Category Archives: Events

Making Anglican prayer beads

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The Cathedral's Spirituality of the Seasons group met to make their own prayer beads on the afternoon of Wednesday, 22 May.

Originally scheduled as a Spirituality of Easter session, the date was postponed into Pentecost. Due to the popularity of the varied sessions, gatherings have extended but will break before the summer.

Deacon Debbie Edmondson led the beading session, providing instructions, materials and prayers for participants.

"Anglican prayer beads (also known as the Anglican rosary) were created as a tool for prayer. It is a prayer form which is a blending of the Marian (Roman Catholic) Rosary and the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope and encourages a wider range of prayers. It is a simple form of prayer available to all of God's children, and is a way of allowing God's Word to sink deeply into the soul and become prayer in us." (Download the resource: 'A Circle of Prayer: The Anglican Rosary for All of God’s People' from the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer)

Other members of the congregation (and beyond) have indicated interest in attending a beading session at a different time of day, and we hope to be able to offer this in the future.

[Pictured in photo: Sandra Noftell, Pamela Naugler, Janet Maston, Charlene Worrall, and Rachel Ranson]

 

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!

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.

Many contributions to the pancake supper

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Gary Barfitt, President of the Cathedral Guild of St. Joseph, shared this message of thanks regarding the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper.

Gary Barfitt, David Perritt and Jim Morell - three of the many volunteers who spent time organizing and serving at the 2024 pancake supper.

As we close the books on our 2024 Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, on behalf of the Cathedral Guild of St. Joseph, I want to offer a huge thank-you to all those who helped make it a success. Thank you to all the volunteers who worked to get the pancakes, sausages, beans, and gingerbread from the back of the kitchen to the tables in the Hall. There were over 50 people taking care of the many and varied tasks required to feed this year’s over 170 patrons. And the generosity of those patrons raised more than $1900 towards the work of the Guild. We especially thank those people who supported us by attending the event and, apparently, enjoying the meal and the opportunity to spend time with friends.

Stay tuned for our next Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper which will be on Tuesday, March 4, 2025!

The approximately 220 people came and went over a two-hour dinner period, seated "family style" in long tables in the Main Hall. Don't worry, all of the volunteers got to eat, too! It was a great opportunity for conversation with fellow Cathedral members and neighbours from our community.

If you, or anyone you know, left an item at the event, drop by Cathedral Memorial Hall to check the coat rack and the Lost & Found box!

Several members of the Cathedral Communications Committee took photos of the popular event, which are shared below.

Christmas Luncheon

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The ACW and Health Ministry enjoyed planning and presenting this luncheon, and sharing their collections of unique and favourite Santa Claus and Snowmen decorations.

The empty chairs you see in the photo were filled with more than 40 people from our congregation on 05 December, which was a lovely winter day.

The soups were a hit, and few Christmas sweets were left for the elves. There was no fee for the meal, but many donations and items in gift bags were collected for Grace House women’s shelter.

Deacon Debbie Edmondson offered a thoughtful and timely reflection as to the hope and anticipated joy of the Advent season. Catherine Macdonald provided a lovely piano medley of Christmas favourites during the lunch period.

To bring so many together to enjoy fellowship – and food, was a blessing and reward for the hosts of the day.

- by Kaye Small

Christmas Luncheon hosted by ACW

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Celebrate the coming of Christmas with Cathedral members and friends!

Gather for soup, rolls, sweets, tea and coffee, surrounded by a display of Snowmen and Santa Claus.

This holiday event will be hosted by the Anglican Church Women (ACW) on Tuesday, 05 December, from 11:30-1:30 p.m. in Cathedral Memorial Hall.

Personal care items and donations will be collected for Grace House women's shelter.

Share your snowmen and Santa decorations to help us decorate! Deliver items to the Cathedral Office between 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on weekdays. Don't forget to label items with your name, so they can be returned!