Emancipation Day (August 1)

Posted on July 29, 2022August 2, 2022

A reflection by Archbishop and Primate Linda Nicholls, Anglican Church of Canada.

On August 1, Canada marks Emancipation Day. This is the day in 1834 when the Abolition of Slavery Act was enacted by the British parliament and became law across all the colonial territories claimed by Great Britain, including lands that today are commonly referred to as Canada. For nearly 400 years, approximately 12 million African children, women and men were abducted and trafficked to the Caribbean, North America and South America. Millions more of their descendants continued to be enslaved for generations, experiencing extreme violence, family separation, and the suppression of religious beliefs and practices. Enslavement denied the dignity of every person, often with the theological support of Christian churches.

Emancipation Day in 1834 marked an important step in a long and continuing journey toward freedom and the dismantling of embedded systemic racism and anti-Black racism that continues in different forms even today. We mark Emancipation Day even as it invites us to ask how that legacy still lives in our midst. The joy of emancipation is tempered by the racial injustice that continues for Black people, Indigenous peoples and people of colour in our communities.

To honour Emancipation Day is to honour those whose resistance, perseverance, and solidarity brought slavery to an end in these lands of Canada and in many other places around the world in 1834. We must also honour those whose resilience continues to call for an end to the legacy of racism and discrimination that denies the full human dignity of every person.

As Anglicans, we are committed to the Marks of Mission including “To seek to transform unjust structures of society.” Emancipation Day calls us all to action.

We must act to address the realities of racism, discrimination, and exclusion in our parishes, in our communities, and in our country.

As a Church, we look forward to the recommendations of the Dismantling Racism Task Force, calling us to specific action to move along our journey to true emancipation for all.

As we recognize Emancipation Day together this year, I invite you to pray with me:

God of Liberation, we offer our prayers of thanksgiving and praise. You have heard the cries of the oppressed and given us freedom. May we remember all of the ancestors who longed for liberty and may we have the courage, strength, and fortitude to continue striving for social justice and equity in the present day. Amen.

From “Prayers of the People”, Canadian Council of Churches Virtual Ecumenical Emancipation Day Service, August 1, 2021 created by Irene Moore Davis — final petition.

Learn more about Emancipation Day.

Written by Archbishop and Primate Linda Nicholls. Originally published on July 22, 2022 on Medium: Ministry Matters.

Songs and smiles on the Cathedral lawn

Posted on July 26, 2022September 7, 2022

The Calithumpians theatre troupe has been entertaining audiences in Fredericton for over forty years, and in 2020, its headquarters moved to Cathedral Memorial Hall.

For the last three summers, the Cathedral lawn has been filled with the sights and sounds of children participating in drama day camps. Kids and teens spend each weeklong camp singing, dancing, acting and playing outdoor games.

According to the Calithumpians' website, "The troupe is named after an ancient tradition wherein young people, dressed in costume and disguise, paraded through the streets celebrating and making joyous noise."

Drama camps are offered between Canada Day and Labour Day for kids between 6 and 14 years old, and scholarships are available. With the support of local business sponsors, children from families with limited financial means are given the opportunity to attend camp with the fee waived. The camps foster creativity and confidence, and since 2011, over 500 children have benefited from the scholarship program. Spaces are still available for August 2022, so reach out for more information.

In addition to camps, each day at 12:15 p.m., the public is invited to watch a free, family-friendly musical theatre performance outside the Cathedral. Four shows are rotated throughout the summer, each showcasing local issues and historic figures in a a humorous way. On Fridays, the campers also perform a short play before the performing troupe launches into its show.

The Calithumpians also perform in other downtown Fredericton locations. The repertoire includes guided walking and motorcoach tours, historical interpretation, training and consultation, school visits and workshops, dinner theatre, and Haunted Hikes.

View the performance and tour schedule.

Festival brings live music to the Cathedral Green

Posted on July 21, 2022August 2, 2022

From July 15-17, downtown Fredericton was filled with the sound of music from the Sweltering Songs music festival.

A tent on the Cathedral Green was set up for the music festival.

Christ Church Cathedral was pleased to be a strategic partner of the festival, permitting use of the 'Green', the Cathedral's waterfront land, for a performance tent.

A spin-off initiative of the long-running winter music festival, Shivering Songs, Sweltering Songs was designed as a multi-day summer folk festival and launched in 2021. This is the Cathedral's first year participating.

“Shivering Songs has long been known as ‘a cure for the winter blues' in Fredericton, but given the challenges with COVID-19 during the past two winters, featuring a summer edition has allowed us to prioritize supporting artists and small businesses locally, as we've always done,” said festival co-organizer, Zach Atkinson.

Performances were held in two tented venues in downtown Fredericton: one on the Cathedral 'Green', hosting programming Friday and Saturday morning; and one on Carleton Street Saturday and Sunday. Additional shows were held indoors at The CAP.

Sweltering Songs offered a mix of all ages, family-friendly events and licensed adult-only events, featuring 19 artists including: The Weather Station, Julie Doiron, Aquakultre, The Hypochondriacs, Motherhood, Les Hôtesses D'Hilaire, Cedric Noel, and more.

During the festival, the Calithumpians also performed family-friendly musical theatre on the lawn beside Christ Church Cathedral.

Congregation and community support for the Outreach Program

Posted on July 19, 2022February 7, 2024

On the last Monday of each month, people in need are welcomed at Memorial Hall by members of the Cathedral Outreach Committee.

Between 8:30 - 10:00 a.m., volunteers hand out goodie bags containing fresh fruit, homemade muffins and cookies, a granola bar, a beverage and other food items such as cheese strings, soup packets and sandwiches.

Members of our congregation prepare food and donate funds to purchase non-perishable food items and gift cards. Other churches, such as New Maryland United Church and St. Margaret's Anglican Church also contribute to the Monday Outreach program.

Visitors, such as David M. being checked in by volunteer Ann Deveau, are always grateful for the treats and a $10 gift card to use at a local supermarket.

Bus tickets are also available as an alternative to supermarket gift cards. The City of Fredericton donated 100 single-ride bus tickets to the Cathedral Outreach Committee, one of 26 community agencies given an allotment of tickets. Outreach guests appreciate the chance for a free ride to attend medical appointments, access training, or look for work. The committee purchases additional bus tickets throughout the year to fulfill the need.

During the Monday Outreach program, visitors are also invited to choose items from a table of seasonal clothing and household items donated by members of the congregation. They are thankful for the the shirts, jackets, footwear, hats, sunglasses, water bottles, towels, and personal care items such as soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Guests are also made aware of other services in the community, such as a weekly breakfast program at Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church, a free clothing bank at The Drive Baptist Church, and the Greener Village food bank, learning kitchen and income tax services.

Typically, approximately fifty people in need attend the Cathedral's Monday Outreach program each month, with many regular visitors. While a majority of the guests are men, the program also sees women of all ages and occasionally children.

Throughout the pandemic, visitors have been appreciative of the continued support. Due to pandemic precautions, the program has been held as a drop-in program on the steps and lobby of Cathedral Memorial Hall. Guests look forward to a time when they may again be able to gather inside the Hall for music, conversation, and a buffet table.

One grateful guest delivered a card to program volunteers, which read, "On behalf of myself and people I've once known, I'd like to say how thankful I am to have received the blessings and gifts over the years. Thank you and from the bottom of not just my heart but others as well. You are angels."

Primate meets Pope as Catholics look to Anglican model of synod

Posted on July 18, 2022August 16, 2022

Cathedral Tours

Posted on July 15, 2022August 31, 2022

Guided tours of Christ Church Cathedral are available throughout July and August, Monday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and after worship on Sunday until 4:00 p.m. Tours are free, donations are welcome (fill out a donation envelope to receive a tax receipt).

Drop by to welcome new tour guide Sophia Pacione, and Alex LeBlanc, who is returning in the position for a second summer.

Tours made possible due to receipt of a Community Funding Grant from the City of Fredericton.

Self-guided tour booklets are available in English, French and German.

Celebration at St. Hilda’s

Posted on July 15, 2022August 16, 2022

Graduates of St. Hilda's Anglican School were thrilled to receive their diplomas from Standard 6 (grade 8) at the end of June.

Principal Jane Martinez shared photos of the happy students, which you can see below. She previously sent photos of a worship service held for the graduates in the school's chapel.

Upon this completion of publicly funded education, students are at a crossroads. High tuition costs for high school mean that many students will not have the opportunity to further their education, and must enter the work force as young teenagers. Unemployment in the country is high, there are many large single-parent families, and almost half of Belizeans live below the poverty line.

In 2010, Cathedral mission team members established a high school scholarship program which has allowed St. Hilda’s students to apply for a scholarship to continue their education past grade 8. Some of the graduates supported by the Cathedral have gone on to post-secondary education. Currently, four students attending high school benefit from Cathedral scholarships. The pandemic has been a tumultuous time for our scholarship students, with several of them facing illness or significant family distress.

Thanks to generous donations from members of the Cathedral congregation, we also send funds to the elementary school each year to contribute to ongoing needs for the students and teachers at St. Hilda's. Contributions towards the Belize missions are welcome and appreciated. You may give and receive a charitable tax receipt by making an online donation or submitting a donation marked 'Belize' through the Cathedral office or offering plate.

Visiting Belize to form relationships with the teachers and students has been a transformative experience for many of the Cathedral members who have participated in mission trips. Learn more about our relationship with students and teachers at St. Hilda's in our archive of Belize articles, and please keep the students, teachers and families in your prayers.

2022 Lambeth Call to Prayer

Posted on July 9, 2022August 7, 2022

The fifteenth Lambeth Conference will meet on 26 July – 08 August in Canterbury.

As the conference draws closer, the Archbishop of Canterbury has shared a call to prayer with the conference delegates and their wider church communities.

The call to prayer invites people to devote a day to prayer on Trinity Sunday – 12th June and to pray for the event in the weeks ahead.

The Archbishop of Canterbury says: “The Lambeth Conference theme of ‘God’s Church for God’s World’, reminds us that we are called upon as Christians to pray for the needs of the world. There are many calls upon our prayers at this time: World peace, the global climate crisis, the effects of the pandemic – to name but a few.

“I invite you to call all those in your care to pray for the Lambeth Conference. Please pray that as we meet and consider our shared mission and ministry, that we may hear the call from God. In turn, that we might add our voices to call others to make a difference for Christ in the world.”

A prayer guide has been developed by Brother Christopher John, who is part of the Chaplaincy team at the event.

Monthly Archives: July 2022