In the Anglican Church of Canada, baptized children may be admitted to Holy Communion as provided in the August 1977 Memorial to the House of Bishops. In our diocese, Bishop’s Directive 3.1.2 outlines the process and requirements.
We’ll be offering “Life in the Eucharist” in the fall of 2022 for children (aged 7 and older) and parents of those who wish to participate. Children making Communion is an option and by no means required. Read the Pastoral Vision for “Life in the Eucharist.” An information meeting is scheduled for Sunday, 18 September following worship. Programme sessions are tentatively scheduled on six Sundays, 1-2:30 p.m. beginning 25 September 2022. Questions? speak to Kurt Schmidt <formation at christchurchcathedral.com> or the Dean <dean at christchurchcathedral.com>.
Information session for parents – 18 September 2022, following 10:30 worship, the Cathedral
“Life in the Eucharist” Six Sessions beginning Sunday, 25 September 2022, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
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)
Listen to Kurt Schmidt speak about Ad-LENT-ures this year.
MONDAYS
Grace and Gratitude
Lectionary study with the Dean on the upcoming Sunday readings. 2:00-3:15pm, online or Cathedral Memorial Hall. RSVP to dean at christchurchcathedral.com or the Cathedral Office.
Lent us Pray
A five-part series of hands-on study and practice with various methods of prayer. Explore lectio divina, intercessory prayer, prayer with photography and poetry, the Psalms, and lament -- with a different local-expert facilitator for each session. Drop in to one, some, many or all! No RSVP needed. 5:30-6:30pm, Cathedral. **Please note that this time has been changed from the printed version.07 March: Kurt Schmidt, lectio divina; 14 March: Isabel Cutler, intercessory prayer; 21 March: Jill Dunderdale, photography and poetry; 28 March: Kurt Schmidt, praying with the psalms; 04 April: Cheryl Jacobs, lament.
TUESDAYS
Art & Faith
An Ignatian-flavoured contemplative consideration of select works of sacred art. Drop-in session hosted by Kurt Schmidt. 5:30-6:00pm, online via Zoom. Link through the Cathedral calendar.
WEDNESDAYS
Practicing Lament
Diocesan Lenten Study of the recent book by Rebekah Eklund. Led by Cheryl Jacobs and sponsored by the Diocese of Fredericton and Bishop David Edwards. 7:00-8:30pm, online via Zoom (beginning 9 March). Register here.
THURSDAYS
Virtual Taizé Thursdays
Ecumenical and contemplative service of worship that incorporates simple song, scripture and silence. 5:30-6:00pm, alternating online via Zoom (03, 17, 31 March, 07 April) and in-person/live-streamed from the Cathedral (10, 24 March). 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 Power and the Glory
Study of the 1940 novel by Graham Greene. RSVP to host Alan Hall <alanwilliamhall at gmail.com> or the Cathedral Office. 7:00-8:00pm, Cathedral Memorial Hall Lounge.
FRIDAYS
Stations of the Cross
Various versions of the ancient meditation on the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). 12:00 noon, Cathedral.
SUNDAYS
The Chosen
Intergenerational screening of the first season of The Chosen, the largest crowd-funded media project in history, about the life of Christ and the disciples. 6:00-8:00pm, Cathedral Memorial Hall. RSVP requested, and popcorn provided! Contact Kurt Schmidt <formation at christchurchcathedral.com> or the Cathedral Office.
Contact Facilitators and Join
Please contact the facilitators directly to: express interest / ask a question / register. 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
Kurt Schmidt: email or phone (506) 259-3711 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
PHONE MINISTRY: 12 Things to Attend To in Phone Visits
So many of our parishioners and community members are suffering with isolation and loneliness right now. Making caring calls can make all the difference and brighten someone's day!
Held Wednesday, 26 January at 7 p.m., the session offered insights on some best practices related to phone ministry. The Rev. Bonnie Baird, Associate Priest at Christ Church, Dartmouth, shares, real-life examples and her passion for visiting with people over the phone. You'll be inspired and encouraged by her presentation.
This session is 1 hour and open to anyone.
Hosted by the Diocese's Creating Missional Communities Team (VSST).
The Mission and Outreach team of the Diocese of Fredericton continued its Christian Forum series with a most timely topic entitled COVID-19, Religious Freedoms & Christian Response.
Dr. Alan Sears, Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick, was the speaker, his second time presenting for the diocesan Christian Forum. Alan’s main focus of study and research is citizenship, civic education and the intersection of religion and education.
To help combat the spread of COVID-19, governments worldwide have imposed stringent measures, including limits to public gatherings like religious worship services. Some have seen these rules as violations of their religious rights, and in response, have protested and even engaged in acts of civil disobedience. It is this backdrop that forms the context for Alan’s presentation.
The Sunday Paper is a new resource at the Cathedral as of the First of Advent 2021!
Each week, check the Quick Links of our regular weekly Friday email for links to current editions (or bookmark these in your web browser for quick access). The content will change each Friday, updated for the upcoming Sunday and prior to sending the email announcing the Sunday bulletin. These can be viewed or downloaded to a device or printed for use at home. (We'll plan on having a few paper copies at the Cathedral on Sundays.)
“The Sunday Paper is informal, whimsical, faithful to Scripture, and in dead earnest. It is not condescending or cute. It helps children to acquire a vocabulary of crucial Scriptural images, and to relate the Gospel to the Old Testament, the life of the Church, and their own lives.”
The original SUNDAY PAPER appeals to intermediate through junior high, and presents one lesson (usually the Gospel) as a two-line cartoon; the other readings, and the Psalm, are presented as single vignettes. The lessons are tied together with a short commentary.
THE SUNDAY PAPER JUNIOR is aimed at younger children (preschool through grade 3 or 4). The SUNDAY PAPER JUNIOR features one lesson only, usually the Gospel. THE SUNDAY PAPER JUNIOR offers big, bold artwork, a simple storyline, an activity page designed to stir children's imaginations and spirituality and that requires pencil or crayons only (no glue or scissors) and does not involve word games or other literacy-based activities. THE SUNDAY PAPER JUNIOR can be used in church, nursery, or classroom.
Visit the Sunday Paper website or Facebook page for more information and other resources from many sources for providing formation experiences, especially with children.
Listen to Kurt Schmidt speak on Sunday, 28 November 2021 about the 2021 ADVENT-ures.
Happy New Year! — The new Church year is 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 or study or worship. You are encouraged and invited to add at least one new Advent-ure to your schedule!
MONDAYS
Christmas—The Day God Took off the Mask: Video series with Bishop Bill Hockin and friends. Talks & music, made available beginning at 12:00 noon on each of the first three Mondays of Advent. Details and YouTube link at billhockin.ca.
Waiting for God: Reflective study of Simone Weil’s essay, “Forms of the Implicit Love of God,” led by Alan Hall. In person, 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the Cathedral Sacristy. Please RSVP to Kurt Schmidt.
TUESDAYS
Art & Faith: Short guided meditation on a work of art related to the prior Sunday’s Gospel and in the tradition of Ignatian (imaginative) contemplation. 5:30-6:00 p.m. on Zoom. Link through the Cathedral Calendar or from Kurt.
THURSDAYS
Taizé worship: A simple and contemplative half hour of prayer, song & silence. 2 & 16 December on Zoom, 9 & 23 December in person and livestreamed in/from the Cathedral. 5:30 p.m. start. Link through the Cathedral Calendar or from Kurt.
FRIDAYS
Advent Lessons & Carols “miniseries”— UPDATE: The in-person versions scheduled for 10 and 17 December have been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts with our performers. View recordings from 2021 and 2020 on the Cathedral YouTube channel.
ONGOING / DAILY
Honest Advent: “Advent stations” art exhibit in the Cathedral, available for personal reflection & devotion, Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Images by Scott Erickson which consider the seasonal theme of the vulnerability of incarnation, and which respond to the question, “Is Christ’s incarnation still happening in our midst?”
Divine Office: Regular (and short!) weekdaily prayer opportunity in the Cathedral. Morning Prayer at 8:45 a.m., Evening Prayer at 4:45 p.m.
Holy Eucharist: Wednesday mornings, 10:00 a.m. in the Cathedral.
Questions or expressions of interest can be communicated to Cathedral Director of Christian Formation, Kurt Schmidt by email or by phone/text to (506) 259-3711. Thanks & Blessings!
The Cathedral Branch of Mothers' Union has advent wreath candles available for purchase again this year. Contact a branch member or the Cathedral office by email or phone (506) 450-8500.
Join us in November for Life Shared, a 3-session series designed by the creators of Alpha. Through Biblical teaching from leading Christian voices and real stories of invitation, each session will encourage and equip us to live out God’s call to share our lives and our faith with friends, colleagues and neighbours.
All are welcome and invited to participate. The series will be held on Wednesdays, November 10, 17 and 24, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, in-person at Cathedral Memorial Hall. Hosted by Cheryl Jacobs. To indicate your interest, email Cheryl or phone/text (506) 259-5748.
Life Shared is presented by the Christian Formation Team at Christ Church Cathedral. Sharing the Spirit together with you in 3D -- as Devoted Disciples Dancing.
The Difference Course returns this fall, hosted by the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton. Running online 06 October - 03 November, it will be facilitated by Cheryl Jacobs and Shawn Branch. Register here.
In 2 Corinthians 5 we read that God "has committed to us the message of reconciliation." God has taken the initiative to bring us back into relationship with him. And he calls us to be reconciled reconcilers. Reconciliation is in the DNA of the disciple.
Many of us feel that conviction to cross divides and to transform broken relationships. We long for our faith to have a positive impact, to be the starting place for change.
But the world we live in is complex and overwhelming. Despite all our good intentions, relationships are hard. What's more we live in a world where we see — and many experience - deeply entrenched inequality and injustice, discrimination and exploitation, violent conflict and greed.
Sometimes it can feel like the Church, rather than being part of the solution, is too often part of the problem.
We know that the world is not as it should be, and that the Kingdom of God offers an alternative possibility. We feel the prompting of our faith to speak into these issues, but the sheer scale of brokenness means we can be left feeling stuck and unsure of where to start.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has a passion for equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world. It is one of our greatest challenges but it has never been more vital.
... equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world ...
He's brought together leading thinkers and peacemakers to create Difference: a 5-session course that explores how we can follow Jesus in our everyday relationships.
Jesus' life points to what's possible when we follow him, making crossing divides, navigating disagreement and practicing forgiveness a part of our everyday discipleship.
This course provides a supportive and dynamic space for people to bring before God their own experiences and relationships and to learn the everyday habits and actions that help us live out our faith within them.
We can be a generation that crosses divides, bringing transformation to relationships, communities and societies through everyday acts of courage.
A people equipped by the Holy Spirit to embody hope in those difficult, broken spaces, and who have learned to persevere when it feels as if nothing will ever change.
It starts in the everyday moments of courage and risk, where we choose to join in with what God is doing. The Difference course is an opportunity to discover where God is inviting us to engage.
Residential Schools and Missing Indigenous Children
Since the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, there have been questions about what the Anglican Church of Canada has done in response to the Calls to Action by the National Truth & Reconciliation Commission. There have also been questions about whether our National Church and dioceses are assisting in the work of making records available to indigenous leaders and communities so that other sites which may contain the remains of children who died at residential schools may be identified. I share with you part of a message from our Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls to the House of Bishops this week:
“We, of course, have much more to do to fulfill the TRC Calls to Action and are committed to that work, but we also need to keep our Church informed about work underway already.
The apologies of 1993 and 2019 are available on the national church website. There is ongoing work to make the Apology for Spiritual Harm available in Indigenous translations, just as the first apology has been translated (see: https://www.anglican.ca/tr/apology/).
Documents in the national archives relating to Anglican residential schools have all been copied and transferred to the Truth & Reconciliation Centre in Winnipeg. It is my understanding that all diocesan archives have also been transferred as required.
The national archivist, Laurel Parson, is committed to decolonizing the archives by including the original Indigenous names for places and people wherever possible. She spoke to (the Council of General Synod) in 2020 about that work and it was covered in The Journal at that time - here.
We are committed to the work of exploring the archives and burial records available in light of the list of missing children to find any references that would help with identification. All of this work must be done in collaboration with Indigenous people to set the parameters with sensitivity. I trust that diocesan archives will consider similar searches. There may be grants available through your province or territory to assist with the human resources needed to do this. In Ontario, the student summer grants program often helps the national archives complete projects.
I trust we are listening to the voices of Indigenous communities to walk with them in other actions needed. Anglican residential schools surely have similar unmarked sites and it is critical that we share in the responsibility to uncover as much information and truth as is possible in the coming months and years.
Please keep Archbishop Mark MacDonald and the Indigenous leaders – bishops, ACIP, Dawn Maracle and the suicide prevention workers, and all Indigenous clergy – all in your prayers. They are bearing the burden of the pain felt by so many in the reopening of the wounds of residential schools. With the death of (Indigenous Ministries Coordinator) Canon Ginny Doctor, and (Reconciliation Animator) Melanie Delva on leave, the leaders are under significant stress.” – Archbishop Linda Nicholls
In 2 Corinthians 5 we read that God "has committed to us the message of reconciliation." God has taken the initiative to bring us back into relationship with him. And he calls us to be reconciled reconcilers. Reconciliation is in the DNA of the disciple.
Many of us feel that conviction to cross divides and to transform broken relationships. We long for our faith to have a positive impact, to be the starting place for change.
But the world we live in is complex and overwhelming. Despite all our good intentions, relationships are hard. What's more we live in a world where we see — and many experience - deeply entrenched inequality and injustice, discrimination and exploitation, violent conflict and greed.
Sometimes it can feel like the Church, rather than being part of the solution, is too often part of the problem.
We know that the world is not as it should be, and that the Kingdom of God offers an alternative possibility. We feel the prompting of our faith to speak into these issues, but the sheer scale of brokenness means we can be left feeling stuck and unsure of where to start.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has a passion for equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world. It is one of our greatest challenges but it has never been more vital.
... equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world ...
He's brought together leading thinkers and peacemakers to create Difference: a 5-session course that explores how we can follow Jesus in our everyday relationships.
Jesus' life points to what's possible when we follow him, making crossing divides, navigating disagreement and practicing forgiveness a part of our everyday discipleship.
This course provides a supportive and dynamic space for people to bring before God their own experiences and relationships and to learn the everyday habits and actions that help us live out our faith within them.
We can be a generation that crosses divides, bringing transformation to relationships, communities and societies through everyday acts of courage.
A people equipped by the Holy Spirit to embody hope in those difficult, broken spaces, and who have learned to persevere when it feels as if nothing will ever change.
It starts in the everyday moments of courage and risk, where we choose to join in with what God is doing. The Difference course is an opportunity to discover where God is inviting us to engage.
