Author Archive: Kirsten McKnight

Living with Dying

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A five-part presentation and conversation series called 'Living with Dying' will held in the Cathedral on five consecutive Wednesday evenings in May and June.

The series will consider many of the important topics related to death and the dying process. Topics will include: End of life care options (with presentations from Palliative Care and Hospice professionals); Medical assistance in dying (with a lawyer sharing legal dimensions and interpretations of MAiD legislation); and Christian teaching on death and dying.

All sessions will run from 7:00 p.m. until approximately 8:30 p.m.

15 May: Introductory Session ~ An informal conversation facilitated by Dean Geoffrey Hall, introducing some of the big ideas and considerations around end-of-life issues. We'll look forward in this session also to hearing from audience members about the most pressing concerns & questions on their minds regarding living and dying well.

22 May: Palliative Care Session ~ Palliative Care is a way to care for patients with life-threatening illnesses, with a focus on quality-of-life – including the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and their families. We look forward to having the chance in this session to meet and chat with some members of the local (hospital-based) and extramural palliative care teams.

29 May: Hospice Care Session ~ Hospice Fredericton provides excellence in end-of-life care and bereavement support to palliative patients and their families. Come along to this session to meet a representative of the specialized team from Hospice House, our city's 10-bed residential facility. (*Special note: The "grief library" at Hospice House is named in honour of our very own Penny Ericson!)

5 June: MAiD Session ~ In June 2016, the Parliament of Canada passed federal legislation that allows eligible adults in Canada to request medical assistance in dying. Come along to this session to hear from a practicing lawyer updates and about legal dimensions and interpretations of the Medical Assistance in Dying legislation.

12 June: Faith Perspective Session ~ Our concluding session of the series will consider the important Christian teaching(s) regarding end-of-life questions and considerations. Come join facilitator Archbishop David Edwards for this conversation.

Download the leaflet

Valuable advance reading: “Faith Seeking Understanding – Medical Assistance in Dying” Reflections by Canadian Anglicans. Watch our calendar for suggested downloads for each session. Read it online or order a book from anglican.ca. Visit our YouTube Channel playlist for video.

Thy Kingdom Come 2024

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Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. What started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.

Download the Guide for Eleven Days of Prayer

Join the global wave of prayer calling all Christians to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know the love and peace of Jesus Christ. We hope that you choose to participate in this global prayer movement. This year, a special emphasis is suggested as we pray for youth and young families.

Christ Church Cathedral will participate from 09-19 May 2024, with group and individual prayer initiatives. View the Guide for Eleven Days of Prayer for information about events, resources for all ages, and readings to help you focus. Printed copies are available at the Cathedral and Hall. Resources such as a Prayer Journal and Novena are also available to download for free on the Thy Kingdom Come website.

Thy Kingdom Come begins with Ascension and ends with Pentecost. Celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on Thursday 09, May at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathedral. Celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, 19 May at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in the Cathedral.

In the days between Ascension and Pentecost, it has been the habit of many Christians, for centuries, to make the focus of our prayers the same as those first believers. Christ’s last instruction to His disciples on the day of his Ascension is to ‘wait for the gift my Father promised’ (Acts 1:4).

Join us on weekdays during Thy Kingdom Come for a local discussion (45 min) about the series of reflections by Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion on passages from Revelation. We begin at 5:15 p.m. Friday 10 May in the Memorial Hall boardroom or via Video Conference (see our calendar).

Commit to attending the Daily Office in the morning (8:45 a.m.) and the evening (4:45 p.m.) in the Cathedral. Join us for this prayer Tuesday - Friday during Thy Kingdom Come (due to the Victoria Day holiday on Monday, May 22). It takes about 15 minutes.

Help to plan a community music and theatre event

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Our Director of Music, Thomas Gonder, is eager to spearhead an effort to organize a dinner theatre/variety show event in the Fall.

This would take considerable organization that would need to begin shortly. This event would be geared to all ages and also the wider community. This could be a potentially thrilling event considering the amount of talent in our own community and that of Fredericton itself.

Thomas is interested in gauging a level of interest in putting this together and would be grateful to hear from you.

Please email <t.gonder at cccath.ca> if you are supportive of this initiative and/or wish to contribute. Next effort would be to assemble a team and have a brainstorming meeting.

Thomas will be pleased to hear from you!

Regarding future plans for Christ Church Cathedral

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An initial congregational meeting was held in the Fall, where Archbishop David was asked to look into establishing a foundation to take ownership of the building in order to raise funds for its restoration, while retaining it as a place of worship. To that end a committee was established to advise the archbishop about ways forward. A second congregational meeting was held April 25 in order to provide an update.

Discussions will now happen between the Cathedral Bishop and Chapter and members of the advisory group looking at the needs of the congregation and how these might be met by any future foundation. This will be a detailed process and may lead to an operating agreement between the two groups, providing a basis upon which to move ahead.

Volunteers needed for hospital worship services

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Worship services will soon resume at the Dr. Everett Chalmers hospital in Fredericton, and volunteers from multiple parishes are sought for the following ministry options:

  • Lead in the Service of the Word
  • Lead in music ministry
  • Offer a brief reflection

Members of the Hospital Worship team will become members of the Spiritual Care Department at the hospital. This requires a yearly renewal by completing a series of e-learning modules from Horizon Health Network which are the basic requirements of all Horizon Health employees. Each module takes about 15 minutes to complete. Members are also required to have an updated criminal record check and sign a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Members of the Spiritual Care Department receive free parking, access to the employee entrance, and access to the Hospital Library and any educational offerings that are relevant (and/or of interest).

Anyone interested in assisting with worship services at the hospital should contact:

The Rev'd Debbie Edmondson, Deacon <debbie.edmondson at anglican.nb.ca>
Eva Morton <eva.moron at gmail.com>

Spring Tea provides treats, treasures, and outreach support

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Cathedral Health Ministries with help from the Anglican Church Women (ACW), hosted a 'Spring Awakes' Tea in the Cathedral on the afternoon of April 23. This all-inclusive gathering was in keeping with the Medley Tea of former years that celebrated the arrival of spring.

The Reverend Isabel Cutler and the Reverend Debbie Edmondson, Deacons, opened the afternoon “celebration” with prayer and poetry readings.

Hank Williams, a Cathedral Verger (and Cathedral lay historian) displayed historical tapestries, sacramental and decorative items, and shared stories associated with the items. Attendees were pleased to see three tables of treasures; some of which are typically stored in the Cathedral vault. Items included:

  • The Royal Bible, given to the Cathedral by H.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales on his visit in 1860. It was subsequently signed by many royals when visiting Fredericton, including Queen Elizabeth (as Queen, and when she was Princess), Prince Phillip, and King Charles (when he was Prince of Wales).
  • A Traveling Altar, used by Bishop Tully Kingdon, third Bishop of Fredericton (1892-1907) in his travels around the diocese.
  • Small bells made from molten metal from the original cathedral bells of 1853, following the fire in 1911. They were created to raise funds for restoration.
  • A silver communion set, said to have been given to St. Paul's Church, Public Landing, NB by George III.
  • Hangings for the high altar, designed and sewn by Lucy McNeill.
  • The Queen Victoria pulpit fall, said to be made from cloth from the coronation robes of Queen Victoria (unconfirmed).
  • An altar frontal with a label on the back which says it was hanging on an altar in Westminister Abbey on the day of the coronation of King William IV in 1830.

The Cathedral Outreach Committee was pleased and grateful to receive a large quantity and a wide variety of toiletries for the outreach program, which were donated by attendees of the Tea. These items will be offered to people in need, along with non-perishable groceries, supermarket gift cards, a bag lunch, used clothing and small housewares, during monthly gatherings held in Cathedral Memorial Hall.

Everyone enjoyed the afternoon gathering of conversation, tea, treats, and viewing the vault treasures. It is so important to continue to host gatherings, as these events strengthen the bonds of our church community - spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Congregational Meeting with the Bishop

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A congregational meeting will be held at the request of the Bishop from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 25 April. The meeting will be held in Cathedral Memorial Hall.

All members of the congregation are invited to attend this follow-up to the November 2023 meeting about the cathedral building. Minutes from that meeting can be found in your Annual Report.

Guided Autobiographical Narrative Group

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It’s your story to tell!

The Cathedral Guided Autobiographical Narrative Group will encourage story-sharing across generations as a way to strengthen the fabric of community and family life.

We plan to host 10 sessions in total. Spring sessions have been postponed and will resume in the Fall. Meetings will be held inside the Cathedral for ease of accessibility.

For more information and to sign-up, please contact Isabel Cutler <i.cutler at cccath.ca>.

 

Gather for tea, treats and treasures

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The Cathedral Health Ministry and Anglican Church Women (ACW) invite you to attend a Spring gathering in the Cathedral.

Join us on Tuesday, 23 April from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Enjoy tea, treats and treasures. You’ll have the opportunity to view rarely-seen historical treasures from the Cathedral!

The Cathedral is wheelchair accessible. All are welcome.

Donations of toiletry items will be gratefully accepted for the Cathedral Outreach program.

Spirituality of Easter

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Wednesday afternoon spirituality sessions at Cathedral Memorial Hall will continue through Eastertide, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

The sessions will maintain the now-customary basic structure of a "Celtic Threshold Gathering" -- which comprises a simple regular sequence of elements, informed by a specific theme for the day/week. Four of the seven Spirituality of Easter sessions will have as their theme a particular -- and particularly interesting -- saint!  Not to worry -- there's nothing required to memorize or prepare beforehand; it just means that the basic pattern of the gatherings will remain consistent. It also means that each session is "standalone," so drop-ins and even one-timers are most welcome!

Themes and topics include several saints. Please RSVP to Kurt Schmidt to prepare materials and set-up. Email <k.schmidt at cccath.ca>.

• 3 April ~ Holy Laughter / Risus Paschalis
• 10 April ~ no session (rescheduled to 22 May)
• 17 April ~ Kateri Tekakwitha
• 24 April ~ Celtic Eastertide
• 1 May ~ Catherine of Siena
• 8 May ~ Julian of Norwich
• 15 May ~ Brendan the Navigator
• 22 May ~ Anglican Prayer Beads

The session on Anglican Prayer Beads (build-your-own with supplies provided) has been rescheduled to Wednesday, 22 May at 2:00 p.m. in the Formation Room. Due to rescheduling, this session will now be 'Spirituality of Pentecost'!