A Message from Fr. Andrew MacDonald and the Wardens (July 9)
Dear Friends,
Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.
~ From the song Sweet Baby James, by James Taylor (1970)
James Taylor, the great singer-songwriter, wrote about the idea of ‘home’ more than any other theme. Growing up in the Carolinas, but moving from London to New York to Los Angeles and Massachusetts, much of his music is infused with images of being on the road, and longing for home.
What does the word ‘home’ mean to you? These past few months have given us lots of time to think about home: the people, the places, the feelings, those places that seem dream-like in our memories.
Last week I caught an Uber trip with a driver who has continued to drive during the pandemic. He told me about a passenger he had taken to the airport several weeks ago, an international student who was trying to get home at the end of semester. Six times she had been to the airport, and six times she had been turned away because her charter flight was cancelled. “With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.”
While many of us have been keeping to our homes, it’s a good reminder that there are those among us who have been prevented from being home during this pandemic, people who are still travelling those ten-thousand miles ahead.
People who are inadequately housed, and now in a heat wave also need a cool place to be.
People living in danger who have been forced to stay put until borders open again, whose idea of ‘home’ isn’t so dream-like.
People struggling to keep both priorities of food and good health.
Which is why we’re grateful for the work and ministry of the Drop-In, making this place a home for those in our community who most need a place to be.
We’re grateful for the ongoing work of the Refugee committee, continuing to provide care for our refugee family under extraordinary circumstances as they make a new home.
And we’re grateful for everyone in our community making this Cathedral a spiritual home as we continue to travel the miles ahead as people who will always find our home in God.
From my home to yours,
Fr. Andrew
DROP-IN UPDATE by Kathy Biasi, Outreach Manager
St. James Drop-In is extremely fortunate to be able to continue its support for the Drop-In community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the beginning, we had a few bumps on the road, such as the lack of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), the necessity to suspend the Good Food Box for the month of April and the adjustment to take-out service. However, despite these challenges, the Drop-In continues to provide guests with nutritious and delicious meals. We currently serve approximately 160 take-out meals a week. As well, in May and June, a total of 122 Good Food Boxes were subsidized.
Likewise, there have been many changes to mediate, such as increasing the days the Drop-In is open from one to two. During one of my regular check-ins with Dean Stephen, he pointed out an increased need for the Drop-In’s take-out food service during the pandemic and suggested we open an additional day. As a result, we prepared for the second day opening by sending out a call for volunteers and are so grateful that they came. Our first Friday Drop-In opened on Good Friday, April 10. The Drop-In will continue to operate two days per week until the state of emergency is over.
We have had such wonderful support during this time. So many people have donated their time, energy and finances, and have opened their hearts to the Drop-In cause. We are thankful for our volunteers who do everything from picking up and buying groceries, making the food, packing it, cleaning the kitchen and the fridge, and keeping track of our personal care items. We are grateful for our Staff who have been there to assist in any way they can.
We extend gratitude to our community partners: Second Harvest for the fresh food they continually provide; Metropolitan United Church for their Housing and Community worker’s support and for the 1,500 bottles of water they arranged from Coca Cola for our guests; 
Toronto Drop-In Network for arranging and delivering all the extra free PPE, water, information, forums and opportunities to apply for much needed grants; the City of Toronto for opening up to support all Drop-Ins that stayed open during this crisis; Mustard Seed for 250 cloth masks—a few of these masks were shared with other Drop-Ins that were in need, and the rest were given to our guests so that they can ride the TTC in July and onward.
Finally, we give special thanks to our Cathedral parishioners and those from the greater community who support the Drop-In financially, so that it can continue to be a vital piece of the network of support in the community.
You can view more Drop-In photos here.
As the rest of Ontario is starting to open and learn how to live in the new normal, the Drop-In’s new normal will be quite different once we are allowed to reopen. The first step will be moving the Drop-In from Tuesdays to Fridays, as the impact of the pandemic has made the change necessary. This will give us a chance to adjust, experiment and implement new programs, while keeping the ones that have made the Drop-In the unique, caring community it has always been. The volunteers, the staff and the guests are all looking forward to the time when St. James Drop-In will reopen, and we can once again share our space with each other.
REFUGEE COMMITTEE UPDATE
As you may be aware, the Cathedral-Community Refugee Response Committee welcomed a family of two, consisting of a mother and her 4-year-old son from Cameroon, in September 2019. The sponsorship was based on the potential for significant impact and the Committee’s now 5 years of experience. Over the past nine months the Committee has helped provide them with financial, practical, social, and emotional support with the goal of achieving a successful resettlement.
The family secured permanent housing in the downtown area in November and has been settling into their new community. The young boy has started school and shown a marked improvement in his English language ability. Since the start of the pandemic his classes have continued online. Both of them have remained healthy and lively throughout the quarantine period (specifically enjoying cooking and Cameroon dancing together to stay active). They quickly adjusted to the need for social distancing, use of facemasks, increased personal hygiene, and minimal in-person contact. The mother has continued her education, through English as a second language classes, and has made significant progress. She is planning to start the English course for academic purposes at George Brown College in the Fall and to continue with schooling once her English requirements have been met.
With the easing of restrictions, the family has been joining committee members in the park for some exercise and welcomed time outside. The young boy loves to run around, play tag, and kick a soccer ball. He recently celebrated a milestone, learning to ride a bike or, as he likes to call it, his “motorcycle.” Committee members celebrated the family’s first Canada Day with them, with a picnic outing to High Park, and are planning a birthday party for the mother over the summer months. It has been a challenging time for the family, but they remain in good spirits and committed to building their new lives in Canada.
The Committee has recently signed a new sponsorship agreement to sponsor a family of four from Eritrea in approximately 18 months (due to the current processing time). This will be a joint sponsorship with a family member (brother) of one of the applicants, who has successfully resettled in Toronto. We look forward to welcoming the family!
The Committee currently has 16 members and is looking for new members. Particularly, we are looking for people who can be available during the day, generalists, and/or have professional experience in the one of the following areas: the public-school system, communications, housing. The Committee normally meets every two weeks, on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30pm, in the Cathedral Centre at 65 Church Street. Over the last few months, the meetings have been virtual. If you are interested in joining the Committee and learning more about the work we do, please contact David Crawford (dcrawford@fragomen.com), who will be happy to discuss our work and the roles filled by committee members.
REOPENING PROTOCOLS FROM THE DIOCESE
The provincial House of Bishops has decided that our church buildings will not be reopening for in-person worship until at least September. On June 17, the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario released a template for the safe reopening of our church buildings entitled “Loving Our Neighbour“.
On June 30, in Bishop Asbil’s letter to the Diocese, the Diocese issued the specific protocols for reopening in the Diocese of Toronto. (After downloading the guidelines, select ‘Enable Editing’ to access the embedded documents). As Bishop Asbil states in his letter, “this comprehensive checklist for parishes and ministries of the Diocese is the collective effort of the Bishop’s Office, the Executive Director and the directors of each department, in consultation with provincial guidelines, public health, the Regional Deans and faith communities across the country.” The protocols provide specific instructions on reopening, with concrete guidance for all parishes, including St. James, to follow.
The reopening protocols will be reviewed and discussed for implementation at the next meeting of the Reopening Working Group, a committee that the Dean has formed to prepare for the resumption of worship services in September. Members of this working group are: The Dean, Joyce Badley, Jim Kotsifas, Emile Rhinelander, Jayne Hobbs, Paul Seddon, Bob Simpson, Yosola Adeoye, Fr. James Liu, Fr. Andrew MacDonald, David Simon, Roger Pearce, David Grant, and Rob Haines.
In the meantime, we hope that you will continue to tune into our livestream Sunday services here and to our Tuesday and Thursday Morning Prayer services on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.
THE DEAN’S VACATION
Dean Stephen Vail is currently on vacation until July 24. During this time, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Fr. Andrew MacDonald, Associate Priest, for pastoral matters (amacdonald@stjamescathedral.ca) and Warden Jayne Hobbs for other matters (wardens@stjamescathedral.ca).
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM THE DIOCESE ARCHIVIST
In February 2020, when Nancy Mallett retired, the Cathedral Archives amalgamated with the Diocese Archives, under the leadership of Archivist Claire Wilton. Claire is presently documenting the Diocesan response on the COVID-19 pandemic and is requesting parishes in the Diocese gather and send her their information on how they are coping during this time in the church’s journey.
Claire has asked Nancy Mallett, who has been volunteering with the Diocese Archives since her retirement, to coordinate the collection of materials for St. James Cathedral. Nancy is hoping to hear from a cross section of age groups and looks forward to any material coming in from children. The material may include documents, stories, poetry, works of art, photographs, videos and virtual responses such as services, meetings, and social media website sharing. Please send your information to Nancy at nancyemallett@gmail.com.
COVID-19 MASK PROJECT
Public Health and the Canadian government are urging us to protect each other by wearing a non-medical mask or face covering in places where physical distancing is difficult. To encourage this, we would like to provide reusable masks to the vulnerable members of the Cathedral and wider community.
We are grateful to our Executive Director, Joyce Badley, for this ministry idea. Many thanks to David Grant, who has agreed to coordinate this project.
Here are some suggestions on what you can do to be a part of this project:
- We need people to sew! If you would like to sew masks, the Public Health Agency of Canada provides guidelines on how to make a mask here or you can use your own pattern.
- We need people to donate materials. This project requires sturdy fabric, thread and elastic. We would appreciate if you can donate materials or make a donation that enables us to purchase what we need.
Please direct any inquiries about picking up material to make masks and/or dropping off finished masks to David Grant at davidgrant7@icloud.com as we have very limited resources at the Cathedral Centre.
- We need people to donate postage. Masks will be sent to those who request them via Canada Post.
- Any member of the community who is unable to obtain a ready-made, reusable, non-medical mask may purchase one for $5.00 each. Orders can be placed through David at davidgrant7@icloud.com.
If you would like to help with the cost of postage or materials, you may do so by sending a cheque payable to ‘St. James Cathedral’ to 65 Church Street, Toronto, ON, M5C 2E9, Attention: Mask Project or donate through our website here.
For further inquiries or to become involved in this project, please contact David at davidgrant7@icloud.com.
ST. JAMES CEMETERY UPDATE
We are delighted to inform you that the Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling Report has been completed for the recently repaired south retort and will be submitted to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The report indicates that the operation of the south retort falls within acceptable limits mandated by regulation. This means that we can continue to operate the south retort until new crematorium equipment is installed, thereby providing an important source of revenue.
Further information on cemetery projects and on viewing the recently installed Cathedral lighting will be provided in the next issue of E-Connections.
FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP: Summer is here, and we need your help!
Summer generally marks a lower attendance and donation season at St. James, due to vacations and the warmer weather. This summer, we are dealing with the additional challenges of the pandemic.
As we prepare to reopen the Cathedral’s doors in September, we need your help to meet the financial challenges ahead. Donations are now our main source of income, as events have momentarily ceased, investment income is down, and the cemetery is slowly recovering from a period of brokenness. Thank you to those who have continued to send their monthly donations. If you have yet to do so, please consider sending donations by cheque to 65 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2E9 or by using the ‘Donate’ button on our website. In 2019 we implemented a cyber-security program to maintain the security of your personal and financial data.
We also encourage you to 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.
STAYING CONNECTED
Just a reminder that our next E-Connections will be published on Thursday, July 23. We invite you to continue to link to the Cathedral’s website or Facebook page for updates, Morning Prayer, service listings and inspirational messages. Thank you for your love and support during this period in the life of St. James. Please remember, you are not alone.
Blessings and peace to you all,
The Reverend Andrew MacDonald, Associate Priest
Wardens Don Solomon & Jayne Hobbs
amacdonald@stjamescathedral.ca
wardens@stjamescathedral.ca
