Here are a few pictures of the decorations from Port aux Basques for Thanksgiving:
The Cathedral of St. John The Baptist, St. John’s Celebrates Thanksgiving
Pictures from the Cathedral’s celebration of Thanksgiving:
Cox’s Cove ACW Make Prayer Shawls
From November’s Anglican Life:
The ACW ladies of St. Nicholas’s Church in Cox’s Cove take great pride in being actively involved in the work of the church and community.
As part of their outreach, a number of the ladies recently knitted or crocheted some 15+ “Prayer Shawls” to be given to the Western Memorial Regional Hospital, Corner Brook, for patient use.
Happy Thanksgiving
Many of our American friends are confused when we say that we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, but that’s because we follow a different tradition for Thanksgiving—nothing to do with Pilgrims coming over to America.
Our Thanksgiving usually happens on the second Monday in October, and it celebrates the harvest (and the blessings that we have received over the past year). It has been officially celebrated in Canada since November on 1879, but was changed to October in 1957.
We often decorate our churches with a harvest or autumnal theme, using fruits and vegetables from the garden, colourful leaves, and flowers. While the holiday is on the Monday, we often celebrate with our families on Sunday with a big meal together. Many of us eat turkey (not a rare occurrence in Newfoundland!), but this is the time of the year when we break out the pumpkin pies and other things that are considered more fall or winter foods.
Of course, thanksgiving meals were held in Canada long before it was Canada, and there are some accounts of such meals from the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher, who came from England to find a Northwest Passage to Asia. We also have accounts of the explorer Samuel de Champlain (1604) holding feasts of thanksgiving, often sharing food with First Nations neighbours.
A prayer for Thanksgiving:
O Lord, fill us, we pray, with adoring gratitude to you for all that you do for us and for those in our lives; fill us with love, joy, peace, and all the good fruits of the Spirit. Amen.
Arnold’s Cove Church Displays Heritage from Resettlement
From the upcoming November issue of Anglican Life:
As the years went by, we became very nostalgic about what once was, and we set about to capture what we could while we could. As a community, we formed “The Placentia Bay Islands and Area Heritage committee” in an attempt to immortalize that which had been so dear to us. To this end, we began gathering any items we could find from times gone by, to place in our new church and our Heritage House. In recent years, the congregation of St. Michael’s has turned the back of the church into a display area for items from the old churches, this area is shared with a children’s space, so it is truly a place where “old meets new.”
Above is a painting, donated by the Rev’d Morley Boutcher to the church in Arnold’s Cove, showing St. Alban’s Church in Spencer’s Cove.
Diocese of Central Newfoundland Synod
The Diocese of Central Newfoundland held Synod at the end of September. Here are a few pictures for you to see now. A full report and more photographs will be in the December issue of Anglican Life.
Painting and Spirituality
In the upcoming November issue of Anglican Life, find an article all about a painting retreat that was held in September in at St. James’, Channel. Hosted by the Rev’d Ed Coleman and his wife Ruth, the participants painted and reflected on the word of God.
Ride For Refuge, 2018
On September 29th, the Anglican East NL team once again made it from Cape Spear to the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, either on foot or by bicycle, raising money for the work of the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. This year, the money raised is going to help the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which helps get food to those who need it around the world. Congratulations to all who participated, and thank you to all who donated.
The team about to leave Cape Spear. This year’s team included three priests: Canon David Burrows (The Parish of the Ascension), Canon Amanda Taylor (The Parish of St. Lawrence), and The Rev’d Jonathan Rowe (The Parish of St. Michael and All Angels).
The team, safe and sound at their destination, with Cathedral rector, The Ven. Roger Whalen.
Queen’s College Celebrates Important Anniversaries
From the October issue of Anglican Life:
On September 5th, 1978, the Report of the Tri-Diocesan Committee on the Role of Queen’s College recommended that upon the appointment of the new provost there be a “study of theological education on behalf of the three diocese to recommend and implement appropriate programs …” September 5th, 2018, was the 40th Anniversary of that critical and courageous decision to launch a new age for theological education at Queen’s College and in the province. The new Provost at the time, The Rev’d Dr. Canon Frank Cluett, facilitated the work of the Commission on the Future Role of Queen’s College, which presented its Report to the Corporation on April 27, 1981. Canon Cluett then led the development of a renewed curriculum and Faculty of Theology at Queen’s College.
This is also the 50th Anniversary of the move of Queen’s College Faculty of Theology from Forest Road to the campus of Memorial University. The initial move was in March 1968. September 1968 launched the start of the first full academic year in the Main Building. Field and Spencer Halls, which were part of Queen’s College, had moved in September 1967.
Read all about these anniversaries and the celebrations that were held in the October 2018 issue of Anglican Life which comes out soon!
