But as the congregation grew and expanded west to Manuels, an obligation to  reach outside the original parameters was necessitated. So in due course, our recent place of worship was constructed, and made ready for consecration later in 1974.

However, the old shrine still stands, majestically surrounded by memorials of the many faithful and devoted souls whose determination and moral strength, with both skilled and eager hands, brought it all to fruition.

It was amongst those memorial stones that our Flower Service was conducted again this year on July 17th. And, inside its walls, our Sunday morning worship was held on July 21st.

During these events, many visitors from outside the parish, and indeed the province, are lured by the clanging of the proverbial bell. They have faithfully come to participate in the liturgy and fellowship, and to join us in singing the old familiar hymns.

It is also a time to honour the instigator of this tradition—the late Howard Brown.

When it comes to matters of the old church—whether it was ringing the bell, greeting  at the door, distributing information, reading scripture, or guided tours—Howard was the nucleus around which the rest of us gravitated.

Howard was paramount in bringing our heirloom to Heritage Status, for which a plaque was presented, posthumously, to his wife in 2014.

Our thanks to Rev’d Lisa, who worked closely together with members of the old church committee.

I cannot close this dialogue without sharing my journey experienced during the last service of July 21, 2024—momentarily lost in the past while reinterpreting the present.

At our worship that morning, I sat in my same familiar pew from over fifty years ago. With my eyes transfixed on the altar a few feet directly ahead, I was overcome with a bolt of nostalgia. Structurally, everything remains unchanged. Most of the seats are filled today, although a lot of the familiar faces that once occupied them are no longer present.

But that was yesterday—a time we hold dear, and remember with respect.

Today, we must endeavour to dwell on the present, with renewed hope for the future

Your old men will dream dreams
Your young men will see visions
-Joel 2:28

Canon Jotie Noel delivered a most appropriate sermon directly from the revered pulpit, while the congregation joyfully sang along with the choir.

Since each summer now could be our last opportunity to continue this tradition, we thank Canon Jotie sincerely for making this year’s event extra special.           

Has this become obsolete by growing old?
Is it really ready to vanish away?
-Hebrews 8:13. (adapted)

The post The Old Shrine Revisited appeared first on Anglican Life.

Seeing these tombs and memorials reminded me that Christians of the past were so much more comfortable with death. In many ways they were more connected to the eternal truth of our faith. We walked over and sat on top of plaques announcing the final resting places of those people with enough privilege to claim a spot in the Abbey. As I thought of all the people throughout history who have done the same, I instinctively knew that where for us it was odd and slightly creepy, for them it made absolute sense.

To worship next to those people who had already begun the next part of their eternal life was to be ever reminded of the way all of us are connected through the body of Christ. Death was an event that witnessed to the eternal love of God. And burial within the church was a very visible reminder of how thin the veil between eternity and earth truly is.

There is something about the past’s understanding of death and our current understanding of death that interests me, but which I cannot quite put into words.

Our Christian culture seems to me to be disconnected from death. We do everything we can to avoid the reality of death. When somebody dies, we say they have “passed away.” When we hold a funeral service, we insist on calling it a “celebration of life.” We will do anything to put off processing loss. We will do anything to postpone accepting that a person’s earthly life has come to an end.

The people of the past seem not to have had these problems. They were surrounded by death each time they walked through the church doors. Death, though I’m sure still devastating, seems to have been front and centre in their theological understanding of the Christian life. And I have a suspicion it is because eternal life was at the centre as well.

Which leads me to my actual theory: That the more important disconnect comes in our disconnect from eternal life. I think we have lost the balance between the now and the not yet, between this world and the next. We have become so enthralled with our earthly lives that our eternal identity is out of reach. But maybe we have never had a balance. Maybe the past was too obsessed with the life to come and neglected what was right in front of them.

As a religion, we have always strayed too far one way or the other. And we will perhaps never get it right. I do not have any answers for this predicament. I don’t know how to fix it or if we need to.  But I do know that worshipping in that place reinforced for me something about this faith that we cling to. When Jesus says, “do not be afraid,” it is the truth. We do not need to fear death. Our own or its presence in our lives. Because Christ has conquered it. And we are saved.

The post Visiting Westminster Abbey appeared first on Anglican Life.

Thanks Gail for taking it off the island, and many thanks to Aubrey who helped us with the loading.

The post St. Andrew’s in Fogo wraps up successful yard sale with generous donations to charities appeared first on Anglican Life.

Keeping has retired. Archdeacon Ed has spent the last 7 years of his ministry serving as a hospital chaplain at the Health Science Centre in St. John’s, where he has pastored to many people from across our province. With his good work ethic of initiating dozens of visits each day, his approachable manner, and the humour and laugh God has blessed him with, he has made a positive addition to the life of the Church.

Ed follows a long list of chaplains who have gone before him who also had a significant impact on the faith journey of many of the readers of Anglican Life. Chaplains, through their visits and prayers, walk alongside those who journey through the darkest valleys of their lives.

Hospital ministry is perhaps the most significant outreach ministry our three dioceses undertake. It is the most significant outreach that the Diocese of Eastern NL sponsors. Many of the people who enter hospital do so with a great deal of fear. Hospitalization, and the process of being hospitalized, can be very traumatic.

As chaplains, through the visitation of all identified Anglicans, we meet these people. Through a ministry of presence and a ministry of prayer, we come alongside the patient and help them discover God in their midst. As a Chaplain, I can also attest to the practicing faith of members of our staff, and the very real presence of their passion and compassion. The words of Psalm 23:4 is lived out daily: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.”

With Archdeacon Ed’s retirement, we are very pleased that the diocese has hired The Rev’d Wayne Parsons as the new chaplain at The Health Science Center and The Janeway Hospital.  This ministry, in the near future, will also include the Centre of Mental Health and Addictions. Archdeacon David Pilling, has taken over as Coordinating Chaplain, and will continue in his ministry at St. Clare’s Hospital, The Waterford Hospital, The Miller Centre/Veteran’s Pavilion and Pleasant View Towers.

Rev’d Wayne brings a wealth of knowledge from parish ministry, having served in Eastern Diocese for the past 22 years. The Rev’d Irene Sutton (recently retired from the Parish of Carbonear), provides “on call” coverage for all weekends (Friday and Saturday), ensuring that we can offer spiritual support as it is needed at all times. We are grateful and blessed to have the active and prayerful support of our Bishop, Samuel Rose.

The post Transition in Chaplaincy: Goodbye to Ed Keeping, and Hello to Wayne Parsons appeared first on Anglican Life.

It’s safe to say that as long as humans have farmed, they’ve celebrated the harvest, offering thanks to their gods. By the time of the Hebrew Bible, this tradition was well established. For instance, Deuteronomy 16:10 says, “Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.” This shows that the Jewish people were expressing their gratitude to God for a successful harvest, a tradition carried into Christianity.

In England, long before Christianity, harvest festivals were tied to the autumnal equinox rather than a fixed date, which is why Canadian Thanksgiving has a moveable date. The first Thanksgiving on what is now Canadian soil occurred in 1578, when English explorer Martin Frobisher held a feast in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving his perilous journey. For someone in Frobisher’s time, giving thanks to God would have been a natural expression of relief and gratitude.

Canadian Thanksgiving evolved from these early beginnings into what it is today: a time to give thanks for the harvest and to spend with family and friends, typically marked by a calm and low-key celebration. In contrast, American Thanksgiving is observed on the fourth Thursday of November, a date established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War. In the U.S., Thanksgiving signals the start of the holiday season, complete with parades, football games, and the onset of holiday shopping. This is what I appreciate about Canadian Thanksgiving—it’s a peaceful holiday with less commercial pressure. It’s a time to relax, reflect, and give thanks without the hustle and bustle that accompanies American Thanksgiving.

While we enjoyed celebrating American Thanksgiving with our neighbours in Wisconsin—football and all—we continue to observe it in our own way, with a special meal and messages to friends in the U.S. It’s a time to be grateful for the experiences we had there and the friendships that continue to be cherished gifts in our lives.

So whenever you who read this are planning to celebrate, or if you celebrate on both dates, have a very Happy Thanksgiving, as our Book of Common Prayer says, thanking God for all of the “gifts so freely bestowed upon us.”

The post Thanksgiving Traditions appeared first on Anglican Life.

This year marks the third annual PWRDF Wild Ride, and it makes 65 years of support for refugees and displaced people. PWRDF partners are working to support refugees in Tanzania, South Sudan, Jordan, Ukraine, and in many more countries too. It’s not to late to join others across the country as we walk, cycle, roller blade, bake, read, knit, crochet, swim, kayak, canoe, dance, and sing—or pretty much any activity you would like to undertake. Join the Wild Ride, and put your stamp on it! The Wild Ride campaign will run until Thanksgiving.

The PWRDF Wild Ride is a Peer-to-Peer fundraising campaign. This means that those who participate reach out to their friends, families, and networks to ask for donations.

This year I participated by crocheting hats/headbands for The Gathering Place. By doing this project, I will be supporting those at the Gathering Place as well as refugees and displaced persons through the work of PWRDF.

In 2024, PWRDF’s aim is to raise $65,000 to mark our 65-year commitment to refugees and internally displaced people. At the time of writing this article $19,365 has been raised.

“Put your stamp on it” by turning your favourite pastime into fundraising for a great cause. For further information you can contact PWRDF at pwrdf.org or call 877-936-9199.

In an earlier article I wrote about World of Gifts and how it wasn’t only about Christmas. In April I gave a brief presentation on PWRDF to three confirmands from the Parish of Living Water in New-wes-valley. These young people decided to do two projects one to help out locally and one to help nationally/internationally. They collected food for the local food bank and they held a bake sale to support PWRDF. With these funds, they used the gift catalog to select how they would help out. They purchased part of one water tank, briquette-making for women, indigenous mid-wife home visit, a donkey to carry water, 3 goats, garden tools, vegetable seeds, ten rabbits, a home garden, and an emergency response. Well done!

The post Wild Ride appeared first on Anglican Life.

Of course, it was your typical wedding reception, with people having to do a certain trick in order for the couple to kiss during their first meal as a married couple, messages from family members who could not make it, and of course the couple giving their thank you speech. What I heard left me thinking a lot of things. It was said, and I quote verbatim: “We would like to thank our vendors: Rev’d Petten and [the local congregation] for hosting and providing for our wedding.” My first reaction in my mind was: “I’m a vendor?”

Sadly, the world we live in at this point time operates with a transactional point of view: I ask you to do something for me, and then because that it all that is needed, we are finished. The Church has never been, nor should it ever be transactional. The Church, as it has always been, is called to be not transactional but relational. The Church was, and is, and should be about relationships—about getting to know people. Because I believe in this, I always try to be able to call every person who I greet on a Sunday morning by their first name, because I want to know them. To know them is to be in a relationship with them. As a priest, I believe I am called to be in relationship with people—to know them, to love them, to be with and for them. So, to think that I was called a vendor left me thinking: if I had been with them during their time of preparation, would I still have been classified as a vendor?

Well, if we do become like a vending machine, may the product that we give be a sweet treat that people are not expecting. May the thing that we give be the thing that people are really looking for: the love of God, the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God. These are the things that are needed and, not a transactional relationship with an institution that is looked at as being something that merely provides a service. May we not be seen as a place of transaction, but as a place of wholesome relationship.

The post I’m a What?! appeared first on Anglican Life.

Angus became a lay reader in Harbour Buffett when he was just 16 years old, and continued on when he began teaching school in Brookside two years later. At the age of 18, he officiated at two funerals in his first two days in town! Wherever he taught after that, Angus served as a lay reader and often was in charge of the Sunday School as well.

When his teaching career brought Angus and his wife Lorraine to Dunville, he also became a vestry member and, later, a churchwarden and parish council member. Angus has now been a licensed lay minister for 66 years, and at retirement had been a vestry member/warden for 58 years.

At this year’s annual congregational meeting, which Angus was unable to attend, a motion was passed unanimously to designate him an “Honorary Lifetime Warden” and to “do” something for him.

A planned family gathering to celebrate Lorraine’s birthday provided the perfect opportunity to organize a “do” for Angus and to have his children and grandchildren there to celebrate with him.

On the special day, after enjoying some welcoming music provided by Rev’d Roberta Woodman, a delicious turkey dinner was enjoyed by all at the beautifully-decorated Community Center. It speaks to the high regard in which Angus is held, that all but two members of the congregation of St. Martin’s were in attendance that night.

After dinner, guest speaker Archdeacon Charlene Taylor, a former rector in the Parish of the Holy Trinity, brought her own memories of ministering with Angus and the kindness and friendship he offered to her in her time there. She also brought greetings from Bishop Samuel Rose, and a certificate recognizing Angus’ 66 years as a lay minister.

Other tributes were offered, gifts were presented, cake was devoured, and photos were taken—and the guest of honour was left speechless!

After the formalities, twenty-three members of the Placentia-area “Music and Friends Guitar Group” provided entertainment as their way of honouring and thanking Angus for his community service, as well as his church ministry.

It was indeed a time to celebrate but, thankfully, not a time to say “so long.”  Angus continues to serve as a lay minister and offers his wise counsel and assistance whenever he is able. As he says, “You know I’m only a phone call away.”

How good it was to gather together in friendship and appreciation for the ministry of Angus Gilbert, a leader with a servant’s heart. Thanks be to God.

The post Honorary Lifetime Warden Celebrated appeared first on Anglican Life.

However, many don’t have these comforts—those who didn’t wake up in a warm bed or a comfortable home, those who had nothing to eat, and those who couldn’t come to a church building. Shouldn’t they also have reasons to be thankful?

Thanksgiving is not just about celebrating our achievements and being grateful for what we have accomplished. If that were the case, what about those whose lives are filled with more failures than successes? What if all their hard work never pays off? Or if they find themselves homeless and sleeping in a tent one day? Should they be less thankful?

If Thanksgiving revolves around being thankful for what we have achieved on our own—our merits, business, or connections—more than for what God has done and is doing, then we have sidelined God. Our hearts can quickly become proud, and we may forget God, believing that our successes and achievements are solely the result of our strength and ability.

In an episode of The Simpsons, Bart Simpson sarcastically said in his grace before a meal: “Dear God, we paid for all this ourselves, so thanks for nothing.” Though it may seem humorous or startling, there are times when we’ve shared Bart Simpson’s perspective. There are times when we’ve felt that our actions deserved special credit or recognition from God and others; times when our pride hindered us from recognizing God in our lives and others.

Last year, I visited a homeless community living in tents on Confederation Hill in St. John’s. They advocated for proper housing and support, so we provided them with supplies like blankets, pillows, water, etc.

I spoke to several members who shared their hopes of finding housing. When I asked about shelters, they expressed concerns about safety and referred to them as, “just a band-aid solution that doesn’t address the real needs.”

“Having a home is about having human dignity,” one man told me.

This reminded me of our Baptismal Covenant promise: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being?”

In the Bible, Jesus spoke to someone who wished to follow him and become a disciple. The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:19–20)

Jesus and his disciples did not have a home to live in during their ministry. Instead, they relied on the hospitality and generosity of others, staying with friends, supporters, and even strangers.

Consider that. The Lord we love and follow was homeless.

Homelessness is a multifaceted issue. When individuals experience homelessness, their fundamental human rights and dignity are often compromised. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and empathy, regardless of their housing situation. Homelessness does not diminish an individual’s worth or right to be treated with dignity. By acknowledging the inherent worth of every individual and ensuring access to basic needs, supportive services, and equal opportunities, we can work towards restoring human dignity for those experiencing homelessness.

I gained significant insights during my visit to the tent community on Confederation Hill. I thank those who spoke to me and asked for my prayers. I assured them that I would pray. However, there is much more that we need to do to support those who, like Jesus, have nowhere to lay their head.

Our central act of worship is celebrating the Lord’s Supper—the Holy Eucharist. “Eucharist,” in Greek, means “thanksgiving.” It involves taking the food that God has blessed us with, our daily bread and wine, and offering it as a sacrifice.

When we make sacrifices to God, when we give of our time, when we offer our wealth, when we return our daily bread to him, this is not something that we do for God’s benefit but for ourselves: we force ourselves to return to right relationship—to the true thankfulness that is the only perspective from which we can know God.

So, this Thanksgiving, let us express gratitude to God and extend gratitude to the people around us.  As the church—God’s people—we need to deepen our relationships with God and one another. Doing so allows us to see beyond ourselves and acknowledge the blessings we receive from others. It is an opportunity to express our appreciation to those who have impacted our lives. It is important to remember that we are not meant to journey through life alone. We are interconnected, and we need one another. Pray for those who are homeless, and may we use the resources God has given us to help.

The post Thanksgiving appeared first on Anglican Life.

At the reception after the morning Eucharist, the girls expressed their appreciation for what they had learned from Fr. Lynn Braye their liturgical coach, Doreen Klassen their organist/pianist/choirmaster, and the late Dr. Jennifer Matthews their vocal coach, who first proposed the founding of a choral scholars programme at the cathedral. The girls also expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and continuing support they had received from the congregation.

Since its inception in 2020-2021, the Choral Scholars Programme has incorporated eight young people  of Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Baptist backgrounds into its musical ministry, for varying lengths of time. Consequently, young people who rarely attended church growing up started participating in as many as 50 services annually, and often brought their families with them. For Charlotte and Maria, this led to a decision to be confirmed, and, as Bishop John Organ noted, by their own choice, to become disciples of Christ.

In his message to the scholars, Bishop John expressed his heartfelt gratitude for their service to Christ and his Church through their gift of music, and encouraged them to continue doing so throughout their studies and, indeed, their whole lives.

It was quite fitting that the girls ended their celebratory Sunday with the calming quietness of a Choral Evensong that concluded with the well-known hymn “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended” and “Deep Peace,” a sung benediction by John Rutter.

The post Celebrating the Cathedral’s Choral Scholars appeared first on Anglican Life.