The Evangelist • –
When St Peter greets you at heaven’s gate, he will not ask what you have done that you should not have done, but what you have not done that you could have. $ Dearly beloved in Christ: Prayer, Persistence and the example of Christ be- I am putting these comments fore us, we can seek to overcome the darkness with together just after Candlemass the Light of Christ. and looking towards Lent and Too often we are afraid, afraid of rejection, Easter when you will be reading afraid of looking foolish, afraid of not being with this edition of the Evangelist. the “in crowd” –whoever they may be. There is One thing which links these two always a temptation for us just to keep our faith Festivals is the use of Candles. to ourselves. We begin each Lent by reading the As the name Candlemass sug- Gospel of the Temptation of Christ. We then fol- gests (The Purification of the low Jesus until we come to Palm Sunday, where BVM or The Presentation of Our Lord) Candles we dramatically experience that swing in popular play a central role in the Candlemas liturgy as do sentiment from “Hosanna to the son of David” to they in the Easter Vigil. Christ bids us to share His “crucify him, crucify him”. The 40 days of Lent, Light with others and the world. Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday are rest sta- The season of Lent allows us the opportunity to tions on the journey which bring us to the ultimate clear our thoughts and minds of those things which joy of Easter Day. weigh us down. Those past insults and hurts we Please take this time and opportunity to journey can sometimes say are forgotten but not forgiven. with the church as we move from the Passion and It is those very things we are called upon at Lent Death, to the Resurrection of Christ. All of us, to give up and over come. In the Ancient Church at some point need a time of self-reflection and it was the practice of the newly Baptized to be self-examination. What better occasion to do it, dressed in white garments after their Baptism to than during these forty days set aside by Christian symbolize that they were born again to New Life tradition to be with Christ in the desert, preparing in Christ. ourselves to be with him in his death and to follow Sometimes we can feel there are great rocks him into Resurrection Light. which are rolled in our path which keep us in Wishing everyone a very Holy Lent and a Joyful the dark and trapped, as if we are in a perpetual Eastertide. Lent without being able to reach Easter. But with
Receive your “Evangelist” and information updates electronically If you would prefer to receive “The Evangelist” by electronic post please send your name and e-mail address to < [email protected] > and we will be happy to send you your copy by e-mail. Not only will you receive your information faster, you will be saving the church the cost of printing and mailing your documents, and saving a tree as well. Your information will only be used to send out information from St. John the Evangelist. It will not be passed on or shared.
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. Wednesdays: 7:30 & 9:30 a.m., Saturdays: noon 2 Dear Reader, The Editorial for the Slattery Memorial Issue has been removed from this reprint, because both the comments have been outdated with the Quebec Election and recent Federal Government actions. The Opinions in the Editorial are mine and mine alone and reflect my understanding that we Chris- tians are in the World but not of the World and should therefore fear both the Love of Money and Propaganda from any source. I would appreciate Parishioners who disagree with any ideas I express in my Editorials to tell me so to my face and avoid the behind-the-back com- ments.
Editorial As we said Farewell to Fr Oswald Slattery it be- hooves us to think of the way everything that was, comes round again. For Christians there is still the need to be vigilant in defending both Individual and Collective freedoms in Quebec and Canada. There is still the need to justify, defend and joyfully express our Anglo Catholic Spiritual Faith. As we look around us in the Church its Symbolic Brilliant Mosaic of Christian History tie us to the past of Fr h Slattery and our joyous future. ❖
Books for Lent: These are great for Lent and bring back the challenging fun of Scripture! The Romance of Religion (Fighting for Goodness, Truth and Beauty) and What the Apostles Really Believed and Why it Matters. “ The Evangelist ” Both are by Dwight Longenecker Lent 2014 - Vol. XII, No. 3 (RC ex-Anglican) 3 Father Slattery 1928-2014 The warden was Canon S.C. Joad. The College by Peter Harper was in Barton, but with the same regimen. Oswald spent two years there, doing three years in two, as Early Years the students had to seek ordination from an Over- Humphrey Oswald Slattery was born April 3, 1928, seas Bishop. So on Feb. 11, 1951, Fr Slattery was in Rugby and baptized ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Henry Hand- on May 13th in the local ley Vully de Candole, Bishop of Knaresborough Anglo-Catholic Church with license from the Bishop of Ripon, on behalf of of St. Oswald (left). His the Bishop of Fredericton in New Brunswick. parents married in 1919, Early Ministry: New Brunswick and settled in Rugby. In May 1951, Oswald set off for his first curacy Oswald went to the local in Saint John, NB, at the main city parish of Trin- C of E School of St. ity, which had a large congregation in a big Church Oswald (right), and was (built by our own architect William Tutin Thomas). confirmed on April 11 There he learned the ropes of city Ministry in a 1941 in nearby Bilton. Low-Broad Church environment. After the war, he did his National Service in Bishop Moorhead ordained Oswald when he the Army for two years, reached 24 years of age as required by the Prayer served in Britain, but mainly in Singapore and Book, on April 6, Palm Sunday. Burma. He did nothing useful there, but learned, In 1953, he married Frances Marie Pyne. They obedience and patience. honeymooned in Britain and they brought back his Theological Training and Diaconate mother to live with them. He was put in charge of His childhood desire to be a priest increased with the Parish of Prince William NB (with 4 churches) his contacts with the military chaplains. In 1949, along the St John River. Susan, their first child he trained for the priesthood with the Brotherhood was born there. Frances was a great support to her of Saint Paul, a private Anglican Theological Col- husband in the parishes they worked in and she is lege founded in 1910 by the Rev. Edward Mears well remembered for her communicative laughter (1864-1947) in his parish of Little Bardfield. It and fine organizing ability. was run on a “shoe-string” but “along sound catho- Curacy: St. John the Evangelist lic lines for ordinands from poorer backgrounds Fr. Slattery had visited and celebrated Mass at (...) to train men who might not otherwise fulfill St John’s and enthusiastically accepted the Curacy their vocation.” Mears charged only 25 guineas which Fr Hertzler offered him for the 8-9 terms. The students lodged locally and in 1955. The Slatterys lived in studied at the rectory. They pledged obedience cramped accommodations in to the Warden for the duration of their stay. They the Rectory, and their children, wore cassocks with a small cross on their belt and Veronica, Barbara, and Chris- skullcaps in Fr Slattery’s time. topher were born there. Fr The college was looked upon with suspicion by Hertzler was an excellent and fair Mentor who completed Fr some English bishops because of its High Liturgi- Fr. Slattery, then a cal practices and Theological Teaching. The col- Oswald’s Priestly training along curate, on the steps lege trained priests, mostly for the Empire where Catholic lines. of St John’s with his Rector, Fr Hertzler in it maintained an excellent reputation with the the mid-1950s. “Colonial” Bishops. continued, p. 9 4 My Thoughts on Being a Server Though it is said that familiarity breeds contempt, by Kieran Wilson the familiarity of the server with the liturgy only seems to grow their appreciation for it. It is en- I will never forget couraging that, even though we assist at the same my first Solemn High Mass with the same liturgy week after week, serv- Midnight Mass at ers are almost invariably having fun and, in loving Christ Church Cathe- the liturgy and the ceremony, cannot help but grow dral in Victoria, BC. I in love and thankfulness for the Church as a whole. was first struck by the immense beauty of the In calling me to be a server, I believe God has banners being borne in presented me with both an opportunity and a chal- procession. They truly lenge. The opportunity is to grow in knowledge of encapsulated the glory Him, and the challenge is to act on that knowledge. of the rejoicing Church at Christmas. It was easy, I am incredibly thankful for my duties as a server, however, to overlook the seemingly anonymous yet for the hard work and for the enjoyment that they markedly dignified figures in red cassocks holding entail, and it is my earnest prayer that the Almighty ❖ these banners aloft. will help me put both to good use. When I was asked if I would like to join the Servers’ Guild here at St John the Evangelist last summer, I felt deeply humbled. The servers’ cas- On Sunday, March 16th, it sock and cotta had come to symbolise in my mind was announced that Bishop quiet, unassuming dignity; I really wondered if Barry Clarke had appointed I were equal to the challenge of applying what I The Rev’d Dr Ellen Aitken as learned back home in Victoria to the liturgy of my Honorary Assistant here at new parish home. St John’s. Ellen is Dean of the Amid all the nervousness of serving at my first Faculty of Religious Studies at Masses in Victoria, I had come to realise the im- McGill University. mense privilege of being a layperson with such a profound physical connection to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. By handling the sacred vessels and simply being in the Sanctuary, I am drawn h closer to the Almighty and grow in appreciation of the Sacraments He has given to His Church. The essence of a server’s duties is to assist the clergy in the communal worship of the Church in such a way as to focus attention on the Divine. Precise, well-coordinated movement and actions are the foundation of eliminating distractions from the Mass. Servers aim to work together in a beauti- fully choreographed harmony, almost as though we are engaged in a great liturgical dance. One of the most remarkable things I have come to discover as a server is the great pleasure and en- Organ recitalsBachanalia by Federico Andreoni joyment my fellow servers derive from the liturgy. Sundays, April 13 and May 11 at 3 p.m. 5 Homily for Oswald Slattery Fr Hertzler graciously and very generously gave Fr Keith Schmidt up some of the space in the Rectory to Fr Slattery Some people take a long time to find their vocation and his growing family which now included Susan, in life - Fr Slattery was not one of those people. Christopher, Barbara and Veronica. His home parish of St Oswald’s in Rugby had all But even if Fr Slattery was as ``thin as a stick``, the essential stuff of Anglo-Catholicism from the four grow- beginning - a tabernacle, six candles, and of course ing children incense. needed more As an only child, his favourite Saturday and holi- space. So day activity was visiting English country churches Farnham and imagining the improvements he would make if was their he were a priest. next stop where the And he grew up and became rectory was a priest, in the Diocese of twice the Fredericton in the Church of size of the England in Canada as it was church. The St James, Farnham then. church inte- It must have been a bit of a rior of St James still bares the unmistakable stamp shock coming to New Bruns- of Fr Slattery’s tenure. wick, after being ordained a Then there was a move to deacon in England. Although St Stephen’s, Lachine, and the not as much as his stint in the addition of an English altar. army in Burma after the War – there was winter Then followed St Columba’s, and more importantly, Trinity Church St John, NDG. Along the way his where he was sent as a curate. The Church didn’t mother and Frances made tu- even have candles on the altar at the time. nicles, dalmatics & chasubles He married Frances Pyne, also an only child and and other essential religious a daughter of St John the Baptist, Mission Church, bric a brac. the Anglo-Catholic Church of Fr Slattery with Bishop And finally he came back St John, NB. His first parish Andrew Hutchison to St John’s, but now as Rec- was Prince William, along the tor. One parishioner has said St John River. Fr Slattery was the modern re-founder of the Parish But Fr Slattery even then which I think is a fair description: the roof became knew about the Church of red, we installed a St John the Evangelist, and Helmut Wolff organ, when Fr Hertzler offered him a began a Music Pro- Curacy, he, with young family gramme, reinstated and Mother, were off to the Daily Mass and bright lights of Montreal. Where it must be said introduced our High they lived in the tiniest apartment imaginable in the Feast Day schedule then Clergy House, which was, after all, originally with casserole sup- designed only to house celibate clergy - although (l-r) Peter McNally, Fr Slattery and pers which Frances Douglass Dalton at Mardi-Gras, St Fr Davison had married even before it was finished. organized with the John’s 1989 6 organized with I still remember his advice on one occasion: He the precision said when St Peter greets you at heaven’s gate he somewhere be- will not ask what you have done that you should tween a Mother not have done, but what you have not done that Superior and a you could have. Major-General. January 19th was the Second Sunday after And like Epiphany, and the Gospel is the wedding at Cana many Clergy of in Galilee. I spoke about this miracle of the water Congregation photo with Fr Slattery that generation, Jesus turns into wine as being an example of the at St John’s they never really seemed to retire; they regarded their Priesthood as a lifelong Voca- tion and Call. Fr Slattery’s final pastoral role was at St Athanasius. Being a child of the Rectory is not, I believe, an easy thing and I am sure that there were many times that Susan, Christo- Family and friends following the funeral pher, Barbara and Veronica would rather not have shared so much of both their father and mother superabundance of God. The first miracle that Jesus with the Church and with the rest of us. But we chose to do was an extravagant gesture to bring joy thank them for it. to the world. Oswald was a good and faithful, Priest and Pas- And that was what Fr Slattery tried to share - the tor; a Spiritual Father in God who gave sage advice Joy he found in his God, his Lord and his Church. to many here and a good friend. Well done, good and faithful servant. May you rest in Peace and rise in Glory. ❖
7 The Role of Trust, Faith, Hope and enough to share many of them with her love Prayer play in my life. and caring after my parents died young. He by Garrfield Du Couturier-Nichol spoke with the understanding and experience of someone who has seen much suffering and O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in hurt. He reminded me that prayer and love are thee. (Ps.84, v.12) the most powerful weapons against loneliness Show me a token for good; that they which hate me and despair. I will always be grateful to him for may see it and be ashamed; because Thou Lord, hast helping me through those rough months after holpen me, and comforted me. (Ps. 86; v.17) her death. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away from When I got into a long discussion with a my prayer, nor his mercy from me. (Ps. 66; v. 20) friend who is an agnostic a few years ago, I These three passages of scripture have for many told him that I prayed several times a day as the years been in a frame over my desk and to which I Spirit moved me. He laughed and said that I have often referred in time of need. When people who should be a Muslim then and not a Christian. I have been close to me died, when I was in a serious or argued that prayer is simply a conversation with challenging situation and when I felt alone and empty, God and need not be tied to one’s need. When I they lifted and strengthened me. I have come to refer see a beautiful new baby, hear a symphony or- to them as part of my inner spirituality or faith. The chestra, get good news or just feel like we need Oxford Concise dictionary defines faith as “spiritual to “talk” are to me times of prayer. Why do apprehension of divine truth apart from proof.” It also we only pray when we need something or are adds “reliance” and “trust” in the same definition. afraid and run to God to help us? In the morn- When I think about the number of times over the last ing when I walk the dog and see the sun coming seven decades when I was in need of faith and hope up and hear the birds offering their morning due to life’s rollercoaster events, I realize how these prayer for a safe night, why shouldn’t I as well? three phrases have aided me to get through them and Prayer should be as natural as breathing. carry on. I have been truly blessed as having trust, In the short essay “Footprints in the Sand”, the faith, hope and prayer as an important part of writer asks Jesus why for part of the journey there are my life since I was a child. These blessings two sets of footprints in the sand and later when trials have seen me through many rough seas. If I come to the writer, only one set of prints is visible. could wish a gift for those around me it would Jesus replies that the writer was never alone—it was be that they would find some or all of these at those times that Jesus carried the writer. ways to help them in their daily lives. ❖ Sometimes we all feel like the writer and that we are alone. We need to be reminded that we are NEVER alone. When we pray and feel like God is not listening or we are down and feel there is no hope, then having a little faith – no matter how small that will give us a new hope for the future. When my beloved Grandmother who raised me died suddenly, I was devastated. Our late 6th Rec- tor, Fr. Slattery sat me down and counselled me with patience, compassion and faith. He reminded me that God had given her 94 years, and I had been lucky
8 continuted from p. 4 thoroughly Protestant with no place for Anglo- Catholics. His Own Parishes More disturbing was the move in 1976 to ordain In 1958, Fr Slattery be- women to the priesthood which many in the parish came Rector of St James strongly opposed. A dozen prominent, active and Farnham, then in 1963 supportive parishioners left of St Stephen’s Lachine the Parish to join the Anglican and finally in 1968 of St Catholic Church of Canada Columba NDG. Farnham (1979). had a special place in his There were also problems heart being his first real with the fabric of the church. Parish and where his children were raised. Frances In the 1950s, fearing the is buried in the churchyard (above) and the head- building might collapse, the Oswald and his friend Ted Hall who together stone shows that Father Oswald will join her there. walls were tied up and the re-founded St John’s Rector of St John the slate roof removed. The on a firm liturgical base faithful of the Parish created and a good foundation Evangelist under it In 1971, he became Rector a programme of repairs to the of St John’s. The situa- walls, foundations, roof, bell- tion was discouraging. The tower, and floors supervised by Ted Hall. previous Rector, Father Discussion also arose about the future of the Par- Busing, was an impatient ish, in terms of liturgy and music, but also of the reformer of great talent and social, spiritual and intellectual environment. This impressive background, but was often quite animated and sometimes difficult was hindered by a lack of because it involved people with strong characters, Anglo-Catholic experience. and rich and contrasting opinions. Issues included He introduced Liturgical the fate of St. Michael’s Mission after the departure Reforms, but they had not of the Sisters, the es- stuck. The congregation had dwindled, Daily Mass tablishment of the pres- was abandoned, and the closing of the Parish was ent music programme, announced in the press by the Diocese in Septem- the commissioning of ber 1970. the new organ, the sale of the Rectory. Oswald By choosing Fr Slattery as their Rector, the with tenacity and wile remaining “handful” of parishioners expressed achieved all the neces- their faith in the historic mission of St John’s along Bishops Scott and Hollis with Fr sary changes. her traditional lines. The first task was a daunting Slattery at St Johns The Parish is very one: to rebuild the congregation and restore parish much the legacy of the life. Fortunately a number of former parishioners Slattery years. This is particularly true of the so- returned. called “St. John Use” in the Liturgy which could be Rebuilding the Congregation was made more more properly called the “Hertzler-Slattery Rite”. difficult by two events imposed from without. In Fr Slattery instituted the simple Ritual we use at 1971 there was the Plan of Union between the High Mass, although we have since added some- Anglican, United Churches and the Disciples of what to it. He had astutely organised it in such a Christ, a scheme not rejected by the Anglicans way that he, as Celebrant, kept control of the until 1975. Such a union would make Anglicans continued, p. 10 9 continued from p. 9 he came when he could to St. John’s, mostly at High Festivals, and sat at the back. It was always a procedures, regardless of what the Deacon and pleasure to hear his unmistakable and strong voice Sub-Deacon might do, lead the congregation along in singing the hymns as long as they read the like in the old days. (16) (17) Epistle and the Gospel. On His health had been declining over the last few the other hand he knew he weeks and he was very sorry to miss the Christmas could generally count on Morning Mass. His passing was peaceful. He the Servers. faced the end with calm and hope and, in a conver- Witnessing Fr Slattery sation last Sunday, he spoke of God treating him celebrating Mass was a well over his long life and added that “he was in moving Spiritual experi- God’s hands” as always. ❖ ence as many will remem- ber and I was particularly privileged to stand at his side as his Sub-Deacon at every High Service for two full Liturgical Years in the early 1990s - in those days as we remember him . . . there was only one Sub- Deacon and no humeral veil to keep the Sub-Deacon away from the altar. There was even a saying at the time that “no mass is valid... unless celebrated by Fr Slattery.” He was interested in Liturgical Vest- ments and did much to enrich our collec- tion (some of them designed by him and made by his mother). His flower arrange- ments on the altar were memorable. He was a welcoming Priest and put much effort into integrating newcomers into the Congrega- tion. He was also of very wise Spiritual counsel, as many can attest. He was supportive of his people and always ready to listen. He was made an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral in 1974. After his retirement in 1992, (15) he ministered for a decade or so at the Church of St. Athanasius h in Verdun set in an old Benedictine priory and once a funeral parlour. The parish was under the juris-
10 LENT AND EASTER 2014
Sunday, April 6, Passion Sunday 10:30 a.m. Solemn High Mass 5:00 p.m.Solemn Evensong and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament Sunday, April 13, Palm Sunday 10:30 a.m. Solemn High Mass with Procession Thursday, April 17, Maundy Thursday 5:45 p.m.Solemn High Mass Ceremonial re-enactment of Christ washing the feet of the disciples, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, stripping of the High Altar and Sanctuary. There will be a prayer vigil through the night at the Altar of Repose. Please come and pray with us at any time between our Maundy Thursday Service, and our first service on Good Friday morning. The entrance is by the green door on the west side of the church. Friday, April 18, Good Friday 12 noon: Matins. 1:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross 1:45 p.m. Veneration of the Cross 7:00 p.m. Liturgy of the Presanctified at Choral Tenebrae Saturday April 19 Easter Eve 8 p.m: The Great Vigil of Easter, The Lighting of the New Fire, Exsultet and Prophecies, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, Litany of the Saints and the First High Mass of Easter Sunday April 20, Easter Day 10:30 a.m. Solemn High Mass with Procession
Regular Weekday Masses: See page 2 for times. Thank-you to Roland Hui, Kieran Wilson, and Lisa Sumner for working on the Lenten Array for St. Anne’s Chapel.
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 Editorial Board listed below welcomes your comments and suggestions Tony Whitehead, editor : Rolland Hui : Kieran Wilson : Keith Schmidt, ex-officio
11 –
. President Kennedy Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, redroof.ca • facebook.com/redroof.ca • offi[email protected] • --