Events Coming Soon:
Sunday, September 4th, 9am at St. George’s in Echo Bay (159 Church St.) – Prayer Breakfast. This is in celebration of 90 years since consecration. There will be pancakes, sausages, coffee, tea, juice, and – of course – prayers. By donation.
Saturday, September 10th, 10am – 2pm at Emmaus (1643 Wellington St. E), Sault Ste Marie – Trunk Sale. Note: this event will be cancelled if there is rain.
The Lay Readers’ Conference is NOT just for Lay Readers!!! We have a couple of awesome speakers joining us on Saturday, October 1st. Bishop Todd Townshend of Huron will be talking about “We Gather to Be Sent” – our liturgies transform us into people who live into their baptism on all 7 days. If you think church is to “recharge your spiritual batteries” then this discussion is for you. There are great reasons for why we feel “recharged” plus there is SO much more to gathering as the Body of Christ. The Rev. Dr. Juan Oliver from New Mexico will be joining us as well. He is going to help us explore our experience of gathering as the Body of Christ by leading us through self-reflection on the worship in which we have participated and help us deepen our faith through knowledge and understanding of our worship. It’s going to be great!
These events do much for cultivating hope and excitement about being the Church in times like these when it feels like the church is dwindling. Come be inspired! You can join us in person at Emmaus or you can join by Zoom. The information and the Zoom links are here:
Diocesan Gathering for The National Day of Truth & Reconciliation: This is also in person at Emmaus or by Zoom (link is in the attached document above). Friday, September 30th at 7pm. There will be prayers, a reflection by Archbishop Anne, time for discussion, and we will conclude with Compline followed by a reception in the hall.
If you plan to attend – in person – the conference on October 1st or the gathering on Friday evening (Sept.30) then please let me know by September 16th so that I know how much food to prepare. (susan.montague2@gmail.com)
For Your Devotions:
Monday, August 29th is the Holy Day of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. If you’d like to refresh your memory on the details of this event and learn some interesting, non-scriptural legends, check out the website that follows. For example, after Herod had ordered John’s beheading, the prophet even in death was unrelenting in voicing his condemnation of Herod’s wrong-doing – his severed head is reported to have kept talking. Far from being whimsical or superstitious, these legends offer commentary on the vital roles of the people in this Gospel story. https://oca.org/saints/lives/2007/08/29/102419-the-beheading-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptis
Tuesday, August 30th is the commemoration of Robert McDonald, Priest in the Western Arctic. Robert was born in 1829, the second of 10 children, in a place which later became known as Winnipeg. For over 40 years, he worked as a missionary among the Gwich’in people in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alaska – baptizing, establishing schools, and translating the Bible, Book of Common Prayer and many hymns using the alphabet he had created for the Gwich’in language. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McDonald_(missionary)
Wednesday, August 31st is the commemoration of Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne who died in 651. Aidan was born in Ireland but was a monk on the Island of Iona when he was chosen to become a bishop and evangelize northern England. His career was relatively brief but his legacy has been long-lasting. He founded churches and monasteries and trained other ministers to follow in his footsteps. For more information: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Aidan
Friday, September 2nd is the memorial of the Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942. Anglican missionaries reached New Guinea in 1891. In 1898 the Anglican Diocese of Papua New Guinea was established and remained a missionary diocese of the Church of England in Australia until 1977, when an autonomous Anglican province, the Church of the Province of Papua New Guinea, was established. During World War II Christian missionaries and the natives of New Guinea suffered greatly from the Japanese invaders. On this day we remember the eight missionaries and two lay persons who, despite knowing the risk, stayed to continue their mission work and ended up losing their lives. If you’d like more detail, check this out: http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/png/rowland_faithful1964.html
Saturday, September 3rd is the memorial of Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, who died in 604. Gregory was born into a wealthy, noble family and by the age of 30 held a top administrative position in Rome. He gave it all up to become a monk when his father died. Gregory tried to refuse the position of pope but, when he was elected anyway, he accepted and “the rest is history” as the saying goes. Gregory did some great things for the church. To find out more, check this out: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/rulers/gregory-great.html
In the joy of Christ,
Susan+
Deanery of Algoma 
I look forward to your posts. Thank you Susan. Much appreciated