Whether planting seedlings in Uganda or breadfruit trees in Haiti, preparing gift bags for new babies in Lesotho or teaching gender rights in El Salvador, PWRDF partners are investing in their communities.
PWRDF’s World of Gifts makes it possible for you invest, too.
Supporting World of Gifts is an investment in a sustainable future for some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. This year’s guide supports 17 partners as they plan for a healthier and stronger future. Like any good investment, the return on World of Gifts is high: communities become stronger, healthier and more resilient, and we are able to live out Jesus’ commandment for us to love our neighbour, no matter where they may be.
The gifts in this year's guide will bring new opportunities and hope for communities across the world as the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund partners strive to build a truly just, healthy and peaceful world. When you make a purchase, you can order a customizable gift card or e-card to send to your loved ones, so that they know a gift has been made in their honour.
Our new Parish Nurse, Sarah Ecker, has shared some reflections about her time with us so far, lessons learned from her parish nursing course, and observations about life in a pandemic. Please feel free to reach out to Sarah if you'd like to connect.
Hello! I hope everyone is well as we move into the cooler, shorter days leading up to Advent! It has been a pleasure to start to meet some of you and get to know you. From a new person’s perspective, I am so humbled by your kindness and can see that a healthy, whole, and caring community is a shared goal among you all.
I wanted to let you know that I am currently working on my first Parish Nursing course through St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario. It is an absolutely wonderful course and the leaders have done a great job at infusing the heart of Parish Nursing into a jam-packed course that is both practical and spiritually deep.
I have been learning and reflecting on the aging population this past couple weeks, and gaining even more of an appreciation for the stage of life and spirituality of this demographic. One key aspect in particular is the importance of spirituality in coping. We all have seen how the pandemic has impacted people, and the aging population is no exception. There is a lot of evidence to support it has been one of the most socially, mentally, physically, and spiritually impacted groups. There are some central challenges as we navigate the space between safety and connectedness. One such challenge a person could face is isolation; from family who live away, local restrictions, group-living arraignments, or personal decisions to maximize safety. Having contact with your support systems is crucial to your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Although it does not replace our ideal desires, there have been some creative ways to accommodate these road-blocks through connecting to online worship, using technology to use video to stay connected, social media, home communion. Please reach out to me if you are struggling.
Sometimes we start to acknowledge our loneliness when things are beginning to look up. This is a normal part of coping with the collective changes brought on by the last couple years, especially in combination with an already fast-changing life stage. Bring in chronic illness or acute medical challenges, and life can feel like it has been flipped over from everything we had hoped for and anticipated. Even when life begins to stabilize, it is very common to start processing the emotional and mental strain of the tumultuous season you just came through.
If you find yourself identifying with this, I would like to encourage you to spend some time to reflect on the challenges you have faced or are facing and recognize that when things do not go as planned; it is a very appropriate human response to feel sadness, grief, or a sense of loss. These emotions are important indicators. During a time when we have had to flex our resilience, dig deep, and be content - come what may; it is okay to take a deep breath, remember your humanity, accept the reality, and embrace care, encouragement and support. I would love to connect with anyone feeling the impact of this season and offer you compassion and encouragement.
I will leave you with this scripture from Matthew 11: 28-30:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Forty paper angels from Greener Village (the food bank) are waiting patiently to be chosen from a small tree in the cathedral. Each requests a specific Christmas gift or stocking stuffers for a needy boy or girl in our city.
Please print your name and telephone number on the clipboard to indicate which angel you are adopting. Bring your unwrapped gift, with the paper angel firmly attached, to the church on Sunday, November 14th. Drop-off boxes will be set up near the angel tree.
If you cannot bring your gift that Sunday, please bring it to the Cathedral Office no later than Wednesday, November 17th (office hours are 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon).
“This is the food bank's deadline for our crop of angels, allowing them time to distribute gifts to the hundreds of families they serve,” explained Outreach Committee treasurer Doug Milander. “The committee must purchase any gifts that arrive late or not at all.”
Another option for Christmas giving is to write a cheque payable to Christ Church Cathedral and indicate Christmas Outreach on the memo line. Deliver your cheque to the church office by December 17th. As in past years, these funds will be divided equally among the Fredericton Homeless Shelters, Women in Transition House Inc. and the Fredericton Community Kitchens.
“The Outreach Committee thanks you warmly for your generous support in making Christmas special for people in our city who need help, especially in these difficult times of an ongoing pandemic and high inflation,” Doug concluded.
With the leaves quickly changing and fading, it is the time of year where we need to consider getting the flu shot!
The influenza vaccine is highly recommended this year by health care professionals. Last year we had no recorded cases of influenza in New Brunswick. This was likely due to pandemic measures - like decreased travel, as well as minimizing close contacts, diligent hand hygiene, and mask wearing. Pandemic measures being opened up, and ever-changing in our province, brings an increased risk for a rampant flu season. We cannot be sure what this Fall and Winter season will bring, but receiving the influenza vaccine is a good first step, as it brings immunity within the first 14 days of receiving it (Government of New Brunswick Influenza Immunization, 2021).
Again this year, the influenza vaccine is free for all New Brunswick residents, and can be accessed by most healthcare providers. Public Health Offices, family physicians, and pharmacies are some of the easiest access points for your influenza vaccine, which are currently available. Pharmacists are able to give vaccines to those 2 years of age and up. For those over 65 years of age, Public Health has recommended the high-dose vaccine (they are calling it the Cadillac) for added immunity in this population.
For those who are eligible for their COVID-19 booster (currently available - eligibility criteria is on the GNB website, or ask your health care provider or myself), the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) advised that itis safe for people to get both the COVID-19 vaccine and the influenza vaccine at the same time. This has been a hot topic question for those seeking both the COVID-19 booster and the influenza vaccines. If you have any questions surrounding COVID-19 or influenza vaccines and boosters, or need help accessing your vaccines, please reach out! I would love to assist you.
Point of Contact Testing kits for COVID-19 (rapid test kits to use at home) are available to the public at Exhibition Grounds, 361 Smythe St., Fredericton (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday). Simply drive through the queue and staff will pass out a kit for each passenger over that age of 2 in the vehicle.
The Christmas Angels are soon coming back to the Cathedral.
“In 2020, with the uncertainties of the pandemic and no vaccines in sight, we donated $1,800 instead of running the usual toy drive,” explained Outreach Committee treasurer Doug Milander. “The cheque reflected the value of the toys usually provided by our congregation to the Greener Village Food Bank. The managers were really pleased with our help.”
This year 50 paper angels will be hung on a little, lighted tree in the cathedral. Each will indicate the name and age of a local child in need as well as a suggested toy or other gift. Some requests will be for stocking stuffers instead of specific toys.
“A new twist this year is that the food bank wants all of the items returned to them by November 15th at the very latest,” Doug added. “This will allow in-person or online shopping to be done well before the Christmas rush, and it will give their staff more time to arrange for deliveries to the hundreds of registered families.”
As in past years, collection bins will be set up at the cathedral and at the church office to receive the toys and stocking stuffers.
“The cathedral family has a long and generous history with the Christmas Angels program, and people always seem happy to put a big smile on a child's face at Christmas,” Doug said.
He added, however, that the Outreach Committee will dip into its budget to supply any of the 50 gifts missing at the deadline.
As soon as the paper angels arrive from the food bank in October, more details will be provided to the congregation. Stay tuned!
By now, you may have had an opportunity to check out Sarah Ecker's profile on our website under Clergy and Staff: Parish Nurse. While it gives you a glimpse into the life of this amazing, outgoing, bubbly, professional nurse, we think it just scratched the surface. And so, here's a slightly deeper look at our newest staff member.
Sarah was born and raised in Fredericton and thanks to her 'build one and sell it' father, she has lived in many different houses in different parts of the city. In typical New Brunswick fashion, it didn't take long to find a degree of separation connection between Sarah and I (Gail MacGillivray).
My Dad would not even consider the purchase of a vehicle that was not sold by Alison Monteith of Monteith Motors - Sarah's Dad! I recall many stops at Monteith Motors over the years. Alison was such a good salesman that he even managed to recruit Sarah to work for him. Her career as a used car salesperson lasted for about 2 years.
It was quite a leap from selling cars to nursing, and a whole lot of life experiences before and after both for Sarah.
Shortly after graduation, at the ripe old age of 17, Sarah headed for Virginia. A close friend of hers was heading off to a Bible College and Sarah decided to follow. Sarah's upbringing was as an Evangelical and this study of Theology gave Sarah a broader understanding of the many different ways that we worship. It was one of many life experiences where Sarah felt a calling to be in that place at that time. Her time at the College also gave her a chance to travel throughout the USA, to Northern Ireland and Jamaica, and to experience diversity in race, language, religion, lifestyle and more.
While Sarah was studying Nursing at UNB, she spent a summer working at a children's camp on the Miramichi. It was here that she met her husband, Andrew. Andrew was working on a degree in social work. Andrew was born in Ontario but grew up in Miramichi. As Sarah put it, "they just clicked" and by the next summer they were engaged.
Sarah and Andrew currently live in Mactaquac) and they have two children, chickens, a dog, a cat and a deep love for their community!
She describes their 6 year old son, Elias, as being "too smart for his own good" and says he is frequently referred to in her family as "the Mayor" as he always has a handle on what is going on and is more than willing to assume a leadership role. Elias is in Grade One and it sounds like he is destined to be class president! Daughter Mercy is 4 and her Mom describes her as "fire and ice". A deeply passionate spitfire who is also very tenderhearted. Andrew currently works for the Mobile Crisis Unit, a division of Horizon Health which responds to mental health crises.
Sarah and her family are deeply focused on their Christian beliefs and living a life in Christ internalized. When the Pandemic first broke out, like many people, Sarah and Andrew spent time at home in reflection. As Sarah put it, COVID gave them a chance to examine closely the human qualities most important to them, recognizing that what they wanted was "to be a part of a community that was part of their values." They came to the conclusion that their Church family, especially, had to reflect those values of justice, mercy and humility.
Sarah is "loving the new job" as our Parish Nurse. She describes herself as someone who "loves working in a team environment" and especially loves collaborating with different sectors and "building bridges". She looks forward to having the opportunity to work as part of a team focused on "bringing wellness to people in body, mind and spirit".
Once again, a hearty Cathedral welcome to Sarah, who hopes that everyone will reach out to her, if only just to say hi. She is looking forward to her role in Pastoral Care and to working with the many volunteers that allow the Parish Nurse to make a positive difference in the lives of our congregation members!
In this pre-pandemic photo, Cathedral members gather for fellowship with Outreach guests.
A couple years ago we had never heard of the coronavirus, the delta variant or the 4th wave. Now everyone is aware of these lurking threats to our health and safety.
“When the Province declared the green phase of the pandemic, we were excited to think that we could welcome back our Monday morning drop-in friends for weekly gatherings in September,” said Outreach Committee chair Penny Ericson.
“However, the delta variant is much more transmissible and deadlier than earlier versions of COVID-19; at this time we can't risk indoor, sit-down gatherings with a food buffet, live music, and a display of used clothing and housewares for people in need.”
Penny said it's important to be cautious and protective for the sake of the guests and the volunteers.
Rev. Kelly Burke of New Maryland United Church, whose congregation supports the cathedral's outreach efforts with volunteers, food donations and funds, agrees.
Before the pandemic, visitors were welcomed into the hall for a variety of food and drinks.
“It's hard not to come and be present to all our friends, but safety first,” she said. “This delta variant means that we need to be vigilant. We send our love and prayers and will see you again when it is good and safe to do so.”
Marc Schneider has been learning new songs on his banjo during the pandemic, so that the band at the drop-in would have a larger repertoire of gospel music when things returned to normal.
“It makes sense to wait, but it's sad,” he said. “The personal relationships and support in the Monday morning community were very important to volunteers and guests alike. Maybe some day....”
Mary Lou Cotter worked in the kitchen on Monday mornings, serving coffee, making sandwiches, sharing her delicious homemade muffins. She is typical of other cathedral parishioners who help to run the program. “Let me know what I can do to help while we wait and see,” she said.
Goodie bags are currently distributed to Outreach guests one Monday each month.
Goodie bags with fresh fruit, cold drinks, homemade baking, cheese, and granola bars will continue to be distributed outdoors at Cathedral Memorial Hall on the last Monday morning of the month. People in need who stop by are also offered a $10 gift card for a local supermarket or some bus tickets. The average “attendance” is 46.
“We provided this modest help every single month throughout the pandemic, thanks to the support of our church family, our volunteers and St. Margaret's Anglican Church which supplies fruit,” Penny said.
“We'll keep doing it in this way, but we'll keep reassessing the situation until we're sure it's safe to welcome everybody back inside for what was always a fun time.”
With the pandemic mandatory order restrictions lifted as of 30 July 2021, please be patient as we again adjust to new ways of being in community. Our goal will be to maintain that which helps assure community health and safety. Above all we need to accommodate one another as we transition.
See the Diocesan COVID-19 page for links and resources.
All of what follows pertains to both the Cathedral memorial Hall and the Cathedral during worship. Items 6-7 are specifically concerned the Cathedral itself during worship or concerts.
Details about what we will continue, in practice, include:
Self-monitor. If you have any reason whatsoever to believe that you have an illness, please stay at home.
Entering and exiting. Please be understanding of those who may wish to maintain some personal space as we adjust to new normals of interacting with one another. Keeping personal traffic flowing at entrances will be helpful.
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.
Face masks. Those who wish to wear a face mask are certainly welcome to do so. Please accommodate both those with and those without.
Seating. Greeters may be able to help you find suitable seating in the Cathedral, especially if some personal space will help to make you more comfortable. When setting up chairs for a group event, please keep in mind that personal space may help to make participants more comfortable.
Communion. We’ll continue with Communion in one kind for the foreseeable future. At Communion, please continue to approach in one line up the center. The host only will be safely delivered to your hands. Return by way of a side aisle.
Offering. The offering will still be received with a plate near the back of the Cathedral and collected by greeters following worship.
Operational Plan. The current operational plan will be suspended but available for modification and implementation if circumstances require it.
Contact Tracing. Attendance logs are no longer required by New Brunswick Public Health. If, however, someone who tested positive for COVID-19 was in our building, please inform the Cathedral Office so we can ensure a thorough cleaning. Thank you.
Congratulations to Jocelyn Herrera, one of our scholarship students in Belize, who has graduated from Eden SDA High School!
Jocelyn attended elementary at St. Hilda's Anglican School. She is interested in furthering her education beyond high school, and has also previously expressed interest in becoming a business secretary. Please pray that, with God's help, Jocelyn will find her path. Read previous letters from Jocelyn to the Cathedral's Belize Mission Committee here, here, and here. You can watch her graduation ceremony on YouTube. Jocelyn's name is announced at the 47 minute mark.
This year, the Belize Missions Committee has used contributions from the Cathedral congregation to provide scholarships to four students enrolled in high school. In Belize, the average age at which a child leaves school is 13 years old, because of the prohibitive costs of high school tuition. Unemployment in the country is high, there are many large single-parent families, and almost half of Belizeans live below the poverty line. In 2010, Cathedral mission team members established a high school scholarship program which has allowed St. Hilda’s students to apply for a scholarship to continue their education past grade 8. Some of the graduates supported by the Cathedral have gone on to post-secondary education.
Currently, four students attending high school benefit from Cathedral scholarships. $4000 was sent in August 2020 -- $1000 each, which helps to cover the cost of tuition, books and other required materials. The 2020-2021 scholarship students are: Jocelyn Herrera, Grade 12; Jenniah Tillett, Grade 11; Gian Myvette, Grade 10; and Edvin Perez, Grade 9.
This past year has been a challenging one for students across the globe, and we pray that our sponsored students will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their lives and in their studies.
Donations towards the Cathedral's efforts in Belize are always appreciated, and are especially welcome after this year of pandemic in which the Missions Committee has not been able to hold a fundraiser. You may donate and receive a charitable tax receipt by using an offering envelope marked "Belize" or by making an online donation. Funds will be used to support St. Hilda's Anglican School (elementary) and the high school scholarship program.
Residential Schools and Missing Indigenous Children
Since the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, there have been questions about what the Anglican Church of Canada has done in response to the Calls to Action by the National Truth & Reconciliation Commission. There have also been questions about whether our National Church and dioceses are assisting in the work of making records available to indigenous leaders and communities so that other sites which may contain the remains of children who died at residential schools may be identified. I share with you part of a message from our Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls to the House of Bishops this week:
“We, of course, have much more to do to fulfill the TRC Calls to Action and are committed to that work, but we also need to keep our Church informed about work underway already.
The apologies of 1993 and 2019 are available on the national church website. There is ongoing work to make the Apology for Spiritual Harm available in Indigenous translations, just as the first apology has been translated (see: https://www.anglican.ca/tr/apology/).
Documents in the national archives relating to Anglican residential schools have all been copied and transferred to the Truth & Reconciliation Centre in Winnipeg. It is my understanding that all diocesan archives have also been transferred as required.
The national archivist, Laurel Parson, is committed to decolonizing the archives by including the original Indigenous names for places and people wherever possible. She spoke to (the Council of General Synod) in 2020 about that work and it was covered in The Journal at that time - here.
We are committed to the work of exploring the archives and burial records available in light of the list of missing children to find any references that would help with identification. All of this work must be done in collaboration with Indigenous people to set the parameters with sensitivity. I trust that diocesan archives will consider similar searches. There may be grants available through your province or territory to assist with the human resources needed to do this. In Ontario, the student summer grants program often helps the national archives complete projects.
I trust we are listening to the voices of Indigenous communities to walk with them in other actions needed. Anglican residential schools surely have similar unmarked sites and it is critical that we share in the responsibility to uncover as much information and truth as is possible in the coming months and years.
Please keep Archbishop Mark MacDonald and the Indigenous leaders – bishops, ACIP, Dawn Maracle and the suicide prevention workers, and all Indigenous clergy – all in your prayers. They are bearing the burden of the pain felt by so many in the reopening of the wounds of residential schools. With the death of (Indigenous Ministries Coordinator) Canon Ginny Doctor, and (Reconciliation Animator) Melanie Delva on leave, the leaders are under significant stress.” – Archbishop Linda Nicholls
Whether planting seedlings in Uganda or breadfruit trees in Haiti, preparing gift bags for new babies in Lesotho or teaching gender rights in El Salvador, PWRDF partners are investing in their communities.
