Author Archive: Kirsten McKnight

Workshops during Eastertide

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We are pleased to host two workshops this spring by Spiritual Directors who are members of our congregation. Step out of your comfort zone, attend, and experience the unique perspectives that these workshops can bring to your life.

Finding Your Sacred Story
Saturday, 22 April, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Christ Church Cathedral

Your Sacred Story is not who you think you were, it’s not who you think you need to be, and it’s not who you think you will be. It is a love story-- it is poetry... (Yes! Really). Deacon Debbie Edmondson’s workshop will provide a tool to get you on your way to collecting the pieces to open wide the door of awareness to find your authentic self. Debbie, a Spiritual Director, will share her own story, and through the intimacy of poetic expression and learning a technique to evoke memory, give participants an afternoon of enjoyment and deep reflection. No one has to be a poet, or even like poetry to attend and benefit from this workshop!

Fee by donation. The workshop will be held inside the Cathedral.
Contact <deacon at christchurchcathedral.com> for details or to register.

Igniting the Fire of New Life:
3 Surprising Secrets for Hearing the Voice of God’s Spirit in Your Heart and Answering
Saturday, 06 May, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Cathedral Memorial Hall, Lounge

Do you want to discover God’s dream or purpose for you? Would you like to learn to overcome fear, doubt, and worry and live with greater confidence, faith and trust? Do you want to deepen your relationship with God’s Spirit? Would you love to live in harmony with your highest values and Spiritual beliefs? If one or all of these questions resonate with you, then you are going to love this Workshop!

Hosted by Gael Hogan, certified Spiritual Director (Ignatian Spirituality) and Life Coach. You will learn: how to listen to the Spirit and answer God's call; simple thinking-strategies to guard you from fear, doubt and worry, and deepen your faith and trust; how to be more grounded in God’s love for you.

Held in the Lounge of Cathedral Memorial Hall. Freewill offering. Registration required.
Contact <gaelh at telus.net> for details or to register.

Farewell to an artist

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Hugh MacKinnon was an exceptional artist who did extensive restoration work on the Cathedral’s East and West windows. His stained-glass artisanship is present in churches, educational institutions and other sites throughout the Maritimes.

According to his obituary,

"Many church windows in New Brunswick have sunlight shining through his creations, including the small chapel in the Old Arts Building at UNB, where he transformed Molly Lamb Bobak's paintings into lead and glass works of art. If one wanted to know about any of the saints, you could just ask Hugh, who did extensive research on them to make sure he got the window imagery correct."

In retirement, Hugh freely shared his expertise with the Cathedral Property Committee, particularly in his consultations with Heritage Standing Inc., the engineering company assessing structural work required in the Cathedral.

He, and his exceptional artistry, will be missed.

Easter worship in the Cathedral

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Join us for Easter worship at the Cathedral. All are welcome.

The Great Easter Vigil will be held on Saturday night, April 8 at 8:00 p.m. + livestream

On Easter Sunday, April 9, there are three opportunities to worship:

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Book of Common Prayer, no music)
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Book of Common Prayer, with choir)  + livestream
11:45 a.m. Come Worship Eucharist (contemporary, with music group) + livestream

View livestreams on our YouTube channel. Recordings of Holy Week worship are also available.

 

Give the gift of Easter flowers

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The Sanctuary Guild of Christ Church Cathedral encourages gifts for flowers in memory or as a thank offering at the High Altar and throughout the Cathedral, at any time and especially at festival times of the church year.

Forms must be received by Tuesday, March 26, 2024 to have memorials published in the Easter bulletin. Thank you.

Complete this form and return it to the Cathedral Office. Paper copies are available at the back of the Cathedral and at the Office.

Preparing for Easter with Godly Play

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Children participating in Godly Play at Cathedral Memorial Hall have been preparing for Easter with stories and art.

During the Faces of Easter week 4 lesson, the children used the Faces of Christ paintings. This photo shows how, after the story was told using the paintings, the children were invited to add other things from the room to "add to our story".

Godly Play is an innovative method of faith formation, which allows participants to experience faith-building stories through intentional storytelling and imaginative wondering.

Learn more about our Godly Play sessions, which are back in-person after a time of online gatherings.

Children 4 and up are invited to join this adventure every other Sunday at 9:15am in the Christian Formation Room in Cathedral Memorial Hall. Consult the Cathedral calendar for the schedule.

Would you like to explore this ministry further? Speak with us and consider taking a training session. Contact Kurt Schmidt or Cheryl Jacobs, or inquire through the Cathedral Office.

 

Supporting neighbours in need

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We recently received this note from Montgomery Street Elementary's Home and School Association, to which the Cathedral has previously provided support for children in need.

I wanted to let the church know that with the remainder of the donation provided to our committee, after paying for the hot lunches and milk program to our children within the school who needed it, we were also able to help an urgent need to a family.

A recent call ended up with a family who had to quickly move out of their house due to pipes leaking through their ceiling. Home and School were able to purchase and drop off groceries for their family of six (with three children at Montgomery) and purchase their meals at the restaurant within the hotel for a few days. Without the donation from the church, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did for them until their insurance was able to take over.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for always supporting our committee and trust that we will help whenever and where we need to.

Reegan McDougall
President/Volunteer, Montgomery Street Home and School Association

Gallery exhibition features Cathedral items from Provincial Archives

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The Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Provincial Archives have collaborated on an exhibit showcasing artistic treasures from the archives.

The exhibit, AR(T)CHIVES: Visual Treasures from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, is open to the public until May 28, 2023. Gallery admission is required.

"Archives are more than simply repositories of paper documents, ledgers, and census volumes; they often hold artistic treasures that tell an entirely different story than one containing only the written word. In partnership with the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, we are pleased to present some of the most beautiful and fascinating visual records of New Brunswick (and Canada, for that matter) that you may ever see."

An illustrated booklet, available at the gallery, includes several works featuring Christ Church Cathedral, including architectural designs of the stonework, a pencil sketch showing the Cathedral and the Parish Church, and a watercolour sketch for the Reredos. Visit the exhibit to explore other treasures!

Cathedral Elections

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Thank you to all who submitted annual reports and attended the Annual Congregational Meeting on 26 February, 2023.

Click to read online copies of the Cathedral Annual Report and view the Narrative Budget, "Turning Resources into Grace", a magazine-style brochure which tells the story of our ministry with photos.

We are pleased to announce the election of Jane Hand as Health and Pastoral Care Chair, and Bonnie Greenwood as Mission and Outreach Chair. Victoria Hachey was reelected for another term as as Finance and Administration Chair.

Delegates to Synod are Rosa Macaulay, Catherine Schmidt and Claire McKnight. Substitute delegates are Jim Clowater, Randy Audfroid and Nat Fetter.

Appreciation to all who offered for positions.

The position of Property Chair is vacant and a Bishop’s appointment can be made. Please consider serving in this position.

Bishop and Chapter members, Synod delegates, clergy and staff are listed in every Sunday bulletin. A digital copy of the current week's bulletin can be found at the top right-hand corner of our website (refreshed every Friday afternoon).

A gentle way to get in shape – Chair Yoga in the Cathedral

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Join us for yoga this winter and spring!

The Cathedral Health Ministry is pleased to announce a new series of chair yoga classes led by experienced yoga instructor Monique Smith.

Ideal for both young and old, chair yoga is a unique way to exercise while sitting in a chair. Classes will be held in the Cathedral, making it easy even for those with mobility issues.

As Monique explains, “As far as abilities, even beginners will feel welcomed! … The key is to listen to one’s body.”

These weekly classes are sure to provide a stress-free way to exercise your body, mind, and spirit in fun and friendly group sessions.

Chair yoga classes will be held on Fridays from 10:15-11:00 a.m. beginning March 3 and running to the start of June. All classes are drop-in with no need to register. The cost is $5 per session, payable each week. See you there!

Still curious about Chair Yoga? Learn more in the article, Chair Yoga and Why Seated Yoga Poses are Good for You.

People and Pancakes

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The smell of pancakes and sausages filled Cathedral Memorial Hall on February 21st during the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. After a two-year hiatus, the Guild of St. Joseph returned with many volunteers to host the supper. The men of the Cathedral greeted, cooked, served and cleaned during this much-loved event.

The "Holy Joes" as the Guild is affectionately called, graciously served almost 200 Cathedral parishioners, friends and members of the community. Many were thrilled to resume the longtime tradition, which celebrates the beginning of Lent.

Gathering together in the middle of winter gave a much-needed lift to everyone's spirits. Conversation filled the air, as old and new friends gathered over the delicious shared meal.

Gary Barfitt, President of the Guild of St. Joseph, shared this message:

"The Guild of St. Joseph would like to say thank you to all who made the revival of our Pancake Supper such a resounding success this past week. We served almost 200 patrons. A special word of thanks to those who supported us in so many ways, including providing gingerbreads, serving at the tables and those who helped with the clean-up after the supper. We could not have done it without all the volunteers. The very generous freewill contributions at the door will be put to good use as Guild members continue their work."