Author Archive: Kirsten McKnight

Video Message from St. Hilda’s School in Belize

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We recently received messages and a video from Ms. Jane Martinez, Principal of St. Hilda's Anglican School in Belize. As you can see, the families from St. Hilda's have faced hardship, tragedy, and also found joy. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Scroll down to watch the video below the letters.

[December 23, 2022]

Greetings,

I pray all is well with you. This first part of the school year has been a great challenge for us here at St. Hilda's Anglican school but God's grace has kept us. We've had victories and heartbreak but to God be the Glory.

I am also sharing a video of some activities at St. Hilda's Anglican for the first Cycle,  September to December. I truly cannot find the words to express how blessed we are to have your support. We will continue to ensure that your investments are not in vain.

We love our Friends of St. Hilda's family and pray all the best for a wonderful holiday season and prosperous New Year.

Blessings,

Jane

[November 8, 2022]

Greetings Friends,

It is always a pleasure to send updates so that you know what is happening at St. Hilda's. I pray that all is well with you and your family as well as our Friends of St. Hilda's Family. The year has started out on a very busy note. I have been in classes since the beginning of September three to four times a week due to the absence of teachers so I have to multi-task. 

The month of October has been a roller coaster month. I say this because we've had to deal with tragedy as well as celebrate God's goodness. We have experienced a lot of illness at school recently; both teachers and students. Many of them are out with fever, cough and cold. Please keep them in prayer. We were to hold our inaugural ceremony for our preschool on October 19th. Unfortunately, on October 18th, one of our preschool babies died tragically in a road traffic accident just a short distance from the school. He was sitting in the front passenger seat along with his 6 year old brother in their neighbor's vehicle when she lost control. There were four students with her but he sustained serious head and body injuries and died a short while later. His name was Zaiden Villanueva. His parents are Joycelyn and Sylvester Villanueva and his brothers are Randy and Akeem. Please keep them in prayer as well as the other parent who was driving. She sustained injuries to her face and body but is doing much better physically. The mental aspect is of concern. This incident was a shock to us all and we had to suspend classes for the day. Our counselors came in to do grief counseling the following day. The following week, I was out sick. I had pain all over my body and fever. I later discovered that I had a kidney infection. Thankfully, I am feeling much better.

The highlight of the month was our school and church harvest. It was a wonderful celebration after suffering such a tragic loss. Our inaugural ceremony will now be held on November 9th. We are also thankful that we were spared any damages due to Hurricane Lisa. The staff, students and their families are all safe and doing well. 

In regards to the scholarship students, I do have mid semester reports for two of them so far. I will do my best to get the others and send them to you promptly.
I pray that you have a great day and rest of the week.

Best,
Jane

Bakers needed for monthly outreach program

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Outreach Committee volunteers hand out 8 1/2 dozen muffins and 8 1/2 dozen cookies each month to people in need who visit the Monday Morning Outreach Program.

A few members of the congregation faithfully bake homemade goodies, but additional contributors would be most welcome to replace some folks who have stepped aside or who are seasonally unavailable.

If you could help out by baking muffins or cookies occasionally, please let the Cathedral office know and you will be contacted by the committee. Thank you! Email<office at christchurchcathedral.com> or phone (506) 450-8500.

The Outreach Program operates on the last Monday morning of each month. Volunteers provide food, vouchers, bus tickets, clothing and information about local support programs to approximately 50 guests each month. Learn more about this longstanding program to help those in need in our community.

Falling Upward

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Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
By Fr. Richard Rohr
Jossey-Bass / 2011 / 240 pages

I’m sure I may have noticed a few little hidden smirks when I mentioned to my Bible Study group that I was going to do a book review of Father Richard Rohr’s  “Falling Upward” for our website.

You see, my Bible Study group know all too well that Fr. Richard and I have a love/hate relationship. They had to listen to my rants when I didn’t understand him (he has a tendency to be a bit more pedantic than I felt necessary!). “Why didn’t he just say that?” was a frequent complaint of mine. But, since we have never met, maybe I should admit that love/hate relationship is pretty one-sided.

Father Rohr is a Franciscan priest living in New Mexico. He founded the Centre for Action and Contemplation in 1986 and serves as its Founding Director. He is the author of more than 20 books and an internationally known speaker. In researching him a bit, I found lots of glowing reviews!

Thus it was that I was quite impressed and excited to read this book - Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life.

Very early on in the book, Fr. Rohr says this: “It takes a foundational trust to fall or to fail - and not fall apart. Faith alone holds you while you stand waiting and hoping and trusting.” I can relate to this as I recall my nine year old stepson telling me that if I would just let myself fall, I would learn to ski. Never happened. I just couldn’t let go and drop!

And through most of this book, I think I just kept refusing to accept that falling is a necessary part of growing up - mentally, physically and ultimately spiritually.

As I skim through the book to write this, I think I need a re-read with a more open mind because I know this book provided a lot of challenging thinking and discussion for our group  (did I mention that I found him to be needlessly pedantic in places which annoyed me to no end?). 🙂

Briefly, Falling Upward is all about the different phases of growing up, of gaining wisdom in our everyday lives and growing spiritually as we add years. Much more detail than this, but I will let you discover that for yourself!

As much as you frustrated me Richard, you made me think - and think again.

-- by Gail MacGillivray

Publisher's Description:

In Falling Upward, Father Richard Rohr―the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation―offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how our failings can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honored myths, heroic poems, great thinkers, and sacred religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." We grow spiritually more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. With rare insight, Rohr takes us on a journey to give us an understanding of how the heartbreaks, disappointments, and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half of life has in store for us.

A gift to brighten a child’s Christmas

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This December, the Cathedral Outreach Committee supported a program from Prison Fellowship Canada, which provides gifts to children of incarcerated parents.

PFC's Angel Tree Christmas program connects church communities and individuals with the families of prisoners through the delivery of a Christmas gift on behalf of the incarcerated parent. Through the program, a prisoner applies, submits a list of suggested items for each child, and fills out a gift tag that will be attached to the gift. Prison Fellowship matches the children with sponsors in their local area, who purchase, wrap and deliver gifts to the family.

Through the program, children the joy of receiving a gift -- but more importantly, they know that their mom or dad is thinking about them at Christmas time. Prisoners experience some moments of brightness during a time of year that can be very lonely for them.

The Cathedral was approached in early December by the Atlantic Coordinator of the program.

"We have certainly had many prisoners among our Monday guests," said Outreach Committee volunteer Ann Deveau, "and we feel it's important for their families to have a connection at Christmas."

Outreach Committee volunteers purchased, wrapped and delivered gifts to six children in the Fredericton area. Charlotte McKnight, a young Cathedral volunteer, took particular pleasure in choosing gifts for kids just a bit younger than herself.

The Prison Fellowship's Christmas program operates in every province and territory in Canada. Last year, 3424 children received gifts thanks to the generosity of 1479 sponsors, including 113 churches.

 

 

The Outreach Committee also oversees a Christmas Angel program at the Cathedral which is coordinated by Greener Village, the Fredericton food bank.

In that program, members of the congregation choose angel tags from a tree in the Cathedral and purchase toys and stocking stuffers for local children in need. This year, the congregation purchased gifts for 50 children.

 

City of Fredericton Heritage Review

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The City of Fredericton is looking for opinions about its heritage program - share your thoughts!

The City is currently reviewing its heritage program and services and is looking for feedback from residents. Share your thoughts by completing a short online survey so decision-makers can better understand how you perceive heritage, its conservation importance, and the value it provides compared to other City services, programs and amenities.

The survey will close on December 23.

Results will be considered along with rightsholders consultations, community stakeholder engagement, best practices, staff expertise, and budget considerations.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Cathedral Faces: Jason Parsons, Verger

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As part of our Cathedral Faces series, we are sharing biographies of our staff members and clergy. These dedicated individuals contribute a lot to our community, in ways seen and unseen, and we are thankful for their work.

Professionally, Jason is an Army Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces in his 27th year of service. He belongs to the Royal Canadian Regiment which has a historical relationship with the Cathedral. Currently he works in downtown Fredericton at the Carleton Street Armouries as the Regular Force Adjutant attached to the Royal New Brunswick Regiment.

He holds a Bachelor of Military Arts and Sciences Degree from the Royal Military College at Kingston Ontario and a Diploma in Theology from Thorneloe University. He has also completed numerous theological courses with Wycliffe College as part of the Master of Theological Studies, due to changes in military educational funding and free time he has put the degree on hold. As an Infantry Soldier and Officer he has deployed to the former Yugoslavia, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Latvia with domestic operations to the Quebec Ice Storm, the Swiss Air disaster, and local emergencies.

Jason is married to Susan and together they have three children, Gabe, Nate, and Ivy. Jason came to the Anglican tradition in 2013 and has an ecumenical background within other Christian traditions. Jason began as Verger on 01 July 2019.

His role with the military has seen some increased demands combined with additional family commitments has seen the role of Verger take on an increasingly shared role with Hank Williams, whom Jason affectionately refers to as the Verger Emeritus. He is grateful for Hank’s willingness to share this role. Should anyone be interested in joining them in this shared role, they are encouraged to speak with Jason.

ACW Christmas Tea

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The Anglican Church Women (ACW) welcomed 35 guests to a Christmas Tea on a balmy December 7 afternoon.

Guests entering Memorial Hall were greeted by brightly lit Christmas trees and surrounding tables displaying beautiful and unique angels - no two of the 50+ were alike.  Conversation, sharing and ‘catching up’ was the buzz around the tea tables.

The guests were very generous with their gifts for Grace House, and we receive grateful recognition from the women's shelter for the yearly delivery.

Of course, as a Christmas gathering, there were seasonal sweet favourites to enjoy with a beverage of choice.

We had pleasure in preparing and hosting; our guests had pleasure in sharing and fellowship.

Photos taken by Helen Liang

Christmas Lessons and Carols

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Celebrate the coming of Christmas with a service of scripture and carols.

https://youtu.be/iQv_3rWW2E0

Listen to Audio

4:00 p.m., Sunday,18 December in Christ Church Cathedral, 150 Church Street in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Whether you are a Christian who has worshipped in the Anglican tradition, are of another Christian denomination, another faith entirely or, simply interested in understanding more about what our faith community is all about, you are warmly welcome to visit or join us in worship. There is no dress code, you are free to sit where you wish and, to participate as you feel comfortable.

Reaching out to support a local school lunch program

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In 2021, the Cathedral contributed funds towards a school lunch program, winter clothing, and the creation of two sensory rooms for children with developmental challenges. Adequate funding was not available within the school's educational budget, so the volunteer Home and School Association ran a fundraising campaign.

On 09 December, Dean Geoffrey Hall and Cathedral Treasurer Jamie Yeamans presented a $2000 cheque to Montgomery Street School. Members of the congregation had contributed to a Giving Tuesday campaign to raise money to help fund a lunch program at the school, which has a number of children in need.

This is the second year that the Cathedral has supported initiatives for children in need at the local elementary school. The Cathedral Bishop and Chapter approved a donation in 2021 to assist with its lunch program, provide winter clothing to students in need, and assist in the creation of sensory rooms for children with developmental challenges.

We're grateful for the contributions to this community outreach project which will help to feed children in our community.

The Principal of Montgomery Street School, David Burrell, also shared his thanks in a letter to the congregation:

(L to R) Back row: Sandi Mwenga (VP, Home & School Association), Jennifer Hamel (Home & School Association), Charlene Smith (Home & School Association), Geoffrey Hall (Dean, Christ Church Cathedral), Jamie Yeamans (Treasurer, Christ Church Cathedral), Reegan McDougall (President, Home & School Association), David Burrell (Principal, Montgomery Street School) Front row: students from Montgomery Street School's Grade 5 Leadership class

First of all, we are beyond thankful for the support given to Montgomery Street School again this year. As you know, students and families have been faced with new and unique challenges over the last two and half years. These challenges continue to push the need for support within our school community, and when we have partnerships with strong local groups such as the Christ Church Cathedral, we can provide much needed supports to our families.

This year, in collaboration with our Home and School Committee, we are again fostering lasting community partnerships that will continue to support our food programs such as hot lunch and milk programs. As food cost continue to rise, your donation will go a long way to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in our food programs. This generous donation will also support our clothing drive initiative that will guarantee all of our students have the proper winter attire so they can enjoy all the wonderful outdoor activities that comes with living in Fredericton.

I am very thankful for the time, effort and support we have received from you. It will have a lasting positive impact on our school community!

Sincerely,

David Burrell

Principal, Montgomery Street School