The post Palm Sunday 2026 in Port aux Basques appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Country Classic Music Night, Port aux Basques appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Port aux Basques Wake-a-Thon 2026 appeared first on Anglican Life.

It is not hard to imagine the weight of that moment. Nor is it far from our own experience. There are times in life and in the Church when something real and life-giving seems to be taken from us. A chapter closes. A voice is no longer heard. A familiar way forward gives way to uncertainty. We are left looking, as the disciples did, into a space that feels both full of meaning and strangely empty.

The Ascension allows us to stand there for a moment to acknowledge the loss. Yet it also gently turns us toward what is hidden within it. For what appears to be absence is not the end of Christ’s presence, but its transformation. The risen Lord is not leaving us behind. He is drawing us into a deeper way of being with him. He is present in all places. No longer seen with the eyes alone, he is known in word and sacrament, in community, and in the quiet work of the Spirit.

This is not an easy shift. It asks something of us. It asks us to trust. The promise of the Ascension is not that we will always feel certain or see clearly, but that Christ remains faithful even when he is hidden from our sight. “I am with you always,” he says. That promise does not depend on our ability to perceive him, but on his enduring love for the world he has redeemed.

In ascending, Christ carries our humanity into the very life of God. Our struggles, our joys, and our fragile and finite lives are not left behind. They are gathered up and held within the communion of the Trinity. In him, our future is already secured, even as we continue to walk through the uncertainties of the present.

The disciples are told not to remain staring into heaven. They are called to return, to wait, to pray, and soon to go out as witnesses. The space left by Christ’s going becomes the space in which their calling takes shape. Perhaps that is where this feast meets us most clearly. In the spaces where something has changed, where something has been lost or loosened, we are also being invited into a deeper trust and a renewed calling. The absence we feel may, in time, reveal itself as a different kind of presence. The uncertainty we face may become the ground in which faith takes root more deeply.

As a Church, and as a people, we do not move forward with everything resolved or made clear. We move forward with a promise. Christ has gone ahead of us. Christ remains with us, and Christ is drawing all things toward their fulfilment in God. So, we hold on to the promise of the Ascension with honesty and hope. We name the sense of loss, but we do not stop there. In that trust, we continue on together, sustained by the promise that nothing given in Christ is ever truly lost. In that promise, we find our hope.

Blessed feast of the Ascension.

The post Trusting the Promise Hidden in Loss appeared first on Anglican Life.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the women approach the tomb carrying grief and uncertainty. They were not expecting resurrection. They were simply showing up in love. Then the earth trembled, the stone was moved, and the angel spoke words that echo through history: “He is not here; for he has been raised.” (Matthew 28:6).

The stone was rolled away not so Jesus can get out, but so the disciples can see in. God makes space for them, for us, to witness new life. Easter asks us gentle but searching questions: what stones feel heavy in our lives and in our Church right now? Where do we feel sealed in by fear, fatigue, or doubt? Where does the future seem unclear? Resurrection does not pretend that those stones have never existed. Good Friday was real. The cross was real. The grief was real.

We are living in a season that calls for patience, humility, courage and deep trust in God. Across many parts of the Church, communities are discerning what faithfulness looks like in changing times. It can be tempting to hold tightly to what once felt strong and secure, or to become anxious about what the future may bring. In places where numbers have declined and familiar patterns have faded, hope can feel fragile.

Yet the empty tomb speaks directly into that space. The risen Christ remains faithful when we feel uncertain. He is present when energy feels low. He goes ahead of us into a future we cannot yet see clearly. Resurrection does not deny loss but proclaims that none of those realities are ultimate. God is still able to move what we cannot.

The stone rolled away is a sign of divine initiative. Before the disciples organized themselves, before they understood what had happening, God had already acted. Resurrection is not our achievement. It is God’s gift. That means we do not have to solve every problem or map out every step before God begins to move. The first Easter did not wait for clarity, consensus, or confidence. It unfolded while hearts were still confused and plans were still undone. God intervened in the middle of their uncertainty.

This Easter, we are invited simply to look into the open tomb and listen again. To hear the promise that life is stronger than death. To trust that even where we see obstacles, God sees possibility. To step forward, as the women did, with fear and great joy intertwined.

May we have the grace to see what God is opening before us. May we walk into that future together, trusting that the One who was raised from the dead is still living and leading amongst us.

The stone has been rolled away. Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!

Mickton+

The post The Stone Rolled Away appeared first on Anglican Life.

The Rev’d Kudawashe Madzime (Rev’d Kuda), gave the message for the evening. He gave an uplifting sermon of how

we portray the image of God not by outward appearances, but by our inward selves. He said, “It is the Spirit of God that is in you and me. In the image of God we are equal.”

We celebrated the evening in song with UnCommon Praise (our St. Michael and All Angels’ guitar group) who played the congregational hymns. The Zimbabwean community delighted us with two selections of drumming, and dancing from the young children.

At the closing of the service, Ivy Danquah (from Ghana) sang an inspirational rendition of “Sanctuary”.

The festivities continued after the blessing with a tea in the hall. Many stayed to enjoy the taste of some Zimbabwean and Nigerian foods, including boiled peanuts which seemed to be a favourite with the children. As we say in Newfoundland and Labrador, “A good time was had by all!” which can be compared to an African saying that Rev’d Kuda shared, which translated it means, “I Am because We Are.” As Rev’d Mickton expressed this feeling wholeheartedly on St. Michael and All Angels’ Facebook page “…prayers rose to God in different languages, reminding us that the Church truly speaks with many voices, yet shares one Spirit.”

A very memorable night of celebration for all!

The post Black History Month Celebrated in The Diocese of Western Newfoundland appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Sparkling Service: The Ladies of The ACW Clean The Memorial Centre in Port aux Basques appeared first on Anglican Life.

It was wonderful to hear the voices of children and adults singing along: what a joyful sound!

In mid-December, members of the Fellowship Group, and ladies from the community, went carolling in Rocky Harbour and Norris Point. It was amazing as the night sky glistened with stars, the light snow fell, we saw trees covered with blankets of snow, and heard voices ringing in the air. How joyful it was to knock on someone’s door, to let them know the carollers were there, and see how excited they were to come outside in the night air and listen to the singing. For many people it brought back many happy memories of Christmas, loved ones, and traditions.

This is Christmas; this is what it’s all about. The Fellowship Group will have memories for ever, and it was a blessing; we look forward to doing it again next year!

The post Bonne Bay North Fellowship Group Sing Carols appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Baptism in Port aux Basques appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Christmas Mitten Tree Tradition Continues in Burgeo appeared first on Anglican Life.