C H R I S T ' S C H U R C H C a T H E D R
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C h r i s t ’ s C h u r c h C a t h e d r a l Summer 2012 252 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario L8R 2L3 In This Issue From the Editor ······················································································ 3 Peter’s Perspective ·················································································· 4 Pastoral Care ························································································ 7 Warden’s World ····················································································· 8 Organist Search Committee ······································································· 9 Passages ································································································ 9 Boston ································································································· 10 Undermount Conversation ······································································· 11 Mark Your Calendar ··············································································· 12 When Two Worlds Collide ········································································ 13 Sharing Our History ··············································································· 14 Maker’s Market ····················································································· 16 AF&F ································································································· 17 Memorial Flowers ·················································································· 18 3...2...1...Contact ···················································································· 20 Cathedrals in the 21st Century ·································································· 21 Financial Update ···················································································· 22 2 From the Editor I was happy to see the Diocese of Niagara together with some Cathedralites and others participate in the recent protest (June 18) against the changes to the Interim Federal Health Program, which go into effect on June 30th. This is the program that used to provide broad healthcare coverage to refugee claimants, including resettled refugees. The action was an appeal to our Federal government to recon- sider these changes that will negatively impact many new entrants to our country. And as Christians, we are indeed called to act against injustices wherever they occur. If you are interested in learning more about the new program, please refer to: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/outside/summary-ifhp.asp As social justice is our focus for this year, you may want to give some thought as to whether a letter to your MP might be appropriate. Going on at great length about one’s political views is frequently unwise so I’ll move on… In our summer issue of Contact, we highlight some of the season’s most notable events...Makers’ Mar- ket and our presence during Art Crawl—Sharing our History. We also recount some recent happen- ings—Boston, When Two Worlds Collide, and Undermount Conversation. Peter tells us about his re- cent trip to Jerusalem, and Anne Harvey returns from the Dean’s Conference with some questions for us to ponder on—Cathedrals in the 21st Century. It’s easy for us to lose touch with each other over the summer months, so consider attending your first AF&F and see what everyone’s up to or perhaps look into how you can play a role in Pastoral Care. Have a safe, happy, and long summer. Contact will be back in the fall. Paula Esteves Have a comment or idea to share? You can get in touch with the Editors of Contact (Paula Esteves and Anne Harvey) via email at [email protected]. Or write to us c/o the Church Office at 252 James St. N. Return to Table of Contents 3 Peter’s Perspective ‘Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem’ To pray these words from Psalm 122 while sitting in St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem has a particular poignancy to it; to hear the words from the first chapter of the Book of Acts in the first reading on Ascension Day: ‘While staying with them, he (Jesus) ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the prom- ise of the Father’ (1.4a) carries with it an awareness of the sweep of religious history in this amazing city. Jerusalem is a city of hills and valleys – I swear there is not 20 linear feet which is flat! Scripture makes several references to `going up to Jerusa- lem`- and up is the word! The altitude of the Old City is close to 3800 feet above sea level; the main part of the newer city is at about 2700 feet. Com- pare that to Tel Aviv – a scant hour away to the west (on the Mediterranean coast, at a mere 114 feet above sea level), and the Dead Sea - approxi- mately 20 miles east of Jerusalem – the lowest point on earth, where the surface of the Dead Sea is 1384 feet below sea level!! To be in Jerusalem is to climb and descend and to be amazed by vistas and views, in virtually every direction. Jerusalem is on the edge of a desert – it is hot and dry and magnificently sunny, virtually all of the time. Because of a city ordinance, dating back to the 40`s, all building in Jerusalem – commercial and residential – must be faced in what is called ‘Jerusalem stone’- white stone which is everywhere. There is a dramatic monochromatic reality to Jerusalem which is breathtaking. It is, of course, one of the oldest cities on earth – indeed local historians and archeologists describe present day Jerusalem as the seventh Jerusalem – they have excavated six more below the current city! In the midst of this wondrous place lies the Old City – the part of Jerusalem which we hear described in the bible – with mas- sive walls and gates. Within the Old City are the ruins of The Temple (destroyed in 70 CE) with its western wall being the only remaining piece – the most sacred spot for Jews. Also, close to the Western Wall is the Dome of the Rock (with its distinctive gold dome), a most holy place for Muslims. Close by is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher – claimed to be the location of the tomb in which Jesus’ body was placed between the cru- cifixion and the resurrection. (However, there is another place just outside the wall of the city near the Da- mascus Gate called ‘The Garden Tomb’ – an alternate choice for the same event!) Only in Jerusalem!!! The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is divided among six Christian denominations: Armenian Orthodox, Greek Or- thodox, Roman Catholic, Egyptian Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox. Each denomination has its own space (right down to lines drawn on the floors) and schedules of times to be in other parts of the church for services etc. It really has to be seen to be believed. As well as many, many churches, synagogues, and mosques, the Old City includes monasteries, schools, residences, and all sort of wonderful shops, including a wonderful spice market. It is a rabbit warren of old, worn streets, a cacophony of sounds, and a cornucopia of aromas! All this and the requisite tourist group singing or saying the Stations of the Cross on the Via Doloro- sa, which cuts right through the heart of the Arabic market. One of the highlights of this particular trip to Je- (Continued on page 5) 4 (Continued from page 4) rusalem for me was to walk the ramparts – walking on top of the city wall almost completely around the city – a long and arduous route of up and down old and steep stairs and roughly hewn stone walkways, but well worth the views and perspectives. Outside of the most idiosyncratic and engrossing place is a whole cosmopolitan city – the larger western por- tion largely Jewish and Israeli and the (smaller and poorer) eastern portion largely Palestinian and Muslim, with Christians sprinkled amongst both, but mostly in East Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s history is redolent with wars, battles, occupation, invasion, and defence. It is deeply interesting and hard to pigeon-hole – there seems to be everything for everyone! While there is a majority of Palestinians in east Jerusalem, Jerusalem itself is not, officially at least, a divided city, although it often feels as if it were. East Jerusalem is really a part of the West Bank, although the infamous wall or fence (as it is called) is right at the eastern edge, and must be crossed to go to Bethlehem (about 10 km) or to Ramallah, Nablus, and other Palestinian communities. Many Palestinians live in Bethlehem and work in Jerusalem, so their commute is made very difficult by having to get to a checkpoint and spend time in line trying to cross. Such is life in this beautiful but confounding and complex, grace-filled, and wondrous piece of creation. The life of the Christian church is one, of course, of a very small minority, living with two huge neighbours – Islam and Judaism, who don’t get along very well. Thus, the role of Christians in the Middle East is, particularly through their institutions of schools, hospitals, etc., one of presence. The Christian church clearly has a long and important history in the Holy Land and its impact is felt throughout the area. The future of the church is difficult, since the painful political and social realities are driving people away in record numbers. This is one of the reasons that my recent trip, as part of an ecumenical group, was so important.................more in the next issue of CONTACT. PAW Return to Table of Contents 5 Fellow travellers—Archbishop Fred Hiltz, ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson, Sam Carriere Communications Director AIC, ELCIC Bishop Michael Pryse Garden - St. George’s College, Jerusalem