The Summer Recital Series returns with nine noontime concerts, concerts, held each Friday until August 27. Join us inside historic Christ Church Cathedral as we present a series of concerts featuring cello, viola, bassoon, organ, guitar and vocalists. View the poster.
Cathedral Director of Music, Thomas Gonder, is excited to host the summer series, his first since stepping into the position in January 2020. He is enthusiastic about the program, saying, "It's my hope that Frederictonians will appreciate, enjoy and be inspired by hearing the abundance of local talent in an outstanding venue. We are blessed to be able to revive this series!"
Seating is limited, so reserve your ticket now to secure your space. Tickets are free but donations encouraged. Proceeds after expenses to the Cathedral Organ Renovation Fund. Online donations will receive a receipt for tax purposes immediately.
Attendees are welcome to wear face masks, and all are asked to be respectful of others' preferences regarding personal space.
Reserve your ticket online at the links below.
August 27 Sally Dibblee, soprano and J. Thomas D. Gonder, organ/piano - Tickets
Congratulations to Jocelyn Herrera, one of our scholarship students in Belize, who has graduated from Eden SDA High School!
Jocelyn attended elementary at St. Hilda's Anglican School. She is interested in furthering her education beyond high school, and has also previously expressed interest in becoming a business secretary. Please pray that, with God's help, Jocelyn will find her path. Read previous letters from Jocelyn to the Cathedral's Belize Mission Committee here, here, and here. You can watch her graduation ceremony on YouTube. Jocelyn's name is announced at the 47 minute mark.
This year, the Belize Missions Committee has used contributions from the Cathedral congregation to provide scholarships to four students enrolled in high school. In Belize, the average age at which a child leaves school is 13 years old, because of the prohibitive costs of high school tuition. Unemployment in the country is high, there are many large single-parent families, and almost half of Belizeans live below the poverty line. In 2010, Cathedral mission team members established a high school scholarship program which has allowed St. Hilda’s students 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.
Currently, four students attending high school benefit from Cathedral scholarships. $4000 was sent in August 2020 -- $1000 each, which helps to cover the cost of tuition, books and other required materials. The 2020-2021 scholarship students are: Jocelyn Herrera, Grade 12; Jenniah Tillett, Grade 11; Gian Myvette, Grade 10; and Edvin Perez, Grade 9.
This past year has been a challenging one for students across the globe, and we pray that our sponsored students will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their lives and in their studies.
Donations towards the Cathedral's efforts in Belize are always appreciated, and are especially welcome after this year of pandemic in which the Missions Committee has not been able to hold a fundraiser. You may donate and receive a charitable tax receipt by using an offering envelope marked "Belize" or by making an online donation. Funds will be used to support St. Hilda's Anglican School (elementary) and the high school scholarship program.
Dave Morell, a name well known in the Fredericton community, has written a book with his family about finding strength in the journey with cancer.
When Dave was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, family and friends banded together to support him and each other. The inspiring book, Hit the Switch - One Family’s Journey Through Cancer, shares a story of courage, survival and teamwork.
A former broadcaster, Dave has dealt with cancer with positivity. The book, a collaboration of chapters written by Dave and his family members, was written not only to share their story, but to inspire others and give them a reason to keep fighting. All proceeds from the book will go towards the oncology department at Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital. Copies will also be provided, free of charge, to oncology patients at the hospital.
Host of the CBC Radio show Information Morning, Terry Seguin, interviewed Dave on 09 June 2021. Listen to the interview to hear the story behind the book, and his inspiration for writing and supporting the work of the Chalmers Foundation.
Hit the Switch - One Family’s Journey Through Cancer, can be purchased on the Chalmers Foundation website.
The World Council of Churches’ Conference on World Mission and Evangelism met in Arusha, Tanzania, in March 2018. From this meeting, the more than 1,000 participants, who were all regularly engaged in mission and evangelism, issued the Arusha Call to Discipleship. At our own national church General Synod in 2019, resolution A-129 was passed that we affirm the Arusha Call; encourage bodies within the General Synod to integrate this call into the guiding principles of baptismal living for the shaping of national ministries; and commend the Arusha Call to dioceses for study and inclusion in their considerations of evangelism, witness and discipleship.
Spiritual Development Team members and others are offering reflections in the New Brunswick Anglican on the 12 points within this call. This is Call # 11, written by Cheryl Jacobs, chair of the Diocesan Spiritual Development Team. Cathedral Dean Geoffrey Hall previously wrote a reflection on Call #5, and Director of Christian Formation Kurt Schmidt wrote a reflection on Call #7.
We are called to follow the way of the cross, which challenges elitism, privilege, personal and structural power (Luke 9:23).
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NIV
Take up your cross, the Saviour said, if you would my disciple be; deny yourself, the world forsake, and humbly follow after me.
This familiar hymn, originally from a poem by Charles Everest, was sung at the worship service I was attending in Lent. I would say it was very familiar to me, but this time the third verse particularly struck me as if for the first time:
Take up your cross, nor heed the shame, and let your foolish pride be still: your Lord for you endured to die upon a cross, on Calvary’s hill.
I, personally, am not a big fan of being shamed. Of course, as a person of European descent, privileged by good income and education, perhaps I am not often in a situation of being ashamed.
In fact, most of my feelings of shame are because I “have left undone those things which [I] ought to have done ... and have done those things which [I} ought not to have done.”
Part of the human condition, yes, and forgiven by the grace of our loving God, but a shame of my own making.
Many people, however, are made to feel shame, not for things of their own choosing, but rather because of their race, skin tone, language, biological sex, sexuality, or because they understand themselves as different from the general cultural norms.
Many of us have recently been enjoying listening to National Indigenous Archbishop Mark MacDonald. In April, while speaking to an Ottawa group on the reconciliation efforts by the Anglican Church of Canada, Archbishop Mark noted that most racism is inadvertent. These ways are encoded in us and “the ceiling” is invisible to those who impose it.
We Canadians typically identify with the descriptors “nice” and “fair,” and we find it hard to accept that systemic racism is a thing.
This, however, is certainly no excuse for us.
Jesus, Word, set aside glory to be one of us. As a human, he did nothing of which to be ashamed, yet took on our sin and shame at Golgotha so that we could be free to be truly human. Is this freedom given to some to be privileged above others, to then keep others from being free?
No! Elitism, privilege, personal and structural power are not the plan of God. In fact, as 1 Corinthians 1: 27-29 says: Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?
That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. (The Message)
Jesus goes on to say in Luke 9: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self ?” (vs 25)
If we believe that Jesus is Lord of an eternal kingdom and that promise is for us, then really ‘what good is it’ to be one of the elite here and now? ‘What good is’ one’s privilege? ‘What good is’ power in this world, when it will always be nothing compared to God’s power?
So then, what does it mean to follow the way of the cross, to take it up daily?
At least in part, it means that we need to work harder to understand our own privilege, elitism, selfishness, and blindness — and we need to do this personally and as church communities.
Perhaps church communities can agree to hold each other accountable on privilege and racism. Let us talk together and ask BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour), the LGBTQIA+ community, the homeless and other vulnerable persons to call us out when our attitudes are wrong.
As Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says in his introduction to the Difference course: “When... we begin to handle diversity creatively and sincerely, honouring one another in our deep difference... we can begin to flourish together in previously unthinkable ways.” Perhaps, too, we should question why the Church is struggling so much to be back in the place of power it occupied for many of the last centuries and instead, seek to be the subversive agents for love in this world that God intended.
Take up your cross, let not its weight fill your weak soul with vain alarm; his strength shall bear your spirit up, and brace your heart, and nerve your arm.
“Serving God in mission, sharing Jesus with the world” is the mission statement of the Christ Church Cathedral Missions Committee.
The committee works together with the Cathedral congregation to reflect the teachings of Jesus and the heartbeat of Christian history. The committee's goals are to: raise awareness about mission work, prayerfully and financially support missionary efforts, and encourage action by the congregation.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee has been conducting business virtually, primarily through email, and has been able to continue communications and support for several long-standing mission partners.
Annual financial assistance of $1500 was provided to support the stipend for Canon Paul Jeffries at Bishop McAllister College in Uganda as well as $1500 for Reverends Kara and Nelson Mejia and their Honduras Mission Fund.
$250 was donated in response to an urgent appeal by PWRDF for financial assistance in August 2020 to assist with humanitarian needs following the Beirut explosion.
The Cathedral Missions Committee has remained in touch with members of the Refugee Family Sponsorship Team. In October, members of the committee assisted others in helping the Weah-Gmah family move to their new home.
Like so many others across the globe, our mission partners faced unforeseen challenges over this past year. School closures threatened to jeopardize the entire ministry at Bishop McAllister College. A shut down of the tourism economy in Roatan placed Rev’s Nelson and Kara in the position of needing to feed regular meals to over 200 residents in their community. When both of these partners reached out, the Cathedral offered additional assistance of $250 each and shared their messaging with the congregation via the missions web page and corresponding links on the Cathedral website and Facebook pages.
The committee posts online updates to keep the congregation informed of ongoing developments with our mission partners and continues to ask for prayerful support. In the year ahead, it is hoped that guest speakers can be invited back to the Cathedral.
The Missions Committee welcomes new members and is happy to answer questions. Contact the Cathedral Office or communicate directly with committee members Brad McKnight, Sam Mayo, John DosSantos or Kurt Schmidt.
Details from the Missions Committee update in the Christ Church Cathedral Annual Report for 2020.
The Cathedral Branch of Mothers’ Union is pleased to present 'Prelude to Summer', a variety show which will feature local talent including music, dance and a magic show! It will be held outside on the Cathedral 'green', Sunday, 13 June following 10:30 a.m. worship. View the program in the 13 June Sunday bulletin.
A freewill offering will be collected in support of Mary Sumner House, the worldwide body of Mothers' Union. A variety of giving options are available:
Freewill offerings accepted onsite
Donations by e-transfer to <lilian.ketch at gnb.ca>
Mail a cheque to Diane Radford: 105 Sutton Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 6L4
Use an offering envelope noting 'MU fundraiser' (tax receipt will be mailed)
Give online through the Cathedral website GIVE NOW link or our Facebook page and note 'MU fundraiser' (tax receipt immediately through email)
Pandemic precautions will be in effect. Bring your own lawn chair for social distancing with your bubble. Food will not be served, but we encourage you to bring your own picnic lunch to eat while you enjoy the entertainment. In the event of inclement weather, the show will be held inside the Cathedral without the picnic.
Mothers’ Union Canada is part of a global movement that has its work created, developed, coordinated and implemented by a group of people who work at Mary Sumner House in England. The COVID-19 crisis has detrimentally affected operations, and Mothers' Union needs support to continue the spiritual, practical and emotional support they have given worldwide for almost 150 years. The Cathedral Branch pledged $500 towards Mary Sumner House, and looks forward to this fundraiser for an important cause.
Throughout the pandemic, Christ Church Cathedral has been able to safely host a variety of musical performances, both public and private, under its COVID-19 operational plan.
After months of small groups of singers and no corporate singing, it is a blessing to hear voices lifted high in worship once again. Under the current Yellow Phase of the operational plan, members of the Cathedral congregation may now also sing during worship, wearing masks and maintaining two metres of physical distance between ‘bubbles. The choir and band continue to lead music, also maintaining appropriate distancing between performers. During Easter worship, an expanded choir was accommodated by using the sanctuary to spread out. The choir met in advance to rehearse and work out the 'choreography' and seating chart required to ensure physical distancing.
A variety of Fredericton musicians have also been welcomed into the Cathedral throughout the pandemic, with safety precautions such as attendance limits, sanitization, physical distancing, and masks for attendees (under public health guidelines, performers may remove their masks while singing if they are able to maintain appropriate distancing).
Public concerts at the Cathedral have included: the Elm City String Quartet; the Fredericton Symphony Orchestra and Atlantic Sinfonia; a concert featuring soprano Sally Dibblee, baritone Luke Noftall, and organist Thomas Gonder; as well as a solo organ concert by Cathedral Director of Music Thomas Gonder. Each of these concerts has been well attended by members of the community, who shared appreciation for the opportunity to listen to live music during this distressing time. We were honoured by the presence of Lieutenant Governor Brenda Murphy and her spouse, Her Honour Linda Boyle, at the Elm City String Quartet performance.
Christ Church Cathedral has wonderful acoustics which have been appreciated by several Music Festival participants, who were able to film their performances in the Cathedral with the assistance of their voice teacher, critically-acclaimed soprano Sally Dibblee.
Muriel Falkenstein will be advancing to the Provincial Music Festival at the Intermediate level. / Landon Garrett performed a song from the musical Hamilton in the Music Theatre class. / Muriel Falkenstein and Anne Marie Murphy. / Gillian Butler is one of two singers from Sally's studio chosen to represent Fredericton in the Junior Vocal Solo category at the Provincial Music Festival.
A mother-daughter pair dressed up for two themed rehearsals of the Fredericton Ladies' Choir.
The Fredericton Ladies Community Choir has combined technology and live performance in their practices. The choir been practicing online using Zoom during the pandemic, but this spring the choir, under the direction of Sally Dibblee, began livestreaming its rehearsals from the Cathedral. With the assistance of Cathedral audio/visual expert Peter Jacobs, physically distanced duos and trios were filmed to help the at-home singers follow along with their vocal parts. Choir rehearsals sometimes included costumes, such as a theme of ‘dress as your favourite choir song’, and a formal evening.
The Cathedral welcomes members of the community at worship and throughout the week. Inquiries about rentals can be directed to the Cathedral Office by email or phone (506) 450-8500.
As the pandemic has dragged on, disrupting all our lives, I've been waiting impatiently to get my first shot of a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.
Suddenly, the words of my late father penetrate my whiny muttering. Dad would often say: “There's always someone worse off than yourself.”
A bit red-faced, I ponder that bit of wisdom.
More advice floats to the surface.
My best friend, Deb, died of ovarian cancer this spring, still smiling and reminding people to “Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.”
My face gets redder.
After all, because I'm lucky enough to live in a relatively prosperous place like Canada with a good health-care system and with a government that bought zillions of doses in advance, it's certain that I will get vaccinated if I wish to do so. I enjoy privilege and security.
But, if I happened to live in a crowded slum in India, a remote village in Tanzania, or the high mountains of Bolivia, what would be the chances of my family getting the vaccine any time soon? Slim to none, possibly. And that's quite simply wrong.
I decided to take the advice of my wise Dad and my kind friend; be grateful for what you have and share it with someone who needs it. As soon as I get my jab, I'll pay it forward by donating to the Vaccine Equity Fund at the Primate's World Relief and Development Agency (PWRDF).
Canada's Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls, has written that seeking vaccine equity is not optional. She noted that our baptismal promises command us to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Archbishop Nicholls was also motivated by the words of her Anglican colleague, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of South Africa. “Everyone deserves more than the crumbs under the table when others are eating a full loaf of bread,” he pointed out.
Our Primate urged Anglicans to speak up for countries often left with “crumbs.”
For example, we can urge our members of Parliament to donate our excess vaccine to less fortunate nations because vaccine inequity threatens everyone while the virus rages. We can ask our prime minister to support a temporary suspension of trade restrictions, which control the price of vaccine, so that production can reach into heavily populated areas.
Aside from advocacy, the Primate suggested something tangible. When Anglicans receive their vaccines, they can contribute to the Vaccine Equity Fund at PWRDF. Each gift will support PWRDF partners in the most vulnerable parts of the world as they prepare for vaccination roll-out, including work already under way to supply PPE, thermometers, sanitation and hand-washing facilities, and accurate public health information.
If you visit the link to donate, you'll see that you can choose an amount which matches your personal budget. You can also dedicate your contribution to someone special, and PWRDF will notify them about your generosity.
It's going to be difficult for PWRDF to send e-mails to my father and my friend, but I won't let that little problem stop me from paying it forward and helping a vulnerable person somewhere get vaccinated against this deadly virus.
He is the Most Rev. David Edwards, bishop of the Diocese of Fredericton; and Metropolitan of the Province of Canada, which comes with the title of archbishop.
But he’d really rather be known as David.
How he got to New Brunswick is a winding story of God’s hand on his life that began in 1960...
The 2021 Canadian Mothers' Union Virtual Conference will be held online 04-05 June. The theme of the free event is 'Our God Is Still on the Move' and it will feature a keynote address by Worldwide Mothers' Union President Sheran Harper, guest speaker Bishop Bill Hockin, and a virtual banner parade.
Originally scheduled to be held in Fredericton, public health precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led the organizing committee to plan a virtual event, which they hope will be a source of inspiration and connection between Mothers' Union branches across Canada.
In areas where pandemic precautions allow, organizers hope that branches will take the opportunity to gather in bubbles on Friday, June 4, either at a member’s home, church or hall, remembering to be conscious of COVID safety protocols. This will allow for fellowship when worshipping together. All members will also have the option to connect to the conference using a Zoom link from their own home.
There will be no registration fee to attend the virtual conference. With no other costs for travel or accommodation involved, participants are asked to prayerfully consider donations to Mothers' Union's registered charities, the Northern Clergy Families Fund and Mary Sumner House.
