Spring updates from St. Hilda’s School in Belize

Posted on June 1, 2023July 14, 2023

We continually pray for our friends in Belize - the students and teachers at St. Hilda's Anglican School, as well as the scholarship students who have moved on to High School. In May, Ms. Jane Ramirez, Principal at St. Hilda's, sent us this update to Cathedral Belize committee member Rebecca Butler.

Click here to read the profiles of St. Hilda's students Jaryon and Alynna in the Anglican Diocese of Belize's youth ministry newsletter.

Greetings Rebecca,

I pray that all is well with you and your family. We're almost at the end of another school year. Yeah!! We have overcome many challenges by God's grace and are looking forward to our summer vacation. I just wanted to share some highlights with you.

In February, one of our Standard 1 students participated in a national spelling bee contest among Anglican schools. He placed 4th out of 12 students. In April, we had our annual staff Lenten retreat. Funds were used to pay for food and transportation for our teachers. It was a blessing to spend time together with teachers from the four other western schools.

The month of May is Education month. We celebrated Education week last week with various activities including a sports day, Teacher's day and we had a visit from another Anglican school.

We have our kitchen that is functional and we are feeding 50 children, 3 days per week. Some children give a small stipend to assist with purchasing groceries while others who cannot afford it eat for free.

We also started a garden. We have our gardening, cooking, sports and arts and crafts clubs.

We have two students who will be featured in the Anglican Diocese Youth Newsletter. I am sharing the article that we sent in.

I will be checking for an update with our scholarship students shortly. Caleb brought in his mid semester report and he did well. I will be checking with Gian and Korey for the same.

I continue to say thank you and God bless you all for having us at heart. Your continued support and prayers is very important to our success. I pray all the best for our Friends of St. Hilda's family.

Best,
Jane

Jubilee Tea and a Jubilee Tree

Posted on June 1, 2023June 30, 2023

From left to right: Susan Watson, Kathleen Snow, Diane Radford, Bonnie Greenwood, Joanne Barfitt, John DosSantos, Michele Leblanc, Lilian Ketch, and Susan Colpitts-Judd.

The Cathedral branch of the Mothers’ Union hosted a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Tea in June of 2022 and although it was not a fundraising event, we did however, receive donations. After covering our expenses, we decided we wanted to use the balance of the funds to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee in a lasting way.

The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative was launched to encourage people to “Plant a tree for the Jubilee” to mark her 70 years on the throne. It was subsequently extended to give the opportunity to plant trees in the Queen’s memory.

When we heard of this project, we all agreed that this would be the perfect memorial to our beloved Queen Elizabeth II.

After consultation with Eric Hadley, a member of the Cathedral Property Committee, and with help from other members of the Guild of Saint Joseph, our Jubilee Sugar Maple was planted on the corner of Brunswick and Church Streets on May 12.

Ashley Swim, Eric Hadley, and Harry Palmer planting the tree.

Prior to our May 17^th meeting, many of our Mothers’ Union members gathered around our tree, a blessing was read, and a group photo was taken. A cold wind had picked up and almost blew us all away so a re-shoot took place on a sunny and warm May 23^rd.

Much appreciation is extended to Eric Hadley, Gary Barfitt, Harry Palmer, and Ashley Swim for delivering the tree from the nursery and planting it for us. Thanks to Gary Barfitt and Bill Robinson for taking the photos.

Submitted by Bonnie Greenwood

The Prayer:

Almighty God, we come before you this day in humility and gratitude as we seek your blessing on the life of this Sugar Maple tree, which is planted to remember our Sovereign Lady and Patron Queen Elizabeth II. May this tree take root in this soil, drawing from it water and nutrients, so it may grow and prosper, bringing beauty in its leaves offering shelter to birds and insects and enriching this place with its presence and life. And we ask this in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Getting to know each other at a newcomer event

Posted on May 18, 2023June 12, 2023

On May 10, we hosted a Newcomer Dessert Event at Cathedral Hall. The evening was organized by the Mother's Union, Kurt Schmidt (Director of Christian Formation), and Andreas Decken (Chair of Welcoming and Hospitality).

Kurt and Andreas are extremely grateful to the Mothers' Union for doing an excellent job providing treats and setting up the Hall for the event. We had over 30 people in attendance; many congregational members that are part of various Cathedral Groups were present, but also a number of "new" faces to our worship. We were able to formally welcome people that call Christ Church Cathedral their spiritual home after moving to Fredericton within the last few years. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that many newcomers were active in other parishes prior to moving to Fredericton and bring their expertise, experiences and ideas with them.

Many in attendance also noted that this event was an excellent venue for members of the various groups within the congregation to talk to one another, learn more about each other's involvement and getting to know each other.

And yes, the desserts were amazing.

- Andreas Decken, Welcoming and Hospitality Chair

Mothers’ Union rally draws 50 members

Posted on May 18, 2023June 1, 2023

Newcomer Dessert Event – 10 May

Posted on May 5, 2023May 11, 2023

Are you relatively new to the Cathedral family -- or "new at heart"?!

If so, you are cordially invited to a welcome, dessert and information-sharing event on Wednesday, 10 May in Cathedral Memorial Hall, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Come along to hear about the various ministries supported by individuals and groups from the Cathedral, and discover the many opportunities to participate, experience, share, or join. We'll introduce you to the wonderful work(s) undertaken by so many of our Cathedral members, and we'll find a way to match your gifts and abilities with one or more of the programs, groups or activities in our Church family. We'll even invent such a way if we have to!

All are welcome, including and especially any newcomers -- those who've joined within the last year or so -- and newcomers at heart!

Seeking shoes for outreach program

Posted on May 2, 2023June 12, 2023

The Cathedral Outreach Committee is requesting gently used running shoes for men or women. These will be offered to people in need who visit our monthly Outreach program.

Donations can be delivered to the Cathedral Office, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.

The Outreach program occurs on the last Monday of each month, from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. in the lobby and Formation Room of Cathedral Memorial Hall.

Guests in need receive: a few city transit tickets or a $10 gift card for a supermarket; a goodie bag with fresh fruit, homemade baked goods, cheese, a drink box or bottled water; and a wrapped sandwich. They may choose from a selection of non-perishable grocery items as well as browse tables stacked with used clothing, toiletries and small housewares. Each month, approximately 50 people attend.

This program is made possible thanks to volunteers and contributors from the Cathedral and other local churches.

Learn more about various outreach initiatives at Christ Church Cathedral.

Celebrating Easter with Ukrainian traditions

Posted on April 21, 2023May 18, 2023

On Saturday. April 15, the Ukrainian Community of Fredericton gathered at Christ Church Cathedral to celebrate Easter.

A priest travelled from Moncton to hold worship for over 100 attendees of all ages. Many wore traditional Ukrainian clothing and brought baskets for a special tradition - the Easter food basket blessing. They were thrilled to be able to worship in their own language, for the first ever Easter service of its kind in Fredericton.

Archbishop David Edwards, Bishop of Fredericton, gave permission for the Greek Catholic service to be held in the Cathedral. In that tradition, Easter was celebrated on Sunday, April 16 this year, so Ukrainians in Fredericton celebrated the Saturday evening before.

Oksana Tesla, volunteer with the Ukrainian Community of Fredericton, coordinated with the Cathedral. She shared,

"Everything went flawlessly and fabulously! We were singing acapella and the acoustics made the Cathedral sing along. Many community members mentioned to me that they were feeling this bright warm light inside during the service. Thank you so much for opening your doors for our community and we really appreciate your support."

Thanks to Cathedral members Hank Williams and Kurt Schmidt for facilitating the event.

Through the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Community of Fredericton, the group commented, "We are so happy to have such an amazing supportive community here in Fredericton. And the opportunity to celebrate at such an incredible place - the Christ Church Cathedral - is a blessing! ... We cannot thank you enough for such generosity! We felt like we are home at the Cathedral!"

New recommendations for spring COVID-19 booster vaccinations

Posted on April 18, 2023June 1, 2023

The Cathedral's Health Ministry Team would like to share the updated recommendations for Spring COVID-19 booster vaccinations. Many people are continuing to fall ill, and our congregation includes many over 65 years, plus families with immunocompromised loved ones.

The information below is from New Brunswick Public Health. Read more details.

The more people who are immunized against COVID-19, the harder it is for the virus to spread. We strongly recommend to stay up-to-date with the COVID vaccines recommended to you. Do your part and get vaccinated.

NEW recommendations for Spring Booster COVID-19 vaccination (Spring booster is between April and end of June 2023) *5 months interval from last dose or COVID infection (whichever is the most recent) *
Population	Recommendation
Individuals 65 years and older	Spring 2023 booster is encouraged whether or not you had a fall booster (especially if unsure of being infected with COVID-19 disease in the past)
Individuals aged 18 + living in Long Term Care Facilities	Spring 2023 booster is encouraged (whether or not you had a fall booster)
Individuals 18 years and older moderately to severely immunocompromised	Spring 2023 booster is encouraged (whether or not you had a fall booster)
Individuals 12-17 years old considered healthy or immunocompromised	If fall booster 2022 received: No additional dose needed at this time If fall booster 2022 not received: Spring 2023 booster is recommended
Individuals 5-11 years old considered healthy or immunocompromised	If fall booster 2022 received: No additional dose needed at this time If fall booster 2022 not received: Spring 2023 booster is recommended
Individuals 6 months to less than 5 years of age considered healthy or immunocompromised	A primary series continued to be recommended No booster dose needed at this time

Visit the NB Public Health website for details about vaccines and booking an appointment.

Give the gift of Easter flowers

Posted on March 29, 2023April 2, 2025

Mothers’ Union at a glance

Posted on March 17, 2023March 29, 2023

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.

View / download the Canadian Mothers' Union information brochure

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 get the recipe for Simnel Cake, a traditional Mothering Sunday treat!

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