Centre for Lay Education

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.

"Fresh Start" in Montreal
Begins its new season on Saturday, September 19th, 2009. 
All laypeople and clergy are invited to join in.
This is an exciting program offered free from our Diocese/ the National Church which parishes are involved in across the country.  Not only is it highly beneficial for the health and well-being of your parish, its components are also very valuable in everyday life outside of the Church.
For more information see the attached brochure and flyer.

You may also contact the following Fresh Start Facilitators for more information:
Michael Johnson            mjohnson@montreal.anglican.ca  
Mark Rogers                 mrogers@montreal.anglican.ca   
Judy Oatway                judy.oatway@videotron.ca  
Frank Dottin                 fedottin@yahoo.ca 

Christ Church, Beaurepaire: 455 Church Street, Beaconsfield, QC H9W 3S Tel: 514-697-2204 Click here for the JUNE 2009 newsletter. And visit the web site at www.stillpresence.com   Ongoing Meditation Practice Mondays 7:00 - 7:45 pm 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.   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, 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.

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  Building an Ethical Economy: Theology and the Marketplace

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.

The Perfect Black Blazer  by Bobbi Lurie, from Letter from the Lawn. 

The head nurse called to say
Mom threw a potted plant,
smashed the TV set, banged
her head against the wall.
When I got there I saw the deep
         bruise on her forehead.
She could barely speak so we sat
     mute for some minutes.
I watched her slide to the side
of the couch as she scratched
her arms, pulled at her hair.
I needed to bring her back
        so I told the story of
our Saturday excursions,
searching for the perfect
black blazer.

                  I exaggerated
the futility of finding
something immaculate like that,
something slim-fitting and neat,
able to match any pair of pants
or skirt we wore.
                
        We never found it
of course but kept searching
as we watched other women
more glamorous than we were.
        When I asked if she
remembered that, she laughed
                 and said, "oh yes."

I looked around the room
into the distant faces,
haunted hair, blank stares.
"Time for lunch," a nurse yelled.
I walked Mom to her chair,
           watched the aides tie
bibs around the residents’ necks,
       leaned to kiss
Mom gently good-bye on her cheek,
   trying not to notice
she no longer smelled like
           my mother.
She had taken on the scent
of the urine-ammonia halls
and the talc caked heavy
                  on her body.

I walked out, then felt
       something strange
like a voice without words
tell me to return so I ran
                quickly back
to where she sat, her hands
         on her lap.
They were the same hands,
so I squeezed them tight,
kissed her for a second time.
Only this time I hugged
   her close,
   inhaled deep,
   took her all in.