Centre for Lay Education

Kairos urges Canadians to power down for Earth Hour

What are you doing on March 28 at 8:30 p.m.? Kairos, an ecumenical social justice organization, is calling for Canadians to observe Earth Hour "as a symbolic pause to reflect on our use of fossil fuels, to think about the impact of our activity on people and ecosystems around the world, and most importantly, to pledge to make a difference - as individuals, communities, and as a nation."

In 2008, 50 million people in 370 cities and towns, in more than 35 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour.

April 22nd is Earth Day, and you can find an Earth Day Liturgy here compliments of the Diocese of Montreal.

Diocese of Montreal - Ordinations
On Sunday, May 3rd at 4 pm at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal, Bishop Barry Clarke intends to ordain to the priesthood the Revd Robert Bergner, the Revd Jennifer Bourque, the Rev. Geoffrey Chapman, and the Revd Karla Holmes.

Everyone is warmly welcome to the Cathedral for this joyous occasion.

Diocese of Montreal - Conference Synod 2009
November 12th to 14th  "Maintenance versus Mission Ministry" with the Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas.  The year's Conference Synod will take place at Centre Antique (6086 Sherbrooke est, Metro Cadillac)  The $35 registration fee includes parking, lunch buffet and dinner on Thursday, and lunch buffet on Friday, with coffee, snacks and conference materials.  Thursday from 10 am to 9 pm; Friday from 10 am to 6 pm; and on Saturday, back at Cathedral Place, from 10 am to 3 pm.  More details to follow.


At your Diocesan College:

"Living Mission – Growing Hope"  MDTC Tuesday Evening Course

5 Tuesdays evenings at Montreal Diocesan Theological College
exploring the 5 Marks of Mission and talking with fellow Anglicans
who have begun new initiatives in mission and ministry.
Learn to Live the Mission and Grow your Hope in Jesus Christ.

Tuesday evenings from 7:15 pm to 9:30 pm at MDTC,
3475 University, Montreal

Registration: $40 for the course or $10 per evening.

Download the pdf flyer.

For more information contact Tim Smart  514-849-4437
 

EVENTS in 2009

'1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe' exhibition is coming to Montreal!

Join us Sunday afternoon, March 29 and Tuesday evening, March 31, for the opening of the exhibition at Queen of Angels Academy in Dorval. The exhibit highlights some of the individuals of the international peace movement and women's roles in promoting peace.
 
With special guests:
Director Lis Suarez of FEM International, who will speak about her organization's work in empowering women on Sunday, March 29 (from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m).
Julia Morton Marr, one of the Canadian Peacewomen and founder of the the International School of Peace Gardens, who will share her experiences working for peace on the evening of Tuesday, March 31 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.).

The event is a joint presentation organized by the Social Justice Committee of Montreal and the students' social justice club at QAA. The students at Queen of Angels Academy are proud to host this event to kick-off their annual Social Justice Fair. Event is free and refreshments are provided!

At College Queen of Angels Academy, 100 Blvd Bouchard, H9S 1A7 Dorval.
For more information please contact the Social Justice Committee at (514) 933-6797 or email Sylwia Pernal at spernal@sjc-cjs.org, or visit our website www.sjc-cjs.org.

DOXA

A Three Part Course in Christian Discipleship
Thursday Evenings from Feb. 26th – Oct. 22nd 2009
5:30 p.m. Holy Communion (optional)
6:00 p.m. Dinner    Teaching 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
For registration please call St. James the Apostle Church office at 514-849-7577  Download the pdf flyer here.
Leaders: The Rev’d. Canon Linda Borden Taylor
and The Ven. Peter D. Hannen
 

Join in a Celebration of CELTIC SPIRITUALITY
Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm
The Church of St. Columba (Anglican)
4020 Hingston Ave (corner Notre-Dame-de-Grace Ave)
$12.00 for adults (children free)
The Church of St. Columba is Hosting an Evening of Feasting, Story-Telling, Music and Dancing to Inaugurate the Opening Of The 2009 Centre For CELTIC SPIRITUALITY.

Workshops:
March 24th:  Women and the Celtic Tradition with Sonya Ocampo-Gooding
March 31st:   Celtic Music with Jim McDermott
April 14th:     Celtic Perspectives on Creation with Moira Carley
May 2nd:      Beltane Retreat at Manoir d'Youville with Sara Terreault

Please register by calling (514) 486-1753 or by e-mail at kholmes@montreal.anglican.ca 
Open the brochure for all the details on the workshops.

Christ Church, Beaurepaire: 455 Church Street, Beaconsfield, QC H9W 3S Tel: 514-697-2204 Click here for the brochure outlining all these events. And visit the web site at www.stillpresence.com   Ongoing Meditation Practice Mondays 7:00 - 7:45 pm beginning Jan.12th The format includes a guided meditation, time to discuss our practice, and silent group meditation. Participants are encouraged to discover the form of contemplative prayer that suits them best. Led by: The Rev. Cedric Cobb and the Rev. Michael Johnson. Contemplative Eucharist 1st Fridays 7:00 - 8:00 pm.  April 3rd, May 1st Each month, we offer a Eucharistic service that is focused on listening to the presence of God within. Half-Day Retreats: The Seasons of the Spirit Saturdays, 9:00 AM - 12 Noon,  June 20th, Sept. 12th, Dec. 19th Everyone is invited to these events being held at Christ Church, Beaurepaire.

Lay Reader Workshops in 2009
at MDTC, 3475 University, Montreal. 9:00 am to 2:30 pm.
The Saturday workshops are open to all interested persons. $10 registration.
For full information, go the the Lay Readers' Website

Saturday, March 28th. "Genesis: Story or History?"  The Rev. Dr. Patricia Kirkpatrick
April 3rd to 5th.  Lay Readers' Retreat with Bishop Ann Tottenham
Saturday, May 30th. "Pastoral Care by Lay Readers"  The Rev. Michael Johnson
Saturday, Sept. 26th.  "Proclaiming the Good News with a Clear Voice" Carol Hague
Saturday, October 31st.  "Preaching the Good News"  Canon Paul Jennings
Saturday, November 28th.  Study Day and Commissioning. Location TBA.
 

Filthy Lucre: How our Faith Informs out Attitudes to Money
Tuesdays: March 17th, 24th, 31st  from 7-9 pm.
At St. Mark's Church in Dorval,  865 Lakeshore Avenue.

Join us over 3 evenings to discuss the current economic downturn and how we have handled money over the ages.

 

“Women in the Christian Tradition”
Workshop led by Dr. Rowshan Nemazee.  PDF poster with further details.
Friday, March 27; Saturday, March 28;
Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25, 2009
Dr. Nemazee holds a B.A. from Trinity College of Vermont and M.A., Ph.D. from McGill University and is presently a visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. She specializes in women and the Christian Tradition/Feminist Theology.

"This course comprises a survey of women's involvement in the Christian tradition. It traces and critically evaluates the evolution of religious and philosophical thinking about women from biblical times to the present. The development of Christian women’s experiences and expression is explored primarily within a western frame of reference. Topics include feminist interpretation of scripture, ideas of virginity, marriage and motherhood, mysticism, asceticism, European witch hunts, and contemporary women's liberation theories. Discussions will focus on the ways in which formidable women have responded to the gospel message by challenging the church, restructuring socio-religious and familial roles, articulating their subjectivity, negotiating with tradition, and formulating woman-centered theologies and literary aesthetics."

Sponsorship of Refugees:  What does it mean?
How can churches work together to sponsor a refugee?
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009, 7 pm at St. George’s Church, Ste Anne de Bellevue
Open the poster with further details.

An Information Meeting hosted by the Anglican Deanery of Ste. Anne and St.George’s Anglican Church in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
This is an exploratory session to provide information about refugee sponsorship.

Speaker: The Rev. Glynis Williams, Director of Action Refugies Montréal and Diocesan Coordinator of Refugee Sponsorship
Members of PWRDF will be present to describe a 50th anniversary
sponsorship project.

Refugee Rights Day
Monday, April 6 2009
« Recognizing success, Acting for change »  pdf flyer
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm at McGill University School of Social Work
Wendy Patrick Room at 3506 University Street, Montreal.
 

The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus
with guest speaker Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of NT at Vanderbilt University,
Divinity School in Nashville, TN.  Open the brochure in pdf.
April 17th at 7:30 pm and April 18th at 9:30 am and 1:00 pm.
All addresses will be given at Fulford Hall, Anglican Diocese of Montreal,
1444 Union Avenue in Montreal.

"A self-described 'Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominantly Protestant divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt,' Levine combines historical-critical rigor, literary-critical sensitivity, and a frequent dash of humor with a commitment to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist, and homophobic theologies."

1) “Jesus and Judaism: The Connection Still Matters”
Friday, April 17th, at 7:30 pm
 

2) “Hearing the Parables through Jewish Ears”
Saturday, April 18th, at 9:30 am
 

3) “Misunderstanding Judaism, Misunderstanding Jesus”
”Saturday, April 18th at 1:00 pm

All three lectures and discussions will take place at Fulford Hall, 2nd floor of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal offices.

Cost: Register early and save!  www.utc.ca   Register through the United Theological College
$60 before April 3rd
$75 after April 3rd

Or $30 per lecture .

Cherry Docs
Written by David Gow
Directed by Gabrielle Soskin, Persephone Productions
Théâtre Ste-Catherine, 264 Sainte-Catherine East, METRO Berri-UQAM

Afternoon performances of Cherry Docs are scheduled
at 12:30 p.m. from Tuesday, April 21 to Friday, April 24

Many students will attend the above performances.

There are two afternoon performances at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19,
and Sunday, April 26

Evening performances are scheduled at 8 p.m.
Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, and from
Tuesday, April 22 to Saturday, April 25

Discount evenings ($12) are on Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23

Tickets cost $21. Students/Seniors cost $15. Group rate (10 or more) $15.

Why is this play of particular interest? Cherry Docs by Canadian David Gow is a play about important issues. Its characters are engaging. First, there’s Mike, a white supremacist skinhead. He's a youthful troublemaker who proclaims anti-Semitic clichés as if he had invented them. He’s on trial for murdering an Indian man with his cherry colored Doc Marten combat boots. However, Mike is not your usual thug.

Danny Dunkleman, the Jewish legal-aid lawyer assigned to defend Mike, tries to win him over; he wants Mike to be accountable. Using the metaphor of fabric, he says to Mike: I am taking you through the eye of the needle. You are the thread. Danny’s not your usual do-gooder.

The characters direct their monologues to the audience; finally, they learn to speak to each other. The play is thought provoking; it provides no easy answers and supports no easy judgments. Cherry Docs is a complex play. It will be worth the investment of your time and money to see and discuss it.

Please call 514-481-1327 to reserve tickets.
 

Culturing Theologies, Theologizing Cultures: Exploring the Worlds of Religion
April 22nd and 23rd.  The 2009 D.R. Sharpe Lectures at the Divinity School, Chicago.
Conference information and printable flyer can be found here.


"Praying for the People"
Diocesan Workshop on Intercessory Prayer for all who lead the Prayers of the People.

Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 10am-3pm with lunch
Location: St. George’s Anglican Church,
Place du Canada, Montreal.
Workshop Leader: The Venerable Edward Simonton

Overview: What should be in the Prayers and What should not. How to prepare the Prayers of the People (Church, World, Suffering, Dead)
How to use Cycles of Prayer (Anglican Cycle of Prayer, Diocesan, Provincial, Companion Dioceses)
Resources for Sunday Gospel Themed Intercessions
Different Styles of Intercession: BCP & BAS Formal Style, Taize Style, Sung Litanies, the Use of Versicles and Responses.  The Use of Prayers for the Faithful Departed
How to be Creative in ‘branching out’ without being distracting

Please contact Nicki Hronjak or 514 843 6577 to register by April 1, 2009.
A contribution of $10 per person covers lunch and supplies.


Crosstalk Ministries is celebrating 30 years of Day Camps!!!
We would like to invite you to St. Matthew's Church, for our Service of Praise and Thanksgiving, on Sunday, May 3, 2009, 10:30am, to help us celebrate. Our speaker will be the Reverend Doctor Brett Cane. We pray you can join us!
 

PWRDF Presents "The Three Cantors"
on Saturday, May 9th, at 7 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal.
Tickets are $20 each, $10 for students.  Contact Charles Goddard at 514-364-4205. 
All proceeds to benefit the Primates World Relief and Development Fund.
 

Ask & Imagine
May 10-21, 2009
This program is for young adults ages 18-26. The program is meant for people currently in College, CEGEP, University, employed, or just taking time off school to figure out the next steps in life!

In the May program, young adults with mentors, aboriginal elders, guest speakers and peer leaders explore their lives and world issues through the eyes of faith. You will further develop your own unique gifts for leadership and ministry, wherever your path is taking you.

The Moral Economy Project symposium
May 15-16, 2009, at the Marché Bonsecours in Montreal.
Our invitation is now on-line here. 
Sponsored by the QIF, Quaker Institute of the Future.

The $200 registration fee must be received by May 1, 2009 at the latest. Financial assistance is available for students and others who need it; the earlier we receive your request, the more likely it is that we will be able to work something out. To register, please contact us.
 

Refresh: Continuing Education Conference
May 12-15, 2009 at Wycliffe College
Christ is our peace. And yet, innumerable walls of hostility between us – as people, a nations – persist. Diversity. Justice. Our society’s watchwords point us to the reality that we suffer division if the painful past is not addressed. But how can we do that without a new round of recrimination? These questions lie at the heart of the ministry of the Church – the body of Christ – which is called by God from “every family, language and people.” This year at Refresh, our speakers are those who describe the Church’s ministry of reconciliation from many perspectives:

Archbishop John Sentamu, who addresses questions of racism and injustice in his Episcopal ministry;

William (Paul) Young, author of The Shack, who stresses that our spiritual lives need to ask the hard questions about past wrongs if forgiveness is to be possible;

Bishop Graham Cray, whose work in Fresh Expressions is about new ways of responding to the alienation of the unchurched.

Centering Prayer Workshop with Fr. Thomas Keating
Friday May 29 and Saturday May 30, 2009
A Centering Prayer workshop with Fr. Thomas Keating,
as part of the activity program of the Conférence internationale de réflexion et d’action sur Notre Projet (CIRAN).
The workshop is taking place at the Saint Joseph Oratory in Montréal.

Fr. Keating will introduce you to this form of meditation known as Centering Prayer. In English, with simultaneous French translation.  See the poster.

To obtain the registration form by telephone:
514-849-3000, ext. 49
Information and registration:  www.our-project.org 
 

« La mystique démystifiée. Eclairages théologiques, spirituels et psychologiques sur la contemplation et la mystique dans la vie chrétienne. »

Colloque international et francophone, organisé par la Faculté de théologie, en collaboration avec la Faculté des sciences humaines, de l’Université Saint-Paul (Ottawa), du 3 juin à 19h00 au 6 juin à 12h30.  pdf 

Summer Ecumenical Institute
June 3rd to 5th, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
with Fr. Tom Ryan.  The Summer Ecumenical Institute will function as a stock-taking and a vision-building exercise for the grassroots ecumenical community in Canada.
 

KAIROS GATHERING 2009: The end of the world as we know it...Thank God!

What: The KAIROS Gathering
When: June 17-20 2009.
Where: University of Waterloo, Ontario
What: A four day gathering of justice and peace-focused worship, work, play, workshops, music, conversation, learning and networking.

We are also hosting a pre-event for YOUTH 18-30 on June 17th.
A fun-filled opportunity to explore issues that you are concerned about, connect with youth from across the country, and mobilize for change!

Who: YOU! And 499 other creative people from a wide range of communities coast to coast to coast, with resource people from around the world.
Why? To learn, pray, act, reflect, and build community for education and action together with the many communities that make up KAIROS.


Poverty Justice Camp 2009 - "Finding Abundance"
Justice Camp 2009 will be hosted August 9-15, 2009 by the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Focused on the topic of poverty, which will be reflected upon in the light of biblical study and prayer, Poverty Justice Camp will be based at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the opening and closing days of the camp, with immersion experiences taking place throughout Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Diocese of Montreal - Stewardship Days
October 16th and 17th, 2009  at Fulford Hall, 1444 Union Avenue.
Friday evening and all day Saturday.
"Fear Factor: A seminar facing the biology and spirituality of fear in the context of an economic downturn."  with Canon Charles Lafond.

Trinity Institute 2010
January 27-29, 2010 at Trinity Church, New York
With Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury,
and Sir Partha Dasgupta and Kathryn Tanner.

With unprecedented economic challenges all around us, what role does theology have in defining a new economy? Surely the market will be shaped by stricter regulation, but beyond those mechanisms, lay and clergy have an opportunity to create an ethical economy that serves humanity and builds community.

At Trinity Institute’s 2010 Conference, we will bring together leading theologians and economists to talk about the relationship between economics and Christian belief and action.
 

MINISTRY IN HARD TIMES
by Dan Hotchkiss

I once consulted with a church in a magnificent Romanesque building studded with distinguished opalescent stained glass. It had a full-time minister and music director, a sixteen-member paid choir--and thirty-five people in the congregation on an average Sunday. This mode of operation had been financed by liberal spending from a once-large endowment and even larger withdrawals from the invisible bank account of deferred building maintenance.

Like most congregations in such circumstances, this one took pride in the heroic way they had sustained a proud tradition against long odds. But one day their treasurer reframed their situation for them. "Every day we open up our doors, we piss away fifteen hundred of God's good dollars," he said. After a stunned silence, the discussion shifted. Instead of "How can we continue to provide ourselves with a church for the longest possible time?" the group began to ask, "How can we make the most faithful use of the resources in our trust, to fulfill the true purpose of the church?"... 
Keep reading here   (An excellent article, well worth reading at our Parish Council
and Advisory Boards)

Wisdom of the Retiree


I've often been asked, "What do you old folks do now that you're retired?"

Well .. I'm fortunate to have a few friends who have chemical engineering backgrounds, and one of the things we enjoy most is turning beer, wine, scotch, and margaritas into urine.

And we're pretty damn good at it, too.



 

Hoarding your joys and despairs...

Hoarding your joys and despairs
As if they were clothes
You bought but never wore.

Look at this bright shirt:
A possibility you glimpsed
But feared to seize.

The beloved is waiting.
You have a date.
Put on that shirt before it fades.


(by Gregory Orr, from How Beautiful the Beloved. Copper Canyon Press, 2009.)