Maybe you’ve heard it said that for lavish worship, congregations must have a “Worship Design Team” — experts gathered to design, script, rehearse, and coordinate the event. In detail. Every. Single. Week. But what if small congregations have a more powerful option — one that expands participation, emphasizes lay leadership, ends the burnout of meetings, invites local gifts, and heightens anticipation? They do. It’s called Stone Soup worship planning.
Teresa Stewart says that small congregations have a powerful worship planning option that expands participation, emphasizes lay leadership, ends the burnout of meetings, invites local gifts, and heightens anticipation. It’s called Stone Soup worship planning.
Stone Soup is a popular European folktale. It’s told in different ways around the world, but the essence is this: A stranger shows up in a small village. The stranger is hungry. So are the villagers ... Read more
During Clergy Appreciation Month, take some time to say thank you to our clergy! We are blessed by all that they do to support our congregation and community, through their leadership, faithfulness, integrity, pastoral care and prayer.
Our Cathedral congregation is blessed with the service of Dean Geoffrey Hall, Canon Jon Lownds, Canon Rod Black, Deacon Debbie Edmondson, and Deacon Isabel Cutler. Please join the members of Bishop and Chapter in expressing our appreciation for all that they do. Special thanks also to Archbishop David Edwards for all that he does across the Diocese of Fredericton!
Join Isabel Cutler, Deacon, on the fourth Saturday of each month for an informal gathering of Cathedral family members who have felt the loss of a beloved family member or friend. Reflect with others who have been following the same path, supporting each other in a shared experience.
Gatherings will be held inside Christ Church Cathedral, for ease of accessibility.
Join us on the fourth Saturday of each month, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
There are several ways you can request prayer through the Cathedral.
If you would like your name, or the name of a loved one, added to the public Prayer List in the Sunday bulletin, please contact the Cathedral Office. Names will be listed for one month, but may be extended by contacting the office. You may include a full name or first name. Please ensure that you have the consent of the person to have their name listed publicly.
The Cathedral Prayer Network is a committee of caring individuals who provide immediate, confidential prayer. It is different from the public prayer list printed in the Sunday bulletin. Confidentiality is at the core of the group's work. Contact Coordinator Linda Waugh for details or with a prayer request. Phone (506) 450-3057 or email <lmwaugh at live.com>. The group welcomes new prayer volunteers. Learn more.
A team of Hospital Visitors can see patients admitted at local hospitals. Visits can be arranged by contacting the Cathedral Office or the Dean. Please make sure to let us know the unit and room number, as hospital visitors do not have access to patient listings. Learn more.
Communion at home or in the hospital is available. Please contact the Dean to make a request.
Other clergy, staff, and members of the congregation also support these ministries and engage in prayer.
CONTACT INFORMATION
*NOTE* For time sensitive requests, please use the telephone.
Dean Geoffrey Hall: (506) 450-7761 <dean at christchurchcathedral.com>
Cathedral Office: (506) 450-8500 <office at christchurchcathedral.com> Other Clergy and staff
Since 2010, the congregation of Christ Church Cathedral has provided a scholarship program for students in Belize. High school is not publicly funded in that country, and finances are a barrier which prevents some children from receiving formal education past Grade 8.
For the 2023-2024 school year, our new scholarship student is Silvia Trapp. She is a 13 year old girl who recently graduated from St. Hilda’s Anglican School in Georgeville, Belize. Silvia lives with her parents and four siblings, and looks forward to the opportunity to be enrolled in Grade 9 this fall.
In addition to Silvia, scholarship students include Caleb Martinez (Grade 10) and Korey Kelly (Grade 11). Unfortunately, Edvin Perez was not able to remain in full-time studies after a long bout of illness after contracting COVID-19, and Gian Myvett was no longer a student in good standing in his high school courses. The Cathedral also provides funds each term to St. Hilda’s Anglican School, the elementary school from which each of these students graduated. Our congregation’s relationship with St. Hilda’s goes back to 2005.
"It’s been a privilege to be given the opportunity to further my education. I am very grateful I was awarded this scholarship. There are many kids like me that are raised by a single parent out there and are wishing for this opportunity. Thanks for the scholarship that was awarded to me and for the continuous support, I look forward to making St. Hilda’s proud, and be an example to the other students that will be awarded a scholarship."
- Korey Kelly
"My educational pursuits would not have been possible without your generous donation. Thank you for supporting me towards reaching my fullest potential."
On Saturday 23 September, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. in Cathedral Memorial Hall Lounge, we'll screen and discuss The Letter, an 82-minute documentary film providing environmental illustration, exploration and context to Laudato si’, the encyclical letter on the care of creation that was released by Pope Francis in 2015.
The movie tells the story of a recent gathering in Rome where Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders from many corners of the world met with Francis to respond to Laudato si’. The film is a fine witness and reflection on the climate crisis -- connecting climate change with human migration in Senegal; explaining the influence of unsustainable agriculture on deforestation and loss of human life in Brazil; telling the stories of Australian bush fires and flooding in India; and showing coral reef loss around Hawaii.
The stories in the film are presented in original languages with continuous translation.
Our screening will be followed by a brief reflection discussion.
Please reserve a seat with Kurt Schmidt: <k.schmidt at cccath.ca> or 506-259-3711.
Chair yoga is returning to the Cathedral after a summer break, and attendees are looking forward to gathering for this gentle exercise.
An initiative of the Health Ministry, the classes are led by experienced yoga instructor Monique Smith.
Ideal for both young and old, chair yoga is a unique way to exercise while sitting in a chair. Classes will be held in the Cathedral, making it easy even for those with mobility issues.
As Monique explains, “As far as abilities, even beginners will feel welcomed! … The key is to listen to one’s body.”
These weekly classes are sure to provide a stress-free way to exercise your body, mind, and spirit in fun and friendly group sessions.
Chair yoga classes resume on Friday, 15 September, held from 10:15-11:00 a.m. All classes are open to the public to drop-in, with no need to register. The cost is $5 per session, payable each week.
In a letter dated 10 August, 2023, our Bishop has answered a request made by the Dean and the Bishop and Chapter to appoint Isabel Cutler deacon at Christ Church Cathedral. Our congratulations to Isabel and we look forward to having her once again part of the ministry team.
Isabel Cutler was ordained to Holy Orders as a Deacon in the Diocese of Western Newfoundland in July 2019. She and her husband Nathan, who was ordained to the Priesthood in August 2019, served in the Parish of Isle aux Mort, Margaree, FoxRoose on the southwest coast of Newfoundland for two years. This was a miraculous gift for Isabel, after a lifetime of serving Our Lord Jesus in a Lay capacity for most of her life.
Born, raised and educated in the UK, Isabel is aware of the strong Christian influence of her parents; the hospital environment and care of patients she lived alongside; the Anglo Catholic school she attended run by the Community of All Hallows; and the positive vocational attitude towards nursing as she did her general nurse training at St. George’s Hospital, London UK. In 1972 Isabel, armed with her State Registered Nurse, Midwifery and Public Health certificates and two years work experience, came for one year to work as a Public Health Nurse with the International Grenfell Association in St. Anthony, Newfoundland.
She met Nathan and they married in 1974 and had 47 happy years together. They welcomed Jenny, Andrew and Nicholas in quick succession and Isabel is very blessed to have six grandchildren. Fifteen years living in various parts of NL and then 30 years in Fredericton, NB with two years in the UK attending St. John’s College Nottingham where Isabel was able to audit theology courses alongside Nathan. All were times of formation of Isabel’s spiritual life especially in Fredericton. Always a member of Christ Church Cathedral, a longtime member of Mother’s Union, three times member of Bishop and Chapter, Chair of the Missions and Christian Education and Spiritual Growth Committees and then instrumental in starting, alongside a very positive team, the Health Ministry. Isabel held the first Parish Nurse position 2005-2015 while initially still employed as a Labour and Delivery nurse and with the Victorian Order of Nurses.
Isabel completed the Parish Nursing training programme in 2007. Both Isabel and Nathan went to “ACPO” and were accepted as Postulants for Ordination to the Priesthood. Isabel feels very blessed to have so many rich opportunities to have a close relationship with Jesus, through Cathedral and Diocesan programmes, spiritual direction for 25 years and through bible study and the diversity of worship.
It is now two years since Nathan died so very unexpectedly. Isabel is back in Fredericton near her sons and grandchildren whom she loves to spend time with. She likes to paint watercolours and to read, but time runs away! She feels very blessed in having her family close by and also loving friends. God is a God of Surprises as she realizes, at nearly 77 years old, He still has something for her to do as a Deacon. As Nathan used to say, “Life is Wonderful and Full of Wonder”. Alleluia.
- submitted by Isabel Cutler
In 2016, Isabel was featured in the NB Anglican, in an article written by Gisele McKnight. It highlights Isabel's presentation to the Anglican Church Women (ACW), reflecting on the people and places that have made an impact on her life. Read the article.
In this year of unprecedented wildfires from coast to coast, including those currently forcing evacuations in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, the Prinate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) has established a fund specifically for in-Canada emergency response.
The frequency and severity of natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes and floods is increasing, affecting thousands of individuals. This new fund will allow a quick response when a diocese asks for support, rather than wait to raise funds for individual disasters. Dioceses can access the new In-Canada Emergency Fund by requesting short-, medium- and longer-term support. This could include emergency accommodations, gift cards to purchase food, water and essentials, counselling and post-trauma supports, or locally identified long-term recovery activities to help rebuild community assets and increase community resilience.
The Reverends Nelson and Kara Mejia are SAMS Canada (South American Mission Society) missionaries and priests in the Diocese of Honduras. Kara Mejia is the daughter of retired New Brunswick priest Gordon Thompson and his wife, Bell.
The Cathedral Missions Committee supports their Ministry in Roatan, Honduras with yearly donations.
By the Revs. Nelson and Kara Mejia:
The ministry of the Church in Roatan has not stopped; the churches are open and the Gospel continues to be preached, and leaders in each of the churches have led the services worshiping Jesus Christ every week. It has been our responsibility to equip those whom God has placed in our hands for every good work of service, as Ephesians 4:12 says. To equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up!
Maybe you’ve heard it said that for lavish worship, congregations must have a “Worship Design Team” — experts gathered to design, script, rehearse, and coordinate the event. In detail. Every. Single. Week. But what if small congregations have a more powerful option — one that expands participation, emphasizes lay leadership, ends the burnout of meetings, invites local gifts, and heightens anticipation? They do. It’s called Stone Soup worship planning.
