Our Diocese held a Clergy Day yesterday, with the Rev. Gene Packwood, as our Guest Speaker.  His words on Discipleship and the moments of prayer were truly inspiring and edifying.   Before any of us (Clergy or Lay) take our intentions for mission out into the world, we must have an attitude of listening and learning -- a bringing of ourselves to God, to be filled and guided.  There must be a willingness to acknowledge Jesus and to intentionally follow Him each day.  We must develop our relationship with Him, through study of His word, through openness to the gifts of the Spirit, and through constant communication in prayer.  Like a sailing ship, when we allow the Spirit to blow into the sails of worship, prayer, and discipleship, we will be able to move forward.  

Clergy are in as much need of prayer and ongoing formation as the rest of us. What are we doing each day which draws us closer to the love of God? What might it look like to allow the Holy Spirit's ongoing transformation of us then help us listen to where that same loving Spirit is leading us to reach out?  

Clergy Announcements:

Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson, after consultation with the Parish Council and Wardens of St. Laurence, Calgary, is pleased to appoint The Rev. Dr. Jane Rowland as their new Incumbent, as of December 1.  Please pray for Jane and the people of St. Laurence as they continue to journey forward in faith together. 

After seven years with St. Laurence, Calgary, The Rev. Carolyn Herold, as Assistant Priest, will be stepping down as of November 15.  She intends to continue serving as a Spiritual Health Provider within hospitals on a casual basis.  Please pray for Carolyn as she begins this new direction in her ministry.

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that, after much diligent, prayerful and thoughtful work by the Search Committee, he will appoint The Rev. Chris Dowdeswell as the new Incumbent of The Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary beginning December 1.  Rev. Chris and his wife, The Rev. Deacon Krista Dowdeswell, come to us from the Diocese of Qu'Appelle, where he served in parish ministry, as a territorial archdeacon and as a chair of an Anglican Camp in the Cypress Hills.  We welcome them and their family to this diocese and ask for your prayers for them and for the parish, as he begins this new posting.

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that, God willing, he will collate The Rev. Jacqui Durand, currently serving at Meota Parish, as Archdeacon of Indigenous Ministries.  The Service of Collation will take place at St. Paul and St. Thomas, Kainai, on Sunday, December 4, at 4:00 pm.  Please pray for Rev. Jacqui as she prepares for her new ministry.  Color for this Service will be Red.

Diocesan Announcements:

The Clergy Retreat is being held from Monday, November 21 to Thursday, November 24.  The Diocese will be covering much of the cost this year, so the cost will only be $125 per person.  Those wishing to attend are urged to register soon.

November 4 & 5 - Evangelism Workshop (via Zoom)

November 6 - Bishop's Visit to All Saints, Cochrane

November 8 - BARDs Meeting at St. George, Turner Valley

November 10 to 13 - Council of General Synod

November 15 - Diocesan Council (via Zoom)

Christ Church, Elbow Park is seeking a part-time Associate Priest for their flourishing church community.

More information about this posting can be found here.

The Calgary School of Discipleship is pleased to announce the Faith, Witness and Ministry Course is open for registration.

The course will be held on four Saturday mornings, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, on November 19, November 26, December 3 and December 10, and will be led by The Rev. Chris Roth.

In many people's minds, the word "ministry" refers to a domain restricted to clergy.  All baptised Christians, however, are called by God into ministry.  Jesus calls us to follow Him, and that means He also calls us to be a Christian for others.  How our spirituality engages the world is the ministry we have been called into.  This course explores how our personal faith journey relates to how we are called to engage the world as we follow Jesus.

This is a required course for anyone pursuing any of the Licenses in Licensed Lay Ministry (License A, B or C), but is also open to anyone who is interested.

To register, please email Barbara Labrecque.

URGENT:  The Diocesan Refugee Committee is seeking immediate help from parishes and parishioners in the Calgary area.   An emergency situation has come to our attention.  This involves a refugee family of 4 (Parents and 2 children) who are coming from a tent camp in Jordan and are set to arrive on 21 November 2022.  We are in search of a 3 bedroom house, apartment or townhouse preferably in the southwest part of Calgary, as well as donated furniture (in good shape), 3 beds (1 double/queen and 2 singles), housewares, linens and other items to set up their living accommodation.    We will also need a place to store the items until we have secured a residence. If, as an individual or as a parish, you are able to help with donations or a storage space, or if you know of a 3 bedroom accommodation, please contact:  The Rev’d Canon Erin Phillips, Chair of the Diocesan Refugee Committee 

St. Peter, Calgary: A Christmas Market will be held at St. Peter's, 75th Avenue and Elbow Drive S.W., on Saturday, November 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  There will be handicrafts, home baking, preserves, white elephant. home decor and a quilt.  All are welcome - hope to see you there. 

Holy Cross, Calgary: The Candy Cane Bazaar is back this year at Holy Cross Anglican Church, 2828 - 19th Street N.W., also on Saturday, November 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  A Baking and Deli table, a Craft table with sewing, quilting and knitting, a Treasures table, and books will be available.  There is no entry fee, but in the Glad Tidings Tea Room, coffee and lunch are served.

Friday and Saturday, November 4 & 5: "Poetry Unbound" with Irish Poet & Theologian Padraig O Tuama:  The Friday evening public lecture will be held at the Calgary Central Library, hosted by the Wisdom Centre and the U of C 2022 Chair of Christian Thought Iwaasa Lecture.  The Saturday one-day Retreat is hosted by the Wisdom Centre, and will be either in-person or online (location to be determined).  For more information or to register, please click here.

The Action Assembly is happening on Thursday, November 3 at 7:00 pm at Temple B'nai Tikvah.  RSVP here.  This Assembly is how we gather, take action and press for the changes we have been calling for related to the City budget.  Improving transit, building stronger communities, affordable housing and expanding Indigenous liaison officers are our budget focuses.  We are hoping to have 200 to 300 people at this event.

One of the gifts of the Pandemic is that it has moved mental health from the shadows into our shared public consciousness.  This past year, our members wrote letters, signed petitions and met with government officials.  This summer, the provincial government announced $197 million for school-based mental health supports in schools and pediatric rehabilitation.  This amount included piloting new models for addressing mental health in schools, expanding the comprehensive school-based mental health program we had been advocating for and hiring more mental health professionals.  This funding has the potential to not only address current mental health needs but to build the mental wellness of a generation through early intervention, prevention and education.  We thank the Anglican Diocese of Calgary for its support of these efforts.

Vespers: Uncommon Prayers for Uncommon People.  More information can be found here.

November 9 – Lectio Divina, praying with Scripture

December 15 – Marian prayers, prayer beads

The Wisdom of Trees - November 4: What trees can teach us about life and faith.  A weekend retreat at the FCJ Centre.

The Many Names of Mary - December 2: An invitation to sacred womanhood.

With Christmas just around the corner, we are getting ready to help our families during this holiday season. We know many of our children, youth & families will not be able to exchange gifts on Christmas day. This is where you come in. Please help us by purchasing a gift, or gifts.  A list can be obtained by emailing Alessandra. We are hoping you can help supply our children & youth with a special gift for Christmas day. It is our hope that all our children & youth will have a gift to open on that special day. You can drop off your gifts at the Hope Mission Hub (4869 Hubalta Road SE) during office hours (Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm). Gifts need to be delivered by 4:30 pm on Monday, December 5th, but the sooner the better. Please do not wrap your gifts. We will take care of the wrapping. Please help us spread the Christmas joy this holiday season. 

The Restore Conference, hosted by Renovare Canada, is being held on Saturday, November 12.  We have some amazing speakers lined up.

For more information or to register, click here.

This one-day Conference on Saturday, November 5, explores questions related to the current digital technologies and the life of the Church.  This day will draw on insights and expertise of three very different thinkers.

For those joining via a live-stream feed, there is no cost for this conference.  Registration deadline is November 3.  To find out more information or to register, click here.

Please remember in your prayers:

- those who are sick, suffering, fearful or in need, remembering those suffering from COVID-19 and their caregivers, those feeling isolated and those who are vulnerable;  

- for peace within our country, and in the world, remembering the countries of Ukraine and Iran; we pray for areas of unrest and riots, asking for wise discernment in our leaders;

- for Monica, Howard, Terry, Janet, Victoria, Rick and Deb, Donna, Don, Adrian, and Caroline;

- for those who have died and those who mourn;

- the victims of violence and natural disasters;

- our Indigenous brothers and sisters, especially remembering their hurt and grief at this time; 

- refugees, remembering those fleeing the Taliban regime, and those fleeing war in the Ukraine.

Request a prayer:

Send prayer requests to ctubman@calgary.anglican.ca to let us know how we can pray for you.  We will only use first names which will be removed after two or three weeks.  We will also pray for you during our regular Chapel services each week.  Please ensure that you have permission from those whose names you are submitting for prayer, and that they understand their name will be made public to all who subscribe to the Newsletter.

We are interested in what is happening in your parish and would love to highlight those events and news in our newsfeed.

We look forward to your contributions - feel free to forward your event announcements, your parish news, your stories.  Send in your details and pictures to ctubman@calgary.anglican.ca.