Bishop and Chapter met 21 September 2020 by video conference with 11 of 14 members present. The Dean lead reflection on Gospel themes during the Season of Creation. Minutes of 15 June 2020 were adopted.
Business Arising
Worship refreshments - under current protocols not being considered
Committee detailed budgets - two committees remaining
Telephone visits as time permits and avoiding in-person contact when possible. Very few recent admissions to hospital. Outside Communions will resume once considered safe by Farraline Place and Windsor Court. Tuesday staff meetings have returned to a more regular schedule. Involved in preparation of proposal for equipment for live streaming from the Cathedral and video security for hall and church. Continue covering administrative work (printing, bills, deposits, facility booking) in about 7 hours per week. Cathedral office remains closed. Good progress toward hiring the Office Administrator with interviews planned this week. Diocesan meetings as usual. Re pandemic with restrictions - steady as she goes.
Decision
Cathedral Restoration Committee - members appointed: Marion Beyea, John Leroux and Wayne Burley. (In addition to: The Dean, Chapter Lay Chair and Property Committee chair.) See Restoration Trust By-Law.
Heritage Standing Retainer - the retainer agreement as proposed was approved. Heritage Standing Inc.
Diocesan Consolidated Investment Fund - revised agreement of understanding between the Synod and participants for signing. Participation in the DCIF is our management of Cathedral investments
Reports
Treasurer - A report including monthly financials and a report on DCIF interest January-June 2020. Our financial situation is positive, mostly due to the Federal Government Wage Subsidy for months since the onset of the pandemic.
Property - report on August steeple repair, Heritage Standing retainer agreement, appointment of Restoration Committee, and proposed update to restoration plan were among current activity.
Communication - An issue of Cathedral Connections being planned. Chapter members asked to provide content for both web and newsletter if possible. Another project being considered
Health and Pastoral Care - minimal hospital visitation and only upon request. Parish Nurse continues to minister within restrictions
Worship - music considerations in light of restrictions have been discussed. Worship schedule will remain the same for the time being. Taizé worship will continue virtual for the near future with a community now joining from a variety of locations
Welcome and Hospitality - pandemic restrictions have limited what is possible but a meeting of the committee to regroup should happen soon
Christian Formation - Faith Alive! wrap up on 19 September with confirmation, reaffirmation and reception scheduled 18 October.
Mission and Outreach - Monday morning programme once per month on the Hall steps. Housing First project delayed to 2021.
Finance and Administration - a 2021 narrative budget remains on the agenda. Progress being made with hiring an individual as cathedral office administrator. Other work plan priorities will be addressed as time permits
Upcoming
04 October 4:00 p.m. Installations and Collations
18 October 4:00 p.m. Confirmation, Reaffirmation and Reception
Had it not been for a conversation with a nun from Chicago, Kurt Schmidt might never had ended up in Fredericton. Between then and now, there were stops in Cape Breton, Tanzania, Tacoma, Halifax and Windsor, Nova Scotia.
Kurt, 45, was raised a Roman Catholic in Littleton, just outside Denver, Colorado, and attended a Jesuit high school.
“I grew up in the Roman Catholic tradition,” he said. “It’s pretty deep in my family. My mom is the only one in her family not a monk or a nun at one time. We’re Irish Catholic and German Catholic.”
After high school he studied mathematics and African studies at Colorado College, and connected with a small monastic community, called Nada, which had a relationship with his college. In his final year, Kurt did an independent study that included a stay at the monastery.
“While there I followed the rules of the monastery,” he said. “I was living as a monk while doing the study.”
There, over chores, he met the nun whose conversation would change his life.
“She asked me what I was doing after university, and said ‘why don’t you check out this remarkable community in Cape Breton?’”
She’d visited and had written a story about L’Arche Cape Breton. He read the story, and promptly wrote a letter asking if they had any room for him.
The L’Arche website says it is a worldwide organization that creates inclusive communities where the members, with and without intellectual disabilities, share life together. Each member receives support to grow, achieve goals, and contribute their gifts and abilities to create a more colourful, welcoming, creative, compassionate, and joyful community. Members live life together while working, learning and sharing their gifts. It has strong Catholic roots and United church influences.
From Colorado to Cape Breton
Kurt’s letter to L’Arche was obviously well-received.
“Four weeks later I was on a plane to this mysterious place called Cape Breton,” said Kurt. “It was my first experience of intentional community living. L’Arche Cape Breton is the only rural L’Arche community. It has a very special character. It was a really transforming experience for me.”
Transforming indeed, because while there, he met Catherine, his future wife and an Anglican, who was from Guelph, Ontario.
Kurt spent one year at L’Arche as an assistant, in exchange for room and board and a small stipend, “but it’s not really a practical career move,” he said.
From Cape Breton, he moved to Tanzania to teach for a year with Jesuit Volunteers International, another communal living experience in “the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, and another non-paying job.”
Meanwhile, since this was 1999, he and Catherine kept in contact through letters, though he knows many were lost in the mail.
Married life
“On my return to North America, my first stop was Cape Breton,” he said. “Catherine and I got engaged.”
They spent their engagement year in another L’Arche community, this time in Tacoma, Washington. It was here, through L’Arche’s help, that he was able to pay off his student loan.
The couple was married in 2001 in Ancaster, Ontario at Canterbury Hills, an Anglican camp. It was an Anglican-Catholic service to honour the religious backgrounds of the bride and groom. Kurt’s uncle, a priest, was one of the celebrants.
The date was Sept. 9, and those guests who hadn’t left Ontario by 10 September, including his parents, were stuck there for a week as North American air travel was halted due to the 9-11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Kurt and Catherine chose Halifax to begin married life, and as they arrived Sept. 11, learned of the attacks.
That first year of marriage was a lean one, said Kurt, with Catherine finding work in home health care. Kurt, ineligible to work in Canada, managed to do some private tutoring.
A year later, his employment visa came through just in time for him to find work as a math teacher at King’s-Edgehill, a prestigious, very proper old Anglican boarding school in Windsor, N.S. He’d sent his resume on a whim. The day before it arrived, the math teacher had backed out of his contract.
With just eight days before the term began, they made a very quick move to Windsor, ultimately spending four happy years there. For three of those years, Catherine was a student at Dalhousie University, taking occupational therapy certification.
From Windsor to Fredericton
At graduation, Catherine was offered a job in Fredericton, and like she had done for Kurt, he resigned at the end of the term and followed her to the city that is now their home.
I’ve felt like our experience here at the Cathedral has been one of very deep empowerment
Once in Fredericton, Kurt found contract work with NBCC and at the Mi’Kmaq Wolastoqui Centre at the University of New Brunswick.
Their daughter, Rachel, was born in 2007, and after Catherine returned to work, Kurt became a stay-at-home dad, teaching a few courses at UNB as well.
“By the time Rachel was school age, Catherine and I had carved out part-time employment — me teaching and she doing occupational therapy — and both of us home schooling Rachel. It was awesome.”
From 2009-12, Kurt studied part-time for a Masters in Education and taught at UNB, while also homeschooling and taking care of Rachel.
Christ Church Cathedral
Shortly after arriving in Fredericton, their neighbour, Verne Sinclair, told them about the 11:45 service at Christ Church Cathedral.
“At the very first service, we happened to sit behind Nathan and Isabel Cutler,” said Kurt. “After the service, Isabel swung around and made us feel welcome. She really extended a warm welcome. We came and never left!”
Two other women in the congregation — Kirsten McKnight and Cindy Pope — were pregnant, and they and Catherine all gave birth to baby girls within six weeks of each other in early 2007.
“I’ve felt like our experience here at the Cathedral has been one of very deep empowerment,” he said. “We’ve had two deans and found both of them very empowering and the entire congregation has been nothing but empowering.”
In 2017, Kurt was hired as the half-time director of Christian formation at the Cathedral.
“It was the right time for me, our family and the Cathedral,” he said. “I’m working on my own formation as well as others’.”
It’s a cross-generational position with “a spectrum of freedom. It’s been really positive.”
So what’s it been like to make the move from Catholicism to Anglicanism?
“Frankly, I still consider myself a practicing Catholic,” he said. “I don’t experience any conflict. My faith is richer by having two approaches to it. I appreciate being able to explore more Anglican traditions.”
He was preparing for reception (into the Anglican Church) on Easter Sunday, but has had to wait until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Rachel is 13, and attending middle school with her friends. Catherine is an occupational therapist for the New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program. Kurt became a permanent resident of Canada while at Kings Edgehill, and has been a Canadian citizen for more than a decade.
“I’ve lived more than half my life in Canada,” he said, adding, though, that he misses family back home, and he misses the Rocky Mountains “a lot.”
Article written by Gisele McKnight and originally published in the NB Anglican.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The New Brunswick Anglican's new series, My Journey Here, features a member of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton whose roots are far from New Brunswick. If you are, or know of a parishioner who is from away and would like to tell the story of ‘how I got here,’ send the name and contact information to the editor: <gmcknight at diofton.ca> or (506) 459-1801, ext. 1009.
The Jubilee year (Hebrew) – every fiftieth year – and the Sabbatical year – every seventh year – are Biblical commandments concerning ownership. Every seventh year, farmers are to let land lie fallow. The celebration of the Jubilee is the fiftieth year (7 x 7 + 1), that is, the year after seven Sabbatical cycles. All debts are forgiven (zeroed) in the Jubilee year. In Christian tradition, a Jubilee is a year of confession, remission and forgiveness of sins.
The Baptismal Covenant
Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?
Gospels for Year A
Proper 23 Matthew 18:15-20 “Conflict in community”
In the church, how should a strayed “member” (sinner), who offends us be treated? First, point out the fault; if necessary, then take it to the church, if no resolution, treat that one as a Gentile or tax collector.
Proper 24 Matthew 18:21-35 “The unforgiving slave”
The story-line of the parable is straight-forward. The slave owes a large sum which is forgiven. When asked to forgive a fellow slave, he refuses. The king withdraws his forgiveness and orders him tortured, a fate for those who not forgive their brother from the heart.
Proper 25 Matthew 20:1-16 “Laborers in the vineyard”
The landowner appears to be unfair. The passage begins “... the kingdom of heaven is like ...” The wages stand for God’s grace. God chooses to give the same to all: the landowner pays “whatever is right” – there is no hierarchy. The landowner decides to whom he is “generous.” The last will be first and the first last.
Proper 26 Matthew 21:23-32 “Tough question/two sons”
Jesus teaches in the Temple. “Chief priests and the elders” ask who has given him “authority.” His answer is a question about the authenticity of the baptism of John who they consider a prophet. The parable of the sons, one is asked to go and refuses then goes, the other promises and did not go. Which one does the will of his father?
Proper 27 Matthew 21:33-46 “Wicked tenants”
Jesus tells the story of tenants of a vineyard who eventually kill the only son of the landowner. It’s impossible for the members of the Sanhedrin not to recognize the similarity between the tenants (leaders of Isreal), the vineyard (God’s people) and, the son (Jesus the only Son of God).
1. Think specifically about a Cathedral ministry in which you are engaged and identify one connection point between either a scriptural theme or the over all theme of responsibility and care of creation emphasized during the Season.
2. If some way we do what we do as a church community could better reflect our regard for creation and the better stewardship of it, what would it be?
Each year, the ecumenical steering committee that provides this Season of Creation Celebration Guide suggests a theme. The 2020 theme is Jubilee for the Earth. Climate change is a result of the intersection of greed, inequality and destruction of God’s earth. The theme of Jubilee for the Earth” reflects those three interlocking themes. Jubilee is a time to renounce overconsumption and economic systems based on constant economic growth at the cost of the Earth and those who are poor. Jubilee is a time when those who have consumed the most must make restitution to those who have suffered the most. Jubilee is a time of rest for the land from constant exploitation, to restore ecosystems and people.
The concept of Jubilee is rooted in the holy wisdom that there must exist a just and sustainable balance between social, economic and ecological realities. When one variable is exploited to maximize growth of another, the whole system will eventually suffer. When one part of the Earth community is stressed, every part is affected. In 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic demonstrated this reality on a global scale. While the experience of living with the COVID-19 outbreak points back to this need to maintain justice, the lessons that we learn may point us towards the need for a Jubilee and motivate us to restore balance to the very systems that sustain life.
And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family. (Leviticus 25:10, NRSV)
Julilee means “a ram’s horn.” It was blown at a time of universal redemption. The year of Jubilee involved release from indebtedness, when injustices of the past fifty years were to be restored. It was also a time for rest for the land. The theme of Jubilee has clear links to the root paradigms fueling unjust exploitation, such as neoliberal and capitalist approaches to the world economy. It brings together the need for a prophetic voice on climate injustice and actions for the restoration of the Earth. The theme of Jubilee affirms the need for equality, justice and sustainability, and a transition to sustainable economies. It honours the Jubilee 2000 Campaign, which successfully called for an amnesty on debt for global South countries and redistribution of wealth. And 2020 marks 50 years since the first Earth Day when the environmental movement was born.
A Climate Emergency
We are in the midst of a climate emergency. Several studies have indicated that the world is nowhere near meeting pledged emission reduction rate targets. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlights that “only with rapid and far-reaching” transitions in the world economy, on a scale and at a rate without historical precedent, can the 1.5°C limit be achieved. It is therefore a time to reconcile ourselves with creation through concrete repentance and urgent action.
The Season of Creation is a time to acknowledge that tipping points are being reached, threatening the lives of the most vulnerable and putting the lives of future generations in jeopardy. As people of faith, we are being called to stand up against
climate injustice in prophetic ways.
The theme of Jubilee affirms the need for equality, justice and sustainability
The Season of Creation 2020 will also be an important moment for the Christian family to raise a united voice for rapid and radical ambitious action ahead of the 26th annual United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) to address the climate crisis.
COP 26 is particularly significant, as parties are due to announce how they will implement the Paris Climate Agreement (and whether they will fall short). It is a time when faith communities are called to support and challenge their countries’ leadership to implement visionary and significant goals. It is also a time when we must listen to the prophetic voices of young people.
Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; on the tenth day of the seventh month—on the Day of Atonement—you shall have the trumpet sounded throughout all your land. (Leviticus 25:9, NRSV)
Prophetic call of hope
As people of faith we are called to sound a voice of hope, like the Jubilee. We lament, for everywhere we hear the groaning of creation. So we act as carriers of creation, and we sound the horn of hope, for the Earth and all they that live in it belong to the Lord. We know that God has promised the renewal of this Earth.
During this critical and trying time, we acknowledge our role as people of faith in sounding hope amidst this current crisis and affirm ourselves as prophetic witnesses. Jesus has given us a choice between God and Mammon. For the sake of the Earth
and all creatures, we have no choice but to pursue Justice (Micah 6:8).
Season of Creation 2020 is an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of Jubilee today, especially in the lead-up to COP26. How will we, as persons and as the Church:
Recognize God’s ownership of the whole earth, and all our ‘possessions’?
Release what we have back to God, both spiritually and practically?
Recognize our total dependency on God and his creation?
Receive God’s provision, in patience and trust?
What does it mean for the church to declare ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’? How can we glorify God for the hope we have in Christ, who restores and redeems the Earth? What changes will we see for those who are poor, and the land we enslave? We are far from a picture of Jubilee provision. As God’s Earth suffers, God’s people suffer also. Season of Creation 2020 encourages churches and Christians to participate through:
Prayer: including praise for God’s provision, repentance for our greed and complicity in the suffering of Earth and our neighbours, intercession for those vulnerable to climate chaos, and releasing all we have back to God
Practice: auditing our own mistreatment of the Earth, and committing to new practices individually and as worshipping communities
Advocacy: encourage states to ensure that climate justice and steps to a green economy are part of the COVID-19 economic recovery plans
Action: participate in civil action to put pressure on Governments to produce ambitious national targets (NDCs) for COP26
Season of Creation 2020 Prayer
Creator of Life,
At your word, the Earth brought forth plants yielding seed
and trees of every kind bearing fruit.
The rivers, mountains, minerals, seas and forests sustained life.
The eyes of all looked to you to satisfy the needs of every living thing.
And throughout time the Earth has sustained life.
Through the planetary cycles of days and seasons,
renewal and growth, you open your hand to give creatures our food in the proper time.
In your Wisdom, you granted a Sabbath;
a blessed time to rest in gratitude for all that you have given;
a time to liberate ourselves from vicious consumption;
a time to allow the land and all creatures to rest from the burden of production.
But these days our living pushes the planet beyond its limits.
Our demands for growth, and our never-ending cycle of production and consumption are exhausting our world.
The forests are leached, the topsoil erodes,
the fields fail, the deserts advance, the seas acidify, the storms intensify.
We have not allowed the land to observe her Sabbath,
and the Earth is struggling to be renewed.
During this Season of Creation,
we ask you to grant us courage to observe a Sabbath for our planet.
Strengthen us with the faith to trust in your providence.
Inspire us with the creativity to share what we have been given.
Teach us to be satisfied with enough.
And as we proclaim a Jubilee for the Earth,
send Your Holy Spirit to renew the face of creation.
In the name of the One
who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Want to contribute to your community? Are you creative, motivated and full of ideas? Do you want to help raise funds for essential programs and services? Then we need YOU!⠀⠀
We are looking to add 5 new members to our FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE! This is a great opportunity, especially for university students, to get involved and make a difference!
These positions are CRITICAL to helping the Fredericton Community Kitchens raise money to keep our services and programs going year-round!
⠀
Think you might be the right fit? Apply online today:
We are looking for creative, motivated, community-minded individuals to join our FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE! We have 5 open spots available. Let us know how you feel you could contribute, and we will be in touch shortly! FAQs:
1. We will be doing a mix of virtual (zoom) and in-person meetings with masks and social distancing. If you do not feel comfortable meeting in person, we will arrange a call-in option!
2. We will meet once a month.
3. The tasks will be assigned based on skills and experience. We need all types of personalities and skill levels! There will be something for everyone.
Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton NB is seeking an Office Administrator. Reporting to the Dean of Fredericton, the successful candidate will manage and execute office tasks in the Cathedral office. The Office Administrator will be a team player in coordinating communications facilitating worship and other ministries of the Cathedral with appropriate levels of confidentiality.
We are seeking a person of Christian faith who feels called to be part of the unique role Christ Church Cathedral plays in the lives of our congregation and the wider community. Being familiar and fluent in (preferably Anglican) church culture would be ideal. Maintaining a helpful atmosphere in the Cathedral office is critical. Computer skills using various software are required with a keen interest in learning current systems and innovating better ways to accomplish end goals. The ideal candidate for this position is resourceful, a good problem solver and has the ability to prioritize and plan ahead.
Bookkeeping skills and experience would be a definite asset and will influence whether this is a full-time or 4/5 time position.
Application deadline is 01 September 2020. Only short-listed candidates will be interviewed. A full position description is available upon request.
To inquire or to apply, please provide a resume and covering letter to:
search at cccath.ca [replace “at” with “@”]
or
Christ Church Cathedral
168 Church Street
Fredericton NB E3B 4C9
(506) 450-8500
christchurchcathedral.com
GETTING READY - Canon Patricia Drummond packs goodie bags as part of the cathedral's summer outreach efforts. Due to the pandemic, the weekly drop-in for people in need has not been held since mid-March, but supermarket gift cards are distributed outdoors on the last Monday of the month. On July 27th, 50 people received a gift card or bus tickets plus a bar of soap and a goodie bag containing bananas, homemade muffins, cookies, a sandwich, a granola bar, and bottled water. Food items were donated by members of the cathedral family. A similar effort will take place August 31st.
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Christ Church Cathedral
168 Church St
Fredericton NB E3B 4C9
March 26, 2020
80 Hayden Street, Toronto ON M4Y 3G2
866-308-7973 pwrdf. org
Dear Friends of PWRDF,
On behalf of the Board, staff and partners of The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), I would like to extend our thanks for the recent generous donation of $13,957.50 from your church.
Your gift supports the work of PWRDF and its partners in preventive health, mother and child wellness, food security and nutrition, clean water and sanitation, Indigenous language and cultural reclamation, economic empowerment, and emergency humanitarian relief both here at home in Canada and in more than thirty countries around the world. For over 60 years PWRDF has worked to improve the lives of marginalized people around the world through development programs and relief efforts. We could not achieve the results and successes and helped so many without the generous support of our caring donors like you.
Thank you again for your support for the work of PWRDF and our vision of creating a truly just, healthy and peaceful world.
Want to contribute to your community? Are you creative, motivated and full of ideas? Do you want to help raise funds for essential programs and services? Then we need YOU!
