The Epistle. The Newsletter of St. Paul s Cathedral Regina, Saskatchewan Diocese of Qu Appelle, Anglican Church of Canada

Transcription

1 ISSUE 20 MAY 2018 The Epistle The Newsletter of St. Paul s Cathedral Regina, Saskatchewan Diocese of Qu Appelle, Anglican Church of Canada INSIDE THIS ISSUE: From the Dean s Desk 2 From the Editor 3 Upcoming Events 4 Stewardship Campaign 5 Church School News 5 Cathedral Lunch 6 Cathedral Choir 8 Columbarium Report 8 Recent Pastoral Services 8 Building in Faith 9 Service Schedule 10 St. Paul s Cathedral (Anglican) office@stpaulsregina.ca 1861 McIntyre Street at 12 th Avenue REGINA SK S4P 2R2 Tel. (306) Fax (306) The Epistle is the Newsletter of St. Paul s Cathedral (Anglican), Diocese of Qu Appelle, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Editor: Production & Mailing: Photography: Canon Trevor Powell Elvira Beday Margaret Ball

2 THE EPISTLE PAGE 2 My dear friends, From the Dean s Desk At long last, spring is upon us and summer lurks around the corner, promising warmth, beauty, and a different set of adventures than those we know in the long winter months. As we are a prairie people, cooped up for those winter months, it becomes almost necessary for us to jump into the vitality and enjoyment that a brief summer offers. We know that for many, summer will be a time of travel and therefore of sporadic attendance at church. So please allow me to offer a brief summer guide to being away. There is a practical piece in all of this which need to be noted. It s important for all of us to remember that, though we may not be present as frequently during the summer, all the ministries of the Church still continue. Worship, pastoral care, administration, outreach and upkeep all carry on no matter what, and need to be sustained. Therefore, it is vital that each of us find ways to continue faithfully in contributing to those needs, even in our absences. Our system of Pre-Approved Payment offerings is one great and convenient way for this to happen. The other homework tasks to be given for the varying times of away this summer brings are ones of our interior life in Christ, being lived out externally. Namely, wherever you go, or whomever you encounter, be kind. You are an ambassador of Christ, and your summer sojourns will bring you into contact with many different people than your winter rota. Remember that all of those, like each of us are also created in God s image. Acts of kindness are the quiet antidote to all that ails the world. Being kind is a real way of helping to restore the awareness of God s love in places and lives that have forgotten or misunderstood it. The last request may not be as demanding: See God s love for this world in everything beautiful you see this summer. Be recharged and recreated in the wonder of creation. Take joy in sunsets, sunny days, opportunities for reunion, differing sceneries, and the company of people precious to you. And know that this your community of faith holds you in love and prayer until your safe return. In peace and love, (The Very Reverend) Mike Sinclair Dean and Rector

3 THE EPISTLE PAGE 3 From the Editor. In assuming the editorship of the The Epistle with this issue, I would first like to express my appreciation and thanks to Canon Michael Jackson for the commitment and work he has done in putting out a first class newsletter over the past five years. At the time, Michael saw the need for greater communication within our Cathedral and the wider community. He not only saw the need for this form of outreach, but more importantly he did something about it! Capably assisted by Elvira Beday s layout and design skills, Margaret Ball s photographic talent and numerous contributions from Cathedral clergy and laity, Michael has helped to bring St. Paul s, its mission and ministry, to a much wider audience. The Epistle is read electronically and in print by people from our city, from our diocese, from other denominations, and at the national and international levels of the Anglican Church. As Registrar and Archivist of the Diocese of Qu Appelle, I have a chance to meet other members of our diocesan family. When they find out that I attend the Cathedral, often the conversation runs to The Epistle and what is happening here in terms of liturgy and music, ministry and outreach, and so on. But it s not just about St. Paul s, it is also an opportunity to learn about what is happening in their parish or congregation. Whenever I go to a parish, one of the first things I do is pick up the Sunday bulletin or newsletter as it will tell you alot about its worship, ministry, outreach and membership. Not every parish produces a newsletter, which is unfortunate, because my conversations with Anglicans from around the diocese suggest that a lot is happening within the parishes and congregations, but like St. Paul s only five years ago, it is not being communicated. By receiving our newsletter electronically and I urge you to sign up - you can send a copy to family and friends virtually anywhere in the world. Over the coming issues, I hope to maintain as much as possible the high standard set by Michael, so that you, the reader, will feel motivated and proud to send a copy of The Epistle to others wherever they may be. (Canon) Trevor Powell

4 THE EPISTLE PAGE 4 Upcoming Events On Sunday, May 13, we have two very special services: At 10:30 a.m., our Choral Eucharist is also the closing service for the International Anglican- Roman Catholic-Ukrainian Catholic Conference on the Diaconate. The preacher is Archbishop Bolen. Bishop Hardwick is presiding. We also expect Bishop Bryan Bayda, Ukrainian Catholic Eparch of Saskatoon, to attend. This service is followed by the Mothers Day Brunch. At 4:30 p.m., St. Paul s hosts the annual Covenant Joint Prayer Service of the Archdiocese of Regina and the Diocese of Qu Appelle. This takes the form of Solemn Evensong and Bishop Bayda is the preacher. The service is followed by a reception arranged by our catering group. We are expecting visitors from across Canada, the United States, the UK and New Zealand at these services Greetings Fellow Christians: We will again celebrate Mother s Day with a brunch on Sunday, May 13 th. We have arranged for a caterer to prepare a feast for a hundred people and we will donate a thousand dollars towards the cost. The feast will consist of Pancakes and Sausages, Fresh Fruit, Syrup, Strawberries and Whipped Cream. As this is a St Paul s function we will be serving after both services. We would appreciate donations at the door which would support the Dean s Discretionary Fund. I would like to hear from as many capable men whom would be interested in helping serve, bus tables, and clean up. It would be a shame to ask these wonderful women to do this job on their special day. Please leave your name with Elvira to be one of the Chosen to help, otherwise I will be doing everything with GOD s help. Warmest Regards, Bob B.

5 THE EPISTLE PAGE 5 Stewardship: More Than Enough Vestry authorized a Stewardship Committee (2018) to communicate with all parishioners about our shared ministry at St. Paul s and to ask each of us to examine the investment in the Cathedral and its ministry that we currently make. To maintain our present level of ministry, we need each household to increase its giving by 15%. Thank you to all who have responded to the stewardship campaign to date. The next and very important stage of the campaign is to visit parishioners who have asked for a visit or who have not yet responded to the campaign. The objective is, of course, to reach our financial goal but also, to make connections within the community. We view this part of the campaign as community outreach - an opportunity for conversations about the ministry at St. Paul s. What is it each of us values and how can we contribute to sustain what we value? We understand that stewardship is time, talent and treasure. Our focus for this campaign is on treasure but the visits will provide an opportunity to talk about other gifts people have to offer. We are all part of the community and need to come together to make the ministry effective and enduring. Everyone who requests a visit or who has not yet responded, will be called and phone calls followed up by a visit of a team of one or two volunteers. Volunteers have attended an orientation session and are going to focus on May for the visits. Whether in homes or coffee shops, we hope parishioners will make St. Paul s visitors feel welcome. Rejoice in the Lord Alway Stewardship Committee Doug Turnbull, Mary Wallace, Pam Kendel-Goodale, Joe Jozsa A Message from the Dean on Stewardship: Stewardship is often mistaken as being only about money. And for that reason, most of us want to shy away from it. At its core however, stewardship is about relationship. Primarily, that relationship is with God. Being good stewards means striving to be faithful in relation to in all things, and at all times in thanksgiving for God s goodness and love. It s about how we understand ourselves and how we help to shape the communities we belong to. It s about how those communities shape us as well. Stewardship is about knowing what we value; it also understands that everyone is valued here at St. Paul s. Each commitment to faithful engagement with the More Than Enough Stewardship Campaign will continue to help St. Paul s give shape to our shared liturgical and spiritual lives. In doing so we will help to add value to the communities we serve beyond this place. Your contribution in faith will help St. Paul s continue to be a place in Regina s downtown that offers welcome, safety, hospitality, healing, and love in all we do. Each faithful gift will help us show our ongoing commitment to break and share bread, to reflect and celebrate the loving image of God in every person, and to deepen our relationships with all who find themselves a part of this eclectic and exciting community. Church School News Our numbers continue to vacillate from week to week, but whatever the numbers, having the junior class meet downstairs in the pretty orange room with all the craft materials, and the older children meet upstairs around an adult sized table works well. The majority of the senior class are boys in the age range, and we are having some very good talks. After the tragedy with the Humboldt Broncos, the hockey players in our class wore their jerseys, and we had a thoughtful and emotional discussion. Simultaneously, the younger group are downstairs learning about Jesus and about the delights of sequins, feathers and glitter. A workable arrangement all around. As has become our custom, our last 'formal' Sunday school classes' will take place on Pentecost, May 20, We will have informal arrangements for the children to meet downstairs during the summer months. We are delighted that Marieka Andrew has joined Val, Robin, Madeleine and Lena, the team teaching the junior class. Heather McKerracher is still cheerfully doing double duty with the senior class, but it would be great if we could have someone join Hildy, Heather and me on our senior team. This is such an important ministry and it is one that bring all of us great joy, so please ponder the possibility of volunteering to teach one Sunday a month. It's a small investment of time and the rewards are great. Respectfully, Gail Bowen

6 THE EPISTLE News From The Cathedral Lunch Program PAGE 6 VOLUNTEERS: SIMPLE YET VALUABLE OFFERINGS On first coming to St. Paul s a few years ago, I was inspired by the discovery that the Cathedral had for many years provided a meal program for vulnerable people living in the downtown community. I wondered what might be the Church s vision for this program, since it was run entirely through volunteers and donations from the Cathedral and beyond. Would the Sunday homilies offer some insight? I listened. I heard almost no references to food, somewhat surprisingly, although it could be assumed that this would be a key component of a meal program. It was the words of outreach, respect, inclusive community, compassion, reconciliation that were spoken most frequently, and showed me the way forward and how I might be of service. Now, about 45 volunteers contribute in some way to the twice monthly Cathedral Lunch program. True, the volunteers are coming from our St. Paul s, but also from All Saints Anglican Church, other churches, the Golden Sheaf Chapter of retired postal workers, other organizations, youth groups with their teachers and leaders, and the community at large. These generous volunteers have very diverse life experiences. They offer various skills and represent many different age groups. Each one has a wish to contribute when and where they are able. There certainly is an array of practical tasks for the volunteers to choose from. Before the lunch day, the volunteers may raise funds, shop, bake, collect clothing and toiletries, knit, cook the main dish (200 servings) and set up tables and chairs. On the lunch day, the volunteers may pack the lunch bags, prepare the hot meal in the kitchen, serve the guests and do a final clean up, just to name a few activities. Taking care of these tasks is essential to the smooth running of the meal program. It allows Cathedral Lunch to offer a coffee time, nutritious hot meal and bag lunch to go, more like two and a half meals, than just a single lunch. But the volunteers are also engaged in something else. They are offering a welcoming environment to those whose daily lives are full of hardship. It is the simple words of warmth, respect and friendship that make the difference. If you stand by the door, you may hear guests being greeted with, Come on in, there s lots of food. And by the table of clothing and toiletries, you may hear, Would you like a bag, so that you can take those things with you? And by the lunch bags, you might hear, Here s your lunch bag, and you have a good day. The reception continues as the guests enter the attractive community hall. Stories are shared at the muffin table, while the coffee is poured. Guests and volunteers chat as the hot meal is being served. Conversations begin with the clean-up of the occasional spill. Finally, the dessert trolley moves through the crowd and affords a few more friendly exchanges as the meal time comes to an end. Then, once more at the door, you hear, See you next time or, Come again or, Have a good week. Often the guests return with a grateful, Thank you. It s not that everything runs perfectly smoothly every time. A few situations need a more thoughtful response than others. Yet the volunteers work hard and succeed in making Cathedral Lunch a positive experience for the guests and for each other. With these simple offerings, the volunteers create an oasis in the downtown, where people with complex and difficult challenges in their lives can be received as valued members of the community. Marilyn Hedlund

7 THE EPISTLE PAGE 7 Cathedral Lunch Helpers

8 THE EPISTLE PAGE 8 News from the Cathedral Choir: Featuring The Musicians We at St. Paul s are extremely fortunate to have such devoted and competent musicians working together in the Cathedral week by week. The organists, David McIntyre, Jackie Chase and Deanna Zak, have developed a rotation to ensure we never lack support. David has written a large repertoire of organ works composed almost exclusively on the cathedral s 1974 Casavant which behaves admirably. Evelyn Tischer plays the piano for the Saturday services at 5pm with deep commitment. Bob Nicholls gives sound leadership for the choir and fits his other roles as percussionist for the Regina Symphony, chorister around town and volunteer at the Saskatchewan Choral Federation into a very busy musical life. I rarely have to substitute for him. He will be leaving his post as choir director following Trinity Sunday and we all owe him many thanks for a job well done over several productive years. The choir has maintained a regular membership of singers although we would always welcome new members. One who has recently joined us, Nicole Stenerson, has taken over the role of rehearsal accompanist from Valerie Hall who became too busy in mid April to continue. She enjoyed her time at St Paul s and was a most valuable member of the team. She continues her positions as organist at St. Mary s and head of voice at the Conservatory. The Choir looks forward to the services on May 13th which will recognise the conference on the Diaconate and the covenant relationship with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The Cathedral was recently the site of the organ competition of the Regina Music Festival. This was a highly successful event. The adjudicator, Gail Archer from Columbia University, was in town for a recital at Holy Rosary and not only adjudicated the performances but also gave an outstanding workshop for the students in the course of which she demonstrated the versatility of the organ to all in attendance. My one year term as Director of Music will shortly be concluded. I have enjoyed working with all our musicians and the clergy. Mike, Michael and Ed have all been fine colleagues-the best group I have encountered in many years of church music. The process of selecting the new Director of Music/Choir Director is now active and we anticipate an appointment on or before July 1st. My final accolade must go to Elvira who has been a vital assistant throughout my brief tenure and always ready to give crucial advice. Robin Swales, Director of Music Report of the Columbarium Board of Management All are welcome to attend Requiem Eucharists generally held on the first Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of the Columbarium. Please arrive by 9:55 a.m. as doors to the building will be locked during the service. A reception follows the service. This is a time for sharing and caring. Guests are welcome to bring fresh flowers to place on the niche of a friend or loved one. Services will be held on Saturdays May 5th, June 2nd and July 7 th. Due to Saturdays being on the long weekends in August and September, services may be held, cancelled or rescheduled. Please phone the Columbarium or the Cathedral for an update. Recent Pastoral Services Susan H. A. Haacke, Chair Weddings April 28 Baptisms April 8 April 4 Jesus Giraldo & Leisha Orthner Benjamin Saylor ~ son of Heather McKerracher Chevalier Boyd Freisen ~ son of Nathan & Jamie Freisen

9 THE EPISTLE PAGE 9 Building in Faith

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12 THE EPISTLE PAGE 12 Making palm crosses for distribution to the congregations Sunday morning and Saturday at 5:00 Choir ready to process for the procession of the palms Good Friday Cross Lighting the incense by Bishop Hardwick The Easter Cross