Dear Friend of the Cathedral

The feast of Pentecost this Sunday, one of the three major festivals of the church’s year, is a particularly apt celebration for the cathedral’s diverse and inclusive community.

The 10 o’clock service will start in darkness and silence and then the deacon will offer the invocations beginning “Come, Holy Spirit, creator, renew the face of the earth” After the last response of “Come, Holy Spirit, come” there will be a dramatic reading from Acts describing the first day of Pentecost. You will hear the text in French, Arabic, Esperanto and English. During the introit, which was written by a German composer and will be sung in Latin, the congregation will light candles to symbolise the flames of the Holy Spirit.

But an inspiring morning service is not the end of Sunday’s celebration. The bishop will be ordaining six people at 4 pm: Stanley Brookes to the Diaconate and James Duckett, Denis Gévry, Jean-Jacques Goulet, Amy Hamilton and Josée Lemoine to the priesthood. Last week Paul asked the congregation to break their normal habits and make a big effort to come to church twice.

And there is more – In recognition of World Fair Trade Day, the Social Justice Action Group has arranged the showing of a Canadian documentary, Traceable which asks the troubling question “Whose hands really make our clothes?” Unfortunately, the answer too often is children working as slave labourers. The movie will be shown in Fulford Hall after the 10 am service. There will be fair trade refreshments, and a boutique selling the usual fair trade products along with a selection of fair trade clothing produced by Aysana. The event will finish by 2:30 – in good time to do a bit of window shopping before taking your seats for the ordination. There is a reception after the ordination to which everyone at the service is invited.

When preparing to celebrate Pentecost Vivian suggests you might want to read the story in Acts. Here’s Eugene Peterson’s translation,  and you can find translations in French and—appropriately (!) dozens of other languages—on  the same website, or check out this index of relevant movies…

The list of movies is fascinating. I will be heading to the library to look for DVDs. Is there anyone out there who’d like to head a discussion group on the references to biblical texts in well-known movies?

If the hot link above doesn’t work try https://www.biblegateway.com/ and look for Acts chapter 2 and for the movie list http://www.textweek.com/movies/holy_spirit.htm

Two important meetings

1. Cathedral Forum, Tuesday May 17, at 6:30, preceded by light refreshments at 6. The agenda, minutes of the last meeting and reports from Corporation and Episkopé are attached.

2. Save the date for the evening of June 7 and look for your invitation soon to a special preview of the goals, plans, personalities, and progress of the Cathedral’s Major Fundraising Campaign

Reminders of regular cathedral Events

1. Pain, partage et prière : The French Bible study and prayer group has changed their schedule. They will meet on May 29nd at 2:00pm in the Hollis Lounge.

2. The Cathedral Reading Group meets June 12 at 7pm to discuss Finding Home by Eric Wright and chat about other books we have recently enjoyed. Speak to Donna, Helen or Jane for details. All book lovers are welcome. Our meetings are very informal.

3. L’Oasis concerts every Saturday at 4:30 and every Wednesday at 6:30. This Saturday Tomo Trio: Piano à six mains: Scènes du théatre de St-Petersbourg. Haruyo Yoshino-Platt, Kanae Nobori, and Tomoko Inui present works by Gurlit, Kornakkov, Bizet, Slonimsky and Schmitz. I have just heard the trio practising and was amazed by the agility and musicality of six hands playing side by side without getting entangled with each other. It will be a delightful concert.

4. Next Wednesday, May 18, at 6:30pm An Evening at the Carnival . Danielle Prag, piano. An exciting concert dedicated to Schuman’s most colorful and eccentric work, Carnaval Op. 9. Works by Bach and Haydn complement the main piece. http ://www.oasismusicale.blogspot.ca/

Two events of interest beyond the cathedral

1. Portrait of Jesus, a new temporary exhibit at the Oratory Museum running from May 1 to September 5, 2016. Inspired by the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, it brings together works of art highlighting the figure of Jesus during the various stages of his life.

2. An afternoon of Tea, Tales and Music presented by the Westhill Grandmothers group on Saturday, May 28th from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Westmount Park United Church, 4695 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, corner Lansdowne. The program will include professional storytellers, the Montreal Intercultural Choir and a performance by an East Indian classical dancer. They will also have a book exchange table, where you can leave 3 books you have read and take 3 books you want to read. Refreshments will be served. Tickets are $20.00.The money goes to the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign to help African grandmothers who are caring for their orphaned grandchildren because their parents have died of AIDS. If you are interested, please talk to Vera Burt.

Requests

1. Please note that on Sundays before and during the 10am Eucharist parking in the forecourt is reserved for people with mobility issues. Street parking is free until 1 pm. If you are coming to the ordination, it might be a very good idea to take public transport. The underground car park next to the cathedral offices is reasonably priced on Sundays.

2. Would you like to donate flowers in thanksgiving, or in the memory of a loved one, for Sundays in June and July? Please speak to Rob Wells or contact the Cathedral office.

May the Holy Spirit fill you with joy this week.

Ann Elbourne

PS I couldn’t resist this poem as a postscript for your enjoyment this week. It fits so many of our concerns, for the environment, for fair trade, for justice as well as the theme of Pentecost.God’s Grandeur   by Gerard Manley Hopkins

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.