Category Archives: Feature 2

Bishop and Chapter News – May 2026

Posted on

Bishop and Chapter met on the evening of 12 May 2026 with 10 of 13 present. Minutes of 20 April 2026 were adopted. The article: “What if Church Leadership Isn’t About Doing More?” from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership was read in advance and discussed. Rather than offering another strategy for success, the answer may be to slow down, discern, and recover a way of being rooted in God's action

FROM THE DEAN

Usual items of note

• Communions at Farraline Place and Windsor Court
• weekly staff meetings, Chapter Executive (1), committee/group (3)
• visits (3)
• Synod Finance Committee (1)
• Baptism preparation underway
• Book sorting begun (disposal may be the only option)

Up-coming

• Clergy day - 27 May
• Diocesan Council - 30 May

ITEMS ARISING

Retirement of the Dean - a recognition on 28 June with potluck lunch with consideration of contributions toward a gift

Advisory Committee on Appointments - Awaiting diocesan initiation. Bonnie Greenwood (Chair), Catherine MacDonald (Secretary), Greg Young-Morris, Jamie Yeamans. See Chapter By-Law ss. 50-59; Canon Seven - The Clergy; Bishop’s Directive 8.1: Parish Advisory Committee

Leadership vacancies: Safe Church Officer; Nominating Committee 2 chapter/2 congregation; Restoration Trust Committee (3 members)

Lay-Chair contact - with the Bishop regarding next steps after Synod

DECISION

Lay Vice-Chair - it was decided to recommend to the Bishop that Tom Fetter be appointed as Lay Vice-Chair of the Chapter

REPORTS

Treasurer - April Income (All sources): $46,134; Expense: $44,104. To Date Offering Budget: $171,248; Actual: $170,774

Buildings and Property - 1) Repair to spire tile being investigated 2) Shed begin designed for Cathedral boiler exhaust 3) Synod Office lease and future of Memorial Hall under consideration 4) Hall renovation under consideration as to scope required 5) Hall second floor washroom leak has destroyed floor and toilet will need to be replaced

Christian Formation - About 100 in person and 35 online attendees at Butler Bass event

Communications - website technical issues since 24 April. Welcome materials (with Hospitality). Exploration of use of recent history posts

Finance/Administration - meeting scheduled for later in the week. Currently arranging for 2026 tour guides

Health / Pastoral Care - Medley Tea 28 April; health information being made available as possible; considerations about the possibilities regarding assurances that congregational health care needs are being met

Mission / Outreach - 70 attended April Monday Outreach, UNB Legal Clinic present; Belize Missions Games Night – $3600 for scholarship programme; partnered with The Drive Baptist to meet a need

Welcome and Hospitality - 28 June targeted for a retirement event following worship on 28 June

Worship - looking toward Ascension and Pentecost

UP-COMING

• Next meeting - 16 June 2026
• Thy Kingdom Come - 14-24 May Ascension - 14 May; NOVENA 5:15 pm weekdays; Pentecost - 24 May

GMH

 

9 o’clock prayer for peace – CFO International

Posted on

Camps Farthest Out International is a prayer movement that is open to all who desire to take Jesus at his word and live in the Kingdom of God, here and now.

The pattern of the Nine O’Clock Prayer for Peace was first used by the British during World War Il. The idea had been proposed by London industrialist Major W. Tudor Pole during the dark days of the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. Each night at 9:00pm, the people of the British Isle would tune in to the BBC to hear the news. The announcer would say, “This is London. This is the 9 o’clock news and this is Stuart Hibbern.” Then the chimes of Big Ben would ring out and the nine great strokes would follow. During the chimes and strokes, an estimated two million people prayed in silence. This minute was known as the Silent Minute of Prayer.

This minute was known as the Silent Minute of Prayer.

There are many stories about the effects of this time of prayer. For example, a captured Nazi Intelligence officer stated, “With the striking of your Big Ben each evening you used a secret weapon which we did not understand. It was very powerful and we could find no counter-measure.” Other reports were from German bomber pilots who saw hundreds of planes coming against them when in fact, there were only two (from Hand on the Helm, by Katherine Pollard Carter).

The Silent Minute of Prayer was adapted by Glenn Clark for The Camp Farthest Out movement. As CFOer Ruth Robinson recalls…

God gave Glenn Clark a vision of broadcasting love to the world because when people first came to camp and found themselves so bathed in love, they were tempted to keep it. God showed them that by sending it out, it multiplied. This pattern can create a Belt of Love around the world.

It was Dr. Clark’s belief that the Sermon on the Mount is the heart of the Bible, The Lord’s Prayer is the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, and “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is the heart of the Lord’s prayer. In focusing on “Letting Go and Letting God” and seeking relinquishing ourselves to God first (… and let it begin with me) we could begin to seek the harmony and unity that is desperately needed in our world.

All are invited to be a part of this prayer for peace. It is very simple. Each night at 9 p.m. wherever you are, alone or with others, pause for a moment and pray silently or aloud…

Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.

Pray this prayer, in whatever your native tongue, knowing that you join thousands around the globe who call themselves CFOers, people who seek first the kingdom of God in the eternal Here and Now and the abundant life Christ taught in the scriptures. CFO is an organism/movement. There is nothing to join. Simply pray this prayer, and perhaps check our calendar of events for a CFO Camp near you.

from the website of Camps Farthest Out

 

Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Posted on

April is Parkinson's awareness month - Parkinson's is currently the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting movement and other bodily functions, caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Early detection is important! Early symptoms include tremors, stiffness, changes in handwriting, changes in speech, a loss of smell and sleep disturbances.

Treatment focuses on medication, nutrition and lifestyle changes. Regular physical activity can help maintain mobility, balance, flexibility and strength, and slow the progression of Parkinson's.

The establishment of a care team to manage your Parkinson's is essential. Members of this team include you, your family, a Physician, Nurse, Neurologist, Pharmacist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Language Pathologist, Physiotherapist, registered Dietician, social worker, Psychologist, home care supports and your church family.

 

2026 Palmer Memorial Lecture features author Diana Butler Bass

Posted on

 

We are thrilled to announce that the featured speaker for the 2026 Palmer Memorial Lecture on 06 May is celebrated author and church historian Diana Butler Bass!

The Palmer Memorial Lecture Series comprises an annual talk on matters of current religious significance and spiritually formative impact, hosted in honour and at the bequest of the late Harry and Sandra Palmer, long-time devoted members of the Christ Church Cathedral community in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Palmer Memorial Lecture is delivered each year by a prominent and engaging figure in the world of spirituality -- someone who is contributing to and often leading important conversations about how we can deepen and live out our Christian faith in today's world.

Our 2026 lecturer, Diana Butler Bass, is a popular speaker, an inspiring preacher, and an award-winning author of eleven books. She is trained as a church historian, holding a Ph.D. in religious studies from Duke University, with special emphasis in American ecclesiastical history. Diana is one of America's most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality, especially where faith intersects with politics and culture. You might know her from her twice-weekly e-newsletter, The Cottage, in which she expresses her courageous and prophetic voice to an increasingly broad audience. Diana's passion is sharing great ideas to change lives -- helping listeners and readers to see themselves, their place in history, and God, differently.

The event will be held on the evening of Wednesday, 06 May at 6:00 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral, 150 Church Street, Fredericton, NB.

Join us in-person for the talk and an informal reception with light refreshments to follow ($30 per ticket). People wishing to join from a distance can purchase a ticket to watch the livestream ($10 per ticket). You are invited to make a donation which will help to sponsor seats for people who could not otherwise attend.

Click here to purchase tickets

Please note that Christ Church Cathedral is wheelchair accessible.

A variety of Diana's books will be available for purchase onsite.

The event is organized by Christ Church Cathedral, in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton and Westminster Bookmark.

A book reading and signing will be held on the morning of 06 May, at 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Bookmark, 33 York Street, Fredericton. The event at our local bookstore will be free of charge.

 

 

The Palmer Memorial Lecture Series is held in honour and the bequest of the late Harry and Sandra Palmer. Sandra died in 2021 and Harry died in 2024. This 'Cathedral Faces' profile of Harry and Sandra was written in 2017. They are greatly missed members of the Cathedral congregation.