Welcome to Summer Services: From July 2 through September 3

A slightly different and somewhat more relaxed summer schedule of Sunday worship is upon us.
One main service at 10:00am gives us a chance to bring our ‘two’ congregations – 9:00am and 11:00am – together for 10 weeks.

We are grateful to Tom and the choir, to our indefatigable property staff, and to all our liturgical ‘actors’ for being part of this new rhythm. I look forward to your feedback and responses. We will return, on September 10, to the normal practice of our services. 

Do not forget the wonders of Choral Evensong – one of our most treasured liturgies – each Sunday at 4:30pm – beautiful music and words; a grace filled way to mark the beautiful summer’s Sunday afternoon! Enjoy it all!

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Special Announcement – Worship Services during the summer

Dear Friends:

As we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday and prepare to leave the month of May, we are all, of course, looking forward to summer. After what has been an uneven spring, we hope for a nice and warm summer!

The Churchwardens and I had a good conversation about the forthcoming summer, and I write to announce some changes in our liturgical pattern for the months of July and August. For the ten Sundays from July 2 through September 3 (Labour Day weekend), we will have one principal Sunday morning liturgy at 10:00am. The 8:00am and 4:30pm services will remain unchanged.

While this marks a change from previous summers, we have had some experience with changes during the recent pandemic. The service will be a full Cathedral Sunday morning service with our choir and appropriate rites, blending the two current 9:00am and 11:00am forms. Our children’s program, Godly Play, will continue as well.

There are specific reasons and benefits for this change:

1. It provides a somewhat more relaxed routine.

2. It recognizes that the Cathedral church can be fairly warm in the summer and allows us to have our largest service an hour earlier.

3. Our attendance tends to be somewhat reduced in the summer (naturally) and this brings together two possibly diminished congregations into one.

4. The most important reason – I think – it brings our two quite distinctive congregations together for a time-limited but significant period – to better know each other, share one coffee hour, etc.

Please know that this is not a way of permanently changing our service times – nor an attempt to do an end-run around anything – we will return to both 9:00am and 11:00am services on September 10.

The Vicar, Canon Benson, Maestro Bell, and I have discussed this with property and administrative staff, and we are all pleased and excited about worshipping together, with you, through the summer.

With my thanks for the hard work and dedication of our Churchwardens, and to each of you.

Fondly,

Peter Wall
Interim Dean and Priest-in-Charge