Summer theatre with the Calithumpians

The Calithumpians theatre troupe has been entertaining audiences for over forty years. Headquartered at Cathedral Memorial Hall, 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.

From their humble beginnings performing educational shows in schools, the Calithumpians have expanded their repertoire to include family-friendly outdoor theatre, guided walking and motorcoach tours, historical interpretation, drama camps, training and consultation, school visits and workshops, dinner theatre, a Haunted Hike, and a variety of shows for audiences in and around Fredericton, and across New Brunswick and Canada.

Performers at the Haunted Hike

Calithumpians’ shows and services emphasize local history and pride, folklore and legend, environmentalism, health and wellness, and current social issues, all with a hint of humor and fun!

The Calithumpians perform a free, family-friendly musical theatre show at 12:15 p.m. on the Cathedral lawn, Monday to Saturday throughout the summer, and run children's drama camps on the lawn and in Cathedral Memorial Hall. Visit their website to see the schedule of shows and camps, as well as their other offerings throughout the city.

Cathedral Faces: Muriel Falkenstein, Tour Guide

This summer, we are pleased to welcome Muriel Falkenstein as a Cathedral Tour Guide. She is working with Alex LeBlanc.


Muriel Falkenstein is a high school graduate, classical soprano, and active community member in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Her school extracurriculars included the Fredericton High School Concert Band (chair, flute section), Model United Nations, and the FHS Reach for the Top team. Outside of school, she is involved in classical voice, theatre, and piano lessons, and she intends to build a career as a classical singer. In voice, she has competed at local, provincial, and national music festivals and twice earned the Royal Conservatory of Music Atlantic Gold Medal, which denotes the most successful practical examination in the Atlantic region.

Muriel is also an avid composer and earned a silver standard at last year’s Canadian National Music Festival for her original composition, La Morte d’Eurydice. Her original composition entitled La Crise, a three-movement work exploring climate change, was recently awarded first prize at the New Brunswick Provincial Music Festival and will be adjudicated in July at the national music festival.

Muriel has had two original plays produced at the NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival and at UNB and STU, respectively, and in 2022, she performed the lead role Anne Shirley in Theatre New Brunswick’s production of Anne and Gilbert. She has volunteered at Theatre New Brunswick summer camps and is a high-achieving student. This year, she was shortlisted for the National Scholarship at both the University of Toronto and Western University. Starting in the fall, she will be enrolled at U of T, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance as a C. David Naylor Scholar and Arbor Scholar.

She is excited to take on the position of Summer Tour Guide at Christ Church Cathedral and share the beauty and history of the Cathedral with visitors!

Weddings in the Cathedral: Gail & Ernie

Were you married in the Cathedral? Or do you have a story of relatives who were? We would love to hear your story and see a photo! If you are willing to chat with a member of the Communications Committee and be included in an upcoming series of articles, please contact the Cathedral Office. Phone (506) 450-8500 or email <office at christchurchcathedral.com>.


Gail & Ernie

October 12, 2012

Gail and Ernie MacGillivray shared this memory of their wedding:

“It was a sunny fall day in October, 2012! The day felt just right and remains in our memories as pretty much perfect. Family and friends surrounded us! One of the very best parts of the day was having members of our Worship Band (led at that time by Dr. Willis Noble) sing and play. They really made our hearts soar!!! We were told afterwards that their final worship song was so uplifting that folks were tempted to dance in the aisles! We just felt wrapped in hugs. The Very Rev’d Keith Joyce officiated."

Diocese focuses lens on young adult formation

The Diocese of Fredericton is expanding the Special Ministries supported by the Synod.

The position of Director of Young Adult Formation has recently been created, recognizing a need for support for teens and young adults in their faith journeys. Kurt Schmidt has been selected to fill this part-time role, providing leadership and pastoral care, with a particular focus on the university campuses. The position will include fostering the spiritual life of a diverse student community in fresh and innovative ways, and work closely with our Camping Ministries to coordinate areas of practical support and formation.

Kurt will also continue with his part-time position as the Cathedral Director of Christian Formation.

"I'm keen and eager to dive into my work right away to support the young adults in our diocese," he said. "I'll be aiming to provide innovative leadership and pastoral care, especially to the young people involved with our camping ministries and on our province's university/post-secondary campuses."

Kurt considers himself an educator at heart and has spent the last 20 years working as a teacher in diverse contexts and at various levels. Kurt’s own spiritual journey includes formative periods among his Jesuit teachers and mentors in high school, with monastic friends during university, alongside members of L’Arche communities in both Canada and the United States, and with various teachers of Celtic Christianity.

Learn more about Kurt on the Cathedral website and the Diocesan website.

Drop by for a guided tour!

Have you taken a tour of the Cathedral? Even if you regularly worship here, you're likely to learn something new!

Guided tours of Christ Church Cathedral are available throughout July and August, Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 - 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 Muriel Falkenstein, and Alex LeBlanc, who is returning for a third summer as Lead Tour Guide.

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, German, and Spanish (a new offering this year thanks to the translation efforts of John and Rosa Macaulay). Booklets were written by Hank Williams.

Sweltering Songs festival returns to the Cathedral Green

Do you love live music? Check out the summertime festival 'Sweltering Songs', presented by the folks at Shivering Songs!

We're pleased that once again the Waterloo Stage will be held on the riverside Cathedral Green, July 22-23. Additional shows will be held at The CAP on Queen Street.

Sweltering Songs co-organizer, Zach Atkinson, says, “We’re excited to return to the area after bringing our Waterloo Street Tent to life for the first time in 2022. It’s a cozy and beautiful setting to host a wonderful line-up featuring old friends and musical peers, new favorites, and emerging artists alike for Fredericton listeners.”

Learn more about the festival, artists and tickets.

Fredericton’s 175th anniversary concert

Christ Church Cathedral will be the host venue for Fredericton's 175th anniversary concert, A Celebration of Us, to be held on Tuesday, 08 August, 2023, 7:30 p.m. This article was shared in a recent newsletter from the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival.


Fredericton-based composer Christian David Bérubé has been commissioned to create a new work to celebrate the city's 175th anniversary. Partnering with the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival and Atlantic Sinfonia, Bérubé will bring a spark of celebration to the event and add to Fredericton's rich history of classical orchestral performance.

Bérubé began his composing career later than most, and he has more than made up for it with his wealth of credits which include film and video game scores. When asked about his entrance into composing and arranging, Bérubé states that “[he] began by writing piano arrangements for The Doors and Led Zeppelin, after finding [himself] unsatisfied with existing versions of [his] favorite songs.” Finding a love for the creative aspect of composition, he dove straight into the deep end by writing a piano sonata that won first place at the provincial music festival. Soon after, he switched from Biochemistry to Music at the University of Alberta.

This summer, Bérubé is writing a new piece for the Atlantic Sinfonia Orchestra, bringing local influences and an element of celebration to the work. He states that “it is a privilege to write a concert piece, and for instrumentalists to learn [his] work. It takes so many hours to create and rehearse something like this.” In early August, 13 musicians be at Christ Church Cathedral as the venue to perform a collection of Fredericton’s historical pieces, fan favorites, and Bérubé’s new creation. This event will be one of seven projects that received support from the City of Fredericton to mark the anniversary.

“I am looking forward to working with musicians, sitting in on the rehearsal progress, and hearing the final performance” (Bérubé).

Bérubé [has spent] two months creating and working with Atlantic Sinfonia and the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival. “[His] job in this case is to write a piece, an entertaining piece, a musically interesting piece, that is a celebration of us.

Fredericton, A Celebration of Us takes place on Tuesday, August 8th, 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral. For more information, visit www.nbsummermusicfestival.ca.

Repertoire

  • Now-Baroque Suite – Richard Gibson
  • Aperture Akimbo – Christian Bérubé
  • Subway Thoughts – Eldon Rathburn
  • Song without Words – Robin Bayley
  • Improvisations on Two Latvian Folk Songs – Janis Kalnins

Free will offering. Seating is on a 'first come first served' basis.

In Memoriam: Archbishop Claude Miller

Archbishop Claude Miller died on Tuesday, 27 June 2023 after a brief period of illness.

The funeral was on Monday, 03 July at 11:00 a.m. in Christ Church Cathedral with a reception following.

Visitation was held the previous day, Sunday, 02 July 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the Cathedral followed by a vigil until 8:45 a.m. Monday with both clergy and lay participating.

Obituary of the Most Rev'd Claude W. Miller, 1944 - 2023
Order of Service on 03 July 2023
Archbishop David Edwards' reflections about his time with Archbishop Miller

Read an article about the funeral, written by NB Anglican Editor Gisele McKnight: Archbishop Claude Miller laid to rest

 

 

Belize fundraiser supports three scholarships

The Belize Mission Committee is thrilled with the outcome of a yard sale raising funds for high school scholarships in Belize. Between item sales and envelope donations, approximately $3000 has been raised so far - enough for three scholarships!

Currently, we provide scholarships for four students who would not able to attend high school without support, since high school is not publicly funded in Belize. This additional education provides them with important skills and opportunities. Each scholarship is $1000 CAD per year. The Cathedral also provides $2000 per year to St. Hilda’s Anglican School in Georgeville, Belize, which is used for supplies for the elementary school.

Held on Saturday, June 24, the yard sale attracted hundreds of community members searching for treasures and deals. Items in the yard sale were provided by members of the congregation and community who decluttered and donated their items to be sold at the pay-as-you-wish sale.

A dozen volunteers helped throughout the week to set-up, unpack and sort items, assemble photo collages, greet customers, collect donations, repack items, and distribute leftover items to organizations such as the Multicultural Association, the puzzle lending library at Wilmot United Church, Farraline Place, and charitable stores. Many leftover novels and children's books were also brought to Little Free Libraries and book houses around the city, for our neighbours to enjoy.

A number of people attending the sale asked about the scholarship fund and our relationship with students in Belize.

In Belize, the average age at which a child leaves school is 13 years old, because of the prohibitive costs of tuition for high school, which families must pay. Unemployment in the country is high, there are many large single-parent families, and almost half of Belizeans live below the poverty line.

The Cathedral has a special relationship with the staff and students of St. Hilda’s Anglican School, an elementary in the rural village of Georgeville. Over two hundred children attend the school, ranging between kindergarten and grade 8, in addition to a recently established preschool.

Cathedral teams have travelled to Belize five times: in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2018. Over 60 Cathedral members ranging in age from 15 to 79 have participated in a mission trip to Belize, and hundreds of people in Fredericton have supported the work at St. Hilda's through organizational support, donations and prayers.

In 2010, Cathedral mission team members established a high school scholarship program which has allowed students from St. Hilda’s 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, and all have gained knowledge and experience that will help them in their future.

We are grateful for all who have helped to provide scholarships for these teenagers, and support for programs at the elementary school. Learn more about our mission work in Belize.

You can still contribute to the mission in Belize through offering envelopes or donate online.

If you are interested in participating in future endeavors benefiting the students in Belize, please contact the Cathedral Office to connect with members of the Belize mission committee.

Photos from the yard sale fundraiser

Two archdeacons collated, two canons installed

"Christ Church Cathedral was the venue for a service of Installation and Collation June 11 as Leo Martin and Paul Ranson were collated as territorial archdeacons of Saint John and Fredericton respectively; and Kevin Borthwick and Chris Hayes were installed as canons of the Cathedral. Dean Geoffrey Hall and Archbishop David Edwards presided. The Rev. Jasmine Chandra preached."

Click here to read the article by NB Anglican Editor Gisele McKnight.