Category Archives: Prayer

Deacon Debbie appointed hospital chaplain

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Archbishop David Edwards has appointed the Rev. Debbie Edmondson as chaplain at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton for a one-year period, with the possibility of renewal, beginning 01 February, 2025.

Our congratulations to Deacon Debbie!

Debbie's bio from our Clergy and Staff page:

The Rev'd Debbie Edmondson, Deacon

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Debbie grew up in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick, where she still makes her home with Phillip, her husband of 45+ years. They have two sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren, who are a tremendous source of joy.

She is a life-long Anglican, with, as she describes, “a well rounded Ecumenical background.” Drawing on her rural roots, she leads workshops and retreats with humour and a down to earth sense of the sacred. Debbie was ordained as a Vocational Deacon on 01 February 2009. She completed training in Spiritual Direction with the Haden Institute in conjunction with Mount Carmel Spiritual Center in Niagara Falls in 2014.

Debbie has always been involved with her church community through groups and activities from teaching Sunday School to serving on Vestry to being a Layreader and then being called to Ordained Ministry, which she feels is an ongoing learning and awakening experience. On 01 February, 2025, Debbie was appointed as chaplain at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton by Archbishop David Edwards. Debbie is also the Cathedral Hospital Visitors Coordinator, the Diocesan Representative for the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer and a member of the Diocesan Spiritual Development Team.

 

Mothers’ Union Prayer Diary 2025

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The Worldwide Mothers' Union has released its Prayer Diary for 2025. Click to download the document. It includes prayers for every day of the year, themes and specific prayer requests, along with places to add your own personal prayers.

From the introduction to the Prayer Diary:

Mothers’ Union members are united through the power of prayer. Prayer is our foundation, our strength, and our inspiration. Each day at midday, Mothers’ Union members all over the world pause to pray. The monthly themes in this Prayer Diary are echoed in our midday prayers.

We invite you to join us as we gather together on our Facebook page for midday prayers. By praying together, we strengthen our bond and remind ourselves that we are always connected in prayer, wherever we are in the world.

The global wave of prayer expresses our commitment to each other, in all the places we work and reside. By joining with and sustaining this wave of prayer, we can be part of something bigger than ourselves. We give thanks for the team of Mothers’ Union members from across the globe who have come together to deliver our 2025 Prayer Diary. The team has worked tirelessly to produce prayer resources that are joined up and help us connect more easily in prayer. We pray that you enjoy listening to the different voices as you partner with us in prayer.

Mothers’ Union is a Christian organisation that has been supporting families worldwide for over 140 years. Started by  founder Mary Sumner in 1876 in her local parish, it has grown into an international charity with over 4 million members in 84 countries.

As a Christian membership charity, Mothers' Union demonstrates faith in action. This happens as they work towards stopping poverty, stopping inequality and stopping injustice. Members work at grassroots level around the world. They bring hope and practical support to millions of people every year through parenting, literacy and community development programmes.

Prayer is at the heart of their work. Members come together every day at midday to focus prayers for their communities, fellow members and for those in need, in the belief that the power of prayer is transformational and supports their work around the world.

Despite the name, Mothers' Union is an inclusive organisation with a growing number of men.

The President of the Worldwide Mothers' Union is Kathleen Snow.

[excerpts from the Mothers' Union website]

2024 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 2 December

  • The Four Last Things:  Seasonal study of the traditional eschatological themes—death, judgment, hell and heaven. Facilitated by the Dean, Geoffrey Hall. 1:00-2:00 pm in the Boardroom; online connection option.
    * Email to register <dean at christchurchcathedral.com>

TUESDAYS - beginning 3 December

  • Taizé Worship: A simple and contemplative half hour of scripture, prayer, silence and song. 5:30 p.m. start.
    3 and 17 December on Zoom
    10 December in-person and livestreamed from the Cathedral
    * Link through the Cathedral Calendar or from Kurt.

WEDNESDAYS - beginning 4 December

  • Celtic Advent Spirituality Series: Contemplative ideas and practices for Advent and beyond, presented in the “Threshold Gathering” model/format. Led by Kurt Schmidt. In-person, 3:00-4:30 pm, Memorial Hall Lounge.
    * Please reserve your seat with Kurt for any/all sessions.

THURSDAYS - beginning 28 November

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 any time -- or sign up to lead!
  • Dante Group: But reading not-Dante now! Led by Alan Hall. Thursday evenings, 7:00-8:00 p.m., Cathedral Memorial Hall Lounge.
    * Just drop in any time!
  • 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!

 

Listen, Love and Pray: Grief and Loss Support

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Join Deacons Isabel Cutler and Debbie Edmondson for Listen, Love and Pray: Grief and Loss Support.

Growing in faith, grace, gratitude, hope, and love - holding space for being together with loss. People feeling grief and loss of all types gather to reflect and support each other’s experiences.

Held 7:00-9:00 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. Cathedral Memorial Hall, Lounge, 168 Church Street, Fredericton.

Anyone from the community is welcome to attend.

Things we grieve:

  • the loss of a loved one
  • the loss of a pet
  • a breakup or divorce
  • major life transitions
  • being unable to achieve a goal or fulfill a dream
  • a diagnosis
  • not living the life we hoped we would live
  • the effects of big decisions (even when those decisions are ultimately good for us)
  • losing a jobe or switching careers
  • a friendship breakup
  • the person we were before something traumatic or life-altering occurred
  • moving to a new location
  • a faith transition or a shift in our beliefs

 

 

All Souls – Remembering those we love

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All Souls’ Day will be observed at Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday, 06 November, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (after All Saints' Day on Friday, 01 November and All Saints' Sunday which will be observed on 03 November). Prayer requests for the departed may be added by using this online form, by email <office at christchurchcathedral.com> or phone (506) 450-8500.

Names must be submitted by the end of the day on Tuesday, 05 November, to allow time for adding to the list to be read during worship. Thank you.

~  ~  ~

This is a day of prayer for the departed faithful. Like All Saints’ Day, this commemoration is tied to the profession in the Apostles’ Creed of the communion of saints, which former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams broadly interprets as the “sharing between holy people” or the “sharing of holy things.” Based on the spiritual unity of all Christians, those living this earthly life and those who have gone before—the communion is a mystical bond in Christ not broken by death. The prayer cycle of the Office of the Dead is read/sung, and in some countries people pay tribute at their relatives’ graves.

- text from the Anglican Journal

 

Pray Without Ceasing – prayer resource for the daily offices

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A new prayer resource published by the Anglican Church of Canada will be of interest to Anglicans who pray the Daily Office. Pray Without Ceasing invites Anglicans to deepen their faith, join with the wider Church in prayer and maintain formative patterns in the rhythm of spiritual life.

Praying the Daily Office stands as a cornerstone of Anglican spirituality, embodying our continual service and commitment to God. However, due to its layout, The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) presents challenges in following the Daily Office. Over the decades since the publication of the BAS, fresh language has emerged for litanies, canticles, prayers and psalmody.

Pray Without Ceasing transforms the Daily Office from the BAS by incorporating Anglican, Lutheran and additional ecumenical sources into a more comprehensive format for Morning and Evening Prayer. The book is structured into sections corresponding to the seasons of the Church year and features an updated Liturgical Psalter for the BAS. These enhancements have resulted in a clear, step-by-step approach to the practice of daily prayer and reflection, making Pray Without Ceasing a must-have resource.

Pray Without Ceasing is available as a coilbound book or in ebook format through the Anglican Church’s eStore.

The “Surrender Novena” – Fr. Don Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1970)

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"O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!"

Dolindo Ruotolo was the Italian Roman Catholic priest known for the "spirituality of surrender." A "novena" is a series of nine days of prayer and reflection.  The 'Surrender Novena" captures the essence of both the prayer and the approach.

Day 1
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 2
Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences of anything ...

Continue in Day 2 at the Surrender prayer website or in a downloadable pdf version here.

Read more about praying the Surrender Novena at the Hallow App website.

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]

 

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.