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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
As you all know by now, this Sunday is Rhonda’s last Sunday with us. She and Thomas and Gilbert will be moving to Ottawa next week, taking up new jobs and living in a house they have bought which has both an attic and a basement. A four-storey home sounds...
This Sunday is not only Valentine’s Day but also the first Sunday in Lent, causing a difficult ethical dilemma – is it alright to eat chocolate? I expect most of us will. However, we can put guilt aside and take up Rhonda’s excellent suggestion for a Lenten spiritual practice which...
This week we will focus on three very important topics: Lent, Reconciliation and the Cathedral’s participation in Nuit blanche on February 27. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday next week, February 10th. There will be three Eucharists, each including the imposition of ashes emphasizing the words spoken by the priest “Dust...
Have you taken down your Christmas decorations? According to ancient tradition next week – the feast of Candlemas – is the time to do it. As the medieval carol says: Make we myrth For Crystes byrth, And sing we yole tyl Candelmes Or as Robert Herrick wrote in the 17th...
There was no newsletter last week so a rather belated wish for a happy New Year! Probably by now most of you will know that Rhonda’s husband, Thomas, is leaving Montreal for an interesting new job in Ottawa, and of course Rhonda and Gilbert are moving too. Rhonda’s ministry has...
Woo hoo! God is good! These exclamations echoed round the cathedral office when Paul and the wardens received the latest pledging update from our treasurer, Jane. There are more pledges to come, but so far 37 people have pledged a total of $91,472, an impressive average of $2,472 per annual...
December 10 was International Human Rights Day and the world’s biggest grassroots event for human rights, Write for Rights organised by Amnesty International. The Cathedral’s Amnesty Action Amnistie will meet in the Chapter House after the 10 am service on Sunday when you are invited to join in writing letters or signing...