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.
Bishop Mathias, in red at centre, with Robert Griffin and representatives of the Ho Teaching Hospital. A partnership with the hospital will see them staff the mobile medical clinic.
The Diocese of Fredericton's fundraising campaign for a Mobile Medical Clinic in our Companion Diocese of Ho, Ghana has reached its goal! $100,000 has been raised in the Diocese, and the rest of the $268,000 project cost has come from Rotary.
Thank you to all who contributed. The clinic is on schedule to be in Ghana before the year is out, and any further funds donated will be used to purchase more equipment and supplies.
Christ Church Cathedral has a special relationship with the staff and students of St. Hilda’s Anglican School, an elementary school in the rural village of Georgeville. Two hundred children attend the school, ranging between kindergarten and grade 8. 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 gone on a mission trip to Belize, and hundreds of people in Fredericton have supported the work through organizational support, donations and prayers.
As part of the Cathedral's ongoing financial commitment to St. Hilda's, in 2020 we sent the school $1000 in August and $1000 in December to contribute to ongoing needs for the students and teachers. Although we were unable to do any fundraising in 2020 due to COVID-19, enough funds were available from efforts in 2019 to continue our support for the school.
The money sent to St. Hilda's was helpful in preparing for opening of the school with the restrictions and regulations of COVID-19. They used the funds to purchase cleaning and sanitation supplies, as well as garbage bins, masks, and gloves for teachers. Teachers were also given a stipend to assist with classroom preparation and arrangements for physical distancing.
According to Ms. Jane, principal of St. Hilda’s, the school typically holds fundraising events throughout the year to help with supplies, but has been unable to do so since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We communicate with Ms. Jane on a regular basis, who recently shared, "I continue to express sincere gratitude to our Friends of St. Hilda’s family. You all have truly blessed us. I keep seeing God working through your sponsorship. When we were at our lowest, that’s when the funds came through. We are truly thankful. Prayers for you all during this time. God’s continued blessing on your ministry."
In addition to support of the elementary school, the Cathedral supports scholarships for selected St. Hilda's graduates. In Belize, the average age at which a child leaves school is 13 years old, because of the prohibitive costs of high school. 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 to four students, which helps to cover the cost of tuition, books and other required materials. The 2020-2021 scholarship students are Edvin Perez Grade 9, Gian Myvette Grade 10, Jenniah Tillett Grade 11, and Joselyn Herrera Grade 12.
Our congregation continues to support and pray for the students and teachers at St. Hilda’s school, past and present.
Christ Church Cathedral easily holds 250, but on April 1, Maundy Thursday, about 30 people were present for the Renewal of Vows and Blessing of Oils.
Archbishop David Edwards presided, with Dean Geoffrey Hall assisting. Cheryl Jacobs read the intersessions, while the Rev. Chris Tapera, new rector in the Parish of Bathurst, and Debbie Edwards gave the readings.
Layreaders, one deacon, priests and one bishop renewed their vows during the service. Normally a lunch follows, but with pandemic restrictions in place, no food was served.
During his sermon, David talked of the importance of marking the call of God to ministry.
“Today is in the holiest of weeks, and we gather here to celebrate and remember,” he said. “Some are called to ‘particular and weighty’ roles, though we are share a role.”
Award-winning author Philip Yancey writes that prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet and relate.
“We're supposed to be a praying people,” agrees Carolyn Howlett in recalling why she got involved in the prayer network at the cathedral. “We're on a daily walk with the Lord, and it's important to listen, to care and to bring the needs of other people to Him.”
In 1996 a co-ordinator was needed to take over from Reid and Ethel Saunders who had capably led the prayer network for some time. Carolyn offered to step in, never thinking she would be at the helm for a quarter of a century.
“There was a small, willing group of volunteers in the cathedral community to pray for congregational needs and other issues, and it grew over time,” she says.
Sometimes people ask God for all manner of things: to sell their house, to find a job, to survive a divorce, to make it rain.
“We weren't dealing with those types of problems; we focused on requests for healing,” Carolyn says. She stresses that confidentiality was always of the highest importance, and it remains so.
She would inform the other members by telephone -- in more recent years by e-mail -- that a person was struggling with cancer treatments or a serious accident, that a major surgery was under way, that someone was hospitalized and near death.
Isabelle Hockin, one of several longtime members, puts it this way: “I think it’s a huge comfort to people with an urgent concern to know that they can turn to the prayer chain and trust that there will be a group of believers praying for them and/or their loved ones in their hour of need.”
She sees Matthew 7:7 as the guiding principle: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.
Feedback was usually positive, regardless of the outcome of the particular situation. Typical comments include “the prayer chain made all the difference” or “it uplifted us at a difficult time” or “it helped me with my grief.”
After 25 years, the time has come for Carolyn to pass the torch to another member of the congregation who also believes that being a Christian means leading a life of prayer.
Linda Waugh has been a member of a Charis group for more than 20 years and has always been willing to pray for others.
“I have been thankful for their prayers when I needed them,” Linda explains. “Prayer is powerful, and it is very comforting to know there are others praying for you. In turn, I was glad to be able to pray for other members when they needed prayer.”
Linda thinks it's possible that some people in the cathedral family don't realize that they can ask for confidential prayers for themselves, their friends and family members who need God's love and healing.
“I hope people will feel free to get in touch with me, so that the good work done in the past can be continued for a long time to come,” she says. “My e-mail address is <lmwaugh at live.com> which will likely be published often in the church bulletin for people's convenience.”
Linda is also thankful that Carolyn has agreed to continue as a member of the prayer network.
“It's such a part of me,” Carolyn says, absolutely confident that prayer is effective in bringing God's compassion and comfort to people in their times of trouble.
Washington National Cathedral in the United States has assembled an educational resource for Lent and Easter, filled with family-friendly resources to celebrate the seasons. It answers some commonly asked questions, and includes prayers and activities to explore the stories and traditions that bind us together.
The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held in the Cathedral on Sunday, 21 February at 11:45 a.m, following worship. A representative from each family in the congregation is urged to participate.
Members of the congregation can participate in three ways:
1) Attend the meeting in-person. Please sign upseparately for worship and in-person attendance at the meeting. Maximum capacity of 50 for each event, according to pandemic regulations for gatherings in the Orange Alert Level.
3) Participate online via Zoom, using the link in your Friday bulletin email (if subscribed), or email the Cathedral Office <office at christchurchcathedral.com> for the link. If you've used Zoom on your device before, you're all set. If not, you'll be given instructions for installing the Zoom application. Zoom participants will be able to view speakers at the lectern, vote, and ask questions through a moderator. Looking for detailed instructions for voting via Zoom?
It’s been a long time since Rosa Macaulay’s been home, seen her brothers and sisters and revisited childhood memories in her hometown. It’s not that she doesn’t want to return. It’s that she can’t.
Gang violence, government instability, severe shortages of basic goods, a poverty rate of 96 per cent and massive unemployment in Venezuela have kept her in Fredericton.
Her birth country has been the victim of its own success. When oil was discovered a century ago, the country grew exponentially, but in the wrong way — becoming almost totally dependent on one export while failing to build its infrastructure and diversify its economy. A succession of military dictators, corruption and unstable world oil markets put it in a precarious position.
Then a socialist president, Hugo Chavez, who promised so much, evolved into an authoritarian who took power for himself from every institution. He died in 2013, leaving more unrest and instability that has only worsened.
So the country with the largest oil reserves in the world cannot feed, educate or care for its own people, cannot maintain law and order and cannot sell most of its oil due to sanctions imposed by many countries. That is why Rosa stays in Fredericton.
CHILDHOOD Rosa is a middle child of 12. She grew up in San Antonio, a small border town in southwest Venezuela just across the Rio Tachira from Columbia. Her family was very close, her father a military man. Church, school and family were her life.
When she graduated from high school in 1975, the country had a scholarship program to send students away to foreign universities. The aim was for them to return as educated professionals, mostly in the oil industry.
“There were not many people prepared to work in the oil industry and not a lot of universities,” said Rosa. “So the country decided to give scholarships. I applied and ended up coming to Canada.”
Actually, if all had gone according to plan, Rosa would have gone to university in the UK, and come home to work in the oil industry as a chemical engineer.
But neither of those two things happened.
“While I was waiting to be told when to go to England, I got word that a group was ready to go to Canada,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
EDUCATION
When she looks back now, it seems quite amazing that she even left her country. She had never been anywhere and was always under the protection of her parents.
“I was very much shy. My mother and father represented me. I depended on them for everything,” she said.
She asked them if she should go to Canada. With 12 children in the family seeking their futures, of course the answer was to seize the new opportunity.
“That’s how I ended up coming to Canada,” she said.
A group of 35 Venezuelans arrived at Loyola College in Montreal (later Concordia University) with one goal — to learn English.
After that year, the students were encouraged to apply to Canadian universities, and Rosa applied to the University of New Brunswick, where the answer was no.
She continued to take courses, applied again, and the answer was yes. She entered the chemical engineering program, and that is where she met John.
MARRIED LIFE
Meeting John Macaulay was the second big turning point in Rosa’s life. Her future was now firmly set in Canada.
John graduated in 1981, and Rosa, due to delays, visits back home and her time in Montreal, graduated in 1983. In the meantime, the two became engaged, but John was in Alberta working on his PhD.
They did their marriage preparation classes separately, John with an Anglican priest in Edmonton, and Rosa with a Roman Catholic priest in Fredericton. They were married at St. Dunstan’s Catholic Church in Fredericton in 1983, with both denominations participating.
Then it was back to Alberta. Rosa had a few job interviews, but without experience, she had no offers. Unlike her classmates who worked in the field during their university years, Rosa, on a student visa, was not permitted to work. And by this time, a recession was in play, closing a lot of doors.
After Alberta, the couple moved to St. John’s, NL for John’s post-doctoral work. In 1988, their daughter, Rachel, was born. Their son, Warren, was born in 1989.
“We always thought wouldn’t it be nice to go back to Fredericton, with at least one set of grandparents there. I really liked Fredericton,” she said.
They had a short stint in Ottawa, then in 1989, John accepted a position with the Research and Productivity Council in Fredericton, where he remained for the duration of his career. He retired two years ago, but Rosa works part-time.
ANGLICANISM
Rosa is still Roman Catholic, but she’s pretty immersed in Anglican life at Christ Church Cathedral. John was baptised there, and when his parents invited her to attend when she and John were dating, she was anxious.
She’d never been to anything but a Catholic service. Would it be formal? Big? Intimidating?
What she found was a service very similar to what she was used to, “but there was so much singing in the Anglican church.”
She loved the singing. They continued to attend Anglican services on campus in Alberta, and back in
Fredericton, the children were heavily involved in Cathedral life, joining choir, youth group, puppeteers and traveling to Belize for missions.
When she was asked to teach Sunday school, she was sure she was unqualified, but she said yes, and enjoyed years of teaching children. She became nursery coordinator and helped with the choir. And at her mother-in-law’s suggestion, she joined Mothers’ Union.
“I didn’t know anything about it. Now I’m still a member!” she said. “When you have kids, you say yes to everything.”
For 12 years she prepared and led Prayers of the People, which she counts as a privilege. She and John volunteer with Helping Hands, a ministry that provides food, drives and other help, mostly to seniors.
She enjoyed the faithful support of her in-laws throughout her marriage.
“I always had examples — John’s parents were always involved. I always looked to them as an example. They were very kind and very helpful. I have always been in good hands and I’ve always felt welcome.”
She cites Mothers’ Union members, especially the older ones there when she joined, as another positive influence on her life as a young wife and mother in a new country.
BACK HOME As things deteriorated in Venezuela many years ago, Rosa realized the importance of becoming a Canadian citizen.
“I’ve been very happy here. I love Canada. I’ve never felt anyone was against me for being from somewhere else.”
Years ago, the family usually visited Venezuela every other year, “so the children could meet their cousins, uncles and aunts. They loved going there and speaking Spanish,” said Rosa. “But we haven’t been there since Warren was 12. He’s 31 now.”
The families use Facebook to keep in touch, though they all miss family. Even if it were safe, though, there is still the issue of poverty.
“There would be more mouths to feed when we get there,” said Rosa. “It’s a very bad situation. It wasn’t like that. It shouldn’t be like that. It’s a rich country in ruins.
“It’s sad. I never imagined it could get to be this way. For 20 years we have been saying it can’t get any worse, but it has.
“I don’t know when we’ll ever be able to do that, but there’s hope. We hope. We pray all the time. That’s what I can do.”
Most of her siblings still live in Venezuela and they get by.
“They are doing well because we are helping,” she said, adding that even sending money to the country is getting difficult.
“I’ve put off retiring three times because I feel I need to do this — as long as I can and as long as they need it. We help, and the rest is prayers going their way.”
The New Brunswick Anglican's series, My Journey Here, features members of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton whose roots are far from New Brunswick. If you are from another country, but live and worship in the Diocese of Fredericton, perhaps you'd like to be featured. Contact Gisele McKnight for information: <gmcknight at diofton.ca> or 506-459-1801, ext 1009.
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.
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.
