Our Missional Coaching team have created some really simple presentations which came from questions  you were asking and wondering about the workshops. 

We would love to invite ourselves to your parish council meetings and share with you what we can offer the parish in terms of mission. Imagine, one less agenda to prepare!

Please be in touch with our missional coaches team by emailing MissionalCoaches@calgary.anglican.ca  and let us know what dates work for you. 

We can't wait to see you.

The Diocese Office will be closed for the Christmas Holidays, from December 25 to January 3 inclusive.  

This is the last Newsletter for 2023. Thank you for your contributions.  Thank you for reading this series of emails throughout the year, being engaged, and changing our Diocese and our world for Christ. We wish you a blessed remaining Advent, a merry Christmas, and health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year.

For back issues of this Newsletter, they are now being posted on the News section of our website.

December 20: Deacons' Meeting via Zoom

December 24 - Christmas Eve Service at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, beginning at 10:30 pm

December 25 - Christmas Morning Service at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, beginning at 10:30 am

December 31 - Bishop's Visit to St. Andrew, Calgary

January 3 - High River/Lethbridge-Medicine Hat Deaneries Lunch

January 4 - Admin & Finance Committee meeting via Zoom

January 8 - 12 - Communion Partners Gathering in Orlando, Florida

January 13 - Funeral for The Rev. Canon Dr. Cyril Challice, Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, beginning at 10:30 am

Please hold Archbishop Greg in your prayers as he serves as our Bishop and Metropolitan.

Students will explore what we mean by spiritual formation, what ways we can take part in our formation through disciplines and practices and learn some of the components which contribute to our formation (personality, denominational experience, history, ...) Students will have the opportunity to have a broader perspective and appreciation for their own formation and how the formation of others adds richness to our common faith. 

This course will run January 9 and 23, February 6 and 20, and March 5 and 19 (every second Tuesday) via Zoom.

Register with Barbara Labrecque before January 2, but earlier is better for being prepared as students will need to purchase a book. 

On Tuesday, December 12, Archbishop Greg collated The Ven. Brian Vickers as Archdeacon of Bow Valley at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary.

Please pray for Ven. Brian as he begins a new role in leadership within our Diocese.

On Tuesday, December 19, Archbishop Greg inducted The Rev. Eyad Ajji as Incumbent for St. Mark & St. Philip, Calgary.

Please pray for Rev. Eyad and the parish of St. Mark & St. Philip's as they journey together in faith.

What started as an idea by one of the ACW women to set up Nativitiy Scenes at St. Leonard-on-the-Hill in Red Deer has blossomed into 45 (!) sets arriving and being arrranged in the sanctuary.  This display has even captured the attention of the local newspaper.

There is also a YouTube video for folks who can not physically be there.

What a beautiful idea!  Thank you to the folks of St. Leonard's for sharing this display with us.

LEARN TO LOVE - How do we love our neighbours literally on our doorstep? Our RadiCare training has now come to an end but the recorded sessions can be accessed on our YouTube playlist.

To use the Zoom link, please click here.

Please join us for this opportunity to explore Spiritual Gifts and discerning the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Our keynote speaker will be The Rev. Canon Gene Packwood, along with three other presenters.

For more information or to register, please contact the office at St. Francis.

To register or for more information, please click here.

To register for these book studies and to receive the Zoom link, please use the email address found here.

Food security has become a major symptom of the economic challenges facing all communities and the students on all campuses across Canada are no exception.  The Anglican chaplaincy, under the leadership of The Rev Dr Carmen Maier at the University of Calgary’s Faith and Spirituality Centre, continues to address this problem by cooking a nutritious meal and feeding the students in a Lunch & Lounge program every Monday.

With the joint support of the University of Calgary and the Anglican Diocese of Calgary, our team of three (Carmen Maier, Pat Herrel and Marcus Herrel) has the great pleasure of cooking and serving these nutritious and delicious meals for 50-60 students.  We are looking to develop more teams for the ministry and to possibly expand the program.  If you are interested in participating, please contact either Rev Deacon Marcus or Rev Carmen.  

Please find above an Access to Food resource for the Vulcan area.

Please use it and share it with others as needed.

During Giving Week, Villages Calgary partnered with PWRDF.  Ten percent of purchases at the store or online during the week were donated to PWRDF.

We are pleased to announce that sales for the PWRDF fundraiser came to $2690.08, so a cheque for $269.01 has been sent to the national PWRDF office.  

Thank you so very much for being part of this event!  It is always wonderful to see the support for this cause.  Every dollar spent helps marginalized people in communities around the world.

There is much sickness circulating in our community and beyond at this time of year.

Please find here a link to St. Luke, Calgary's eBook "For a Time Such As This," filled with healing scriptures and encouraging articles.  This eBook was created by the parish of St. Luke when Covid began in 2019 and continues to be downloaded and shared by many.  Feel free to forward this to your friends.

A cross pendant on a chain was found at Holy Cross, Calgary.

As it does not belong to the current or former rectors, we are seeking the rightful owner, perhaps a clergy person who attended an event held at Holy Cross some years ago.

If this belongs to you, please be in touch.

Worried about your parish’s future?

The following books are great resources for considering the ways we can move from a concern and scarcity mindset to one of hope for the future.

Please do engage these in a book study format. Perhaps with the parish council even!? They will be a great resource for you and a source of hope.

If you have any questions about reigniting the light of faith in your parishes, remember we have a Ministry Development Team, a part-time Church Planter, and others who are also great resources.

We are starting up a Beginner Handbell Team in January, at our rehearsal space in SW Calgary.

We would love to have you join us.

For questions or more information, click here.

SAVE THE DATE for the 34th Annual Images of Spirituality gathering. Come join other women to celebrate God’s great gift of a creative spirit within each of us.
 
Date:        April 5 - 7, 2024
Place:       Entheos Retreat Centre
Theme:    Cultivating the Garden of Contentment reflecting on Philippians 4:12 

In a world that is constantly seeding discontent so that we will consume more and more products, how might we learn what it means to be truly content with all that God provides, and in all circumstances - without becoming complacent to the injustice around us.

Registration details and more information will be sent out in early 2024.
 
Blessings from your 2024 Images of Spirituality Planning Committee:   Alicia (chair), Connie, Joan, Nancy, Ruth, Maureen, and Marg

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of The Rev. Canon Dr. Cyril Challice, just shy of his 98th birthday.

He began his ministry at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in 1980, and was made Canon in 1987.  In 1994, he began serving as half-time Interim Priest for St. Clement, Balzac, and working as an Honorary Assistant with St. Mark, Calgary.  From 2003 on, he was Honorary Assistant at the Cathedral.

A Funeral Mass will be held at The Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary on Saturday, January 13 beginning at 10:30 am.  A link to Rev. Canon Challice's obituary may be found here.

May he rest in peace and rise in Glory.

Please remember in your prayers:

- for peace within our country, and in the world, for victims of violence and natural disasters, and for areas of unrest and riots.  We ask for wise discernment in our leaders;

- for Israel and Palestine, and for Ukraine and Russia - for the end to war;

- for those who are sick, suffering, isolated or in need.  We ask for prayers for Barbara and Elizabeth, Janice, Joan, Dan, Karen, Elizabeth, Bob, Sean, and Alyssa and her two daughters;

- for those who have died and those who mourn, remembering the friends and family of The Rev. Canon Dr. Cyril Challice;

- for the poor, the homeless, and the needy in our communities;

- our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and their leaders in our diocese and country; 

- refugees, remembering those fleeing regimes around the world.

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.