Good day,

Wow…get out your calendars – there are a lot of events on the horizon to mark down!

The next Holy Eucharist at the Bishophurst Lady Chapel is this Wednesday, October 18, beginning at 7pm.

Lay Readers/Lay Leaders Gathering for Algoma Deanery: Friday, November 24, 5:30pm – 7pm (location to be determined). It’s been a while so let’s get together. We will have a potluck and talk over dinner. The Diocesan Warden of Lay Readers, Alison Weir, will join us to fill us in on things at the diocesan level (especially given the focus on Lay Readers outlined during our Synod). I will provide a short teaching on the prayer hours, including the background and purpose of our Evening Prayer and then we will close with an Evening Prayer service. 

Christmas Baking: A plate of 30 treats for just $15! These will be on sale (by the Parish of St. Joseph & St. George) at the Legion in Richards Landing on Sunday, November 19 but, I’d be happy to get a plate for you if you can’t make it out there. 

Ham Pastie Luncheon and Silent Auction at St. George in Echo Bay (159 Church Street): Saturday, Dec.2, 11:30am – 1pm. A hearty lunch for just $15, kids $8, and under 5 free.  (Photo attached for more info). 

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” Christmas Walk at St. Luke’s Cathedral, December 20. Please see the attached poster for more information. 

Today is “World Food Day”: Marked each year on October 16, this day commemorates the founding of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. Malnourishment and hunger remains a huge global problem with more than 3 billion of our population unable to afford proper food. Conflict and war along with isolation due to gender and ethnicity are big culprits in worsening the situation. This year’s theme is “Water is Life, Water is Food: Leave No One Behind”. Here is a prayer you may want to say as your table grace today: (BAS p.680) Almighty God, we thank you for making the fruitful earth produce what is needed for life. Bless those who work in the fields; give us favourable weather; and grant that all may share the fruits of the earth, rejoicing in your goodness; through your Son Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. 

A Liturgical Note For You:  We are approaching a “Principle Feast” of our church (All Saints’ Day).  I’ll say more about All Saints’ Day soon but first, the Sunday before All Saints’ Day needs a word. You might think that, in addition to Nov.1st, if you’re going to celebrate All Saints’ Day on a Sunday as well, you would naturally use the Sunday before All Saints’ Day this year since it’s closer but that’s not the way it works. The Sunday before All Saints’ Day has a purpose on our calendar. It’s called the Sunday for the Feast of Dedication. When the date of the dedication or consecration of your church is not known, or when its anniversary falls on Sundays in Advent, Lent, Easter, or on Feasts of Our Lord and other Feasts taking precedence of Sundays, the Feast of Dedication may be celebrated on October 25 or on the Sunday before All Saints’ Day. Correctly keeping the rhythm of our Christian calendar is important in our lives as the body of Christ. More next time…

For Your Devotions:

Tuesday, October 17th is the memorial of Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, martyred around 115 AD. Actually, most experts place his death at least five years before that. Ignatius was born about 35 AD – just a few years after the crucifixion of Jesus and so he lived at the same time that many of the apostles were still alive! Being a church history geek, I find that really exciting. On the way to his death, Ignatius continued to write to fellow believers and it is in these letters that we find extremely early records of our three-fold church structure (i.e. bishops, presbyters, and deacons) already in place. In these letters we also find his arguments against the Docetists who claimed that Jesus’ human form was only an illusion and therefore his sufferings weren’t actually real. Some people say calling Ignatius a martyr is not accurate because he actually wanted to die in order to be with God and to become a word of the Lord instead of just another human voice. To read more:  https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/ignatius-of-antioch.html

 Wednesday, October 18th is the Holy Day of St. Luke the Evangelist. The link I’ve provided has a great video that provides many fascinating facts about this man who is believed to be the Luke – the beloved physician – mentioned in Paul’s writings and who was the only one who remained with Paul to the end. Because of our modern concept of ‘physicians’ we think that Luke must have been independent and well-off but, it was actually common at that time to train household slaves in medicine so that the family would have access to their own private doctor. For more info:   https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=76

Thursday,  October 19th is the memorial of Jean de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and their Companions who were missionaries and martyrs in New France in 1642-49.  The link provides an astounding story of eight Jesuit priests who journeyed to Quebec to proclaim the gospel among the Hurons but were captured by other nations. Father Jogues did manage to escape his captors after 13 months of torture. He received a hero’s welcome home in France where Pope Urban VIII gave him permission to celebrate the Eucharist despite his mutilated hands (a number of his fingers had been cut off, chewed off, and burnt off). You would think he would have stayed in France but, no, he could not resist the call to mission and went back. By the way, Jogues and others actually visited the Sault area in 1641! To read about the people named as the first Canadian martyrs, go here:   https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-isaac-jogues-jean-de-br-eacute-beuf-and-companions/

In the joy of Christ,

Susan