T Her Allies
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The EDITORIAL By Tony Whitehead Ground, with the ugliest aluminum supports held by large hideous concrete Evangelist It was a great disappointment to me, that bases to support silly wires from which so few Parishioners seem to have wanted to hang flags. Why not put the Flags on to express their Happiness at Easter by Wooden Flag Poles which would look sending me articles. more authentic and be recycled easily? Still, you will find Mtr. Wendy expressing Then the art, so called, is some of the the happiness seen in Dancers, Father worst insults to a person’s intelligence Keith on His Easter and Lent Reflections, ever collected in one location; The Wolf and Kieran Wilson exploring the should devour the hideous Fat Lady and wonderful History of the Tabernacle on run amok through the rest of the rubbish! St. Anne’s Altar. Anyway, 375 years is not a Celebratory Then an Abstract of the talk on one of our Year! St. John’s is Lucky to be surrounded Assistant Clergy, Rev. Dr. William Wright by more interesting and human activities. (1827-1908) who was also a Doctor in the McGill Medical Department, given by Frank Mackey, and sponsored by The Tony Edmund Wood Foundation, who are to be commended for the Inititive. Lastly, Beth Reed has written a nice introduction to our Recent New Members of St. John’s, and with Afra June Tucker, an interesting Article on the Diocesan College’s Convocation. 2017 One of the most Elegant Streets in The Church of Montreal, despite recent building of New Saint John rather large Modern Structures, has been the Evangelist, reduced to a street looking like a Fair Montreal 1 Preaching joy Reflections By Mtr. Wendy Telfer and catch my breath for a lesser marathon At home, one of my neighbours has taken By Fr. Keith Schmidt during Easter Week. Beginning on the initiative to assist a colony of stray Preach the Gospel at all times, and if Monday, I said Mass on three consecutive cats who live behind our building. Since These things I have spoken unto you, that necessary use words. Although it is days in two languages using two different last fall, I have been feeding them, in Me ye might have peace. In the World ye uncertain whether this well-known rites. I had never celebrated so often in naming them, and gaining their trust shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; phrase was actually uttered by St Francis such a short space of time. My concern with the intention of getting them to the I have overcome the world. John 16:33 of Assisi, it captures the spirit of what the that the mysterious would become rote vet. My neighbour has connected with great fifty days of Easter have been for – despite the diversity of Liturgies – was the SPCA and is making an honest Cat I have reflected on these words of Jesus me this year. Everyone and everything totally unfounded. Low Masses are Lady of me! We have captured Leila and following our Lenten and Easter around me is preaching a tub-thumper of intimate and prayerful, and no two are Prudence, had them sterilized and celebrations. And, indeed, we had an a sermon about joy, in a delightful variety ever alike. vaccinated, and brought them back home. excellent Lenten program organized by of ways. Now it is Minuit and Daphne’s turn. After Fr. Alain Brosseau on Wednesdays, which People outside the Church were also this, our relationship will be regularized was very well attended, and also good Here at St John’s, Paschal joy bursts forth preaching joy. Jenni, my Zumba and I can provide them with food, water, Easter celebrations. as the Gloria is intoned at the first Mass instructor, organized a Dance-a-Thon to and shelter as long as we five shall live. of Easter. Suddenly, the dark church is raise funds for Auberge Shalom, a shelter illuminated, the organ returns in for abused women and their children. Joy, like spring, is bursting out all over. It triumphant fanfare, and two thurifers do Imagine spending two hours dancing is contagious. I hope that we can all catch round-the-worlds en alternance. In this with 165 happy people, and making a it and share it in our own distinctive moment, I experience the Resurrection in significant contribution to help victims of fashion. every fibre of my being. This was my first domestic violence. Easter as a Priest at the altar of an Wendy + Anglo-Catholic church, and I was When my trainer Kenny saw me proudly completely overwhelmed. sporting my Zumbathon en Violet camisole, he told me how the Spirit had The celebration continued on Easter moved him to assist vunerable people. At There were a few challenges, however. Day. Our large congregation included a the end of the term at McGill, he noticed Our front stairs, after suffering through number of new faces (as Fr. Alain likes to that his fellow students were throwing a lot of freezing and unfreezing this past say), some of whom have returned and out clothing in good repair. He organized winter, finally fell apart and we had to brought their friends. The jubilant mood a collection for the Old Brewery Mission, block them off for almost 2 months. Now carried into the Parish Hall, where we and was grateful to receive quite a few that temperatures have risen, repairs feasted and chatted happily well into the men’s garments, which are scarce and in are currently being made, but this was afternoon. I arrived home glowing yet high demand. an unplanned-for expense. Yet despite exhausted, ready to curl up with my cats this situation, I almost think our Sunday 2 3 The Tabernacle attendance has increased, because people without our challenges and difficulties, By Kieran Wilson Sacrament older than all other thrones in seem to be up for the challenge of finding and yet the message of Easter and the Churches of Christendom. It is made the side green doors to come into! It is Pentecost is that we need not walk alone, I have been going through the centennial from cedar grown in the forests of good to see a number of new and even through the Valley of the Shadow of book put out by St. John’s in 1961, and it Lebanon, Syria. From Lebanon the cedar younger faces in the congregation too. Death, for Jesus will be there beside us, is brimming with interesting anecdotes was transported to Hawara, Egypt (the even if we always don’t recognize Him. about the parish. ancient labyrinth near Fayoum) during the Our fire alarm system, after many stops reign of Thothmes III (1503-1449 B.C.), and starts, has finally been installed and So let us with a sense of hope and I was especially interested by a notice a reign that witnessed the building of the after several lucky Sundays, it went off on confidence in the promises of Christ that from around the end of the First World great Karnak Temple (1 1/2 Miles in Maundy Thursday. Well, it does get your we are not left comfortless. and endeavor War outlining the specifics of the Circumference) and the erection of the attention as anyone who has heard it and to work through the challenges we have Tabernacle erected in St Anne’s Chapel Obelisk that now stands on the Thames seen the flashing lights knows! been presented with. during the ‘flu epidemic of 1918: Embankment, London, England. From Hawara the cedar was brought to Our front porch is even in more need of In Christ, The Tabernacle is made of quartered oak Montreal in the Diamond Jubilee Year of repair than we first thought and after a design that harmonizes with the Queen Victoria. It is older than the scaffolding should be going up any day Keith + grating on the altar in the Lady Chapel. Christian Church, older than the Temples now. Yet this is all to be expected when The outer walls are inlaid with crosses of Herod and Solomon, older than the we have a building almost over a century made of Tabernacle in the Wilderness, older than and a half old. At the recent launch of the the Bible. Deposited beneath the cedar is a Cathedral spire fund raising, I was (1) Teak from the battered hull of H.M.S. box of sterling silver gilt containing: speaking to an architect describing the Agamemnon, and beauties of Christ Church and then she (1) a bit of stone from the city (now said “… but of course, St. John’s is a real (2) Thirteenth-century Oak from the happily and forever delivered from j e w e l .” shell-shattered stalls of Ypres Cathedral. Turkish domination and oppression) in which the Holy Communion was Together, these problems are all rather The first recalls the Victories won by instituted, the Christian priesthood minor irritations; if very time consuming Nelson at Copenhagen and Trafalgar; the established, and the Holy Catholic Church to your Rector. On the other hand, and second commemorates the magnificent founded; by comparison, we have, in recent weeks, valour of Canada’s sons at Ypres when also had the serious flooding on the they ‘saved the day’ for Great Britain and (2) Gold, frankincense, and myrrh Island of Montreal, which will disrupt her Allies. One of the inner walls bears (commemorative of the gifts brought to people’s lives for many months to come, an Agnus Dei carved by the hands of a Christ by the Gentile Magi); and and the attack in Manchester, UK.