News for Holy Week

Dear Friend of the Cathedral So here we are on the edge of the most sacred week in the year when we remember the events of Holy Week which begin with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Those of us in church on Sunday will hear the priest say “My brothers...

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Hosanna! Entering Into Holy Week…

All around the world, Christians commemorate Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday with pageantry.  In England’s Salisbury Cathedral, a child dressed as Jesus rides a real donkey. At Notre Dame de la Défense in Montreal’s Little Italy, olive branches are held up and blessed. Eastern European churches bless pussy willows. At Christ...

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News of March 10th

  Dear Friend of the Cathedral The warmth of Spring is in the air and our thoughts begin to turn towards Easter as shops fill with chocolate eggs and fluffy rabbits – not to mention Easter elephants in Pier 1 – But there’s still some way to go and the...

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Week of March 6th

Many of you have already heard the sounds of rejoicing celebrating the huge success of NUIT BLANCHE last Saturday when 5289 visitors came into the cathedral. About a quarter of this number drank a cup of free fair-trade hot chocolate and then sat in a pew to listen to the...

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Holy Week Services

Some services are simple with just a handful of people, some are much larger with many people in the congregation. The biggest services for each day, where there will be the largest congregation and full music are underlined. You are welcome to attend any of the services at the Cathedral....

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Time to get out of the marriage business.

Marriage is a holy estate and a gift of God in creation, but, unlike love, marriage is not a necessary part of Christian life.  The Anglican Church does not teach that marriage is a Gospel sacrament and in some provinces the Church canonically marries unbaptised couples.  Jesus didn’t marry and...

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Week of February 25th

“O praise ye the Lord, all things that give sound; each jubilant chord re-echo around”. The words of this hymn perfectly express the joyful weekend ahead of us in the cathedral as we celebrate Montréal en lumière Friday evening and Nuit blanche on Saturday. There are three short concerts on...

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A Lenten Leave-taking

When I first realized that my family’s move would require me to leave Christ Church Cathedral in the middle of Lent, I was both personally and liturgically disappointed. Personally, I was sorry to miss the Cathedral’s beautiful Holy Week and Easter services by just a few weeks (although I am...

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Temptations Great and Small

Last Sunday’s sermon on Luke’s gospel by Donald Boisvert reviewed Jesus’ temptation in the desert. The scripture is worth reading and re-reading (en français ici). A contemporary author describes another dimension of temptation… that of the trivial: “There is always the temptation in life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends...

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