Newsletter, November 30th, 2008

Open House at MDTC - Tuesday, December 2nd, 4:30 pm
Montreal Diocesan Theological College invites you to attend their Open House, celebrating their move into their new location at 3475 University.

This year the College sold their buildings to McGill University and in turn is renting back from McGill the Principal's Lodge which has been renovated to accommodate offices, teaching rooms, as well as a student lounge and kitchen.

Though the renovations took a little longer than expected, the move finally took place on the weekend of November 15th and 16th and we have now unpacked and continue on with the ministry of theological education of the laity and those preparing for ordained ministry.  Click here to see the photos Gerry Cote took of our new place.  Join us for the Open House on Tuesday, December 2nd.  >>> OPEN HOUSE PHOTOS >>>


 

Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent at MDTC
Friday, December 5th, at 6 pm.

Join the staff, faculty and seminarians of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College for:

Lessons & Carols for Advent
Friday, December 5, 2008, 6:00 p.m.
at the Montreal Diocesan Theological College 
in Convocation Hall
3473 University Street, Montreal

For more information contact see the pdf poster
(514) 849-3004 or visit the website  www.dio-mdtc.ca   
 

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Canada Reads 2009

• The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
• The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant by Michel Tremblay
• Fruit by Brian Francis
• Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
• The Outlander by Gil Adamson

Join in the debate and read some great Canadian literature and help decide which boo Canadians should be reading in 2009

Seeds Scattered and Sown: Studies in the History of Canadian Anglicanism
From Augsburg Fortress Press.  Edited by Norman Knowles.
"Like the sower in the biblical parable who scatters seeds, a host of dedicated clergy and lay people have planted, tended and nourished the Anglican church in Canada for nearly four centuries. In Seeds Scattered and Sown, respected authors delve into this rich and complex history, with lively results."

Gabriel Vahanian and the Death of God Theology Revisited
A Review by Bill Converse of the Birks Lectures given October 27th and 28th, 2008.

 

FACEBOOK
Even the Anglican Church of Canada has a Facebook page!
Check it out and see if you want to become a fan
of the Anglican Church of Canada!
 

The New Connectivity: How Internet Innovations Are Changing the Way We Do Church
by Andrea Useem of the Alban Institute.  This insightful article examines how the internet is changing the way (some) of us are doing and being church.

JEREMIAH HOUSE
A New-Monastic Missional Community of Church-Planting Servant-Leaders
"The goal of Jeremiah House is to creatively re-imagine what it means to
be Church. Our mission is to live and work as church planting servant-leader disciples who will grow together in the Holy Spirit as we serve the Parish area of St. Anne’s Church (the North Parkdale / Dundas West Neighbourhood of Toronto).
We will seek to live simply so that we may humbly model the Kingdom of God within and to a post-Christian and consumer culture. We will seek to have accountability to each other and to the wider Body of Christ of which we are a part."
They are looking for 5-7 new members to begin this community in January 2009.
Read the pdf about this interesting project.
Find out more about the 'new monasticism' at www.newmonasticism.org  

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EVENTS in 2008:

World AIDS Day
December 1, 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. While treatment for HIV & AIDS has improved and become more widespread since 1988, there are those who still do not have access to it. It is believed that stigma and discrimination continue to be a threat to universal access.

South Africa is said to be experiencing one of the most severe AIDS epidemics in the world, as at the end of 2007, there were approximately 5,700,000 people living with HIV and almost 1,000 deaths occurring daily. The number of orphans due to AIDS aged 0 to 17 is estimated at 1,400,000.

PWRDF Partner, Temba House in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa is working to assist communities affected by HIV & AIDS and provides care and support to women, girls, men and boys, infected and affected by the virus. Through the care and support of Temba House, many chronically ill patients were discharged, without ARV therapy. For more information on this project, please contact pwrdf@pwrdf.org 

For resources to use during your AIDS services, please check out the PWRDF website.

Refugee protection: a living exposition!
Did you know that half the world's refugees are children? ...that here in Montreal refugees, including minors, can be detained indefinitely in what is virtually a prison, without the rights and protections that prisoners receive? ...that most refugees recognized by the UN High Commission on Refugees live an average of 17 years in camps? You are invited to come and discover Action Réfugiés programs through refugees' own voices at an Open House, Thursday, Dec. 4, from 4-7:30 pm,
in the parish hall of St James the Apostle Church, 1439 St Catherine St West,
corner of Bishop (Guy-Concordia Metro), Montreal. The hall is wheelchair accessible. For more information please call 514 935-7799.
 

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Saturday, December 6th, 2008
To mark this important day there will be a Eucharist, Saturday, Dec.6, at 2pm,
in Christ Church Cathedral. This event is being hosted by the women of the Diocesan ACW. Our guest speaker will be Nancy Reich. Nancy is CEO of a non-profit charitable corporation in rural New York. Community Action Agency has been in existence since 1964.  Light refreshments will be served following the service.
All are welcome.

Events in 2009

Christ Church, Beaurepaire:
455 Church Street, Beaconsfield, QC H9W 3S6
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

Supporting the Contemplative Life
Taking Jesus Seriously, Part 1, Mondays 8:00 - 8:45  am, Jan.12th to Feb.16th

Contemplative Practice - Introductory Classes
Mondays 6:15 - 6:45 pm, Feb.2nd, 9th, 16th, & 23rd

Contemplative Eucharist
1st Fridays 7:00 - 8:00 pm.  Feb.6th, Mar.6th, Apr.3rd, May1st

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, Mar. 14th, 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
The Saturday workshops are open to all interested persons. $10 registration.
For full information, go the the Lay Readers' Website

Saturday, January 24th.  "According to the Scriptures"  Canon Jeno Kohner
Saturday, Feb.28th.  "An Anglican Theology: What makes us tick?"  Canon John Simons
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.

 

The Habs Religion - La Religion du Canadien, INTL Symposium
Friday, January 16th 2009; from 9 a.m. – 6 pm at  Université de Montréal (Pavillon Claire McNicoll, room Z-330)  See pdf flyer.

General participation Fee: 20$
Student (CEGEP – University) participation Fee: 10$ - (at the door: 30$ student: 15$)
For each participant, $2 will be donated to the Fondation des Canadiens pour l’enfance!
Speakers: Denis Müller, Université de Lausanne (Suisse); Tom Faulkner, University of Winnipeg; Olivier Bauer, Université de Montréal; Jean-Marc Barreau, Université de Montréal and the three winners of the essay writing contest.

For information and registration please contact: jennifer.guyver@umontreal.ca
Organized by the Faculty of Science and Theology, Université de Montréal,
Olivier Bauer
 

The Soul of All Great Designs
a novel by Neil Bissoondath.  Book Discussion and encounter with the author.

3 Tuesday Evenings and 1 Saturday afternoon. Registration: $50

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 from 6 pm to 8 pm
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009, from 6 pm to 8 pm
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009, from 6 pm to 8 pm
Saturday, February 7th, 2009 from 1 pm to 3 pm.

All sessions take place at the Montreal Diocesan Theological College, 3475 University, Montreal.
(On University, below Milton.)
On our 3 Tuesday evenings, we will explore the world of the novel as it impacts us as readers. How has the creative imagination of the author sparked our own creative thoughts and imaginations?

On the Saturday session we welcome an encounter with the author himself,
Neil Bissoondath.  Our 4 sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Norman F. Cornett.

Radical Abundance: A Theology of Sustainability
The 2009 Trinity Institute Lectures, January 21st to 23rd.  Web-casting.

"As we rethink how to grow, build, supply, consume, dispose, and recycle everything in our lives, we often fail at partnering with the marginalized and powerless, and thus adversely affect them. Building sustainable communities goes hand-in-hand with thoughtful building of infrastructures and physical spaces. Is there a theological basis for living abundantly while striving for justice and sustainability?"

"In 2009, Trinity Institute will explore sustainability through the lens of liberation theology, which views Jesus not only as redeemer but also liberator of the oppressed. It posits a vision of Christians working together toward social justice by considering all people as full partners in healing our planet and our communities, regardless of their social or economic status. Only in striving for sustainable relationships, rather than accumulating and consuming more for ourselves, can we discover true abundance.
 

"The Grief Journey" A Workshop
Date: January 23, 2009
Location: Holy Trinity Church Hall, Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
Time: 9:30 to noon - followed by a light lunch
Cost: $5.00 per person, includes light lunch

Presenter: Dawn Cruchet (BN, MEd, CT)
Certified Grief Educator & Counsellor

Intended audience: Lay Pastoral Visitors
and other interested people in the diocese

Goals: Participants of this interactive, experiential workshop will:
- Learn about the process of grief
- Clarify personal thoughts, feelings and beliefs about grief
- Identify interventions that are helpful to a griever

Please reserve a spot by January 16, 2009 by calling or emailing:
Linda Cass Jones - 450-562-9620 email  bjlcj@sympatico.ca 
 

Vital Church Planting Conference
The Vital Church Planting conference, now approaching its third year, it is becoming a venue where some of the most creative and entrepreneurial leaders of our church—bishops, clergy and lay leaders from across the country—are gathering to learn, to discuss, to pray, and to strategize for a new future.

Come join us at St. Paul’s Bloor Street Toronto, February 17-19 2009. Help shape the future.

A Pilgrimage the Holy Land - SOLD OUT -
Hosted by Bishop Barry Clarke - February 12 - 21, 20
Come Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Synod of the Diocese of Montrea
TOUR PRICE: $2,069 CAD per person sharing a twin room
Departure from Toronto/Montreal to Tel Aviv on Olympic Airlines via Athens.

14th Annual MissionFest Toronto April 16th to 18th, 200
at the International Centre, Airport Road
Theme: For His Name's Sake

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.
April 17th and 18th, 2009 in Montreal. 
Further details will be posted at later date. 

"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."

See the book, The Misunderstood Jew at Amazon

“Praying for the People”
Diocesan Workshop on Intercessory Prayer For all who lead the Prayers of the People.

Saturday, April 25, 2009 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.
 

PWRDF Presents "The Three Cantors"
on Saturday, May 9th, at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal
(More information later on.)

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.

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, as 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.

 

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.
 

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When Death Comes  - by Mary Oliver

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measles-pox;

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth
tending as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it is over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.