Annual Returns:

All parishes are reminded to begin their preparations for the Annual Meeting of Parishioners.  These Meetings are to be held within sixty days of the end of the financial year, which is December 31, and Annual Returns are to be submitted to the Diocese Office within fourteen days of the AMP.  The forms can now be found on the Website, under Resources/Documents for Parish Life/Annual Return Forms and scroll to the bottom of the page.

If you have any questions regarding the process of holding AMPs or submitting Annual Returns, please let us know, and we will be happy to answer all your questions.

Cursillo Spiritual Director:

We are grateful to the Rev. Chris Roth for his many years of acting as Spiritual Director for the Calgary Cursillo Movement.

Archbishop Greg has appointed the Rev. Bonnie Luft as the new Spiritual Director.  We pray for her as she begins this new role.

January 23 - Anglican Fellowship of Prayer Meeting

January 26 - Bishop's Visit to St. Michael, Canmore

January 28 - Admin & Finance Committee - 2:00 pm

January 28 - Calgary School of Discipleship Board - 3:30 pm

January 29 - High River Deanery Eucharist and Lunch at St. John the Evangelist, Claresholm

February 1 - Refugee Committee Retreat via Zoom

February 2 - Bishop's Visit to St. Barnabas, Three Hills 

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

The Most Reverend Gregory Kerr-Wilson is inviting applications for the position of Incumbent Priest of the lovely St. Benedict Anglican parish in High River, Alberta.

For more information, or to request a parish profile, please contact the Diocese Office.

Clergy will be required to submit a current resume as well as two written responses.

Clergy from other dioceses are required to have the permission of their own diocesan bishop before applying.

Applications will be received until February 14, 2025.

Start Date: March 1, 2025

Christ Church is seeking a passionate and creative individual to serve as the Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministry.  This half-time position offers an exciting pportunity to lead and grow our ministry programs for children, youth and families, and play a key role in nurturing the spiritual formation of the next generation.

Part-time (20 hours a week)

Flexibility in hours, including some evenings and weekends for ministry events.

Competitive salary and benefits (commensurate with experience).

For the full job description, please click here.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and references to Rev. Brandon Witwer by February 2, 2025.

A presentation of the Calgary School of Discipleship's Licensed Lay Minister Medallion was held on Sunday, January 12 at St. Aldhelm, Vulcan.  The presentation was made by The Ven. Dr. Pilar Gateman to Kari Pentland.  Kari is just one of our many hard-working Lay Ministers who, with the grace of God and diligence, completed the required courses to become fully licensed and earn a medallion.  There are several more new LLMs in our diocese, and we support and congratulate them on stepping out to train for their various ministries.  Today we congratulate Kari!

This new course will provide you with a foundation to understand the writings and theology of the New Testament. It will explore how the four Gospels reveal the life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth as herald of the “Good News” of the coming of the Kingdom of God, and as the founder of a new Covenant with God. It will also explore, as reported in the book of Acts and the Epistles, the coming of the Holy Spirit as the creator of the Church by means of the renewal of the Image of God. You will also learn about the variety of literary genres present in the New Testament and how they detail the life and growth of the early church, as well as learning about the broader context of the ancient world in which the New Testament was written.

NOTE: This course will represent a serious time commitment (attending class, reading and assignments) for those taking the course for credit.

Date: Wednesday Evenings, January 22 – April 9, 2025

Location: In Person at St. Augustine’s Church, Lethbridge, or On Zoom

Time: 7:00-8:30 pm

Cost: $95

Instructor: Rev. Br. Jason Carroll

To register, please email Barbara Labrecque

Have you been thinking about pastoral care in your parish family and wondering what it is about this way of caring?This is a seven week online Zoom course that can help you understand better what pastoral care is, how to care in different ways and your personal part in it.  We touch on topics such as: the theology of pastoral care, caring for self, different facets of communication, grief, death, dying and loss, joy, healing and wholeness, as well as where and how to visit, with different practice sessions.  We will review some resources and build our own pastoral community during this time.  This can be a course commitment with initial wonderings about pastoral care, an opportunity to strengthen skills and knowledge, and/or to add to a "team."  This course is open to clergy and laity.  Please ask all questions or register by contacting Rev. Tracey.

Cost - none

Number of participants: Minimum of 6; Maximum of 14

Deadline to register: February 11, 2025 or a full course.  A waiting list will be available.

The Parish of St. Cyprian, Lacombe has repurposed space in their church hall for a thrift store. It is a modestly-sized, comfy thrift store and coffee corner. They had a soft opening mid-December and re-opened in January. The Grand Opening will be the week of February 14.  Blessings Thrift Store and Coffee Corner is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11-2 pm. 

See https://www.stcyprian.ca/ and "Blessings Thrift Store and Coffee Corner" on Facebook. 

We would like to extend our sincere thanks for all the continued support we receive at Christmas and throughout the year.

Our statistics for the regular emergency hamper program are: Families - 539; Adults - 1194; Children - 392.  This was a slight increase over last year.

Our Christmas Hamper Program provided 118 families, 250 adults and 124 children with hampers.  In addition to the food hampers, families received wrapped gifts for the children.  There were knitted toques, blankets, and mitts, as well as toothbrushes, toothpaste, coloring books and crayons, stuffies for the younger children, games, crafts and puzzles.

We have prepared a list of dry good items that make up the regular emergency food hamper program.  To receive this list, please click here.

We still have volunteer opportunities available; please call us on Monday or Thursday morning from 9:00 to noon for more information.

Once again, the Church of the Good Shepherd is producing a four-show Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre production, just in time for Valentine's Day! This interactive comedy puts you in the middle of all the action while you try to figure out whodunit and why . . . 

By attending one of the performances, you agree to be a test subject for the research of Dr Ernest Terrence Mars. As he conducts Phase 2 of his work on a miraculous drug to eliminate the COVID-19 virus from the human race, you will enjoy a three-course dinner while you participate in this test . . . and see how things unfold!

There are four show times: Friday, February 7th and Saturday, February 8th, and Friday, February 14th and Saturday, February 15th. Doors open at 5:30pm with the show beginning at 6:00pm. Tickets are $50 per person and include your meal with coffee and tea. Beer and wine will be available for purchase by the can, glass or bottle.  We might even have some Scotch lying around somewhere, left over from Robbie Burns' Night...

To purchase tickets, click on the link below. Be careful to indicate which show you plan to attend. 

• Ticket sales for the Feb 7 & 8 shows close at 1:00pm on Tue, Feb 4.
• Ticket sales for the Feb 14 & 15 shows close at 1:00pm on Tue, Feb 11.

There are only 36 spots available for each performance, so don't miss out: "Spies Like Us" Tickets

Note that this production would likely warrant a PG rating if it were a movie as it deals with murder and mild sexual themes, and so may not be appropriate for children. Note also that this is not your typical church production in that there is no religious or spiritual message involved. It's just all for fun!

Recently the parish of All Saints, Cochrane upgraded their sound system.  Now they have two very powerful projectors to give away.  They are model numbers NEC PA550w and NEC PA571w.

If your parish could use them, please contact The Rev. Fariborz Khandani.

Dr. Peter Craigie was a professor of the Department of Religious Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, and Vice-President (Academic) of the University of Calgary until 1985.

His family has digitized all the cassettes of his lectures, many from Anglican Theology seminars, and have now created an open website for anyone to access.  The link can be found here.

PWRDF is rebranding as Alongside Hope with the French equivalent Aupres de l'espoir, following a decision at a special members meeting on October 15, 2024.  The new name, developed over nearly two years by a task team of staff, board members, and volunteers, was chosen to simplify and better represent the organization's mission while respecting its legacy as the Anglican Church of Canada's international development and humanitarian agency.

The transition to the new name will take place over the next year.  The iconic colourful globe logo will remain, aiding brand recognition during this shift.  Alongside Hope reflects a commitment to walking alongside partners for a better world, embodying hope through shared efforts.

The concert is FREE!  Join us for a wonderful, celebratory evening of song.  Together, let’s celebrate hope, grace and new beginnings!

Thursday, February 6, 5:  time 7:00 pm Eastern (5:00 pm Mountain)  - Online, via Zoom

Register HERE

Where have challenges led the Church into important new conversations and ways of being? How are we being called to engage with the world beyond our walls? Where is the Holy Spirit leading us in the coming decades? This panel discussion is presented by the Divinity Associates of Trinity College, Toronto, and open to all. Questions? Contact trinity.alumni@utoronto.ca

St. George's College Jerusalem is a gem of the worldwide Anglican Communion.  Although some emergency funding has been made available in 2024 through the North American Committee (NAC), St. George's College Jerusalem is now appealing to all Anglicans and friends to help provide essential support in 2025.

Let Light Shine is the NAC appeal to friends of the College in Canada.  It will run until April 2025.

The Campaign objective is to raise $250,000 from Canadian friends of St. George's College Jerusalem, to provide funds for paying staff salaries and related operations in 2025.

More information on this Campaign and how to donate can be found here.

Save the date and join The Mustard Seed for Canada's largest fundraising walk to combat poverty and homelessness.  Mark your calendars for this year's event, happening February 22.

The Coldest Night of the Year is a "winterrific" family-friendly 2 or 5 km fundraising walk in support of local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness.  Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians step outside the warmth and comfort of home to shine a light of welcome and compassion in their communities.  Since 2011, this event has raised over $75,000,000 across Canada in 190 Canadian communities, with 100% of net proceeds staying local to support our CNOY charity partners.

This is not just a walk - it's a symbol of solidarity and support for those facing difficult circumstances in our community.  By participating or contributing, you can directly impact the lives of individuals and families in need.

Spread the word.  Encourage your church to get involved.  Together, we can make a positive impact and show compassion to those who need it most.

Please remember in your prayers:

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

- for the Anglican Communion, for the selection of a new Archbishop of Canterbury, and for healing and direction moving forward;

- for the Windward Islands recovering from Hurricane Beryl;

- for the people of the Parish of St. Mary & St. George, Jasper, suffering the loss of their church home;

- for those who are sick, suffering, isolated or in need.  We ask for prayers for Barbara, Maureen, Ruth and James, Kate, Rosemary, Patricia, John, Rob, John and Alan;

- for those who have died and those who mourn;

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

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

- for 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.

The views and opinions contained in Newsletter items provided by individuals or groups for advertisement belong solely to those individuals/groups and do not reflect the views, opinions or beliefs of the Anglican Diocese of Calgary.