The first era of controversy at Saint George’s was immediate, in that the newly acquired building was judged to be highly unsuitable for Anglican worship. The Methodists had built their house of worship according to the Akron plan, that is to say, what amounted to a semicircular or amphitheatre arrangement of pews on a grade with the highest seats on the perimeter and converging at the pulpit in the centre. Moreover, the newly acquired building had no chancel.  These deficiencies were readily solved, with the lofty chancel we see here built at one end and new pews installed so an almost straight centre aisle led to the altar. As we see it here, the main centre aisle appears almost straight until, sooner or later, someone points out that it deviates slightly, due in part to the original design of the church.

There were two exceptional features on the exterior of the church. The first consisted of elaborate terra cotta panels in an archway on the south wall leading down to the basement Sunday School. The second was the soaring landmark spire boasted by this church at the intersection of Metcalfe and Gloucester streets. Too soaring by far, as it turned out, for it was struck by lightning twice on the same day, resulting in it being cut down to the top of the brick tower. Lightning may be exciting, even dangerous, but it is not necessarily controversial.

A major controversy at Saint George’s came in the early 1890s when the Rev. J.M. Snowdon made himself and Saint George’s a household name across the Diocese of Ontario for his attacks on ritualism and the high church practices he perceived to be encouraged at the highest levels. Such attacks on ritualism met with enthusiastic support in rural parishes, thereby roiling the entire diocese in controversy that extended on into the early years of the Diocese of Ottawa. Such controversy seems ironic given the ornate decoration of Saint George’s itself.

Saint George’s provided a bastion within which Roberta Tilton organized the Woman’s Auxiliary into a major force across Canada, and it was within its walls the Good Companions provided a ministry to seniors in the 1950s. The larger demographic flight to the suburbs in the mid-20th century raised the spectre of Saint George’s being closed as its congregation dwindled.

At the beginning of the 21st century, yet another era of controversy arose, over the issue of gay inclusion. This resulted in a schismatic action on the part of the clergy and lay leaders, who were firmly opposed to affirming and accepting the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ persons. After considerable conflict, the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa wisely chose to end the dispute by selling the property, which was facing costly repairs, to the breakaway group for a considerable sum.

The Diocesan Archives collects parish registers, vestry reports, service registers, minutes of groups and committees, financial documents, property records (including cemeteries and architectural plans), insurance policies, letters, pew bulletins, photographs and paintings, scrapbooks, parish newsletters, and unusual documents

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Comme nous sommes pardonnés, nous devons pardonner aux autres. Si nous nourrissons des sentiments de colère, de ressentiment ou de haine à l’égard de ceux qui nous ont fait du mal, si nous ne pouvons pas ou ne voulons pas leur pardonner, cela signifie que le mal qui nous a été fait a remporté la victoire au seul “endroit” qui compte : dans notre cœur. C’est pourquoi nous devons nous repentir de nos émotions négatives, demander à en être guéris et essayer encore et encore de pardonner à nos ennemis

C’est très difficile pour nous. Nous avons tendance à chérir notre “juste” colère et notre haine. Nous pensons parfois que les abandonner n’est pas seulement contre nature, mais que c’est peut-être même une erreur. En fait, pendant la plus grande partie de l’histoire de l’humanité, y compris aujourd’hui, la colère et le désir de vengeance ont été considérés non seulement comme normaux, mais aussi comme un devoir social et même religieux. Ne pas résister à l’agresseur, ne pas chercher à se venger d’un tort causé à soi-même, à sa famille, à son pays ou à ses amis est encore aujourd’hui souvent considéré comme un manque de sang-froid et une offense à la loyauté et à l’honneur.

Et pourtant, c’est à cet “échec” que l’Évangile nous appelle. L’Évangile nous dit que nous ne pouvons pas combattre le mal par plus de mal, mais seulement par le pardon et l’amour, et que si nous voulons être les disciples du Christ, nous ne pouvons pas, comme les “païens”, n’aimer que nos amis.

Cela ne signifie pas que nous devions nier nos émotions négatives à l’égard de ceux qui nous ont fait du mal ou que nous devions nous sentir coupables de les éprouver ou, pire encore, nous reprocher le mal commis contre nous par d’autres, comme le font parfois les personnes qui ont été victimes d’abus. Le véritable pardon ne peut même pas commencer si nous ne sommes pas capables de reconnaître qu’il y a quelque chose à pardonner ; que nous avons été lésés, que nous sommes en colère et blessés. Si nous nions cela, nous nions qu’un acte mauvais a été commis, nous en nions l’importance et ainsi, comme l’a fait remarquer le regretté théologien orthodoxe Thomas Hopkins, nous vidons le pardon de son sens spirituel. Nous vidons également de son sens le repentir, car s’il n’y a pas d’acte répréhensible ni de péché, le repentir et la miséricorde n’ont pas lieu d’être.

D’un autre côté, il est également important que nous comprenions que lorsque nous pardonnons aux autres pour le mal qu’ils ont fait, nous ne les “absolvons” pas de la responsabilité de leur péché. Nous ne pouvons absoudre personne – y compris nous-mêmes – car seul Dieu peut le faire. Nous pouvons seulement prier pour nos ennemis et demander à Dieu de leur donner la grâce de se repentir, afin que leurs cœurs soient changés, qu’ils se convertissent et reviennent à Dieu. C’est, je pense, ce que le Christ a voulu dire lorsqu’il a déclaré que nous devions “aimer nos ennemis”. Demander la miséricorde de Dieu pour ceux qui nous ont fait du tort est un moyen, et peut-être le seul moyen, pour la plupart d’entre nous de les aimer.

Il peut également être très difficile de pardonner et d’aimer ceux qui nous ont fait du mal sans en avoir l’intention. Ils peuvent nous avoir fait du mal, à nous ou à ceux que nous aimons, par accident ou par une terrible erreur, par faiblesse de corps ou d’esprit, par une erreur de jugement ou par un trou de mémoire – en d’autres termes, en raison de leur faillibilité humaine. Même si nous comprenons qu’ils n’avaient pas l’intention de nous faire du mal et qu’ils sont peut-être eux-mêmes proches du désespoir, nous ne pouvons pas nous empêcher de leur en vouloir et de leur reprocher la souffrance qu’ils nous ont infligée.

Pourtant, l’Évangile et l’expérience humaine montrent clairement que si nous ne faisons pas précisément cela – si nous ne pardonnons pas aux autres tout le mal qu’ils nous ont fait, sciemment ou par inadvertance, nous ne serons jamais en mesure de déposer le fardeau de notre perte. Et nos “ennemis”, ceux qui nous ont fait du mal, ne pourront jamais se pardonner à eux-mêmes et trouver la paix. Nous ne devons donc pas refuser d’être miséricordieux envers eux, comme nous espérons que ceux que nous avons blessés ne refuseront pas d’être miséricordieux envers nous, et comme Dieu ne refusera jamais de l’être envers nous tous.

English translation

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In November 2024, our Diocese formally approved Multifaith Housing Initiative as one of seven official Diocesan Partners. Multifaith Housing Initiative (MHI) is well-known to many parishes within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa; it is a strong advocate for affordable housing and helps to create new affordable housing options across the city. Bishop Shane Parker is a proud Patron of MHI.

Our Diocese recently donated $75,000 (from the sale of Christ Church Maniwaki property) to MHI to support Indigenous housing in the Dream LeBreton project in Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats.

At a time when our world is increasingly divided, MHI also brings together Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other communities of faith to focus on our shared goal of affordable housing for all. There is an urgent need for safe, clean, comfortable living spaces, not only in Ottawa but throughout our diocese; MHI is an effective model that might inspire new multifaith collaborations in other communities!

How to support MHI as a Partner

Parishes are encouraged to renew their annual membership for $100. Each parish also identifies a parish representative to serve as a contact, and as a voting member at Multifaith Housing Initiative’s AGM (April 27th). On May 25th this year, please join MHI for the Tulipathon—a walk through the gardens near Dow’s Lake, in support of affordable housing!

In 2022, 20 parishes in our Diocese of Ottawa were members of Multifaith Housing Initiative.

Can we reach 25 parish memberships in 2025?

For more information about MHI, see their website (www.multifaithhousing.ca),  or contact our Partner Liaison: Marilyn Collins (mjfaircollins@gmail.com).

The Rev. Rosemary Parker is Chair of our Diocesan Partnerships Committee

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A King Charles III Coronation Medal was awarded to Denise Gomes, a leader in the Christ Church Cathedral parish, where she has been head server for 25 years and a member of the Servers’ Guild since 1982.

As head server, she has assisted in the planning of and participated in Cathedral services for the consecrations of bishops and state funerals for governor-generals and royalty, including the September 2022 National Commemorative Ceremony for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

She co-led youth confirmation classes for several years with a member of the clergy team. And for the last 25 years, she has undertaken a personal fundraising activity which has raised more than $17,000 for the Cathedral’s Restoration Fund.

— Judith O’Rourke

Taylor Seguin, Centre 105

Centre 105 Executive Director Taylor Seguin was among the 30 individuals presented with the King Charles III Coronation Medals in a ceremony held in the historic Roman Catholic Church of St. Andrew’s in the small South Stormont community of St. Andrews West on March 23.

Seguin was honoured for his work at Centre 105, a community ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.

“My family and I are so grateful for this incredible honour. To be included with such an amazing group of local leaders was a special achievement,” said Seguin. “I am one of the lucky ones, to be surrounded with such a strong and passionate team. Together, we make a difference.”

— Carol Goddard

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A presentation on parish finances by Sanjay Grover, director of financial ministry, offered information and advice on:

• internal controls
• disbursement and signing authority,
• audits
• budgets
• Parish Proportional Share
• ECOPS (equalized cost of priestly services)
• insurance
• the Consolidated Trust Fund
• Property and Finance Committee submissions.

Joel Prentice, director of property and asset management, shared information on:

• capital projects
• Diocesan project approvals process
• preventative and reactive maintenance
• property insurance
• short and long-term rentals

Jamie Tomlinson, interim director of communications and development, offered a brief introduction to cyber security, and he warned parishes that churches are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. He looked ahead to Cyber Security Month in October and recommended these sites for information:

• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security  https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en
• Cyber Risk Management https://ecclesiastical.ca/resource-centre/risk-guidance/cyber-risk-management-security-protection-in-an-online-world/
• Safe Use of Social Media  https://ecclesiastical.ca/resource-centre/risk-guidance/safe-use-of-social-media-2/

The workshop was part of the ADO Learning Commons, which offers resources and educational opportunities.

A workshop on Governance and Human Resources will be held on May 3 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (68 Renfrew Street Pembroke, Ont.) from 9 am to 12:30 pm.  For more info and to register: ottawa.anglican.ca/resources/for-parishes/ado-learning-commons/

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Etienne Eason is the driving force behind the pilgrimage. Growing up, Etienne watched with despair as governments failed to live up to their commitment to limit global warming, made at the Paris climate conference in 2015. Despair is justified. Global emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, a main cause of global warming, are higher today than they were in 2015. Yet, one of the first actions taken by Mark Carney, as our new Prime Minister, was to eliminate the carbon tax, considered the most effective tool in reducing our emissions. The record wildfires in 2013, which covered Ottawa and Montreal in choking smoke, were a personal call to Etienne to become a climate activist.  Through action there is hope.

The global campaign for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty was launched about eight years ago as a response to shortcomings in the Paris climate agreement. In that agreement, governments committed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is considered to be tolerable from the standpoint of survival of the human species. Last year, global temperatures broke through the 1.5-degree guardrail. However, the Paris climate agreement failed to identify the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The fossil fuel treaty calls for an immediate halt to the expansion of fossil fuel use – no new pipelines or powerplants – and an equitable phasing out of existing uses. The treaty had been endorsed by 16 countries, 3953 organizations, and over one million individuals. Signatories include the Anglican Church of Canada and the City of Ottawa, but not yet the Canadian government.

The Pilgrimage for the Planet consists of a two-day bike trek from Montreal to Ottawa followed by a series of events in Ottawa. Pilgrims will

leave Montreal on Saturday, May 10, stay overnight at a church in Vankleek Hill. A reception is planned at St. Paul’s University to welcome their arrival in Ottawa Sunday afternoon, May 11. Participants will present the case for signing onto the Fossil Fuel Non=Proliferation Treaty to the federal government in the morning on Monday, May 12.

Anyone can participate. Best of all, you do not have to make the full Montreal-Ottawa pilgrimage to take part. Organizers are working on a variety of local walking pilgrimages, and even an online pilgrimage that will follow progress along the Montreal-Ottawa route. Visit the event website (below) for more information and to sign up as a participant.

Websites for more information:

Pilgrimage for the Planet – https://easternsynod.org/pilgrimage-for-the-planet/

Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty – https://fossilfueltreaty.org/

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I can’t think of a better way to be reassured of God’s generative goodness but to walk through a northern forest filled with spring flowers just as the leaves pop out. Across the Ottawa Valley, native plants demonstrate God’s goodness as our forest floors show off yellow trout lilies, mixed with tender violet hepaticas, and, a bit later, hundreds of trilliums. How many seasons does it take for a colony of white bunchberries to slowly spread along a nature trail? As the Creator declared long ago, “It is good.”

Although I’ve searched for Canadian wildflowers in their habitats for years, more recently, I’ve also started growing these plants in my own garden. Many Canadian gardeners are becoming more serious about cultivating plants that are indigenous to the region where they live. Local Anglican parishes such as Church of the Ascension in Ottawa are already actively planting these native gardens. (A local environmental organization maintains an interactive map of native plant gardens, and it includes churches across the region https://wildpollinators-pollinisateurssauvages.ca/pollinator-gardens/). Biologist generally use the terms “native” and “non-native” where non-native species have been introduced to Canada after European contact with Indigenous peoples.

Why does it make sense to grow native species in a Canadian garden? First and foremost, these plants belong here. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love planting annuals like orange marigolds. Probably, I will sneak some into my garden every year until my last breath. However, if our Creator had wanted marigolds to survive -20 C winter weather, I’m pretty sure They could have made that happen! As it is, marigolds die in autumn in Ottawa. Instead, we have been given butterfly weed. It’s a family member of the more familiar common milkweed and has survived harsh Canadian winters since time immemorial. Its complex flowers grow in bright orange clusters, which begs the question: “If we can splash bright orange throughout our gardens by planting butterfly weed, why not walk in step with what the Creator intends to grow right here in the first place?”

Karen McClure is a parishioner at St. Bartholomew Anglican, a master gardener in training, and a member of the congregation’s newly minted environmental committee. She says that native plants support local eco-systems, attract wildlife and enhance biodiversity.

“It’s a way that we as Christians can care for the earth,” she says. “It is a way to make a difference in one’s own backyard.” St. Bart’s has already planted serviceberry bushes in the church gardens and hopes to add more native plants this coming season.

Plants and its pollinators “grow up together” in an evolutionary sense over very long periods of time.

Biodiversity is threated by habitat loss, climate change and other factors. This in turn threatens the survival of pollinators such as butterflies and bees. These creatures are absolutely essential to the future of plants, and by extension, our own future as human beings.

Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Home Nature: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, defines a plant to be indigenous to a region when it “has evolved in a particular place long enough to be able to establish the specialized relationships that are nature.” He adds, “Most of the relationships between plants and animals are highly specialized, and they take a long time to develop.” When plants are moved around the world, like marigolds planted in Canada during summer, these special relationships are broken down.

“Local insects typically can’t eat these [non-native] plants and all the things that depend on those insects disappear as well, because there’s nothing generating those insects,” explains Tallamy. Thus, biodiversity is at risk.

Native plants can meet almost all of a gardener’s wishes. There are low plants (prairie smoke) and tall plants (Joe Pye weed). Gardeners with shady lots can try a shade-loving plant such as zig zag golden rod. And, pearly everlasting will bloom almost the entire season. New England asters, flat-topped asters and certain varieties of golden rods provide colour well into fall without spreading too aggressively.

So, for me, here’s the good news. First, anybody with a little garden, or even a flower box on a balcony, can support biodiversity and our planet by planting some native species.

It’s probably one of the easiest steps a gardener can take to truthfully answer to the baptismal vow, “I will, with God’s help.” Why not help fight climate change by doing what you already love to do? Plant some species that belong where you live. Churches can plant these native plants in flower borders and tell their neighbours that biodiversity matters!

Second, native plants can help us better understand God’s absolute delight in creating all of our world. His love for creation extends to even the coldest, darkest parts of our planet. He gave us butterfly weed and zig zag goldenrod! Nothing seems to speak louder than spring flowers in our northern climate: Joy will find a way. The Light will overcome darkness.

A note about Latin names

In her little book The Serviceberry, Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, author Robin Wall Kimmerer mentions that the serviceberry, known by the Latin name Amelancier alnifolium, has many other common names, including saskatoon, juneberry, shadbush, shadblow, sugarplum and sarvis. She adds, “Ethnobotanists know that the more names a plant has, the greater its cultural importance.” However, scientists use agreed-upon Latin names to ensure everybody studying plants is, in fact, referring to the same species. If shopping for native species be aware of plants that include pretty sounding names in brackets. For example, a species sold as Amelanchier Canadensis ‘Rainbow Pillar’ is a so-called nativar. It is derived from the native Serviceberry, but has been bred for a specific trait, such as height or other considerations. True native species never have a name that includes marketing idiom.

The Latin names of native species noted in this article in order of appearance:

Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum), Hepatica (Anemone Americana), Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Bunchberries (Cornus canadensis), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum), Purple Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum), Zig Zag Golden Rod (Solidago flexicaulis), Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Flat-topped Aster (Doellingeria umbellate).

Resources

Johnson, Lorraine, and Colla, Sheila. A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators: Ontario and Great Lakes Edition. Douglas & McIntyre, 2022

Need some inspiration?

Plan a visit to Ascension Anglican Church on 253 Echo Drive in Ottawa. Their grounds demonstrate how native plants can create vibrant gardens. Many of the plants are identified with signs noting their common and scientific names.

Where to obtain native plants around Ottawa?

Many local gardening centres will carry some native species. The non-profit Fletcher Wildlife Garden https://ofnc.ca/programs/fletcher-wildlife-garden near The Central Experimental Farm organizes an annual native plant sale in spring. Plants can also be bought at some local farmers’ markets and ordered online from A Cultivated Art https://www.acultivatedart.com/native-plant-store

Nandy Heule is a visual artist who enjoys gardening with native plants. She lives in Ottawa where she was recently received into the fellowship of the Anglican Communion at a moving ceremony presided over by Bishop Shane Parker.

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Our Earth Day celebration this year will be held on Sunday, April 27. The 10 am family service will have an environmental focus, including our third annual Blessing of the Bicycles and alternate modes of carbon free transportation. We will give thanks for the wonderful earth and its gifts and encourage each person to make lifestyle changes that will have a positive impact on the environment. We will pray for God’s help in all our efforts.

Following the service, we will gather for a Souper Sunday event with a Carbon Footprint Game, which continues the theme of environment, led by Bill Nuttle. Our individual carbon footprint is the best indicator of our climate impact. Knowing our footprint can help us make personal changes in our daily lives to lessen our negative impact on the climate. The game, and group discussion afterwards, will help participants examine ways to accomplish the changes.

Concurrently, a special craft time for the younger environmentalists will be offered focusing on pollinators.

The third annual Salad Garden event will take place on Saturday, May 17. Soil, seeds and planters will be available, so that participants can come to the church and create a salad garden that they can grow and care for and then enjoy its produce during the summer. It’s a great way to enrich your patio or balcony. It’s also a wonderful way to help young people see where food originates and how much care is needed to produce it. Growing food is a perfect way to reduce carbon emissions; you don’t have to drive to the store to purchase it and no transportation is needed to get the product to the store. Plus, it’s wonderful to see plants spring from the earth. The event runs from 10:30 until noon.

Our second annual Cycle Clinic will be on Saturday, May 31. At this event, people drop by the First Avenue parking lot with their bikes, and a team of St. Matthew’s parishioners will guide participants through a quick five-step checklist to assess the health of the bicycle. The team will help the cyclists understand what repairs are needed to make the bike safe and more efficient.  It just takes a few minutes to get one of our enthusiasts to work with the rider and the bike to find ways to make riding more enjoyable and regular maintenance as easy as 1,2,3. The clinic will be from 10 am until noon.

The Creation Matters Working Group at St. Matthew’s would love to see people from all parishes join us in our initiatives to be stewards of God’s Creation. Every effort we make to highlight the environment and to minimize our carbon footprint is an effort to be the best caretakers that we can of God’s gift to us.

The Great Glebe Garage Sale: Repurposing on a Neighbourhood Scale

St Matthew’s parish has also participated in the Great Glebe Garage Sale for over two decades.  The event is important on several levels, which is why the parish continues to be involved despite the huge effort it takes.

First and foremost, this event brings the parishioners together. Everyone is encouraged to invite their neighbours to contribute to the sale too. Prior to the sale all the donations are gathered and sorted. The more valuable ones go to the premium table and are washed, polished, priced and displayed on the First Avenue side of the church. The remainder of the goodies are destined for the White Elephant Table where shoppers are encouraged to “make an offer.”

The third area of the event is book sale.  Volunteers work for hours sorting and organizing the books into several different categories. It is a thing of beauty to see all the books out on tables having been a crazy collection of boxes just a week before the sale.

Because the Great Glebe Garage Sale requires volunteers at many levels it works as a real team builder.  It also highlights our parish in the neighbourhood. Many people who come to the sale use St. Matt’s as their starting point.

The second aspect is the environmental impact.  With the whole neighbourhood involved, it is a perfect opportunity to repurpose items no longer useful to the vendors or donors. There is no restriction on the things that can be sold. At St. Matthew’s we get kitchen goodies, vintage radios, CDs, records, lighting fixtures, linens, garden tools, and the list goes on.  The environment benefits because all these things are given a second life. The amount that does not go to the landfill is enormous.

The third level for St. Matthew’s is the fundraising aspect. In the last five years, the sale has brought in more than $10,000 annually. Last year, the sum was close to $15,000. That is significant help to our outreach programs. The GGGS organizers ask participants to donate 10% of the amount earned to the Ottawa Food Bank. So again, the rewards are multifold. The parish adds to its fundraising total, and the Ottawa Food Bank benefits too. — Margaret Terrett

The Great Glebe Garage Sale is always the Saturday after the Victoria Day weekend.  This year the date is May 24. Come and enjoy the fun!

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In 2015, the congregations of St. Michael and All Angels and St. Richard’s joined together to found Julian of Norwich Anglican Church in Ottawa. In the decade since, they have “embraced a new shared parish identity with openness and love, developing a deep sense of community, a rich blending of traditions, and a very fruitful engagement with the parish’s neighbours,” says the Rev. Karen McBride, incumbent.

The anniversary festival focuses on the parish’s namesake. Julian of Norwich was a Christian mystic and spiritual teacher in the Middle Ages. Her hopeful message of “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well” isn’t misguided optimism, says McBride. “Rather, it’s a profound affirmation because of her divine revelations of God’s unconditional and abiding love, and of God’s active presence in our lives and in the world. That’s one of the reasons we want to offer some public events which explore Julian’s spirituality,” she added.

Here is a schedule of the planned public events (for further information consult the website at julianofnorwichottawa.ca):

Editor’s note: One of the events, Love Divine: A Musical Meditation has been rescheduled from May 4 to 5th since this story was first posted. (see the corrected time below.)

Monday, May 5

Divine Love: A Musical Meditation

3 pm – 4:30 pm

A time of spiritual exploration based on Julian of Norwich’s reassuring words about divine love. Through a group experience called Audio Devina, Rebecca Worden—registered psychotherapist and certified music therapist—will perform prescribed piano music to lead participants into and out of meditation. Following the music listening and meditation, participants will have a chance to express their experiences by creating images of their spiritual reflections.

Thursday, May 8

Commemorating Julian of Norwich, Spiritual Teacher

Choral Evensong

5 pm – 6 pm

Wine and Cheese Reception

6 pm – 7 pm

Hope in Tumultuous Times: Insights for Our Era from the World of Julian of Norwich

7 pm – 8:15 pm

Dr. Sarah Keeshan, medieval historian in the History Department at Carleton University and theology student at Saint Paul University, will offer a talk on the connections between Julian of Norwich’s life experience and our own: “In her life, medieval mystic Julian of Norwich experienced periods of significant personal suffering against the backdrop of the cataclysmic disasters of the 14th century. She gently and steadfastly spoke of trust and hope in a world experiencing profound structural and ideological disruption. Almost 700 years later, she and the world that shaped her bear enduring witness to the power of hope in an era of change and uncertainty.”  The event will be live-streamed.

Saturday, May 10

In Julian’s Footsteps:

Watch Party of BBC Documentary “The Search for the Lost Manuscript of Julian of Norwich” and Guided Labyrinth Wellness Walk

1 pm – 4:30 pm

Participate in one or both parts of this event. Enjoy an entertaining and informative film about what is known of Julian of Norwich’s life, and the inspiring saga of her ground-breaking manuscript “Revelations of Divine Love,” a book almost lost to history (1 pm – 2:30pm). Then take the opportunity to experience the spiritual enrichment and sense of wellness that the ancient practice of labyrinth walking affords. By the Middle Ages when Julian of Norwich lived, labyrinths were already well-established “paths of pilgrimage” for seekers of guidance, wholeness, and grace.

Come journey on the parish’s temporary 9-circuit indoor labyrinth (2:30pm – 4:30pm).

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