multicultural association. Thanks to help from church volunteers, he has learned to buy groceries with a debit card and to ride the bus around the city. He was proud to earn some money by raking leaves a number of times at Christ Church Parish Church.

Catherine is attending Fredericton High School, where she is concentrating on learning to read and write. She loves music and joined an African dance group at the multicultural association. Unlike most teenagers, she does all the cooking for the family as well as most of the laundry and some of the cleaning.

MERRY CHRISTMAS – Phillip Weah and Catherine Gmah pose proudly after decorating their first Canadian Christmas tree. The tree, lights, ornaments, Santa hats and the teddy bear were donated by members of the cathedral congregation.

Her older brother, Arene, is also attending FHS, but has had trouble adjusting to schedules, structure, appointments and rules, all of which were unknown to him while living in a refugee camp. He is receiving counselling.

Their mother, Esther, has had the toughest time. In poor health when she arrived in Canada, she has been hospitalized since September, undergoing treatment for numerous infections. Not having Esther at home has been hard on the whole family, but she has made good progress lately. It is hoped that she will be discharged in time for Christmas and can start English classes next year although ongoing physiotherapy will be part of her schedule, too.

Phillip, whose father was a pastor, has worshipped at St. Margaret’s, St. Mary’s York, Parish Church and the Cathedral so far, but he says that he and Esther want to visit all the churches that have helped them financially and prayerfully. A man of deep faith, he is more than grateful for the chance to come to Canada which can offer many more opportunities to his family than the refugee camp.

Please keep them in your prayers this Christmas and in 2017 as they transition towards independence, and please know that they pray for all the people in the parishes helping them.

Ann Deveau

2016 Refugee Support Auction Results

Posted on December 13, 2016December 29, 2016

The total money raised for our sponsored Liberian family’s expenses, through the November 26th auction and additional donations, was over $2,800!

This is a real blessing for the cause with the federal money ending shortly and the bills continuing to come in for rent, electricity, telephone, groceries, etc. We are very grateful to everyone who donated items, volunteered at the event, and who bid on the various treasures (some of which are being modeled in the photo). We are especially thankful for Wendy Brien and her team who worked tirelessly to put this auction together and to pull it off. Well done!

With gratitude,

Ann Deveau
on behalf of the Refugee Sponsorship Committee

Music Monthly – December 2016

Posted on December 5, 2016December 25, 2016

04 December – Second in Advent

10.00 Choral Eucharist (BAS)
O Radix Jesse – plainsong
Addington Service – Shephard
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 This is the record of John – Gibbons
108, 117, 109, 49, 419
March on a Theme of Handel – Guilmant

11 December – Third in Advent

10.00 Choral Eucharist (BCP)
O Rex Gentium – plainsong
Cabena in the Dorian Mode
Psalm 146:4-9 Almighty and everlasting God – Gibbons
111, 270, 375, 48, 306
Toccata – Belier
18 December – Fourth in Advent

10.00 Choral Eucharist (BAS)
O Emmanuel – plainsong
Festive Eucharist – Rawsthorne
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
Blake’s Cradle Song – Vaughan Williams
98, 88, 106, 96, 101
Toccata and Fugue in modo dorico BWV 538 – Bach

4.00 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Once in royal David’s city
Torches – Joubert
Adam lay ybounden – Ord
Ding! Dong! merrily on high – arr. Wood
Resonet in laudibus – Handl
How far is it to Bethlehem? – arr. Willcocks
O little town of Bethlehem
Nova! – Drinkell
In the bleak midwinter – Darke
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
Nativity Carol – Rutter
Unto us is born a Son
Bethlehem Down – Warlock
On this day – Haldane Stewart
O come, all ye faithful
Hark! the herald angels sing
Toccata-PreludeVom Himmel hoch – Edmondson

24 December – Christmas Eve

11.00pm Midnight Eucharist of Christmas (BCP)
Ding! Dong! Merrily on high – arr. Wood
Messe de Minuit pour Noël – Charpentier
Psalm 96
Carols
118, 119, 136, 121, 138
Dieu parmi nous – Messiaen

Ronald Rolheiser’s Column Archives

Posted on December 4, 2016January 9, 2017

In the Spring of 2009, I travelled with Bishop Bill Hockin to St. Gertrude’s Roman Catholic Church in Woodstock, N.B. As we arrived, we noticed the parking lot was full. Upon entering the church, we found a large, ecumenical audience awaiting the introduction of Fr. Ronald Rolheiser. He spoke all morning, and related effortlessly with his audience. As he shared intriguing personal anecdotes and recounted stories from his own life-experience, Rolheiser emphasized the deep desire of many people for an authentic relationship with God. He called it a “holy longing.”

Ronald Rolheiser

Earlier that week, in Fredericton, Rolheiser had been the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from St. Thomas University. He also delivered STU’s Spring 2009 Convocation Address.

Born on a farm in Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan, ordained as a Catholic priest in 1972, Ronald Rolheiser has a long affiliation with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. His formal education saw him earn a B.A. (University of Ottawa, 1969), B.Th. (Newman Theological College, 1973), M.A. (University of San Francisco, 1974), M.R.Sc (University of Louvain, 1982) and PhD (University of Louvain, 1983). Currently, Rolheiser serves as President of the Oblate School of Theology, a Catholic graduate school for theological studies located in San Antonio, Texas.

In 1982 while living and studying in Belgium, he began to write a regular column in the Canadian newspaper, The Western Catholic Reporter. These columns featured reflections on theological, Biblical and secular issues. Choosing to call his column, In Exile, Fr. Ron wrote:

All of us live our lives in exile. We live in our separate riddles, partially separated from God, each other, and even from ourselves. We experience some love, some community, some peace, but never these in their fullness. Our senses, egocentricity, and human nature place a veil between us and full love, full community, and full peace. We live, truly, as in a riddle: The God who is omnipresent cannot be sensed; others, who are as real as ourselves, are always partially distanced and unreal; and we are, in the end, fundamentally a mystery even to ourselves.

Rolheiser’s weekly columns offered down-to-earth observations connecting theology, church history, The Bible and contemporary issues. Since its inception 34 years ago, 2000 commentaries have been posted online, each approximately 850 words in length. Currently, Rolheiser’s work is carried in over 80 newspapers worldwide. At once, provocative and pastoral, his writing explores key themes in Christian spirituality, including the Trinity, World Religions, Christianity and Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Existentialism, Mysticism, contemporary spirituality tied to the pressing questions of today (ecology, feminism, masculine spirituality, cultural change).

His 2014 book titled Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity (Image Book, Random House) received the highest award for a hardcover book from the Catholic Press Association. His 1999 book, The Holy Longing: The Search For A Christian Spirituality (Doubleday, New York) is considered by many to be a modern classic. Rolheiser writes for a diverse ecumenical audience. But his weekly on-line columns may be less well known to non-Catholic readers. His website, Ronald Rolheiser’s Column Archives offers an engaging collection of short articles suitable for either personal reflection or for educational reading on Christian topics and issues. The website includes a Search function which allows readers to explore a wide range of topics. For example, here is a selection of just 15 titles from the 2016 column-archives:

November 14, 2016 – Why Dark Nights of the Soul?