The eucharist is the family meal. It is the act of thanksgiving in which we receive the gift of God, the body and blood of Christ. It is the food of God which strengthens us to do the work of God. It is the heavenly banquet. It is communion with Jesus Christ.
Preparation for First Communion for children ages 7+ will begin soon, using the program Life in the Eucharist. An information meeting will be held in the Cathedral at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, 18 September.
Can you volunteer some time to assist? There will be a need for leadership companions for participants and prayer as we accompany our young people on this journey to the Table.
Learn more about First Communion at the Cathedral and contact Kurt Schmidt, Cathedral Director of Christian Formation, if you or someone you know wishes to be involved <formation at christchurchcathedral.com>.
Christians around the world are invited to give particular attention to praying and caring for God's creation as part of the global Season of Creation, observed from September 1st to October 4th every year. General Synod 2019 passed a resolution adopting the Season of Creation in the Anglican Church of Canada as a time of prayer, education, and action and encouraging dioceses and parishes to participate. Resources and events related to Season of Creation may be found on the Anglican Church of Canada website to help you plan, at anglican.ca/seasonofcreation. Note: To avoid confusion it is worth noting that the Season of Creation is not a liturgical season like Advent or Easter but rather a time of intentional prayer and reflection. from McCausland's Order of Divine Service, Anglican Church of Canada p. 136
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many have become familiar with the concept of being muted in conversations. Many voices are muted in public discourse around climate change and the ethics of Earth-keeping.
These are voices of those who suffer the impacts of climate change. These are voices of people who hold generational wisdom about how to live gratefully within the limits of the land. These are voices of a diminishing diversity of more-than-human species. It is the voice of the Earth.seasonofcreation.org
The burning bush is the Symbol for the Season of Creation 2022. Today, the prevalence of unnatural fires are a sign of the devastating effects that climate change has on the most vulnerable of our planet. Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to the fires of injustice. On the contrary, the fire that called to Moses as he tended the flock on Mount Horeb did not consume or destroy the bush. This flame of the Spirit revealed God’s presence. This holy fire affirmed that God heard the cries of all who suffered, and promised to be with us as we followed in faith to our deliverance from injustice. In this Season of Creation, this symbol of God’s Spirit calls us to listen to the voice of creation.
A member of the Cathedral congregation, the talented artist Sarah Petite, has been selected as a recipient of a prestigious art award from the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation.
Sarah Petite will be presented with one of two 2022 Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship awards of $10,000, during a celebration on 26 August at Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts in St. Andrews.
These fellowship awards are presented every two years as part of the Foundation's mandate to promote the visual arts in New Brunswick. The Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship Award recognizes "the career accomplishments of New Brunswick mid-career artists, currently engaged in the exploration or the deepening of creative endeavour." It supports creative exploration and innovation, recognizing artists who have distinguished themselves during the last decade of their practice, and have proposed a significant body of new work.
According to the news release: "The jury was convinced by the accomplishments and developments evidenced in the proposal of artist Sarah Petite, supported as it was by the eloquence of her succinct and eloquent artist’s statement. The artist’s perseverance in discovering new directions through considered engagement with her materials and process, reveal a practice that contributes to and is in discourse with modernist painting traditions. Sarah’s recent explorations in the reconciliation of painting and sculpture reveal objects that embody her creative experience and explorations, and suggest she is in an expansive period in her work."
We extend warmest congratulations to Sarah on this honour!
Sarah's work with encaustic paint can be seen in the gallery on her website. Her art has also been displayed in the Cathedral, including the Penal Cross and the Faces of Christ, which she created for our Godly Play children's program. Sarah is also a member of Lucy's Sewing Group, which makes, embroiders and repairs linens for various churches, including the Cathedral.
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.
For each recommendation the report details the scope of the recommended work, the necessity for it, and the consequences of inaction.
A summary of the recommendations by category, with the current available funding, is included as an appendix.
To successfully complete this task will require developing partnerships with donors who share our interest in maintaining a historic heritage property.
Successfully raising the $8.5 to $9.0 million for restoration of the Cathedral is only a partial solution. In addition, we need to develop revenue sources that will support the annual maintenance at its required levels.
An experienced consulting firm was engaged in the Fall of 2022 to assist in the significant challenge of determining fund-raising potential.
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.
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.
Christ Church Cathedral will participate from 26 May - 5 June 2022, with several 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. 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 26, May at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathedral. Celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, 05 June 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 each weekday during Thy Kingdom Come for a local discussion (30 min) about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s series of reflections on 1 Peter. We begin at 5:15 p.m. 27 May, online via Zoom or in the Memorial Hall boardroom. Visit the calendar event for the Zoom link. This Novena seeks to enable you in your waiting for the gift the Father promised, by focusing on nine particular verses in the first letter of Peter – one of those present in that upper room. Each day we will take one of those verses and seek to be shaped by it. It’s a book which opens our hearts to God and lifts our eyes to the worldwide family of God.
Each weekday we also read the Daily Office in the morning (8:45 a.m.) and in the evening (4:45 p.m.) in the Cathedral. Join us for this prayer Monday - Friday. It takes about 15 minutes.
Thy Kingdom Come encourages every Christian to pray daily for 5 individuals to know God's love for them in Christ. We hope that you choose to participate in this global prayer movement.
This June, join the Great Canadian Giving Challenge!
Your charity could WIN $20,000!
From June 1 – 30, every $1 donated through CanadaHelps gives your charity a chance to win $20,000.
It's a month-long initiative to help you drive donations during a slow time of the year for fundraising. Every June since 2015, we’ve given you a reason for donors to invite others, and create the chance to win a major prize donation from CanadaHelps.Here’s how it works:
Every dollar donated to your charity in June, via CanadaHelps.org or CanadaHelps fundraising tools, is an entry for a chance to win $20,000. Every charity using CanadaHelps is automatically entered: all you have to do is fundraise. The more you raise, the more chances you have to win!
Thank you to everyone at the Cathedral who donated toilet paper and hygiene supplies to the 7th annual TP The Town campaign!
This spring, Fredericton High School students partnered partnered with community groups, churches, and other schools to collect toilet paper and as many feminine care and personal hygiene products as possible. Monetary donations were also gratefully accepted.
Cathedral youth Alex and Claire, along with their fellow student council members, have been counting rolls as they arrive. Their goal is 25,000 rolls!
Products will soon be delivered to shelters and transitional housing locations in the Fredericton area, such as Chrysalis House, St. John House (the men’s shelter), Grace House for women, Gignoo House, Transition House, and the 12 Neighbor’s Village.
The Student Representative Council of Fredericton High School provides leadership opportunities and serves the student body, the school, and the community. An integral part of their program is to provide service to our community.
A letter from the student council expressed appreciation for the support of TP the Town, "Thank you for helping give back to those that struggle to take care of what we take for granted."
Join the Dean for lectionary studies during the Easter Season beginning Monday, 18 April, 2-3:15 p.m.. Both online via Zoom or in-person are options. See the Dean for printed materials and please contact him by phone or email if you plan to attend. Everyone is welcome. No former biblical scholarship necessary!
Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus at the tomb is a call to disciples everywhere to live in the power of the risen Christ and encourages us to continue to the story of Jesus. God’s love cannot be contained – in a tomb, closed rooms, or from the world. Stories of a spirit-filled community moving into the world lead us through the Easter season.
The story of Jesus continues through people like Peter who denied Jesus, Paul once a persecutor of Jesus’ disciples, Ananias who gives the gift of healing and reconciliation, Tabitha who lives in solidarity with the most vulnerable, and Lydia whose tenacity and hospitality facilitates a movement beyond boundaries and stereotypes.
We join our stories with these life-giving, liberating, boundary-breaking, resurrection stories and are challenged by the ever-present possibility of radical change and for the church to be a disruptive influence on the way things are.
This Easter season invites us into conversations for self-reflection and change on such things as anti-Semitism, diversity and inclusion, systemic injustice, anti-racism, multiculturism, chains of oppression.
The eucharist is the family meal. It is the act of thanksgiving in which we receive the gift of God, the body and blood of Christ. It is the food of God which strengthens us to do the work of God. It is the heavenly banquet. It is communion with Jesus Christ.
