2024 Easter Pastoral Letter

Posted on March 21, 2024April 11, 2024

Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton NB Holy Week / Easter 2024

Dear Friends,

This year on Sundays we’re reading predominantly from the Gospel of Mark. If you are as all Christians need to be at some level a student of the Bible, you may know that Mark is unique. Being the earliest and the shortest of the four gospel accounts, scholars believe that all of the other gospel writers were aware of and, sometimes even relied on, the text of Mark’s gospel in the creation of their own – the majority of its words can be identified, sometimes verbatim, especially in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. But Mark had his own reasons for penning an account of the One who was born, suffered, died and rose again and how those events impacted those who belonged to “The Way” – the first Christians. (See Acts 9:1-2)

Among the most notable of the unique characteristics of the Markan text occurs near its end, including questions about when it actually ends. A couple of lines of text following Mark 16:8 is known as the “shorter” ending and Mark 16:9-19 is the “longer” version. Either of those endings make one thing very clear – the whole of the gospel culminates here. The reason Mark wrote this gospel was the shock, bewilderment, confusion, amazement and joy that set in on the third day after the crucifixion of Jesus.

Mark’s reasons may have been many and scholars have deduced some of them from the cultural context and his words affirming the reality in which he and his contemporaries lived. The Gospel of Mark was written during very troubled times. His were times of political instability, religious conflict, violence, terrorism, war, persecution and bloodshed. Mark’s time was full of doubt, disillusionment and insecurity. Does this sound at all familiar?

For Mark the struggle for believers was to commit to Jesus and his Good News in the face of only Bad News. The unmistakable character of the times was the struggle to believe in the face of suffering, loss and death. We don't need to look too far beyond our own backyard for a description of Mark’s times to be one also of ours. There was need for reassurance and faith where there was only doubt and witness to the truth that in the end good triumphs over evil.

The Good News is the same for us as it was for Mark. Jesus met darkness head on, died so that we need not die eternally and, is the Light that continues to shine even though a cold dark tomb once held him. Our reaction to this news can only mirror that of the author of Mark and rightly so: shock, bewilderment, confusion, amazement and joy. The Easter proclamation is “Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!” God has spoken and the Word is Life.

Blessings to you during this Holy Week and Eastertide. The Holy Week and Easter schedule is included here.

Yours sincerely,

Geoffrey Hall
Dean of Fredericton
GMH

Bishop and Chapter News – March 2024

Posted on March 20, 2024March 30, 2024

Bishop and Chapter met on 13 March 2024 with 11 of 14 members. Minutes of the 16 January, 06 and 25 February 2024 were adopted. With the intent of providing some brief orientation for newer members, the article “Re-inventing Boards That Bore: Overcoming Micromanagement” was circulated. The Dean offered reflections on the Cathedral Chapter structure, some of the unhelpful ways we regard committees, minutes, agendas and meetings creating barriers and “Tips for Chairing Effective Meetings.” "Reluctant to embrace formality we can’t allow informality to become disorganization.”

CORRESPONDENCE

J. Yeamans - resignation from the role of Treasurer as of 30 April 2024. Jamie is making an employment change that will require his attention

FROM THE DEAN

Cathedral
• the usual report of pastoral and administrative activity since the last meeting of chapter

Diocesan
• 2 meetings of Synod Finance Committee; 1 Diocesan Counsel

Up-coming
• Holy Week begins 24 March, Easter 31 March, North American Deans Conference in April. Schedule to be published.

DECISION

• Signing authorities - R. Crowe and H. Palmer be added to bank account signatories
• Safe Church - that all members of Chapter acquire Police Record Checks and Safe Church Training by 30 April 2024

REPORTS

Nominating - noted that succession planning be part of Chapter committee goals. A meeting will be scheduled soon to consider the impending treasurer vacancy

Buildings and Property - currently assembling and updating a list of items now before us. Cathedral heating zone pump replaced in January. Committee meeting scheduled 14 March

Communications - usual ongoing tending of web and social media. The Committee is prepared to offer design/creation of graphics and posters for events and other needs

Finance and Administration - active items: formulation of strategy for implementation of Safe Church policy, Staff policies handbook, need for ongoing initiatives on financial/giving with former Stewardship Team now inactive

Christian Formation - committee moving forward with planning for a program offering of several learning sessions on “Living with Dying,” hopefully during the Easter Season, Ad-LENT-ures devotional/educational opportunities continue and going well

Health / Pastoral Care - active items: 2 new hospital visitors, spring social gathering, Helping Hands and Prayer Shawl ministries active; exploring offering spring blood pressure clinics; chair Yoga to resume in April, initiative to update Call and Cathedral Visitors’ lists

Mission / Outreach - on-going conversation about pending proposal by Mothers’ Union for a neighbourhood food cupboard, Belize Missions financial commitments re school support and scholarships up to date

Welcome Hospitality - luncheon following Annual Meeting seemed to go smoothly. Simple Soup Supper being planned for Maundy Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Worship - hopes for servers and youth choir for Easter Day at 10:00 a.m.; proposed that keyboard needed for choir rehearsals be purchased; investigating Prayer Book replacement needs at the Cathedral

UPCOMING

• Next meeting - 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, 09 April 2024: Safe Church training
• Palm Sunday 24 March; Easter 31 March

Baptismal Life as Living Christened

Posted on March 20, 2024April 11, 2024

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Romans 6:3–5)

"I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:19b–20)

In many Western Christian churches, particularly Anglicanism, the Pauline dying and rising theology dominates in the baptismal liturgy and therefore in our baptismal theology. The baptismal liturgy of the Canadian Book of Alternative Services circles around the image and reality of dying and rising in several different ways. One example is the concluding prayer of the litany sung on the way to the font: Grant, O Lord, that all who are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ your Son may live in the power of his resurrection and look for him to come again in glory; who lives and reigns now and for ever.

Perhaps the Pauline imagery of dying to self and living in Christ is most apparent in the outward expressions of having been “Christed” in baptism—which is primarily at the chrismation, accompanied by the words “I sign you with the cross, and mark you as Christ’s own for ever,” as well as other non-optional ritual texts.

From Faith Seeking Understanding: Medical Assistance in Dying. Reflections by Canadian Anglicans
"In the Midst of Death We Are in Life," Lizette Larson-Miller, page 289

Filip Vanicek – My Journey Here

Posted on March 20, 2024April 25, 2024

Faith Seeking Understanding: Reflections by Canadian Anglicans

Posted on March 19, 2024June 21, 2024

Canada is one of few countries in the world where medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is a legal option—and the number of permitted contexts (terminal illness, chronic illness, mental illness) is increasing. Faith Seeking Understanding: Medical Assistance in Dying is a resource to assist theologically-focused discussions and to increase understanding of the realities of MAiD. This includes its impact on our communities, our role as Christians, its implications for the marginalized and vulnerable, its relationship with healthcare and social justice, God’s gift of life, or our call to care for those who suffer.

To download the resource in a variety of formats visit the Faith Seeking Understanding page.

Mothering Sunday 2024

Posted on March 7, 2024March 14, 2024

Mothering Sunday, not to be confused with Canadian Mother's Day, is celebrated in Anglican Churches on the fourth Sunday in Lent; and dates to the custom in England when domestic servants in the grand houses of the landed gentry were permitted to go home to visit their home church and mother. Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home to their mother. Sometimes a gift of eggs or flowers from the garden (or hothouse) was allowed, or they may have picked wildflowers from he wayside, violets especially.

In Canada, Mothers' Union branches observe Mothering Sunday by distributing flowers to mothers and serving the traditional Simnel cake and/or cookies after worship. Simnel cake is a light fruit cake made with a layer of marzipan in the middle and if desired a layer on top. The cake is decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, the betrayer of Christ. If 12 balls are used, the 12th one is to represent Jesus.

Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday
Even more ancient custom is the Fourth Sunday in Lent referred to as Laetare Sunday, when the Church took a bit of a breather from Lenten practice and opened the Eucharist with the entrance antiphon, “Rejoice, Jerusalem … be joyful, all who were in mourning!” – from Isaiah chapter 66. The Latin word means “rejoice..”

On this Sunday, in churches that had them, priests would wear rose coloured vestments on both Laetare Sunday and Gaudete Sunday (the Third Sunday of Advent). The colour was used as a sign of the joy characterizing these two Sundays. The use of rose vestments may even originate in an even more ancient tradition of the Church blessing golden roses that were sent to heads of state on the Fourth Sunday in Lent.

In addition to attending Sunday worship a family might choose to mark Laetare Sunday by anticipating the Easter feast; a Sunday brunch with roses on the table or during this beginning period of spring to plant a rose bush on this day. Noting the medieval tradition of visiting one’s “mother church” (the church where one was baptized) on this day might suggest a family trip to see where mom and dad or the children began their journey of faith. In any case, this Sunday seemed to be a most appropriate day for “Mothering Sunday.”

Recipe for Simnel Cake

3/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups raisins
1 cup currants
1/2 cup mixed peel

1/3 cup chopped candied cherries
2 tsp lemon rind
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
500 grams of almond paste, at room temperature

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add almond extract. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to eggs, then add the fruit and mix.

Put 1/2 the mixture in an 8” springform pan lined with waxed or parchment paper. Roll half of almond paste and place in pan. Spoon remainder of batter on top. Bake 30 min at 350°F then reduce heat to 300°F and bake 1 1/2 hours longer. Cool 10 min. Heat oven to 425°F.

Roll remaining almond paste into an 8” round circle and 12 small balls. Put the circle on top of the cake and place the balls on top like the numbers on a clock.

Listen to Deacon Isabel Cutler speak about Mothers' Union at the Cathedral on Sunday March 10th.

What are the Ember Days?

Posted on March 6, 2024May 28, 2024

The seasonal Ember Days are not included in the calendar of the Anglican Church of Canada but MacCausland’s Divine Order of Service notes that there seems to be "renewed interest" in their observance in recent years. The Prayer Book of 1962 provides propers for Ember Days which it says may be used on the Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays on specified days of the four seasons.

According to the Farmers' Almanac, the English word “ember” is probably a corruption of the Latin “quatuor tempora” which means four times or four seasons.

Interestingly, the Farmers' Almanac and the Old Farmer’s Almanac contain other historical information about Ember Days.

“There are a total of 12 Ember Days each year, observed on the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays following the first Sunday in Lent, Whitsunday (Pentecost), the Feast of the Holy Cross, and the Feast of St. Lucy (Lucia?). While the first Sunday in Lent and Whitsunday-Pentecost change each year based on Easter, the Feast of the Holy Cross and the Feast of St. Lucy are fixed dates, on September 14 and December 13, respectively.

Ember Day observances date back to the 5th century, when observers would thank God for the gifts of nature, embrace those gifts in moderation, and assist the needy.

Ember Days began in Rome with fasts in June, September, and December, but the days were not fixed. The fourth set of days were added near the end of the 5th century. At that time, the conferring of ordinations was permitted on ember Saturdays, while previously, the practice was ordinations only at Easter.

It is said that Ember Days may have been created in response to the excessive celebrations that surrounded the pagan festivals in Rome."

Superstitions abound including, that the weather on ember days somehow predicts future weather, sounding a lot like how we still fun about with Ground Hog Day superstition.

An old English rhyme helped people to remember the occurrence of Ember Days four times throughout the year:

Fasting days and Emberings be
Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, and Lucie.

See a full post 'What Are Ember Days'

Lent, Whitsunday, Holy Cross (11 September), St. Lucie (13 December)

St. Lucie, Lucy or Lucia (the Saint of light, light being the origin of the name) has been mostly a Scandinavian celebration and the festival day has not been included in North American Anglican calenders. It is still December 13th as it has been for centuries in the calender of the Church of England. See Saint Lucy’s Day on the Anglican Compass.

5 Reasons You Don’t Feel Like a Team

Posted on March 2, 2024March 19, 2024

Young organ scholar has made an impact in a short time

Posted on March 2, 2024April 12, 2024

His first service as organist was Oct. 21, 2021. Since then he’s been taking weekly lessons from Thomas Gonder, Christ Church Cathedral’s organist. “He’s a phenomenal organist,” said Christian of Thomas. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s played all over Canada. He’s shown me techniques I never knew.”

Originally posted at the Diocese of Fredericton

Christian Vanecek

When Sandra Gereau moved to Prince Edward Island, St. Peter’s in Fredericton was left without an organist. So the former rector, Canon Ross Hebb, began asking around.

“Jokingly, Ross Hebb asked my dad if he could play the organ. He said ‘No, but my son does,’” said Christian Vanicek.

The joke was on Christian, because he’d never played an organ in his life. He was, however, an accomplished pianist.

“I had no experience, but I was willing to learn. Sandy gave me a few lessons to show me how it worked,” he said.

BECOMING AN ORGANIST
His first service as organist was Oct. 21, 2021. Since then he’s been taking weekly lessons from Thomas Gonder, Christ Church Cathedral’s organist.

“He’s a phenomenal organist,” said Christian of Thomas. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s played all over Canada. He’s shown me techniques I never knew.”

The organ lessons are in addition to his piano lessons, Grade 12 studies, and soccer playing. The 17-year-old is a busy guy, just finished his first semester high school exams and about to sit for his Grade 10 piano exam with the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Despite all this, he is keen on playing the organ to the best of his ability.

“This is a great organ for someone just starting out,” he said of the Tracker organ whose beginnings date back to 1835.

“This is considered an original instrument,” said Sandra in a story from 2016. “It means it’s in its original state. The mechanisms are pretty basic — wood, tin pipes, reeds, leather connectors and wire holding the parts together.
“It also means this type of organ will last a long time. There is very little to go wrong on it.”

For Christian, it’s all about the sounds he can produce.

“It allows me to be creative,” he said. “I’m somewhat limited on piano, but this is expressive, loud. I’m making music the way I see it.”

He finds a big difference between the organ he plays every Sunday morning and the Cathedral’s organ.

“The Cathedral’s has four keyboards. There must be at least eight times as many stops compared to the one,” he said. “The Cathedral’s is nice and grand, but I like the simplicity and how this one feels to play.”

FUTURE PLANS
Despite coming from a musical family, playing the piano since the age of 4 and now playing the organ, Christian is not planning a musical career. He has been accepted into the foundations program at the University of Kings College in Halifax, where the Rev. Ranall Ingalls (former rector in Sackville) is the chaplain.

“There’s an organ in the chapel there, and I hope to help out in some capacity,” he said.

Christian hopes to pursue a degree in history, and then he has his mind on law school.

History, he says, is where his heart is.

“There’s so much to learn,” said Christian. “It helps to know where we come from to give us a better perspective of who we are.”

Christian is the youngest child of Filip and Marianne Vanicek. His brother, Sebastian, 22, is in medical school in Scotland, and his sister, Caroline, 20, is at UNB studying math and physics.

ST. PETER’S
The Rev. Canon Elaine Hamilton is thrilled to have Christian among her congregants at St. Peter’s.

“With his great skill at the organ, and the choir at St. Peter's, the music each Sunday elevates our worship,” she said. “When starting to fill in at St. Peter's Church one-and-a-half years ago, I was thrilled and impressed to find such an accomplished teenager at the organ bench.

“Christian is a lovely, quiet, unassuming and wonderfully talented young man, which bodes well for his future.

“He graduates this year from high school and will be off to university. I know he will succeed and wish him well as he traverses university life and beyond. We will miss him immensely.”

THOMAS
When Christian leaves for university in the fall, Thomas will be missing more than just giving lessons.

“He’s by far the best student I’ve ever had,” said Thomas. “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime student, and I am going to miss him terribly.

“He’s a nice person to be around. He has a startling lack of arrogance. He’s very humble and I think that makes a person a better musician.”

Christian is a Cathedral Organ Scholar, a title granted to a deserving student which comes with the opportunity to play on occasion.

Because he’s at St. Peter’s on Sunday mornings, he plays for the monthly Evensong at the Cathedral. He’s also played in the summer recital series in 2022 and 2023.

“He brought in more donations than any other series, and probably more people as well,” said Thomas. “I think he broke attendance records for the summer series.”

About his playing, Thomas has seen vast improvement over two-and-a-half years of lessons.

“He’s come a long, long way,” he said. “He’s naturally gifted. His organ lesson on Friday night is the highlight of my week.”

While Thomas wholeheartedly agrees that Christian could have a career in music, it’s not the easiest to forge, he said. It seems Christian knows that as well.

“Even though I’ve been playing music my whole life, I’ve never wanted it as a career,” said Christian. “But wherever I settle, I’ll always be open to helping out at a church, playing or whatever.”

Best wishes and blessings to Christian from the Diocesan Synod.

Gisele MacKnight