Dear Friend of the Cathedral,
Earlier this week we received a very nice letter from Rhonda, along with a donation for flowers which will be in the church this Sunday. Rhonda wrote:
Dear Friends, Now that the dust has – mostly – settled, Thomas, Gilbert and I want to say thank you for the beautiful send-off and the generous gift(s)! We loved our time at the Cathedral and carry so many wonderful memories and lessons and dreams with us – you are certainly in our hearts for good!
Pray for us as we pray for you, each of us a child of God.
One of the places where we miss Rhonda – and are now welcoming Amy – is Forum. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 19th. The dean is planning to show us some pictures illustrating the process by which the tower will be repaired and the spire replaced – you don’t want to miss that!
Forum will also discuss the initial plans for a community vegetable garden in the Cathedral grounds. Anika Gerols is masterminding this initiative. This is what she says:
One of the projects happening at the Cathedral starting this spring is a vegetable garden. It is open to everyone. One of the first ways to be involved is to help grow seedlings! If you have a green thumb (and even if you don’t) you are invited to take home a little pot and grow a little seedling, then bring it back end of May when we will plant the seedlings together at its opening. I will have some with me over the next 2 Sundays.
Sometimes at this time of the year we want to set aside time and space to recharge. Vivian’s suggested spiritual exercise this week helps us do just that so here it is: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you,” writes Anne Lamott. The Cathedral website lists current opportunities beyond the parish to unplug and/or refocus. And if you simply don’t have time to get away physically, you can listen to a surprisingly nourishing meditation during your daily walk to work, lunch break, or commute: “Pray As You Go” offers a daily twelve-minute scripture reading, with a bit of music and some questions for reflection, in a completely portable format. You can download the free app to your cell phone or other mobile device.(What a long way we have come from Guttenberg and his invention of moveable type! This suggestion might inspire me to become better acquainted with my phone.)
The Social Justice Action Group has been busy. The usual fair Trade Kiosque will be held this Sunday selling fair trade tea, coffee and chocolate as well as other good stuff. It’s a great way to support justice for farmers and artisans in the third world, and reassuring to know that these products, unlike some big name brands, were not produced using child labour.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, SJAG is currently planning a conference on April 30 highlighting TRC’s call 62 which stresses the importance of educating students about issues of the Indigenous Peoples. I think we are all painfully aware of the sad news which keeps coming from northern communities in distress, so this conference is timely.
The Social Service Society has also been busy. You are all invited to their annual general meeting this Sunday. One of their important outreaches is the end of the month lunch for people down on their luck. Another is to parishioners who are sick or shut in. Parishioners who can’t get to church but would like to receive communion are asked to contact the Cathedral office if they would like a member of the clergy team to bring them communion at home.
At the other end of the age scale, students and young adults are invited to attend Hungry Minds which meets every Wednesday from 6-9 pm in the Undercroft for bible study and supper. Jean-Daniel Williams is the coordinator.
If you enjoy reading and discussing books, do come to the next get-together of the cathedral reading group at 7pm on May 1st in someone’s home, when we will talk about City of Thieves by David Benioff and share titles of books we have enjoyed. To find out where we are meeting speak to Ann, Jane or Diana.
Pain, partage et prière, the French Bible study and prayer group will meet on April 24 at 2:00pm in the Hollis Lounge.
L’Oasis Musicale is growing by leaps and bounds. The requests for concert space were coming so thick and fast that our concert series is now being shared with St George’s. The cathedral will also add a Wednesday evening summer series of concerts, starting in May.
This Saturday the performers are Marcus Thompson, viola and Tomoko Inui, piano. Their programme is called Brahms: Les deux dernières sonates / The Last Two Sonatas. They will play two sonatas for viola and piano by Brahms, plus extracts from a piece inspired by these sonatas, Phantasiestücke by Robert Fuchs.
Finally, Rob is looking for people to sponsor flowers in the cathedral from the end of May. This is a lovely way to give thanks or to remember someone.
Ann Elbourne