The Church of St. John the Evangelist

june 2015

Tony Whitehead, senior ediTor Kieran Wilson & Roland Hui, assisTanT ediTors Carolyn Roper, publicaTion design; Brian Morgan, cover The Evangelist is published by The Church of St. John the Evangelist 137 President Kennedy Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, h2X 3p6 redroof.ca • facebook.com/redroof.ca • [email protected] 514-288-4428• The Reverend Keith A. Schmidt, recTor

The newsleTTer of THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST MonTreal, Quebec EDITORIAL

ast Thursday I saw the finest Opera Performance ever. It was the BOP presentation Lof Benjamin Britten’s “Burning Fiery Furnace”. This is the retelling of the Parable of Nebuchadnezzar and three Israelites, Ananias, Misael and Asarias who, urged by the King’s Astrologer, were thrown into a furnace for refusal to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s god’s image, a marvellous papier maché towering gold statue. God saves them from death, and a voice of an Angel joins the Israelites in a “Benedicite”. If Nebuchadnezzar reigned in Canada today, he would have put the Astrologer into the Burning Fiery Furnace and embraced the Israelites. However since he had cut the fund- ing, none of the furnaces worked. Tony Whitehead

Church of St John the Evangelist : 137 President Kennedy, Montreal, Quebec. H2X 3P6 Rector : The Rev’d Keith Schmidt Director of the Music : Federico Andreoni Church Office : 514 288-4428 e-mail : [email protected] website : www.redroof.ca “The Evangelist” Vol. 14, No. 3

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Regular Services at St John’s: SUNDAYS Low Mass: 8:30 a.m. Matins: 9:45 a.m. High Mass: 10:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 5:45 p.m. / Wednesdays: 7:30 & 9:30 a.m. / Saturdays: noon

2 from the rector With the Faith of Peter and the Doubt of Thomas Dear Parishioners and Friends:

It is never easy being a member of a minority, be tells us anything, the story of Abraham, Moses, it ethnic, racial, linguistic, or theological. There Job, Hannah, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Paul, Peter, seems to be something in the human spirit which and Thomas, it is that only in wrestling with our desires a not entirely healthy conformity. Sceptics relationship with God, fully and honestly and in the and doubters may be welcome in a university abundance of Love and Grace, that we can hope to class, but rarely anywhere else, and even there it is discern God’s purposes for our Discipleship. Do probably safer to agree with the instructor on the we fully understand? No or at least not yet. Are examination paper. we at times filled with angst, doubt, even confu- As Anglo-Catholics in the Canadian Church we sion? Possibly, yet we also have these words from are well aware of our minority status. Undoubted- Christ in St John’s gospel: “The Comforter, which ly there are some among us, but by no means all, is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in who are not entirely comfortable with the idea of a My Name, he shall teach you all things, and bring female Bishop, let alone an actual one as our Dio- all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have cesan Chief Pastor. Yet that is, or will be shortly, said unto you. Peace I leave with you, My Peace I our reality. It is not something we can change. St give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto Ambrose is recorded as saying that God did not to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it save his people by argument, which may not be a be afraid.” ringing endorsement for Synodical Governance. Let us pray for Mary, our Bishop-elect that she Theologians have spent Centuries trying to prove may be a faithful chief Pastor; a worthy successor the existence of God, an argument interesting to the Apostles, and that she may both by word and enough, but with which the Bible seems rather deed serve God in this office to the glory of his unconcerned. Few are the Prophets who do not holy name and the edifying and well governing of experience at some point in their lives the seem- his church. ing deafness of God. Yet if the Biblical narrative Fr Keith +

3 Dean Irwin-Gibson was ordained Deacon by Bishop Reginald Hollis in 1981 and Priest in 1982 at Christ Church Cathedral. She served her curacy in the Parish of Vaudreil (1981-84) and was then Rector of Dunham Frelighsburg (1984-1991), Rector of Holy Trinity in Ste-Agathe (1984- 2009) and also served as Archdeacon of St Andrew’s (the Laurentians). She became Dean and Rector of St George’s Kingston in 2009. She is a graduate of McGill University and received an MBA from UQAM in 2005.

Welcome to The Rev’d Alain Brosseau who has been appointed Associate Priest to St John’s. Father Brosseau was ordained Deacon in 2013 and Priest in 2014 and served his curacy at St George’s Ste-Anne de Bellevue. He has a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) and a Master’s of Divinity from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from Dalhousie. While in Toronto he was a member of St Thomas’s, Huron Street. We look forward to getting to know him more fully. He will officially join us on July 1.

4 Summer Solstice: Christian and Pagan Celebrations

Geoffrey McLarney The summer solstice is one of those celebrations which long predates Christianity, but which the Church has “baptized” in the liturgical year. To contemporary Neo-pagans, it is known as Litha. Its Vigil is still “bonfire night,” a custom of Pagan origin which later became an occasion for the Church’s blessing and continues to be observed in the wider Secular Society of Québec today. Just as we celebrate the breaking out of the Light of the World near the Winter Solstice, Christians have seen Theological significance in remembering the Forerunner just as the days are at their longest, an echo of his prophecy that “He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease.” St John the Baptist is exceptional as the only Saint apart from Our Lady who is commemorated on the day of his birth. From ancient times, the Church has commemorated the dies natalis of a Saint on his or her “heavenly birthday” (usually through martyrdom). Our Lady and St John the Baptist are commemorated not only on their respective August feasts of Dormition and Decollation, but on their “earthly” birthdays (the Nativity of the Virgin is September 8: in the Anglican Church of Canada it is the Principal Feast Day for the Sisters of St John the Divine). In the Eastern Churches, there is even a Feast of the “Conception of the Forerunner” on 23 September, com- memorating his Conception in the womb of St Elizabeth. Just as Lady Day (the Annunciation) gives us a Little Christmas in Lent, the Nativity of St John the Baptist gives us a glimpse of Ad- vent in the Summer. We sing the same Hymns of preparation as in Advent, like “There’s a voice in the wilderness”; “Comfort, comfort ye”; and “On Jordan’s Bank”. At my Anglican Summer Camp (which rented a Baptist-owned facility), this last was much loved in a parody form: On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptists cry If I were Baptist, so would I They drink no gin, they have no fun: I’m glad that I’m an Anglican!

Solstice - cont’d p. 8 5 A Fond Farewell to The Rev’d Canon Dr John Simons

On May 19, St John the Evangelist and the not a leader. Montreal Diocesan Theological College joined About a hundred together to celebrate the good fortune we have friends and colleagues shared in the ministry of Father John Simons. gathered afterward in He is retiring and leaving Montreal for the parish hall, decor- Sackville, New Brunswick, after twenty-four ated with banners years as Principal of Diocesan College and an and bunting made of Honorary Assistant at St John’s. artfully repurposed A late-afternoon mass Diocesan College in thanksgiving for Fr newsletters. Dinner Simons’ leadership was followed by testimonials offered by the and ministry featured rector and parishioners of St John’s, Dio- favourite hymns and cesan College faculty, staff and alumni, and a a sermon delivered by few connected with both the college and the The Rt Rev’d Dennis parish - Dr. Tony Whitehead, a parishioner and Drainville of Quebec. former Chairman of the Board of the Montreal While two bishops, our School of Theol- rector and an altar full of servers conducted ogy, and Dr the service, Father Richard Cawley, Simons himself Assistant Priest sat with his wife at St. John’s Catherine in the and long-time congregation, on this Board member occasion allowed of the college. to experience Bishops Dennis the beauty of our Drainville and Barry Clarke spoke as well, and church’s music and The Ven. Bruce Myers (college alumnus) read liturgy as a partaker, a testimonial letter from the Primate, The Rt Rev’d Fred Hiltz. After hearing from his friends and admirers and receiving several rounds of applause, Fr Simons took to the floor and delivered a funny and touching address, his retirement speech reflecting the humour, grace and humility that we have been blessed to know in Fr Simons for so many years. The parish thanks you, John, for your presence among us. ❖ Fr Simons with MDTC alumni 6 (l to r) The Rev’d Richard Cawley, and Dr Tony Whitehead

Catherine and John Simons, Bishop Dennis Drainville

Festive dinner in the Parish Hall

Head Table: Fr Keith, Bishop Barry Clark, Catherine and John, Bishop Dennis Drainville and Karen Egan; standing behind Catherine and John is Beth Reed 7 The Rector and Wardens: Church of St John the Evangelist 137 av. du Président Kennedy Montréal, (Québec) H2 X 3P6

Dear friends,

Please convey my thanks to everyone who contributed to the festive events on May 19 marking my retirement from the Montreal Diocesan Theological College and the imminent end of my association with the Church of St John the Evangelist.

I am especially grateful that the college requested, and you agreed, to celebrate a solemn mass of thanksgiving for the occasion. For more than twenty years, in good times as well as in times of grief, the ministries of choir, clergy, and acolytes at St John’s have quite literally kept my spirit open to the mystery of God’s grace. And your influence has not only been in the formal setting of the church’s worship. It has been a great privilege to share conversation at coffee hour, in the bible study, in seasonal programs in the parish hall, and in other contests, with the faithful and beautiful individuals who make this church such an interesting community. I will always remember you with deep affection.

I do hope to visit from time to time, so this letter is an expression of au revoir as much as it is of adieu.

May God continue to raise the red roof!

Yours truly, in Christ,

John John Simons

8 Red Roof Community Music : a Space for Friendship and Spirituality

Federico Andreoni In 2014, under the Red Roof shared by St. Michael’s Mission and the Church of St John the Evangelist, the Music Programme and the Outreach Committee at St. John’s created Red Roof Community Music, an initiative for the creation of a Spiritual and Meditative space in the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles. Red Roof Community Music, originally conceived to provide a series of free therapeutic music sessions for the clients of St. Michael’s Mission, has been grow- ing to include the following projects: 1) Continuation of the programme of Therapeutic Music that began in 2014 at St Michael’s Mission, facilitated by Hannah Roberts Brockow, and found to be very successful in terms of its benefits to the clients of the Mission. 2) Continuation of a successful Art Therapy Programme (predating the Therapeutic Music Pro- gramme) sustained for several years by one very committed volunteer, Mary Lennon, who took on the job of supplying and facilitating the weekly Sessions. 3) A new Yoga programme. Many Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Canada and the United States are offering Yoga. We would like to begin offering monthly classes in Hatha Yoga (physical postures) and different types of Christian Meditation (Mandalas, Prayer Beads, Hesychasm and Icon Gazing, to name a few). The classes would include live contemplative music. These classes would be open to all—free to Mission clients and by donation to everyone else. Hatha yoga directly addresses deep, but largely unmet needs of some mission clients. It provides another avenue of Stress Relief, Spiritual Engagement, and an opportunity for Psychological rest and healing; it also allows a new possibility of recognizing and relieving physical problems that can result from, and are often buried under, issues of hygiene, hunger, and stress. Instructors for this programme will have specialized training in Therapeutic Yoga for trauma survivors, and Iyengar-style solid blocks and straps will be purchased to make postures available to all people taking part. Many adults between 18 and 40 practice Hatha Yoga weekly or more frequently, and we would like to reach out to this segment of the population while offering parishioners and members of the Community the chance to engage in the discipline for the many benefits it could offer them physically, mentally and spiritually. 4) A new World Music programme. St John the Evangelist has a reputation for offering beautiful Church Music in the Western tradition in its services. Our parishioners consistently cite Music as one of the reasons they choose to attend St John’s, and it is the reason why our Parish connects so deeply with this project to ensure that the transcendent experience of music is available for clients of St Michael’s Mission. St John’s also has a long history as a musical community builder and is strategically located within the Quartier des spectacles. We wish to introduce Spiritual

Red Roof Music - cont’d p. 10 9 Red Roof Music - cont’d from p. 9

Music of other traditions into our services. We believe that offering these styles of Contem- plative Music occasionally to complement the usual service music will be a wonderful way to enrich the musical experience of our parishioners, and engage those in our parish and the wider community who do not connect as readily to the styles of Church Music they most often hear. We have also seen that children in particular and less experienced musicians enjoy experimenting with the very accessible instruments used in this type of music—exactly the reason they work well in a Therapeutic setting. We want St John’s parishioners to have insight into what is going on “downstairs” in the project in the Mission, through bringing it “upstairs” into the Church—not just in passing or as an aside, but into the heart of the St John’s Communal Life and Worship. Red Roof Community Music is generously supported by the Anglican Diocese of Montreal with a GUM grant totaling $6,000; another $5000 is currently being raised. For this reason, and to celebrate its first year of activity, the Red Roof Community Music held a Fundraiser on May 31st, 2015, featuring Music Performances, Artwork and Poetry by the clients of St Michael’s Mission. Please join us in building the future of Red Roof Community Music as a sustainable and thriv- ing Spiritual space in Montreal. You can help by participating in and promoting our activities, and by donating through our website (www.redroof.ca > Red Roof Community Music > DonateNow button) or our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/redroofcommunitymusic), which highlights news, audio, videos

and articles about our projects. ❖ ♪ ♫ ♫

Aura West on the trumpet - she is Michel Pilon taking his turn also a member of the Choir Hannah Roberts Brockow with the “Sing- ing Bowl”

10 Solstice - cont’d from p. 5

The date of today’s Feast caused one of the changes in the Roman and Anglican Kalendars in the late 20th C. The removal of the Feast of the Visitation from July 2 to May 31 was justified on the grounds that it made sense for the Visitation to take place between the Annunciation and the Nativity of St John the Baptist. The Office Hymn for Vespers of St John, Ut queant laxis, is note- worthy because it gave the notes of the solfège scale their names. The first syllables of its lines, which are on ascending notes, were Ut re mi fa so la si (“S.I.” for “Sancte Ioannes”). Eventually “ut” was replaced with “Do,” making Rodgers and Hammerstein’s job easier. In our Prayer Book of Elizabeth II, St John the Baptist is patron of Canada. July 1, which always falls the same day of the week as June 24, is splendidly titled “the Octave Day of St John the Baptist: Dominion Day.” There are two sets of Propers, as well as an additional collect for Canada. The second Proper is also the one used on occasions of National Thanksgiving, such as Accession Day (currently 6 February). The Beheading of St John the Baptist on 29 August has its own Collect, but uses the Epistle and Gospel of his Nativity. In Québec of course June 24 has always been a day for Parades and Processions, and is now the official Fête Nationale. Bonfires are celebrated here as in many European countries. Con- rad Noel, the Anglo-Catholic Socialist Vicar of Thaxted and founder of the “Catholic Crusade”, stirred controversy when he led the Outdoor Procession and Benediction of the Blessed Sacra- ment at a Midsummer Service during the Octave. The Notice of the Service in the Church Times invited “all who wish to join in the Procession of the Divine Outlaw and to receive His blessing to encourage them in Battle. Mere onlookers are not welcomed.” The procession provoked a Riot, as Army Officers guarded it from violent villagers. The Nativity of St John draws the Festal Season of “Processiontide” to a close, and encourages us in our resolve to heed the call to “turn again and believe the good news” through the remainder of ordinary time, until Advent comes and we hear the call anew for another year. ❖

11 june 2015

The newsleTTer of THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST MonTreal, Quebec