A Message from the Dean & Wardens (October 22)
AN UPDATE FROM THE REFUGEE RESPONSE COMMITTEE
Many will be aware that in September 2019 the St. James and Community Refugee Response Committee welcomed a family of two, comprising a mother and her young son from Cameroon. The sponsorship of the family is a 12-month commitment during which our responsibility is to help the newcomers to settle into their new life.
Although the twelve-month period has passed, the Committee is continuing to provide some assistance to the family until the end of this year. Now that the mother and son have established a routine, we have mainly been focusing on ensuring that they have access to social outings and support for some tasks that may be new to the mother. All appropriate steps to comply with pandemic related protocols have been respected, including social distancing and regular hand washing. Recent efforts included a gathering to celebrate the birthdays of both the mother and the little boy, picnics and walks to different local parks, visits to the beach over the summer period (where the little boy had his first experience swimming) and weekly check-ins with the mother.
In many respects the family has succeeded in establishing their new lives. Their home is small, but it is comfortable, and they are now familiar with their neighbourhood and are coping with the normal administrative tasks of life. The little boy attends school and his mother has been developing her English language skills and is enrolled in a course that will provide additional language and vocational training. That program will commence early in 2021. None of this is to say that the year has been easy for them. The pandemic has been very challenging not least because it disrupted educational programs and limited their ability to make friends and build their own social network. Despite these obvious challenges, we believe the year has been a success. Both the mother and little boy remain in good spirits and determined to make a success of their new home.
The Committee is also looking to the future. A refugee resettlement application is now in process for a family of four from Eritrea. The sponsorship element has been approved and we now wait for the application by the family to be processed. We do not know how long that might take as the pandemic has slowed processing of all sorts of immigration applications and we expect the process to take longer than normal.
The Committee will also commence an outreach program into the local business community to seek additional financial support. The funds used to support our efforts are raised independently of income raised by the Cathedral to cover running costs. Thank you again to all donors, who remain so vital for this ministry.
The Committee comprises members of the Cathedral and the local community and it remains a great privilege to work with everyone in the group. Unfortunately, however, Canon Kate Merriman will be stepping down as a member of the committee at the end of this year, having completed five years of wonderful service. Kate has been instrumental in finding accommodation for the refugee families, which has been a major achievement. All of us are grateful for her energy, commitment and fellowship.
We are keen to recruit members of the Cathedral who would like to join us. We are looking for people who can be available during the day and/or have professional experience in one of the following areas: the public-school system, English language tuition, communications, accounting, fundraising, housing or social work. 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 learning more about the work of the Committee, please contact David Crawford (dcrawford@fragomen.com), who will be happy to provide more information.
SUNDAY SERVICE NOTES
St. James Cathedral resumed in-person services as of Sunday, September 13.
Services take place at 8:00am, 9:00am and 11:00am.
The Mandarin Ministry service takes place at 1:30pm.
Seats are limited and registration is required.
Registration will be available on the Monday prior to the Sunday services each week.
Registration will close each week at 11:59pm Saturday.
Register for a Sunday service each week here.
Watch the live-stream of the 11:00am service here.
See a full outline of the Diocesan protocols for re-opening here;
and view the Diocesan’s re-opening video here.
On September 1, a dedicated email address was launched to answer questions you might have about re-opening. Send your questions to reopening@stjamescathedral.ca.
We are looking forward to seeing you!!
THE CATHEDRAL CENTRE
Even though the Cathedral is open on Sundays only for worship, the Cathedral Centre will remain closed until further notice. This is due to staffing limitations necessitated by our decreased revenues.
CLERGY NEWS
After two weeks of working remotely during mandatory, social isolation, the Dean is now able to visit with his father in Nova Scotia. He will be back on October 31.
GOOD FOOD BOX UPDATE
For all those who were left waiting and empty-handed for the Good Food Box they ordered on Friday, October 16, 2020, I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused everyone, and I thank you for your patience that has allowed me to follow up with Food Share. I would like to share that on Monday, October 19, I spoke with a person at the Good Food Boxes order desk and they have confirmed that the Box you are waiting for will be delivered on Friday, October 23. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me, Kathy Biasi, Outreach Manager, at 416-658-7638 or kbiasi@stjamescathedral.ca.
A REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM THE DROP-IN
The St. James Drop-In is looking for volunteers who can be available to come in and assist with preparing and cooking meals, and serving and cleaning up the kitchen after the cooking and packaging of the meals are completed. This is an essential service which supports some of the most vulnerable people in our community as well as long-time guests. Volunteers are needed Tuesdays and Fridays in flexible time slots from 9:00am until 4:30pm. If you are interested, please send an email message to Kathy Biasi, Outreach Manager, at kbiasi@stjamescathedral.ca.
VIRTUAL OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY CONFERENCE: “NO ONE IS DISPOSABLE”
This is a reminder that the virtual Outreach & Advocacy Conference is being held on Saturday, October 24. Bishop Peter Fenty will be giving the Keynote Address and there will be Morning and Afternoon Workshops as well as a Closing Plenary Session. For more information and to register, visit the Diocesan website here. You must register for each of these events separately. This year, you can participate in the Conference from the comfort of your own home!
VIRTUAL HYMN SING
Please join us for our next virtual hymn sing on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:30pm. During virtual hymn sing, we sing at home, coordinating our efforts over Zoom. Most hymns are from Common Praise. For all hymns, the lyrics will stream on your screen. Other participants will not hear you sing, so you can be free to experiment with your voice and the music presented. We will repeat this session on Friday, October 30 at 3:30pm and on Wednesday, November 4 at 3:30pm as well. The additional Friday session is a one-time experiment to accommodate a few people who are not available on our regular times. To be added to the list of people receiving a Zoom invitation, please email irenecourage105@gmail.com. We will sing together!
SCRIPTURE STUDY – THE PSALMS
A weekly study of the lectionary Psalm meets on Mondays at 7:00pm over Zoom. Together we’ll reflect on the Psalm for the coming Sunday, and end at 8:00pm with a service for Compline. All are welcome, and if you’re not able to come to the Psalm study, but would like to join for Compline, that’s fine too! Please email Claire at clatimerdennis@stjamescathedral.ca for the Zoom link.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY AT ST. JAMES
While children’s programming on Sundays is suspended for the time being, we still want to support families in the spiritual development of their little ones. If you have children or youth in your life and would like support with resources for prayer and learning at home, email Claire at clatimerdennis@stjamescathedral.ca.
ALL SOULS SERVICE
Our annual All Souls Service to commemorate those who have died has been scheduled for Saturday, November 7 at 11:00am. Due to space limitations at the Chapel of St. James-the-Less, this year’s service will take place at the Cathedral. Names of the deceased to be read aloud during the liturgy can be emailed to info@stjamescathedral.ca or called in to the clergy extension at 416-364-7865, ext. *232. We will not be putting out a binder this year for parishioners to add names to, due to current conditions. Attendees will be required to register for this service. The registration portal is now up on our website at stjamescathedral.ca/allsouls/. You can also register for the service by emailing info@stjamescathedral.ca or by calling 416-364-7865, ext. *232.
ST. JAMES CEMETERY UPDATE
Plans for the installation of new crematorium retorts are quite well developed. We are currently working on a business plan for the operation of the crematorium after the refurbishment, taking into account the need to proceed with the Hillside H slope remediation and other necessary capital repairs at the St. James Cemetery. The business plan will be used to support our request for financing from the Diocese of Toronto. Project costs for the crematorium refurbishment are estimated to be in the realm of $1.5 million. This would allow us to procure equipment of good quality and compliant with environmental legislation.
We are also in discussions with other Anglican cemeteries to service our clients during the shut down planned to accommodate the work.
In the meantime, the interim repairs made to a single retort have been successful and the cemetery continues to process a steady stream of cremations.
FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
We are exceedingly grateful to those of you who continue to support us financially. Donations have become 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. 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.
- 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).
- Many have been asking how to donate electronically when attending worship. We are delighted to have a QR code for that purpose, which you will find in all future 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, 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 Very Reverend Stephen Vail, Rector of St. James Cathedral & Dean of Toronto
Don Solomon & Jayne Hobbs, Wardens
svail@stjamescathedral.ca
wardens@stjamescathedral.ca
