Category Archives: Ministry

From Our Parish Nurse: Accessing Treatment for COVID-19

Posted on

[Updated April 12, 2022]

Our Parish Nurse shares information about Paxlovid, a new treatment for COVID-19.

As another week of COVID-19 continues on with cases surging and reduction to public safety measures, I wanted to remind those who are eligible (see below) that Paxlovid is a treatment option for eligible New Brunswickers who contract COVID-19.

To obtain the medication, a positive result from a COVID test administered through Public Health is required, so book a test immediately if you think you might have COVID. You must receive a PCR test, not an at-home rapid testing kit.

Inform your Primary Care Provider that you have tested positive for COVID-19 and you would like to be assessed for Paxlovid. If you do not have or cannot reach your primary care provider, call 811 or e-VisitNB to see a New Brunswick nurse practitioner or doctor online.

Paxlovid can be given in the first 5 days of symptom onset. It is available to those who are:

  • 80+
  • 50-79 and partially or under-vaccinated
  • 50-79 who are residing in a long-term care setting; or living in, or from First Nations communities or those receiving home care services
  • 18+ and immunocompromised

To be eligible for this medication you must meet the following criteria:

  • COVID-19 infection confirmed by a PCR test, or an Abbot ID Now test in First Nations Communities, or a positive rapid test in a nursing home during in an outbreak
  • Mild to moderate symptoms present (fever, cough, mild shortness of breath, loss of appetite, loss of smell and/or taste, fatigue, runny nose, muscle aches, etc)
  • Symptom onset was within the past 5 days.

Additional information about Paxlovid and criteria is available on the New Brunswick Public Health website. Contact your Primary Care Provider for more information.

Second COVID-19 booster doses are set to become available in New Brunswick on 19 April at participating pharmacies. Adults over the age 50 are eligible if it has been at least 5 months since a previous booster. NB Public Health is strongly recommending second boosters for individuals over 70 and long term care residents, First Nations, Inuit and Métis and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18 and over. Anyone with a recent COVID-19 infection should wait 3 months from the time of infection before receiving a second booster dose.

Visit the Government of NB website for more information about COVID-19.

Cathedral Parish Nurse Sarah Ecker is available to answer questions. Email <nurse at cccath.ca> or phone the Cathedral office (506) 450-8500.

Update from St. Hilda’s School in Belize

Posted on

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 March, Ms. Jane Ramirez, Principal at St. Hilda's, sent us this update.

Greetings Friends,

I pray that this email reaches you in good health. I am sorry that it has taken so long to send an update. Times have been a bit hectic and we're now trying to establish a new sense of normalcy on a personal and professional level. The COVID-19 pandemic really had an impact on our staff, students and families. There were many who were affected health-wise and financially.

Since January 17th, 2022, we returned to school for two days face to face sessions and we did two days online. It has been a challenge because many children did not participate in the online sessions. In terms of academics, we are far behind but striving to reach our goal. Parents have been skeptical about sending their child for face to face sessions as well. We are trying our best to ensure that safety protocols are in place. Starting this Monday, March 14th, 2022, we will be back fully face to face. We have divided the children into two groups so we will have each group coming on alternate days. Please keep us in prayer that all goes well.

I cannot express how thankful I truly am for your support and prayers. I cannot find the words to tell you how blessed we are to have your partnership. I can testify that whenever our financial resources run low, it is at that right time that you send funds. Those funds have kept us operating, especially this school year. Many parents are experiencing financial difficulties so they cannot pay their fees. Please express how thankful we are to our Friends of St. Hilda's.

I have spoken to each of [the scholarship students] or their guardian regarding their grades. I believe this will be a better semester since most schools have returned or are returning to face to face sessions.

We at St. Hilda's will continue to keep you and your family in prayers.

Blessings,
Jane Martinez

When We Gather

Posted on

This post reflects direction for staying safe to the end of June 2022 and continues to be a model of our regard for each other.

The Government of New Brunswick has lifted its COVID-19 mandates, but we are still requesting care for others. Procedures and recommendations for the Cathedral and Memorial Hall are listed below.

Cathedral West Door

Photo: Dalton London

1. Face masks
Masks are encouraged at worship and Cathedral gatherings (read about well-fitting masks).

2. Self-monitor
If you have any symptoms of illness – even mild – please stay at home. Livestreams and recorded video are available from our YouTube Channel. Worship and sermon podcasts are available: listen or subscribe.

3. Entering and exiting
Please be understanding of those who may wish to maintain some personal space. Keeping personal traffic flowing at entrances will be helpful.

4. Seating
Greeters may be able to help you find suitable seating if you prefer to remain distanced.

5. Hand sanitation
Please continue to be attentive to hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer, especially before and after contact with high touch surfaces.

6. Communion
Before the administration, the presider will wash thoroughly by going briefly to the sacristy. At Communion, approach in one line up the center aisle, with your mask in place. The host only will be safely delivered to your hands. Return by way of a side aisle. If you need to remove a mask, please consume the host after leaving the Communion station, removing it briefly.

7. Offering
The offering will be received by way of a plate near the back of the Cathedral and collected by greeters following worship.

Thank you for your continued care and concern for others.

Cathedral Memorial Hall is open to the public, for rentals and congregational use. Pandemic precautions are encouraged.

We're pleased to rent space to community groups participating in the arts, youth programs, addiction recovery, and inclusive programming. Cathedral groups include crafting, child/youth activities, emotional support, Bible studies, service groups and exercise. Individual rentals for private events are also available. Those wishing to rent the Hall should contact the Office to book space and specify set-up needs. Phone (506) 450-8500 or email <office at christchurchcathedral.com>.

Navigate This New Season With Love and Respect

Posted on

Our Parish Nurse, Sarah Ecker, offers encouragement as we move into a new phase of pandemic management.

You may be feeling uncertain or concerned, and/or you may feel rejuvenated and hopeful. No matter where you are on this spectrum, know that you’re not alone.

We recently removed our mandatory safeguards and have moved into a place of personal responsibility to govern ourselves as we see fit in terms of COVID-19 management. While some feel we are ready for this responsibility as a whole, others have valid concerns about our collective ability to keep others, and especially our vulnerable, safe.

I would love to just encourage us all that we have been given an opportunity to love our neighbours and prefer each other, not because we have to, but because we choose to. Whether or not you choose to mask is now up to us, each individually. At the Cathedral we are encouraging the wearing of masks, though it is no longer mandatory.

Everyone will have different risk levels and comfort levels. To be loving during this time of transition, I am encouraging us to take the approach of asking, with a heart of empathy and humility when approaching others, if they feel comfortable with you stepping into their personal space - specifically if you are unmasked and indoors. Giving someone the option to consent is gracious and will create a culture where people feel safe and respected.

If someone is ever uncomfortable and communicates that they prefer not to be approached, be mindful not to take it personally. We have all been relying on these mandates to fall back on, so if someone declines for whatever reason, so try not take it personally. Remember that everyone has someone they may be trying to protect, and it may be them. We want to make everyone feel safe and welcome to be present in our communities. It may feel a bit uncomfortable to state your boundaries, whatever they may be, but we can all commit to reserving judgment of the motivation of a person who chooses to mask or not, and if they’re comfortable with an unmasked person in their personal space or not.

So, as we jump into this new phase with both feet, let us be mindful and inclusive while we navigate this new season with love and respect.

Bishop McAllister College is finally, fully open

Posted on

A positive update from Canon Paul Jeffries, Rector of Bishop McAllister College and Anglican Seminary in Uganda.

"Late last year, we had been given reason to believe that schools would be allowed to open in January. I worked hard to keep my hopes and expectations under control, and only allowed myself some cautious optimism. After the many times our hopes got fuelled by rumours and false stories over the past two years, I would like to think I learned my lesson..."

[Continue reading below]

Read the full update from Paul Jeffries and published in the March 2022 edition of the NB Anglican.

Level 1 Public Health Measures

Posted on

Please note: As of Monday, 28 February, proof of vaccination will no longer be required in the Cathedral or Memorial Hall. All other pandemic precautions listed below remain at this time.

New Brunswick returns to Level 1 of Public Health's COVID-19 Winter Plan on 18 February. As a congregation, we continue to be watchful and will implement and communicate changes as needed. During Level 1, we will continue to require proof of vaccination upon entry. Please be as understanding as possible with greeters, who are required to check vaccination records as required under Public Health directives.

At the Cathedral, current precautions during worship include:

1. Vaccination status (ends 28 February). Proof of full vaccination is required for all age 12 and up at the Cathedral. ID will be required for those not known to greeters. These requirements apply similarly to weddings, funerals, and events held in Cathedral Memorial Hall.

2. Face masks. The Government of New Brunswick mandates wearing masks in gatherings. Choose a tight fitting mask without gaps, and ensure that your nose and mouth are covered.

3. Self-monitor. If you have any symptoms of illness – even mild – please stay at home. Livestreams and recordings of worship are available on our YouTube channel.

4. Entering and exiting. Please be understanding of those who may wish to maintain some personal space. Keeping personal traffic flowing at entrances will be helpful.

5. Seating. Greeters may be able to help you find suitable seating if you prefer to remain distanced.

6. Hand sanitation. Please continue to be attentive to frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer, especially before and after contact with high touch surfaces.

7. Communion. At Communion, approach in one line up the center aisle, with your mask in place. The host only will be safely delivered to your hands. Return by way of a side aisle. Please consume the host after leaving the Communion station, removing your mask briefly

8. Offering. The offering will be received with a plate near the back of the Cathedral and collected by greeters following worship.

As always, thank you for your continuing cooperation as we care for ourselves and others.

Our worship livestream is available to watch at 10:30 am on Sundays, if you are not able to be with us. Both livestreams and recordings can be found on our YouTube channel. Audio podcasts are also available. Listen here. Get notification of new episodes when you Subscribe here.

The Health Ministry Team is willing to assist members of the congregation with making appointments for vaccinations and answering health questions. Please contact our Parish Nurse, Sarah Ecker.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Cathedral Office by email or phone (506) 450-8500, or the Dean by email or (506) 450-7761.

Readiness to Return?

Posted on

Our Parish Nurse, Sarah Ecker, offers her reflections on change.

It seems to be time again for some more changes to be coming our way. This can be exciting and daunting, even at the same time. Part of maintaining your whole health is to accept that these things are not always as “either/or” as we would like them to be, but more of “both/and”. As this pandemic churns on, and hopefully begins to wane, we will be met with new opportunities and old obligations to consider. I would like to offer you this question to ponder: What is your readiness to return? In looking forward, what do you desire your life to look like? This season is a really good time to reflect on what brought you connection, joy, and fulfillment pre-pandemic; what was changed by the pandemic and what do you need to bring you wholeness, going forward?

Some food for thought might be, group activities - like book clubs, Bible studies, hobbies, community socials, worship, support groups, sports or even games or yoga; or maybe you were more interested in music, choirs, watching a play, going for a walk with a friend, travelling, or volunteering. Whatever your mix, I would love to encourage people to start dreaming again. As the days begin to warm up, the snow begins to melt, and we all start to thaw out of this very long literal, and proverbial winter state, what will be “life-bringing” to you? It is very important to not bypass legitimate feelings of anxiety or caution, but now is a good time to take an inventory of them and ponder the external metrics that will help you spring to life in ways that honour your experiences and values. As well, we want to be intentional about making space for others as we find our “new normal”.

To come together and heal and grow in community is always the goal, but to have some authentic self-definition is a good starting place to begin the reflecting and introspection phase. That will allow room for the gentleness, compassion, patience, and connection that we are all needing, while respecting people and the pace they feel comfortable moving at. We have adapted and grown and have many tools in our kits for our safety, like, the use of masks and vaccines. Some might be ready to go and others might need a nudge from a friend to consider joining in something again, and that is okay. When mandates and restrictions are no more, the responsibility will shift to us -- to know our own limitations, and to accept that others have their reasons for caution, but to work together to use wisdom to engage safely in this next unknown phase.

Where are you at, and what will be your next steps in your readiness to return?

Sewing for a Cause

Posted on

Beverly Morell (center) with granddaughters Rachel (left) and Cara (right), delivering lunch bags to Cathedral Memorial Hall - with Bailey the dog.

Donations accepted until 15 April.

When Beverly Morell heard that Lunch Connection in Saint John was looking for volunteers to sew cloth bags to help make their school lunch program more environmentally friendly, she was struck with inspiration.

Her granddaughter, Cara, has an interest in sewing and had received a sewing machine for Christmas. Beverly saw this as a perfect opportunity to teach her granddaughter while helping others.

Together, Beverly and Cara sewed 10 drawstring cloth bags, as requested by Saint John Inner City Youth Ministry.

Volunteers are requested to sew simple drawstring bags for lunches donated to schoolchildren. Through the program, approximately 400 children in six K-8 schools receive subsidized lunches three times a week. Cloth bags will result in a significant decrease in waste, as the program currently uses paper bags. Program organizers are requesting 1200 cloth bags so they can be washed between uses.

The Anglican Diocese of Fredericton has placed a drop-box in the lobby of Cathedral Memorial Hall. They are asking people to put completed bags or fabric (at least 12" x 28") in the drop-box in the lobby of Cathedral Memorial Hall during office hours, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The deadline is April 15. Bags will be delivered periodically to Saint John by Synod Office staff.

Visit the Diocese website to learn more about the program and watch the sewing video tutorial.

 

 

 

Return to Level 2 – 28 January, 2022

Posted on

On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 11:59 p.m., the Province of New Brunswick returns to Level 2 of the COVID-19 Winter Plan, with precautions to reduce the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. We continue to be watchful and will implement and communicate changes as needed.

*** Please note that worship on Sunday, 30 January will remain online as scheduled, since preparations were already in place. Watch the livestream at 10:30 a.m. on our YouTube channel. We look forward to resuming in-person worship on Wednesday, 02 February.

New Brunswick Public Health's COVID-19 Winter Plan informs all sectors of current restrictions and protocols. Visit the website for information about how the Plan will affect your activities.

During Level 2, our capacity at worship gatherings is reduced to 50%, requiring 2 metres of distance between bubbles and masks are required at all times. No corporate singing is allowed, which means that there will be no congregational singing but a soloist at 4 metres distance is allowed. We will continue to require proof of vaccination upon entry. Please be as understanding as possible with greeters, who are required to check vaccination records as required under Public Health directives.

Groups and events at the Memorial Hall are also limited to 50% capacity, two metres of distance, masks at all times (except briefly when eating or drinking while seated), and proof of vaccination.

In Level 2, the Cathedral Office will return to regular office hours: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

To review

Proof of double vaccination or medical exemption is currently required for anyone 12+ attending worship in the Cathedral or visiting Memorial Hall. Please remember to bring your vaccine record to worship and group events, and wear your mask. Leaders of groups holding meetings at Cathedral Memorial Hall will be responsible for checking proof of vaccination for those attending [details]. Individuals visiting during office hours please check-in at the Cathedral Office.

The current Sunday bulletin will continue to outline restrictions in place, including:

NO CORPORATE SINGING - the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is proving to be quickly spread and readily airborne. Some studies have indicated that singing in groups can add an unnecessary risk of transmission if someone happens to be infected.

VACCINATION STATUS - Proof of full vaccination is required for all age 12 and up at the Cathedral. ID will be required for those not known to greeters. These requirements apply similarly to weddings, funerals, and events held in Cathedral Memorial Hall as per current direction by Public Health.

FACE MASKS - The Government of New Brunswick currently mandates wearing masks in gatherings.

As always thank you for your continuing cooperation as we care for ourselves and others.

Worship livestreams are available at worship times and as recorded on our YouTube channel. Audio podcasts are also available. Listen here. Get notification of new podcast episodes when you Subscribe here.

The Health Ministry Team is willing to assist members of the congregation with making appointments for vaccinations and answering health questions. Please contact our Parish Nurse, Sarah Ecker <nurse at christchurchcathedral.com>.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Cathedral Office <office at christchurchcathedral.com> or phone (506) 450-8500, or the Dean <dean at christchurchcathedral.com> or (506) 450-7761.

St. Hilda’s Year in Review

Posted on

Ms. Jane Martinez, Principal of St. Hilda's Anglican School in Belize, recently sent us a 'Year In Review' document with photos that show an overview of activities at the school in 2021. Throughout the pandemic, education has been a combination of in-person and online learning, depending on the COVID infection rates at different times of the year. Several construction and repair projects have also been underway at St. Hilda's.

She also shared a video greeting on behalf of the staff and students. Watch it below.

Please pray for the students and teachers at St. Hilda's elementary school, our high school scholarship students, and their families. Contributions towards the Belize mission are welcome and appreciated, especially during these pandemic times when the Missions Committee has not been able to hold a fundraiser. You may give and receive a charitable tax receipt by making an online donation or submitting a donation marked 'Belize' through the Cathedral office or offering plate.