Both Annie and Cavalle live and work in this picturesque community located on the Southwest Coast of NL. Over the years, they have worked together to establish strong Sunday school and confirmation groups, with young people who are always ready and willing to take part in worship. Cavalle and Annie’s dedication and commitment to God and the Church is shown through their ministry with these youth who are also always eager to participate in Church activities within the community which promote kindness and sharing.

In the reflection he gave at the ordination, Archdeacon David Taylor reminded Annie, Cavalle, and all of us that: “We are called to do our best to serve Christ by our every contribution even to the smallest and seemingly least significant actions that we do. For it’s by our combined works and efforts that God will extend his reach and work ever more gloriously among his people!”

As a parish, and as a diocese, we uphold Cavalle and Annie in their ministry as they continue on this journey, never knowing where God’s call will lead them, but knowing that he will be their guide!

The post The Rev’d Annie Rose and The Rev’d Cavalle Young ordained deacons appeared first on Anglican Life.

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As a custom introduced in England in the early 19th century by Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, the event featured the much anticipated crustless sandwiches, including cucumber and cream cheese, and also egg sandwiches, scones, custard tarts, petit fours, and so much more.

Hosted by the parish council of the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Corner Brook, the tea was given in honour of the May 6th Coronation of King Charles III.  

Some guests came with friends, and others with family—often in two and even three generation groupings—but all enjoyed the tasty fare, the warm camaraderie, and the magnificent array of fascinators and royal memorabilia.

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The post Comfort Pillows, Quilts and Caps Made in Lewisporte and Donated For Those in Need appeared first on Anglican Life.

I was in my office on Thursday morning, taking care of a few pressing matters, when a knock came on the door separating my office from the rest of the house. I heard my son crying.

And life changed.

By the end of the day I was in the Janeway, my son now having been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Over the weekend, my wife and I learned as much as we could from doctors and nurses and tried to guide and comfort our 10-year-old boy, who now faced a lifetime of blood tests and injections.

It has been a few weeks since then. We’re continuing to adapt as best we can. We’re still learning. There are times when everything is good. And there are times when things are difficult. But each day passes, and we work and we pray that our son will have the best life it’s possible for him to have.

Occasionally the question arises: why? Why has this happened? There’s no type 1 diabetes in our families. Our son always seemed very healthy, up until the first week of Easter. It seems so random—so out of nowhere.

I know that we’re not the first or only ones to ask this question: not by a long shot. People all over the world ask it every day. In every sickness, in every accident, in every act that causes pain or strife, and in every disaster, people always find themselves asking “why?”. And we seem left with nothing more profound than vague references to “God’s plan” or a philosophical “why not?”.

I don’t carry any illusions with me. I don’t presume to think that I am somehow safe from harm because I am a “good servant of God”. It rains on the just and the unjust alike. I don’t have any answers that satisfy the “why”, and I don’t really think there are any—not in this life.

So, when “why” begins to creep into my mind, I get up and face the day as it is, whatever it is. Maybe it will be a good day. Maybe it will be nothing but a struggle. Most of the time it’s a bit of both. But the faith that I cling to is simple: that in good or bad, hardship or joy, in moments of blessing and in times of pain, God walks with me. He may or may not change anything out there—may or may not make things better (and I tend to believe he never makes them worse), but I have confidence that he helps to make ME better. He makes my joys larger and my sorrows less. He gives me clarity to face what needs to be faced, no matter what that may be. And for that I am thankful.

My son is doing well. We have a lot of support in our parish, and in our family. At times, when he softly cries in my arms, wishing he didn’t have this disease, I stay strong. And later, when I have a moment, I’ll softly cry in God’s arms, because I know they’re always there too.

The post Finding Faith in The Ups and Downs of Life appeared first on Anglican Life.

As the Marks of Mission remind us, we are called: 

• To respond to human need by loving service

• To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation

• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

Sowing Seeds—Growing Community is an initiative of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, and addresses these Marks of Mission. The purpose of this initiative is to address the growing demand on local food banks to provide nutrition to those who find themselves seeking the most basic necessity of life—food.   

We hope to:  

• Provide fresh local produce to food banks to help alleviate the shortage of food for those less fortunate.

• Enable food security in Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Enable skills training and development and mentorship.

• Be a pilot to other congregations for future like-minded endeavours within Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Encourage and enable local church congregations to live out the mission of the Church.

It is our intent to commence a farming initiative on a portion (1 acre) of land owned by the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador in Goulds that will be overseen by St. Paul’s Anglican Church.  

Goulds is a long-established farming community, located within the City of St. John’s, with local people who are happy to offer farming expertise. In conversation with potential partners, this initiative will not only provide produce but will provide skills training, mentoring and mental health well-being. We will engage the community at large through hands-on involvement in learning opportunities to enable food sustainability and security.

We are now ready to Set Sail as part of the diocesan Strategic Plan, Sowing Seeds—Growing Community will launch us into renewing Stewardship and engaging Partnerships.

Follow Sowing Seeds – Growing Community this summer on https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanEastNL/

Watch us grow!

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Mid-week Lenten services consisted of Compline on Wednesday evenings, and often the congregation was made up equally of parishioners from the two parishes, and three members of the clergy all shared responsibilities.

During Holy Week, the collaboration continued between the two congregations with Compline on Monday and Tuesday nights, Tenebrae on Wednesday night, a Maundy Thursday Eucharist, and the Good Friday liturgy.

On Holy Saturday, members of both congregations came to decorate in the morning, and that evening, St. Michael’s held its first in person Easter Vigil since 2019. It was very successful, and some members of the cathedral congregation also came to take part in the service.

On Easter morning, a lot of members from both congregations were in the building for the 11am Eucharist, after which we had a wonderfully celebratory coffee hour.

We had journeyed through Lent together, and so we were able to celebrate with each other as well. It was an inspiring and beautiful time of worship and fellowship for all of those who came out to participate. It’s exciting to see what we can do when we come together to worship God as the Church.

The post Two St. John’s Congregations Share A Meaningful Lent And A Joyful Easter appeared first on Anglican Life.

The parishes of Fogo East and West have a shared ministry with Rev’d Neal as their rector. Each parish came together to support Rev’d Neal, and the parishes worked together to make this special event memorable. The service was a spirit-filled event with powerful readings, prayers, plus uplifting hymns sung by choir members from each congregation; St. Andrew’s long-time organist, Margaret Oake, played the pipe organ. Individuals from each parish participated in the ceremony, and the youngest reader in the parish, Martin, presented Rev’d Neal with his licence. In addition to Rev’d Neal’s celebration, we welcomed long-time worshiper Barbara Theresa (Mary) Jacobs into our fold today.  

The Rt. Rev’d John Watton, Bishop of the Diocese of Central Newfoundland, encouraged both parishes to show love to each other. He supported and validated Rev’d Neal’s and Rev’d Beverly’s team ministry, saying it is a blessing that they have had this team ministry over the years, and will now continue their team ministry on Fogo Island. Bishop John also noted that the parishes are very fortunate to have two priests, one deacon, The Rev’d Neil Coffin, and a retired priest from the Western Diocese, The Rev’d Joan Coles,  who resides in Deep Bay. 

Rev’d Neal shares his and Rev’d Beverly’s story about Fogo Island ministry. “This island has always had a spot in our hearts, and we thought we would be here twenty years ago, but at that time, it was not a part of God’s plan. It is all in his time—we just open ourselves to him and follow, letting the Holy Spirit lead us in what the future holds as we journey the road that he has set for us.”

The post Induction Service For The Rev’d Neal Buffett on Fogo Island appeared first on Anglican Life.

Unfortunately though, our finances were tight and the ability to pursue any of these projects seemed like a pipe dream. As a result, the idea to start a thrift store operating out of the church was raised. There were a number of benefits to this. It would serve as a form of creation care, as items would be diverted from the landfill. It would provide affordable household items and clothing to people who otherwise couldn’t afford them. Finally, it would provide a new revenue stream, supporting both the parish’s general fund and funding outreach, as proceeds would be split between the two. Of course, thrift stores are nothing new—the Salvation Army has been operating them to fund their outreach programs for over 100 years. However, in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s we saw an opportunity in that there were no other such stores anywhere near us. 

St. Lawrence Church incorporates a former school, and we reserved one of the meeting rooms (a former classroom) for the store. Before long, though, we were overwhelmed by the number of donations coming from the community, to the point where we had to extend through the corridor and into our gymnasium. We merchandised and priced items through August and September with the grand opening of St. Lawrence Thrift Store scheduled for October 1st. The store would be open on Saturdays only, from 10 am to 4 pm, and operated solely by volunteers.

To say that the thrift store has been a success would be an understatement. Our first day open, we made enough in sales to cover all of our startup expenses. Between October 1st and December 31st, we brought in just shy of $25,000, and each Saturday in 2023 we have brought in well over $1000. It has become a community event, with long lineups forming outside our door every week before opening, and volunteers coming—not just from within the parish—but from the community at large.

In early February of 2023, our Outreach Committee met again. This time, rather than asking ourselves how we could to do something, we were asking ourselves what we wanted to work on first—and there was a great deal of excitement. We will be providing updates on our efforts in future editions of Anglican Life.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank some people for their guidance and assistance in developing our thrift store. A huge thank you to Archdeacon Charlene Taylor; former Diocesan Vice Chancellor, the late Mr. Bradford Wicks, Q.C.; Diocesan Finance Officer, Fred Dinham; Archdeacon Amanda Taylor; Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s Town Council and employees; the St. Lawrence Outreach Committee and Vestry, and all of our wonderful volunteers, who work tirelessly to make the thrift store work.

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