Olga Louise Mann died peacefully on 15 November 2017 at the Halifax Infirmary. She was seven weeks past her 99th birthday, and had enjoyed a long full life.
She was born on PEI, daughter of Wilbert and Emma (Cudmore) Reeves. She was predeceased by her husband, George Mann, and all her immediate family. She is survived by her children Beth (Andrew) and Douglas (Christina) and their children Jamie, Carole, Meghan, Katie and Hanna, and great granddaughter Natasha.
She will be remembered for her long and happy association with Christ Church Cathedral Fredericton; Sir Howard Douglas Chapter IODE; her wonderful baking; her love of playing cribbage; and her delight at talking with friends and family.
Funeral service will take place 2:00 p.m., Saturday, 02 December 2017, at Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton.
Special thanks to staff and volunteers at Bradford Hall, Parkland Clayton Park Halifax; to her many friends and family who were faithful to call, visit and send cards over the last many years; and to the wonderful staff of 9 Lane, Halifax Infirmary who kept her comfortable at the end.
Ann and Doug are well known around the Cathedral for their many hours of volunteer work.
Ann is from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Doug is from Norfolk, Nebraska. They began attending the Cathedral in 1997 as a middle way between her Roman Catholic upbringing and his background in the United Methodist church. The route to Fredericton taken by this busy, caring couple is interesting.
Ann Deveau and Doug Milander
Doug received a journalism degree in Nebraska and, immediately after graduation, he received his military draft notice. It was during the Vietnam War which he opposed. He made the life-altering decision to move to Canada, knowing he faced prison for draft evasion if he returned to the USA where his parents and family remained.
He worked at a weekly newspaper in Morris, Manitoba, as editor, photographer, reporter, and it was a seven day per week effort. He reported for a daily newspaper in Winnipeg before he moved to Saint John, N.B., to work for the TELEGRAPH JOURNAL, often covering the court circuit. He comments that although it is cold in the winter on the prairies, he felt the damp cold even more in Saint John!
He proudly became a Canadian citizen but was not allowed into the USA until President Jimmy Carter declared an amnesty for draft evaders in 1977. Following a long backpacking trip overland from England to Nepal, he got a job as a legislative reporter for the DAILY GLEANER. One of his new colleagues at that newspaper was Ann Deveau who had earned a journalism degree at Carleton University in Ottawa.
They married in 1978 in St. Mark's chapel at Kings Landing. By this time, Doug had switched from newspapers to radio and worked in Moncton and Fredericton as a reporter and news reader. Many of us remember him as such. Ann worked as a television reporter, then opted to try government communications. She had a number of interesting responsibilities including speech writing for whichever government was in power, press announcements, interacting with reporters, and preparing government officials for news conferences. She had to be very versatile!
Ann has been retired for five years, and Doug for 12 years. At that time, they stepped up the volunteer work they had always done during their careers. For example, Doug had coached sports and Ann has been a top fund-raiser for a Run for the Cure team and served four times as a judge for the National Newspaper Awards.
Help as many people as much as you can. So many people are in need.
Retirement was the beginning of a very active life for them, centred on the Cathedral and people in need.
Ann was secretary of the Missions Committee for eight years, and both have been on three mission trips to work at St. Hilda's School in Belize. They volunteer every Monday morning with the Outreach program, a weekly drop-in for people in need. They deliver weekly Food Bank donations, organize the Christmas Angels program, and volunteer monthly at the soup kitchen. Both are longtime regulars as ushers/greeters and recently became readers and prayer leaders at services.
A time-consuming but rewarding assignment recently was their service on the archdeaconry’s refugee sponsorship committee and their efforts to help a Liberian refugee family settle into Canada.
One wonders how they would have time for anything else! However, they love to travel and have seen many places in North America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and Europe. They recently returned from a tour of Italy. They love to read, work in their lovely gardens, go hiking and camping with their tent trailer, and help wherever they can. The neighbours all know them for their ‘dog stop’ on the corner by their house. They provide fresh water for the many dogs who walk past with their owners and offer a means to dispose of the “doggie doo.”
It is not hard to guess what “Words of Wisdom” this couple has to offer:
“Help as many people as much as you can. So many people are in need.” They certainly live up to their advice!
Bishop and Chapter met on Monday, 20 November 2017 with twelve of thirteen members present. Minutes of 16 October 2017 were adopted. The Dean led a brief information sharing and conversation regarding children and Communion. Bishop’s Directive 3.1.2 contains guidelines for practice. A brief overview of Life in the Eucharist was discussed.
Business Arising
• Review Engagement – has been scheduled with accountants for January 2018. This will be a regular part of year end preparation in the future.
• Trust and Endowment Funds – continuing to work with the Stevenson/Eddy report to provide a better accounting structure and presentation of Cathedral funds. The up-coming review will be useful as we better incorporate this information into our financial reporting
• Cathedral By-Law Amendments – a motion to adopt a third draft of proposed amendments was carried. With the signature of our Bishop, the new By-laws will come into force
• Volunteer Position Descriptions – working toward Safe Church regulation compliance, seven descriptions approved
• Chapter Vacancy – a continuing search for a member to chair the Hospitality/Welcoming/Membership Committee of the Chapter.
• 2018 Stipend – at the request of the Dean and in accordance with diocesan requirements, a decision was made regarding the Dean’s stipend for the coming year: 5% increase (minus a cost of living increase in the 2018 minimum stipend scale)
Items for Decision
1. Nominating Committee – the Dean and two appointed lay members of the Chapter (Sally Dibblee and Kevin Percy) one of whom will be the chair. Three member terms expire this year, two of which may be renewed for another three year term. Three delegates to Synod (two adults, one youth) and their substitutes will needed for election, Nominations invited.
2. Committee terms of reference – some Chapter committees lack terms of reference. Some remaining organizational challenges. Executive will work with committees to clarify over the next couple of months.
From the Dean
• Normal – 6 home visits, 5 visits to hospital, several home/hospital Communions, 1 funeral, diocesan and Cathedral meetings including Life in the Eucharist and Belize mission
• Request for use of Green – an inquiry has been received about using the green north of Queen for a Saturday community event in the summer of 2018 or 2019. A formal proposal to be received
Reports
• Treasurer – financials to 31 October presented and considered. Internal income above normal due to the “Fabric Grant” and a Development grant for Christian Formation from the Synod
• Buildings and Property – lawn signs installed, Cathedral insulation
• Communications – Two Minutes for Cathedral Ministry
• Formation – Life in the Eucharist, Godly Play, Taizé worship
• Administration and Finance – Records management
• Mission and Outreach – Belize Mission, Soup Kitchen coordinator needed
• Health and Pastoral Care – Information Session on Dying
• Worship – Workshop on reading scripture 28 October (attendance 30)
• Hospitality/Welcoming/Membership – in need of leadership
Up-coming
03 December – Advent Lessons and Carols
17 December – Christmas Lessons and Carols
24 December – 10 am; 4, 8, 11 pm
01 January – 11 am New Years with the Bishop
Next meetings:
11 December; 22 January. Annual 25 February 2018 GMH
It is official! The 2018 Belize mission team has booked their flights and will be starting preparations soon for their mission trip in January. The team consists of Carol Ann Melvin, Rebecca Butler-Goddard, Nat Fetter, Caryn Gunter, Dean Geoffrey Hall, Kelley Hall, Beverly Morell and Jim Morell. Please keep them in your prayers, along with the staff and students at St. Hilda’s Anglican School, and stay tuned for ways you may be able to help out as part of the home team.
While the mission team will fund their own expenses, contributions to the Belize Mission are welcome. There will be other expenses, including the cost of the mission projects (yet to be determined) and support for St. Hilda's School.
But one fund-raiser is the sale of limited edition Cathedral lapel pins ($20 each). Speak to the Dean or visit the Cathedral office.
Most especially, please pray for the members of the mission team and watch for other ways to support this reaching outside of our Church walls.
Giving Tuesday is a time to celebrate and encourage activities that support charities and non- profits. Whether it’s making a donation, volunteering time, helping a neighbour or spreading the word, Giving Tuesday on November 28th is a movement for everyone who wants to give something back. This year PWRDF is inviting you to make Giving Tuesday a World of Gifts Tuesday! Visit the secure online World of Gifts site and see how you can make a world of difference in the lives of people around the world being supported by PWRDF programs.
Tasty sandwiches and warm socks aren't the only things handed out to people in need at the Monday morning drop-in run by the cathedral's outreach committee.
Archdeacon Pat Drummond always gives a blessing of praise and thanksgiving to start the morning's activities. At first, the clatter of dishes and chatter of voices would continue. But now everyone stops respectfully to listen to her.
Later, amid the hubbub of people in the great hall who are enjoying refreshments, live music and a selection of used clothing, she announces a Bible study will begin shortly in the nursery.
She first offered such a session in the autumn of 2015. Only one or two people took part at first, but now several usually attend weekly.
"Those who participate say they really enjoy it and would miss it if it didn't happen," Pat said.
Last year they read the Gospel of Mark, but now they are examining Genesis. On a recent Monday they read about the birth of Jacob's sons, the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel.
"We always look at a bit of background for the story we are about to read," she explained. "We talked about the language spoken by the people of the day, since the names of Jacob's sons have meanings in Hebrew. We talked about the position of women in that society. Then we read the story in a modern translation such as the Message."
OUTREACH BIBLE STUDY – Archdeacon Pat Drummond (at left) leads a Bible study attended by Monday morning drop-in guests such as Darcy, Wendy and Barb.
Some of the people in the group are regular churchgoers, some had a religious foundation in childhood, while others are curious seekers. Pat involves everyone in the discussions.
"We discuss things in our own lives which have impacted us and bear relation to the story," she said. "Today, for example, it was how many children were in our own families and our position in the family. We talk about issues in the story such as the relationship between Jacob's wives and the slaves who also bore his sons. And we discuss how we solve or have solved our own family issues."
We need to be where people's hopes and fears intersect with those of God ...
Bishop David Edwards has said that the church needs to look for new ways to share the presence of God in communities where it has traditionally been established.
"We need to be where people's hopes and fears intersect with those of God, and to provide ways in which people can connect with God when they need to," the bishop wrote in a recent column in the NB Anglican.
Charles Ferris from the cathedral regularly attends the Monday morning drop-in as a friendly visitor. He has found that many living in poverty have health or social problems, and they can either be extremely withdrawn or very eager to tell their troubles. He often joins Pat's Bible study.
"The quiet space and the learning opportunity Pat provides is like church for some of these people," Charles said. "They're searching for a sense of community and spiritual connection, and they find it here."
After the Bible passages have been covered, Pat always goes around the circle to see who would like prayer and for what purpose.
"I think they particularly enjoy finding out more about their comrades through our talks," she noted. "They appreciate the prayers for forthcoming doctor's appointments, surgeries, moves, etc. We pray and always finish with the Lord's Prayer."
The Bible study is not the only beyond-handouts activity the outreach committee has supported. Members have accompanied some Monday morning guests to court and visited others in the hospital. The pastoral care committee has also done the latter.
"We like to reach out compassionately to people where they are, which won't necessarily be in a pew in the cathedral on Sunday morning," outreach committee treasurer Doug Milander said. "The weekly Bible study Pat prepares and offers here is an important aspect of efforts to share God's love beyond the church walls. Her time is greatly appreciated by those who attend and by this committee."
At Christ Church Cathedral, we take health and safety seriously.
From time to time there are questions about precautions followed to reduce the risk of infection in the administration of the Holy Eucharist.
First and foremost, we follow our own diocesan Bishop's Directive 3.4 on the Administration of the Sacrament. This includes making intinction (dipping) of the host (bread) available for those who wish not to drink from the common chalice (cup). In following the practice of intinction, it is important that only the administrator of the host touch the host prior to it coming in contact with the contents of the chalice. Those who are making Communion are required to indicate their wish for intinction to the administrator BEFORE taking the host.
These instructions are included on church bulletins each Sunday.
For more information on Eucharistic practice and the risk of infection, see the article on the web site of the Anglican Church of Canada.
By David H. Gould, BA, MD,CM, FRCPC, FICA, A.Th Introduction With the discovery of AIDS a number of fears have arisen regarding the risk of the infection being spread by the use of the "common cup" at the Eucharist. This in turn has led to a re-examination of Eucharistic practices and their potential for transmission ...
At diocesan synod (04 November 2017) our Bishop laid out a challenge to all our congregations. He said about our future:
“We will be looking outward, rather than inward. We will not be concentrating on what is good for us but what is the best for others. We will be making a difference in the communities where we live with the intention of seeing people enter into communion with God through Jesus the Son.”
To do that effectively here at the Cathedral we need to strengthen and organize ourselves so we can be God’s disciples in the community. This means we are going to need a higher level of hands-on congregational involvement in our action teams and working groups.
As Lay Chair of Bishop and Chapter I am hearing more and more that a shrinking number of willing workers are trying to keep up with growing needs. So how do we turn this around?
Listen to this 2 Minutes for Ministry
James, the brother of Jesus, has given us a hint when he said in his 4th chapter: ‘What good is it my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?’ Then he adds: “Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
Perhaps it starts with each of us asking ourselves: “How do I thank God for the blessings I have received?” and “What gifts has God given me, and how am I using them for the building up of our congregation and our outreach ministries?” In other words, what am I doing to support the mission of the church?
We are trying to build a volunteer culture that values ‘teamwork’ where ‘many hands make light work’ and where individuals – without being asked – volunteer their time and talent.
We have probably 25 or 30 hard-working groups and committees that operate under 8 ministry areas established by Bishop and Chapter: Health and Pastoral Care, Christian Formation, Worship, Mission and Outreach, Property, Hospitality and Social, Administration and Finance, and Communications. Bishop and Chapter members provide leadership and coordination, but it is in the day-to-day good work of the 25 or 30 different groups that the real work, God’s work, gets done.
If you feel called by the Spirit to offer your time and talents here are a few of the many groups that would appreciate having you join them:
The Monday Morning Outreach group would love to have more people to prepare food or to sit and talk with our guests
The Guild of St. Joseph needs a few more men with handyman skills especially some who are younger
There is always need for Sunday morning greeters
The four Cathedral teams who serve and clean up at the Community Kitchen need new members
The Christian Formation team and Kurt Schmidt are developing exciting new programs for youth and young families, including Godly Play, which starts this morning. They have an immediate need for people with gifts in the areas of woodworking and artistry.
If you have gifts in the area of administration or finance or office work, there are many ways you can help.
If you have a gift in music, we have a wonderful choir and many other ways to use those gifts.
The Anglican Church Women (ACW) is a wonderful group of women that support the mission work of the church and draw us together for meals and special occasions.
We have a growing number of elderly members of our congregation. Some are housebound and some are unwell. Perhaps you’d like to be a friendly visitor.
We all know the power of prayer. Perhaps you would like to join our prayer team in support of those with special needs.
Finally I bring to your attention a very important vacancy on Bishop and Chapter. We have asked several different people but we are still in need of a person who has gifts in the area of hospitality and welcoming. Some we asked said they’d be part of this group, but no one has offered to join Bishop and Chapter and coordinate this work. We are especially anxious to put in place a simple system that properly and purposefully welcomes newcomers to our Sunday services. We need to discuss what that looks like and we need someone to start the ball rolling.
The message today is that we need you ...
In a book that Bishop and Chapter recently used as study, Divine Rennovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish, Father James Mallon said that growing churches dedicate time and talent to ‘welcoming and belonging’ programs because it is through those programs that newcomers first join the church. Only then they can begin to explore important questions of faith.
We all lead busy lives and there never seems to be enough time. Some might say “I thought Bishop and Chapter did most of the work.” Some might assume there are lots of volunteers. Some might see or hear a notice, but wait for a personal phone call. Some might think my weekly offering of money is my gift to the church. Some might underestimate their gifts and think ‘they don’t need me.’ Well, the message today is that we do need you. Many more of you.
If you believe your life has been blessed by God, offering your time and talent for the building up of his church is one way to say thank you. I invite you to speak with me or another member of the Chapter (the names are in the bulletin), or speak with Dean Geoffrey if you feel called to help. Thanks for listening.
This is a letter we received from Ms Indira Spain, teacher at St. Hilda’s as well as mother of one of our high school scholarship students, Anique Hernandez. Anique is currently in Grade 10 at St. Ignatius High School in San Ignacio. She is a very good student and is also involved in extracurricular activities at her school. Her mom wrote this letter in June.
Greetings from Belize. As I sit to write I can’t help but feel overwhelmed at the idea of connecting with some of the very best people I know, whom I’ve never met but whom have given to me one of the greatest gifts of my life. Your generosity surpasses that of anything I have ever seen. I remember being a smart student, achieving a whole lot in primary but struggling through high school because of financial reasons. Anique is blessed to have an entire congregation behind her and for that I wish to extend a sincere thank you to every member of your church who have contributed to my daughter’s success. Whether they have contributed financially or with a word of prayer we are grateful to all of you for keeping us in the warmth of your Jesus-filled hearts.
Find attached Anique’s second form report card. She has done well but I believe she can do much better. The last lap of second form was a little challenging for her as the teachers tried to cover material that will be needed for third form. Her grades fell a little and for that she sends apologies. I am very proud of her despite the little drop and I’m sure that you guys will be as proud.
Thank you again for everything you do for my child and I.
5 November 2017 - All Saints - Remembrance Sunday 10.00: Choral Eucharist with the Renewal of the Vows of Baptism (BAS) The souls of the righteous - Murray Missa Secunda - Hassler Psalm 34:1-10, 22 My soul, there is a country - Parry 281, 439, 277, 275, 70, 276 Fantasia and Fugue in G minor BWV 534 - Bach
4.00: Choral Evensong (BCP) Drinkell Responses Psalms 148 and 150 Medley in F and D God be in my head - Murray 106, 278, 325 Choral Song - S.S. Wesley
12 November 2017 - Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost 10.00: Choral Eucharist (BCP) This is the day - Anon. 16th century Batten’s Short Service Psalm 78:1-7 Tantum ergo sacramentum - Séverac 1, 447, 474, 596, 438 Imperial March - Elgar
19 November 2017 - Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost 10.00: Choral Eucharist (BAS) If ye love me - Tallis Mass of St. Denis - Cabena Psalm 123 Call to remembrance, O Lord - Farrant 93, 304, 337, 551, 167 Litanies - Alain
26 November 2017 - Last after Pentecost - The Reign of Christ 10.30: Choral Eucharist (BAS) Come, let’s rejoice - Amner Festive Eucharist - Rawsthorne Psalm 100 A Gaelic Blessing - Rutter Hymns on Order of Service Dancing Toccata - Steele
Olga Louise Mann
