Dear Friend of the Cathedral

The Music Committee hopes that you and your friends will join them in honouring Patrick Wedd this weekend. Crowning his 22 years at Christ Church Cathedral, Patrick will present his final gift as organist and music director: the famous 1948 Mass by Stravinsky. The gala weekend recognizes his many contributions to the life of the Cathedral and to the diocese as a whole. It is also a reunion for those who have sung at Christ Church Cathedral throughout those years.

In the first event of the weekend, on Saturday evening at 7:30, the singers will be joined by a chamber orchestra for a concert performance of the mass. The concert is free, but free-will donations are appreciated. Please note that the reception for Patrick is Sunday evening after Evensong.

You will have a rare opportunity to hear the Stravinsky mass as an actual mass setting on Sunday morning at 10 am. Patrick tells us that because the mass was actually written to form part of a service the setting is no longer than our usual mass settings.

Finally, there will be a beautiful evensong which will include a short ceremony of thanksgiving for Patrick’s ministry at 4 pm on Sunday, followed by a special reception. Bring a pocketful of tissues – you may need them!

The committee thanks all the people who have generously donated to the Patrick Wedd Music Fund honouring Patrick’s legacy and contribution to church music. It is still possible to make a contribution.

Partly because there is so much happening this coming weekend – a conference synod as well as the gala – the Forum meeting on Monday has been cancelled. The minutes of the last meeting and the coordinating committee minutes are attached.

Report on planning meeting JDC One item on the agenda would have been an update on the Journées de la culture (JDC). An excellent planning meeting was held on June 8 and various people have agreed to take leadership roles. Here’s a list of the dates, the preliminary list of proposed activities and the people in charge. The overall coordinator is Lisa Middlemiss. Amanda Van Oort will be organizing a rota for volunteers and Gabrielle Boyd will be looking for scone bakers. There will be concerts and interactive workshops. I will be writing more about JDC in future letters. Volunteers of many kinds will be welcomed. Contact Lisa, Amanda or cath_communication@bellnet.ca

The position of Manager of the Cathedral’s Oasis Musicale concert series has been posted. It’s a paid, part-time job for a bilingual person who knows the Montreal music scene. Here’s the full description. The deadline to apply is June 21.

You can still sign up to read a summer book. Whether or not you have decided to read the book by Atul Gawande, you may be interested to read his New Yorker essay “Curiosity and What Equality Really Means,” a commencement address he gave recently.

Jan Jorgensen has shared some excellent news from Kairos, the United Church organization with which the Cathedral has partnered on several occasions. Their proposal to Global Affairs Canada on Women of Courage: Women Peace and Security has been fully approved. This project will support grassroots women’s programs in Colombia, the West Bank, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Philippines. It is a five-year agreement where Global Affairs Canada makes a $4.5 million contribution, committing KAIROS to raising $1.3 million for the match.

We are hoping that a delegation with representatives from these countries will visit Montreal when they tour Canada this coming autumn.

Meanwhile, support women around the world who participate in Fair Trade initiatives by stopping by the Fair Trade Boutique in the baptistery during coffee hour this Sunday. Chocolate …coffee …tea …olive oil …soap and … much more.

You might have seen an exciting facebook post from Remrov this week. His “Lion King” drawing has been used on the obverse of a new special edition African Lion coin in Tchad. Congratulations Remrov!

Two quotations about music which suit the spirit of the gala weekend. I suspect Patrick would agree with Stravinsky’s statement, but probably have an argument with Bach – indeed, listening to Patrick play a voluntary we would all dispute with Bach!

 “The Church knew what the psalmist knew: Music praises God. Music is well or better able to praise him than the building of the church and all its decoration; it is the Church’s greatest ornament.” – Igor Stravinsky

“There is nothing to playing the organ. You only have to hit the right notes at the right time and the instrument plays itself.” – Johann Sebastian Bach

Bon concert – happy listening

Ann Elbourne

To receive this Newsletter earlier by email, and with it, additions like the Forum agenda, financial updates, minutes and reports, posters, photos, etc., simply send your coordinates to the Cathedral office…  the failsafe method is to email both Newsletter author and parish volunteer Ann Elbourne cath_communication@bellnet.ca and Parish Administrator Elizabeth Shama  cathedral.administrator@montrealcathedral.ca.

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