E-Connections – September 29, 2021

Let us meet again to pray…

Let me take this opportunity to thank the Dean, Wardens, and Bishop for inviting me to share ministry with them and the entire cathedral community as your Vicar. I am also appreciative of the welcome received from the worshipping community and the wonderful staff who have made my arrival and first month such a joy. I can say like Peter, “it’s good to be here”.

Peter went on to say, “let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’” (Mark 9:5). Such was Peter’s response when he realized that he was in the presence of the Messiah, the great Lawgiver, and the great Prophet.

One can understand how Peter felt, but one cannot loiter on the corridors of awe and wonder. There is a task at hand. We can become comfortable with the status quo distilled by the pandemic experience and feel at home staying at home worshipping by Zoom, YouTube, or Facebook. Everyone desires to get out and have human interaction. We want to get back out to the games, to our favourite restaurant or meeting spot. Interestingly enough, I hear many saying that they like being at home to worship and will continue to do so. That’s not who we are! As we are able, we are a people who gather.

Let us not forget that the cathedral is the Church at prayer in the city. Our ministry, now more than ever, must be one of prayer, spending time in the presence of God, but also communicating our concerns and those of our community, country, continent, church, and world to the God who knows those concerns even before we ask. Paul encourages the church to “pray without ceasing,” give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).

COVID-19 persists but we must resist the thought that we should wait until it passes to get back to any kind of normalcy. We must come down from what may well be becoming a comfortable posture and mindset to create our new normal. We cannot wait for the pandemic to end before we open our doors fully during the week. We must provide opportunities for people to encounter God in our beautiful place of worship through our liturgies.

It is for these reasons that we will begin our phased re-opening for daily prayer. As of October 18, the following is the schedule for the rest of the year. After which, we will reassess and adjust as necessary.

Morning Prayer
Monday–Friday: 8:00am (also live-streamed on our YouTube channel)
Morning Prayer will also be posted online only on our YouTube channel on Saturday at 8:00am.

Holy Eucharist
Monday & Friday: 12:15pm
Tuesday & Thursday: 8:30am 
Wednesday: 9:30am (Snell Hall) & 12:15pm

All services take place in the Cathedral’s Lady Chapel except as noted.

Please spread the news and join us as you are able.

The Reverend Canon Dr. Stephen Fields
Sub-Dean & Vicar

Cathedral Music

Thank you for your support, generosity, and patience as we continue to navigate the complexities of the pandemic. It has been much appreciated. I know that all of us have dearly missed singing, and for some it has been of one the most keenly felt absences of all the activities that have been curtailed. However, as you will appreciate, our prime considerations have been to safeguard health and to follow both provincial and diocesan regulations.

Nevertheless, some day the rafters of St. James Cathedral will ring with singing again. It will most probably be a gradual easing of restrictions that will allow this to happen.

In preparation for the time when we can assemble choirs again, whenever this may be, I would be delighted to meet singers who would wish to be considered for the Cathedral Choir. Please email me, Thomas Bell at tbell@stjamescathedral.ca , and we can arrange a time for an audition.

Lastly, and most importantly, please keep our music and our musicians in your prayers. There is a lovely cantata by Bach (BWV 106) whose opening line translates as ´God’s time is always the best time’. May that be so.

Yours most sincerely,
Thomas Bell
Music Director & Organist

From the Refugee Committee 

In our last newsletter, I alerted parishioners to plans being developed by the St. James and Community Refugee Response Committee to sponsor at least two Afghan families. At the time of writing, we are still waiting for guidance from the government about the details of the program. We have been led to believe that the initial plan to take 20,000 people has been doubled. More than ever, we will need to consider how we can help these people, many of whom are struggling. We will work with the Anglican and United Refugee Alliance, once the government provides details of sponsorship arrangements.

Plans are underway for the “Walk for Afghans” that is being organized by the committee.  Information about the walk, and a link to those wishing to donate, can be found here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/st-james-cathedral/p2p/refugee-walkathon/

We will keep the parish informed of developments. We ask for your thoughts and prayers for all of those affected by these events.

David Crawford
Chair, Refugee Committee

Evensong and Young Adults’ Gathering: September 29, 2021 at 6:30pm

On the feast of St. Michael and all Angels, all young adults (20s-30s) are invited to join in Evensong at the Cathedral, followed by a social gathering in the park. Feel free to bring a picnic dinner for yourself! For questions, contact Claire: clatimerdennis@stjamescathedral.ca.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: September 30

September 30, 2021, marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and survivors of Residential Schools, their families and communities. The creation of this federal statutory holiday was through legislative amendments made by Parliament. On June 3, 2021, Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) received Royal Assent.

In observance of this day, the Cathedral office with be closed. The Cathedral community and wider church are invited to join us for Morning, Midday, and Evening Prayer on FaceBook and our YouTube channel at the following times:

6:00am: Morning Prayer with Sean Hopperton
12noon: Midday Prayer with Canon Stephen
6:00pm: Evening Prayer with Archbishop Mark MacDonald (National Indigenous Archbishop), Dean Stephen, Canon Stephen & Deacon Claire

As well, a recorded service from the Anglican Church of Canada is available for parishes to mark September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. Visit www.anglican.ca/orangeshirtday to find this video, as well as links to a few more resources.

In addition to the resources available on our website, we suggest reading The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King and watching the film The Doctrine of Discovery which you can find on the Anglican Church of Canada’s website here.

Bells Announcement

Now that the government has declared September 30 as National Truth and Reconciliation Day, we will not be silencing our bells each Wednesday after that date. Moving forward, we will silence the bells on dates throughout the year that are oriented toward Truth & Reconciliation and Canada’s Indigenous persons. A list of resources that provide opportunities to pray, learn and act will continue to be available on our website at https://stjamescathedral.ca/truthandreconciliation/.

The Blessing of Animals
Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 10:30am – Cathedral West Lawn

Join us as we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi by taking part in a special service for pets and their friends and family. All are welcome!

Special Vestry Meeting

Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 1:30pm via Zoom
For more information and to register, please visit our website at here.

All Souls Service: Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 11:00am –
A Service to Commemorate Our Departed Loved Ones

This year’s service will be held at the Cathedral once again. Join us as we gather for this service of Holy Eucharist to remember those who died. We will begin collecting the names of loved ones to be read aloud at the service in mid-October.

CONNECTING WITH ST. JAMES

WORSHIP WITH US

SUNDAYS
Join us for in-person services at 8:00am, 9:00am and 11:00am.
Registration is required and is available on our website here.
You do not need to register for the 8:00am service; instead, there will be a sign-in sheet when you arrive.
The 11:00am service will continue to be live-streamed on the Diocesan YouTube channel.

SUNDAY COFFEE HOUR
Both in-person and virtual Coffee Hours are suspended for the time being, but please say hello on the West Lawn as you leave!

WEDNESDAYS
Mid-Week Eucharist: Wednesdays at 9:30am in Snell Hall. No need to pre-register, but we’ll have a sign-in sheet when you arrive.

CONTINUING EACH WEEK

• Sermon Discussion Group on Zoom with The Reverend Dr. David Danner, one of our Honorary Assistants: Mondays at 10:00am; email the office to receive the link.
• Morning Prayer: Tuesday and Thursday mornings on the Cathedral Facebook page; you can also find them posted on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel
• Virtual Hymn Sing on Zoom: Email irenecourage105@gmail.com to receive information, dates, and the link; the next session takes place on Wednesday, October 6 at 4:00pm

CLERGY NOTES

The Reverend Canon Beth Benson is away for the month of September. For pastoral concerns, please email The Reverend Canon Dr. Stephen Fields at sfields@stjamescathedral.ca

If you know anyone who would benefit from a call from our pastoral care team, please be in touch.

VIRTUAL ORGAN RECITALS

St. James Cathedral has presented lunchtime organ recitals on Tuesdays for many years. We are delighted that these concerts have resumed virtually and will take place on various Tuesdays of each month at 1:00pm. The concerts will be presented via the Cathedral Choir Facebook page, allowing everyone to have an excellent view of the instrument and performer.

The organ is a fine four manual instrument dating from 1863, composed of four manuals and 5,100 pipes. Further details are available on the Cathedral website.

Did you miss an Organ Recital? You can still access it on the Cathedral Choir Facebook page. 

Organ Recital Schedule
Tuesdays at 1:00pm via the Cathedral Choir Facebook page

October 19: Sebastian Moreno (Music Director, St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Oakville)
November 2: Robert Pecksmith (Assistant Organist, St James Cathedral)

Financial Stewardship

We are exceedingly grateful to those of you who continue to support us financially. If you would like to make a donation, here are the ways to do that:

• Mail a cheque to 65 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2E9.
• Use the ‘Donate’ button on our website.
• You can now hand-deliver your offerings to the Cathedral Centre: A secure mailbox has been mounted in the Church Street vestibule at the entrance of the doors at 65 Church Street. The doors are open from 9:00am – 4:00pm, Monday – Friday.
• Sign up for Pre-Authorized monthly giving, thus ensuring a vital stream of income for the Cathedral. Please note that at any time you can stop or change the PAG amount by emailing the office.
• Make a gift of securities (see details here).
• We are delighted to have a QR code for donating electronically which you will find in all bulletins. Simply scan with your phone camera and donate! You can also donate here.

Staying Connected

We invite you to continue to link to the Cathedral’s website or Facebook page for updates, links to mid-week worship, and opportunities for fellowship and learning. St. James relies on your faithfulness and generosity, for which we are very grateful. God bless you.

The Very Reverend Stephen Vail, Rector of St. James Cathedral & Dean of Toronto
Joan Peters & Jayne Hobbs, Wardens
svail@stjamescathedral.ca
wardens@stjamescathedral.ca