Dear Friend of the Cathedral

There are some urgent calls out for volunteers

most immediately to support the Cathedral’s participation in the St Catherine’s street fair on Friday July 15, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17. People are needed to stand or sit by the cathedral’s table where there will be information about our many activities and material about Call 62. You are particularly invited to engage people in conversations about Call 62 (which advocates reforming the history curriculum in schools to place more emphasis on the culture, contributions to society, and political and social history of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.) There will be lots of information to help you in your interactions. Please contact Jan Jorgensen before July 3rd: 514 725-5047 or . Do come and be part of the fun on St Catherine’s.

People have been signing up to be greeters inside the Cathedral, but Vivian could still do with more volunteers to flesh out her schedule. The same is true of Sunday stewards. A number of faithful and regular stewards have moved out of town and others are on holiday. Sam is carrying quite a heavy load – you’ve probably noticed him handing out hymn books and manoeuvring the mike almost every Sunday – and he could certainly do with some help. Being a steward is fun and not at all difficult. Please talk to Sam or to Bob King.

I hope you’ve taken a look at the very interesting books suggested by Episkopé for our summer reading. The idea is for people to get together in small groups to talk about the book they have chosen. Vivian will have a sheet for each book in the Baptistry on Sunday with lots of blank spaces waiting for your signature. If you are away at weekends you can email your choice to the office.

Please try to come to the Annual General Vestry Meeting, part 2, after the 10 am service on July 10. This will be a very short meeting to receive and vote on the financial statements for 2015. There will be coffee and juice as usual after the meeting.

I am passing on to you an important announcement from Nicki Hronjak, the Diocesan Programme Officer about deadlines for the Anglican Montreal. This will be of particular interest to people publicising events such as Journées de la culture and the annual fundraising concert, but also important if you have a piece of news to share. You will see that they are reducing the number of issues. Please note that Nicki emails a weekly letter to parish communicators highlighting events around the diocese. If you want her to include something please email her at

Finally, a reminder about some splendid concerts this week and next
Wednesday, June 29, 6:30, Jazz à la cathédrale: From standards by Gershwin, Jobim and Rogers & Hart to traditional folk songs from the east coast. Amélia McMahon, voice, Chad Linsley, piano, Scott Kingsley, bass.
Saturday July 2, 4:30, An Afternoon of Oboe and Piano Music. A concert exploring oboe and piano repertoire of the Classical and Romantic eras. Angela Schleihauf, oboe, and Sanaz Sotoudeh, piano.
Sunday at St George’s, 2 pm Belcanto Opera in which soprano Elyse Charlebois and tenor Danny Leclerc, accompanied by Anthony Lampron at the piano present popular pieces from the operatic repertoire for soprano and tenor.
Wednesday, July 6, 6:30, Melodies & Glam: Although classical, this bright concert stands out with its jazzy colors inspired by cabaret and music-hall presented by a passionate musical duo. Lysandre Huard Lefebvre, soprano, Lisandre Sévigny Di Quizio, piano.
Saturday, July 9, 4:30, A Lyrical Rhapsody of Oboe, Horn & Piano: Trio Abelia will perform a summer program of music for oboe, horn and piano. Geralynn Giovannettti, oboe, Denise Root Pierce, horn, David Palmer, piano.
For details of all Oasis Musicale concerts visit http ://www.oasismusicale.blogspot.ca/

And if you just want to sit in the sun praising God for our beautiful Canadian summer, you might like these lines from a poem by William Carlos Williams called “Boticellian Trees”: It starts

The alphabet of the trees
is fading in the song of the leaves
the crossing bars of thin
letters that spelled winter
and the cold have been illuminated
with pointed green—
by the rain and the sun –

and finishes

In summer the song
sings itself
above the muffled words—

Happy holidays!
Ann Elbourne