Category Archives: Education

2023 ADVENT-ures

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The new Church year is once again upon us!

 Why not add something to your devotional life to mark a fresh start?

Choose from the following list of diverse opportunities on the Advent weekdays to deepen your prayer and/or study and/or worship.

MONDAYS - beginning 27 November

  • Spirituality of Advent – Prayer Series: Contemplative ideas and practices for Advent and beyond. Celtic Advent, Centering Prayer and Labyrinth Walks among the topics to be covered. Led by Kurt Schmidt. In person, 2:00-3:00 p.m., Cathedral Memorial Hall Lounge.
    * Please reserve your seat with Kurt for any/all sessions.

TUESDAYS - beginning 28 November

WEDNESDAYS - beginning 29 November

THURSDAYS - beginning 30 November

  • Taizé worship: A simple and contemplative half hour of scripture, prayer, silence and song. 5:30 p.m. start.
    30 November and 14 December in-person and livestreamed from the Cathedral.
    7 and 21 December on Zoom.
    * Link through the Cathedral Calendar or from Kurt.

 

DAILY / ONGOING

  • Divine Office: Regular, short daily prayer opportunity in the Cathedral. Morning Prayer at 8:45 a.m., Evening Prayer at 4:45 p.m. Weekdays.
    * Just drop in!
  • Dante Group: But reading Milton now! Reflective study of Paradise Lost. Led by Alan Hall. Thursday evenings, 7:00-8:00 p.m., Cathedral Memorial Hall Lounge.
    * Just drop in!
  • Holy Eucharist: Wednesday mornings, 10:00 a.m. in the Cathedral.

 

You are encouraged to add at least one new Advent-ure to your schedule this year!


Questions or expressions of interest can be communicated to Cathedral Director of Christian Formation, Kurt Schmidt by email <formation at christchurchcathedral.com> or by phone/text to (506) 259-3711. Thank you, and Advent Blessings!

 

Mess Makes Meaning Godly Play Podcast

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Caring for young children's spirituality is a delicate balance and can often be made more difficult when we grown-ups don't care for ourselves.  Struggling through religious or church-related trauma or even feelings of inadequacy when it comes to answering our children's big questions.  Mess Makes Meaning aims to equip parents/caregivers to remind them and their children they are deeply loved by interviewing some guests who are professionals in this vital work. With relatable humor from hosts and guests alike, this podcast is for you and created by Godly Play®

Everyday Godly Play has a Podcast! Mess Makes Meaning: lifting up children's spirituality for all the grown ups @everydaygodlyplay. This is a new resource for parents and caregivers! Mess Makes Meaning is available on any podcast platform - check out episodes, give it a listen and share it with your friends and family!  See the preview and list of episodes on Apple Postcasts.

Visit Goldy Play Canada

Cathedral Sunday intercessors meet

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PrayerThose who lead Sunday intercessions gathered on Tuesday, November 7th with Deacon Isabel Cutler to discuss and share resources used in this ministry of prayer.

An invitation had been made to others with interest in joining the team which is comprised of about 12 individuals. Assignments are currently determined by way of the Cathedral Signup for worship and all were encouraged to sign up well in advance to facilitate planning and to make opportunities open to all who participate.

Prayer leaders facilitate the prayers of the congregation and encourage all who worship to be actively involved in the process by offering their intentions and petitions in silence or aloud reflecting their own need and those known to them. While there are several categories often routinely addressed like: prayers for the church, the world, the ill, those who have died and those who mourn, it's not necessary, possible or preferred to pray for "every thing or every body every time." The main goal is to assist the assembly in its corporate prayer.

Among topics of discussion were Anglican "models" of prayer, preparation time, pros and cons of extemporaneous vs formula prayers, the context of the day's scripture or season, the value of diversity, style and content, the need to be cautious with politically-loaded opinions, instructing God about how to behave, and resisting preaching through prayer. The usual or most common categories included in the Sunday intercessions or prayers of the people were identified.

Attendees were also encouraged to offer resources they have found helpful in preparation. Among were many that can be found online including:

Several books in print were briefly discussed noting that many are available at a reasonable cost by way of a web search of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) number which often discovers items on sale or used book sources as well as affordable e-book options.

If you're interested in this ministry your welcome and encouraged to content Isabel Cutler or the Dean to explore. Mentoring or tutoring can be arranged to assist in becoming an intercessor.

GMH

Social media and marriage: 5 essential tips

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Social media has become so pervasive that it’s hard to even remember what it was like without it. These days, it almost takes more intention and effort to avoid it than to join in. Friends and family use it for events and parties; it’s where all the latest trends seem to pop up, and people even gain celebrity status just by sharing their lives on it.

It begs the question: what impact has it had on marriages and relationships? While there are probably a few positives, one could argue that the effects skew pretty negative. The good news, of course, is that you can avoid this outcome. Here are five essential tips to ensure that social media doesn’t harm your marriage.

1. Set boundaries.

Are you in agreement about what is and isn’t okay to share about each other and your relationship? What about who you communicate with or are “friends” with? What should you do if an ex reaches out? Even if these things are not an issue for you, it’s good to have a conversation just to make sure you’re on the same page. And if it has caused conflict in the past ...  Read more

The Way of Discernment

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The Way of Discernment
by Elizabeth Liebert
Westminster, John Knox / 2008 / 170 pages

The Way of Discernment invites the reader into a series of experiments leading to discernment as a way of life and as a way of making decisions in the light of faith and a corresponding desire to follow God’s call. Liebert says: “Discernment means making a discriminating choice between two or more good options, seeking the best for this moment. These choices, while personal and conditional, are set within the community of faith and honor our previous well-made decisions” (p. 10). This text grew out of the author’s extensive experience with discernment as personal practice, her deep understanding of the Ignatian and biblical traditions of discernment, and her experience in making this important spiritual practice accessible to members of the reformed Christian tradition. The book itself is practical in its goal to serve as a facilitator of discernment for the reader.

Unique among texts on discernment of Spirits, it succinctly describes how discernment has been understood in Christian tradition; seamlessly provides a brief theology of discernment from Scripture, Ignatius of Loyola, and Calvin; and creates a seven-step framework for making an important decision through spiritual discernment.

These seven steps create the structure of the book, which treats each step in turn, always offering descriptions of processes that assist discernment. After treating the foundational dispositions necessary for discernment (interior freedom and awareness of one’s desires), foundational chapters include directions for specific practices. “The Awareness Examen” helps a person notice interior movements. “Remembering Your Personal History” personalizes one’s grounding, and “Seeking Spiritual Freedom” opens self to God’s influence. “Framing Your Discernment Question” helps one correctly identify the choice to be discerned.

The practice of “Gathering Relevant Data” sets up the remainder of the volume. It describes what to include as relevant data in a prayerful context with advice about noticing affective response to the information as it emerges. Honoring difference in personality styles and ways of discovering data, seven more practices are offered as “points of entry”—memory, intuition, somatic awareness, imagination, reason, religious affections, and nature. Each discerner is left free to use any or as many of these entry points as is helpful. The chapter on religious affections is unique in treating both Ignatius Loyola’s teaching on as well as Jonathon Edwards’ the final steps in the process are confirming one’s decision after formulating it, then assessing the entire process.

This is a text for spiritual directors, formation directors, pastoral counselors, and ministers who can put it into the hands of anyone who desires to make a decision that takes into account both one’s own life with God and the effect on important relationships of a decision. This book provides holistic, accessible, and solid guidance for practicing discernment across the spectrum of Christian denominations.

Janet K. Ruffing, RSM

5 Things That Undermine an Apology – Prepare/Enrich

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Have you ever been on the receiving end of a bad apology? How did it make you feel? Even if you couldn’t articulate exactly what what was off about it, you might have walked away feeling a sense of dissatisfaction, or even more hurt or angry than you were initially. Have you been on the other side of this situation? You tried to apologize to your spouse, but it was not received well. Maybe you felt like you were doing all the right things, but it’s not coming across the way you’d like. What went wrong?

The fact of the matter is, a meaningful apology is more than just uttering the words, “I’m sorry.” Here are five things that can undermine an apology.

1. The “I’m sorry, but…”

If you’re adding “but” to the end of your apology, you’re essentially contradicting anything you said before it. Sometimes it’s an excuse: “I’m sorry I said that, but I was really frustrated.” Other times it’s a way to shift blame: “I’m sorry I did that, but you did it first.” And sometimes, you’re simply trying to offer an explanation: “I’m sorry I was so late and didn’t call, but I took a wrong turn.” It’s natural to want to explain yourself and even to deflect blame away from yourself. However, attaching these conditions to your apology is essentially leaning into an excuse for what you did. Instead, work on taking ownership and ...  Read more

NOVENA – Thy Kingdom Come 2023

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NOVENAJoin us at 5:15 p.m. on weekdays during Thy Kingdom Come.

Two options to participate: 1) In person in the boardroom, second floor of Cathedral Memorial Hall 2) Online via video conference. Check the Cathedral web calendar event to connect. Download or view the NOVENA reflections.

The word novena is taken from “novem,” the Latin word for nine. A novena is usually made up of nine days of prayer and meditation.

Novenas are an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the Apostles. Jesus told his disciples to pray together after his ascension into heaven, so they went to an upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Acts 1:14) and joined constantly in prayer for nine days. These nine days of constant prayer by the Apostles at the direction of Jesus led up to Pentecost. This is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-4). This pattern of 9 days of prayer is the basis of the novenas we pray today.

Thus, the novena is an imitation of the Lord’s command to the Apostles when they prayed for 9 days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

AST 2023 Grad Projects

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AST Graduate Project Presentations 2023

Atlantic School of Theology has some of the brightest students around!

In Halifax or online on March 14 & 15 celebrating their work and cutting-edge research as part of graduate projects

​ Click here to register

Tuesday March 14, 2023

Compassion - 1:00-2:30 ADT

Stephanie Rose - Bridging the Gap: Practicing Infant Baptism in a Post-Christian Society

Catherine Ann Dickson - Who Do You Say I Am? Stories Women in Recovery Tell About Their Experiences of Church

Stacey Mortson - Remembering Whose We Are: Faith in the Face of Dementia

Relationship - 3:00-4:30 ADT

Michelle Robichaud - An Emptiness in My Belly: The Relationship Between Loneliness and Spirituality

Caitlin Smithers - Error 404 (building not found): Experiencing Christian Community Online

Jessie Crabtree - Kindred in the Spirit: Experiences of Friendship in Church Life

Wednesday, March 15

Justice - 1:00-2:30 ADT

Rhonda Schofield - Outside In: Exploring the Inner Workings of Outward-Facing Congregations

Damber Khadka - A Song for Everyone: Exploring Music for Worship in an Intercultural Church

Sarah Giles - Stepping Stones: Taking Indigenous Reconciliation from the Pews to the People

Pandemic - 3:00-4:30 ADT

Laura Rousseau - Unvaxxed and Uninvited: Christians Whose Communities Worshipped Without Them During a Pandemic

Kirsten Evenden - We've Never Done It That Way: Anglican Worship in Virtual Spaces

 

Ad-LENT-ures 2023

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22 February - 01 April 2023

During the Season of Lent, all members of the Cathedral congregation are encouraged to consider individual or small group study or reflection. The 40 days of Lent are an excellent time to take on a discipline of deeper reflection on the Christian life, growing personally in discipleship as well as helping us grow as a community of Christian faith. (See BAS p. 282 and BCP p. 612)

MONDAYS ~ beginning 27 February

Afternoon Study Group
Book study of Let Me Go There: The Spirit of Lent by Paula Gooder -- the Archbishop's recommended study book for 2023. Come join the conversation(s) about Lenten themes such as wilderness, journey, prayer and fasting. Facilitated by Dean Geoffrey Hall. 2:00-3:15 p.m, in Cathedral Memorial Hall. RSVP.

*Note: The Bishop's Office will be hosting online gatherings exploring the same text, facilitated by Shawn Branch and Cheryl Jacobs. Online sessions will be hosted on Mondays at 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m. Register through the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton website.

TUESDAYS ~ beginning 28 February

Art & Faith
An Ignatian-flavoured contemplative consideration of select works of sacred art. Hosted by Kurt Schmidt. 5:30-6:00pm, Drop-in online via Zoom. Link through the Cathedral calendar.

THURSDAYS ~ beginning 23 February

Taizé Thursdays
Ecumenical and contemplative services of worship that incorporate simple song, scripture and silence. 5:30-6:00pm, alternating formats -- online via Zoom and in-person/livestreamed from the Cathedral. Drop-in. Link through the Cathedral calendar or Cathedral YouTube channel. Curious about Taizé? Read about an online session and in-person Taizé at the Cathedral.

The Divine Comedy
Ongoing study group discussing Dante's classic poem. Hosted and led by Alan Hall and friends. 7:00-8:30 p.m, Hall Lounge. RSVP.

FRIDAYS ~ beginning 24 February

Stations of the Cross
Various versions of the ancient meditation on the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). 12:00 noon, Cathedral. Drop-in.

SUNDAYS

The Chosen
Intergenerational screening of the recently released third season of The Chosen, the largest crowd-funded media project in history, portraying the life of Christ and the disciples. 6:00-8:00pm, Cathedral Memorial Hall. Popcorn provided!

 

Contact Facilitators and Join

Please contact the facilitators directly to: express interest / ask a question / register / RSVP. Take special note of online options. Flexibility in schedules and locations may be possible within given restraints.

Geoffrey Hall: email or phone (506) 450-7761 or the Cathedral Office
Cheryl Jacobs: email or phone (506) 459-5795 or the Cathedral Office
Alan Hall: email or phone (506) 443-0196 or the Cathedral Office
Kurt Schmidt: email or phone (506) 259-3711 or the Cathedral Office