Mothering Sunday celebrations on 30 March included an enrolment of new Mothers' Union members and a fundraising luncheon.
Branch leader Susan Watson shared this message:
"The Cathedral Mothers’ Union wishes to thank the congregation for their attendance at our Chili and Soup Luncheon. We really appreciate how everyone has supported us and our projects, and we would welcome any interested persons to inquire about joining us. We are so pleased to welcome our 4 new members, installed at the service on Mothering Sunday.
Please take a moment to view our presentation that highlights both our local branch and Mothers’ Union International."
The presentation and photos from the event can be viewed below.
Join us for a hot lunch after worship on Sunday, 30 March (Mothering Sunday).
The Cathedral branch of Mothers’ Union will serve soup, chili and simnel cake at this fundraising luncheon in Cathedral Memorial Hall.
Members of the congregation are invited for food and fellowship. Feel free to bring a friend! Freewill offerings at the luncheon will support the work of Mothers’ Union.
Mothering Sunday, not to be confused with Canadian Mother's Day, is celebrated in Anglican Churches on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Learn more about Mothering Sunday and Simnel Cake, a traditional Mothering Sunday treat.
Mothers' Union is an international Christian membership charity of 4 million members living in over 80 countries, who share one heartfelt vision — to bring about a world where God's love is shown through loving, respectful and flourishing relationships. Members actively pursue this vision through community programs, advocacy campaigns and a committed prayer life.
A message from Gary Barfitt, President of the Guild of St. Joseph, affectionately known as the "Holy Joes":
"The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper is now behind us, and 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 (over 60 of you) who worked to get the pancakes, sausages, beans, and gingerbread prepared and moved from the back of the kitchen to the 208 diners at the tables in the Hall. We especially thank those diners who supported us by attending the event and enjoying the meal and the opportunity to spend time with friends. Your generosity raised over $2100 toward the work of the Guild."
Have a look at some photos below, courtesy of Carol Ann Melvin and Heather Perritt.
Shrove Tuesday has always been a celebration for the Cathedral congregation.
Join us at Cathedral Memorial Hall, 168 Church Street, on 04 March, 2025 between 4:30-6:30 pm. The meal will include pancakes, sausages, and beans followed by gingerbread with toppings. Coffee and tea will be available. Admission is by freewill donation.
We need a few extra helpers to make it happen again this year! Can you assist as a table server? It's always a smooth-running and enjoyable event with lots of smiles and “thank you”s, and it’s a great way to see old friends and new visitors. Contact Jim Morell or the Cathedral Office to volunteer. Email <office at christchurchcathedral.com> or phone 506-450-8500.
See photos from past pancake suppers, and more activities and events from the Guild of St. Joseph.
When many people think of churches, they think of buildings filled with people on Sundays and holidays, but empty and closed for most of the week.
At the Cathedral (and indeed, in many churches), that isn’t the case.
Christ Church Cathedral was given recognition as a National Historic Site in 1981. Along with being a stunning example of Gothic revival architecture, the Cathedral also played a part in the designation of Fredericton as a City by Queen Victoria. Due to its historic and architectural significance, our Cathedral is a popular tourist destination in Fredericton. It is located in the heart of downtown Fredericton, near the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge.
Each year, thousands of tourists visit the Cathedral. In July and August alone, we typically welcome between two and three thousand visitors. Free guided tours are provided seven days a week during the summer months, thanks to a funding community funding grant from the City of Fredericton. Throughout the rest of the year, between September and June, visitors are invited to visit the Cathedral on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., learning about the architecture and history using self-guided tour booklets which are available in four languages (English, French, Spanish and German). Private tours are sometimes arranged upon request for groups - it’s not uncommon for us to receive special requests from conference organizers or Fredericton Tourism staff.
Another benefit of the Cathedral being open to the public on weekdays is to give people a quiet place to pray. Some churches in our area are not able to remain open throughout the week. We welcome attendance at morning and evening prayer, held at 8:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Monday to Friday, and lasting approximately fifteen minutes each. Throughout the day between those times, anyone is welcome to visit for prayer or reflection.
Worship including Holy Eucharist is held in the Cathedral on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m., Sundays at 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 4:00 p.m. We rotate between traditional and contemporary services. Choral Evensong is held once a month, plus regular Taizé worship. Special services are held on weekdays throughout the year, such as during Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, and days such as the Ascension, New Year’s, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (visit our calendar for schedules), along with weddings and funerals upon request. Baptisms, First Communions and Confirmations are typically held on festival Sundays. Many services are livestreamed.
Because of the magnificent architecture of the Cathedral, many photographers drop by to take photos inside and outside, and individuals and photography teachers can schedule sessions within the Cathedral. We encourage photographers to share or tag us in their Cathedral photos.
Speaking of photography… did you know that several movies and television programs have used the Cathedral to film scenes? Theatre performances have also been held inside and outside the Cathedral (Godspell and Camelot, to name just two!). During the summer months, the Calithumpians Theatre Troupe performs family-friendly performances on the Cathedral lawn, as well as hosting summer camps. Children are welcome inside the Cathedral.
Accessible gender-neutral washrooms (one with a changing table) are open to the public.
Many musical events and concerts are held at Christ Church Cathedral each year. In addition to regular rehearsals of our Cathedral Choir, Youth Choir and Worship band, the community choral group Bel Canto Singers hold weekly rehearsals in the Cathedral. Because of the fabulous acoustics, we are a favoured venue for classical and choral music. We have hosted concerts for local groups such as the Fredericton Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Sinfonia, the Elm City String Quartet, Bel Canto Singers, Delacroix Classix, and many more. We have also welcomed touring musicians such as the Gerdan Theatre Ukrainian Choir, Choeur Louisbourg, and Dan Bremnes. The Cathedral was the site of Fredericton's 175th anniversary concert, A Celebration of Us, and is often selected as one of the locations for the NB Summer Music Festival. Each year, the Cathedral Director of Music organizes our long-running Summer Music Series, which presents free concerts on Fridays over the lunch hour, featuring a variety of musicians, soloists and groups from Fredericton and beyond.
Even a weekly exercise class is held in the Cathedral! Chair Yoga is held on Friday mornings throughout most of the year. It’s a gentle way to stretch and get in shape, suitable for a variety of ages and abilities. Holding the class in the Cathedral makes it convenient to enter for people with mobility challenges. Our Health Ministry team organizes this initiative, and also holds blood pressure clinics several times a year in the Cathedral.
A variety of groups, speakers and classes also use the Cathedral and lawn on an as-needed basis. These include guest speakers whose lectures are sometimes livestreamed, sacramental preparation courses, training for groups such as servers, and congregational and community groups such as our Sanctuary Guild, Mothers’ Union, Guild of St. Joseph, Anglican Church Women, Diocese of Fredericton, Scouts and Cubs, L’Arche Fredericton, and a guided autobiography group. Fellowship events such as teas and picnics are also held in and around the Cathedral.
You are welcome to visit the Cathedral (for the first time, or more often). You’ll find us at 150 Church Street, and our doors are open weekdays between 8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (excepting holidays, and with an extended 7-day schedule in the summer). Sometimes you’ll have an opportunity for quiet reflection or touring, and other times you’ll encounter some of our dedicated staff, clergy, or volunteers. Say hello! We encourage you to become aware of and involved in activities happening in the Cathedral throughout the year.
As for how Cathedral Memorial Hall is used… the story of that well-used building will have to be a whole separate article!
The slideshow below shows photos of a wide range of activities in and around the Cathedral:
A warm thank you to all who participated in the 27 January ACW meeting, sharing lunch and fellowship.
For 25 years our Anglican Church Women have supported female students at Bishop McAllister College in Uganda. For many years, support was generated by our fundraising projects, augmented by dividends from bank shares held by Bishop and Chapter in trust for the ACW. It now is timely that the shares be cashed and the revenue invested.
The gathering willingly approved and endorsed the ACW Executive Committee’s course of action to invest in the Cathedral Anglican Church Women Education Trust Fund as managed by the DCIF of the Diocese and they accepted the Terms of Reference that this Fund will continue supporting students at this worthy institution.
How is it that Kathleen Snow of Fredericton has just become the worldwide president of the Mothers’ Union?
“It wasn’t me,” she said. “It was God!”
Kathleen is a founding member of the MU chapter at Christ Church Cathedral, asked by the dean at the time, the Very Rev. John Wright, to form the group in the 1980s. They began with five members, and are still going strong, with Kathleen taking on various leadership roles locally and beyond...
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.
The Anglican Church Women, in partnership with Health Ministry, served 30+ guests at a Christmas Luncheon held 11 December.
The theme was ‘Trees’. Members of the congregation loaned items for a display, and the variety of decorative Christmas trees added to the festive lunch enjoyment.
Personal care items and donations were collected for Grace House women's shelter.
Alex Pope and Linda Hall, two of the many volunteers who assisted with the Pause Table.
On 09 December, members of the Cathedral branch of Mothers’ Union spent the day giving baked goods, bagels, treats and encouragement to students studying for exams at UNB.
The 'Pause Table' initiative has become one that is welcomed by university students during exam week. Campus ministries at the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University once again collaborated with faith communities to host Pause Tables during exams. Volunteers provided free food, beverages, a listening ear, and conversation, and handwritten personalized notes to give students a break from studying.
Thank you to everyone who provided time and treats for the Pause Tables!
