Here at the Cathedral we indeed worship together, but we also eat together and work together! This Sunday the Last Sunday of the Month Lunch which feeds over 200 needy people is being  generously given by Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s School and Mazon Canada: The National Jewish Response to Hunger. Marjorie is hoping to give at least one pair of socks to all the guests at the lunch. Thank you to the people who have already generously donated. It’s not too late to contribute socks. They can be given to the vergers before Sunday or handed over to Marjorie on Sunday.

The next Seniors’ Lunch will be held Tuesday February 3rd  at noon in the Hollis Lounge. Please confirm attendance with the Cathedral office by Monday  morning, Feb 2.

Please mark Shrove Tuesday, February 17 on your calendars and come to the pancake supper in Fulford hall at 6 pm. Ash Wednesday services the following day February 18 at 7:30am, 12:15pm, and 7:00pm.

Because of Shrove Tuesday, the February meeting of Forum has been postponed to February 24. This will be the first meeting of the new Forum elected at the Annual General Vestry meeting on Sunday, February 1st after the 10am service. This is a very important meeting, so please come if you can. The preliminary financial statement for 2014 and the budget for this coming year will be presented, reports will be received and motions voted upon. Think of it as a State of the Union address, but with an opportunity to ask a question or express an opinion. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served before the meeting.

Last Friday 17 people met over supper to continue planning Nuit blanche à Montréal at the Cathedral, which takes place Saturday, February 28. We have to keep the details of our programme secret until after the press release on February 10, but we can promise you a glorious evening, creating light from darkness with words, music and images. Natasha is issuing a last call for artists to participate in the art and photography exhibition. She writes that 2D visual artists in our congregation are welcome to submit works on the theme of “Light” Contact Natasha Henderson for details. Deadline to submit your work via email is February 1st. (Delivery later). Painting, drawing, printmaking and other hangable 2-D artworks are welcome. The show will be up for one big exciting night, February 28th and will probably also still be on show Sunday morning.

Nuit blanche organisers are also looking for people who would like to be part of the security and greeting team helping the regular vergers inside the Cathedral between 6pm and 2 am. Volunteers will be assigned a shift (perhaps 2 hours long) and asked to act as security, number-of-visitors counters and/or smiling bi-lingual greeters. They will be paid. Please contact Rob, Rhonda or Ann if you are interested.

The Public Theology Work Group is meeting January 29th at 7:30 pm to discuss a program of events for learning and thinking about faithful responses to questions of peace and violence.  If you would like to participate in this work, contact Rhonda: rhonda.m.waters@gmail.com

The Montreal Diocesan Theological College is hosting screenings of the talks from this year’s Trinity Institute on the theme of Creating Common Good.  The first screening is January 28th at 1:30pm: Cornel West and Archbishop Justin Welby address economic inequality.  Details:  http://dio-mdtc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Mtl-Poster-for-Trinity-Institute-2015.pdf

The Book Group will meet on February 22 at 7 pm to discuss The Storied Life of A J Firky by Gabrielle Zevin. All book lovers welcome. Please speak to Jane, Diana or Donna Riley.

The Oasis concert this Saturday features pianist Karl Hirzer with cellist Thomas Fortner. Their concert, entitled “Beethoven & Schumann: Sonata and Fantasia” features works by these two great composers of the classical era.

This notice appeared last week, but it bears repeating: The desire to help displaced and suffering communities in the Middle East, for example by sponsoring a refugee (or refugee family) as the Cathedral has done in the past, was expressed during conversations at the Pilgrimage sharing evenings.  If you would like to be part of a small planning group please contact Janet King or Jan Jorgensen.

In the meantime you can find out about the sponsorship program at  http://www.actionr.org/welcome.htm and learn more:http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-considers-prioritizing-religious-minorities-in-syria-refugee-resettlement-1.2870916