Hello,
First, a reminder that the Pastoral Visitation Workshop is this Saturday, Oct.25, 9:30am – 4:30pm at the cathedral. There’ll be plenty of opportunity to move around and stretch. Snacks and lunch will be provided.
Coming Soon:
Saturday, November 1st, 4pm at Holy Trinity, SSM: All Saints’ Day Evening Prayer followed by fellowship.
Saturday, November 8th, 9:30am at Holy Trinity, SSM: The Guild of St. Joseph breakfast.
Saturday, November 15th at St. Luke’s Cathedral and online: Part Two of the Pastoral Visitation Workshop. I’ll provide more detail when it’s closer to the time.
Sunday, November 16th at Holy Trinity, SSM: Grey Cup Watch Party! I’m making nachos 
6pm kick-off.
Wednesday, November 26th, 10am at Holy Trinity: The Annual ACW Corporate Eucharist followed by fellowship.
Saturday, November 29, 11am-3pm at Holy Trinity, SSM: Snowflake Tea & Seasonal Market, just $12 and, yes, we’ll have those fancy sandwiches (among other food items).
A Liturgical Note For You: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
We have seven Principal Feasts on our Christian calendar and All Saints’ Day (Nov.1) is one of them. All Souls’ Day (Nov.2) is not. This has important liturgical implications regarding how and when we celebrate them. All Soul’s Day is a “Memorial” which absolutely does not, ever, under any circumstances replace the usual Sunday feast of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why am I being so forceful with this? It’s because November 2nd is a Sunday this year. (And please don’t do an All Saints’/All Souls’ Day combo…there is no such thing). You are perfectly welcome to have an additional Sunday worship service – perhaps an Evening Prayer – that is an All Souls’ Day memorial service. All Soul’s Day, when it falls on a Sunday, though, is typically transferred to a different day of the week altogether.
Now for All Saints’ Day: As I mentioned, there are just seven “Principal Feasts” observed in our Church. One of them, All Saints’ Day, is right up there with Christmas and Easter and has a specific date on which we are to celebrate it…November 1st. All Saints’ Day is named as one of the four “particularly appropriate” days of our entire church calendar on which to celebrate baptism (the other three days are Easter – especially the Vigil, Pentecost, and the Baptism of the Lord) [BAS p.146-7]. Even if there is not a baptism, it is traditional for congregations to renew their baptismal vows. According to The Anglican Church of Canada, All Saints’ Day is to be celebrated on its actual day. If we would like to celebrate it during our Sunday Eucharist then that celebration is done “in addition to its observance on the fixed date” and “on the Sunday following 1 November” (BAS p.15).
Why is All Saints’ Day so important? Beginning in the 4th century, the churches of the East began observing a day on which we celebrate “the feast of the martyrs of the whole world.” These saints of the Church “are Christians who in various ways, often against great odds, showed an extraordinary love for Christ. The Holy Spirit acted in their lives so that they chose to bring aid to the needy, justice to the oppressed, hope to the sorrowful, and the divine word of forgiveness to sinners. For the sake of Christ they were servants to the people of their day; and the service they rendered in the past makes them examples to the rest of the people of God throughout history” (For All the Saints p.328).
Why the strong connection of All Saints’ Day with baptism? Through the mystery of baptism, we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, reconciling us with God. The martyrs of the Church are those who, like Christ, went through actual physical suffering and death for their belief. If you are familiar with The Revelation to John then you will know that the Church understands that these martyrs, robed in their white baptismal garments, are with God, awaiting with us the final fullness of God’s kingdom on earth as in heaven (ex. Rev.6:9-11). Since, in baptism, we have become part of the communion of saints, we believe that, as we pray, they pray with us and are bound to us in mutual service and ministry which is “to help others become partners in the salvation of God” (FAS p.328).
For Your Devotions:
Tuesday, October 28th is the Holy Day of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles. We actually know extremely little about the apostles we celebrate today but they are both thought to have come from the Zealots (the uncompromising and aggressive Jewish nationalist group who were opposed to pagan Rome). Simon is only mentioned on the lists of the apostles but Jude (actually, “Judas, not Iscariot”) is recorded as asking Jesus (in John’s Gospel) why he will choose to reveal himself only to the disciples and not to the world after his resurrection. For more information… https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saints-simon-and-jude/
Wednesday, October 29 is the commemoration of James Hannington, Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa and his Companions, Martyrs, 1885. This is, sadly, a short story. James spent a few years serving a parish in England but then heard of two missionaries murdered on the shores of Lake Victoria in Africa. This turned his thoughts to mission and, after being consecrated as bishop, he arrived on the shores of Lake Victoria in 1885 only to be murdered, along with his colleagues, a few days later by order of King Mwanga of Uganda. An important member of the king’s household – Joseph Musaka (a Roman Catholic) – reproached the king for the massacre and was beheaded for speaking up. This was just the beginning of the atrocities. We remember additional martyrs of Uganda on June 3. For more info, see p.320: https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/ForAlltheSaints.pdf
Thursday, October 30th is the commemoration of John Wyclyf (died 1384) and Jan Hus (died 1415), both Reformers. We’re more familiar with “Wycliffe” as the spelling of his name. John Wycliffe was disillusioned by the power and wealth of the Church. He questioned the Church’s authority and believed the ‘common people’ should have access to the Scriptures to read them for themselves in their own language. He and others translated the Bible into English and began circulating it. Wycliffe was expelled from Oxford University but, because he had the favour of some very important people, he was not burned at the stake as a heretic. One of his followers, Jan Hus, was not so fortunate. The burning of Hus provoked a rebellion among the Czechs and, after 10 years of fighting, they prevailed. For more info… http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/rel-christ05.htm
Friday, October 31st is the commemoration of the Saints of the Reformation Era. Today we remember all those – Anglicans and Roman Catholics – who were painfully executed in the name of the Church during the Reformation Era. We remember with humility and repentance as both sides, believing their side to be “right”, did what should not have been done. The link here is a Church of England site and so the date is not the same as ours but the information is good: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/english-saints-and-martyrs-of-the-reformation-era/
Saturday, November 1st is the Principal Feast of All Saints’ Day. This important feast falls on a Sunday this year. But, even when it doesn’t…since this is a Principle Feast it can be celebrated on the Sunday following November 1 in addition to being observed on its fixed date. This is also one of the four Principle Feasts named by our Church as the days on which baptisms should take place. It would therefore be highly appropriate to renew baptismal vows on this day even if no baptisms are taking place. This is the day we celebrate all of the saints of the Christian Church – known and unknown – who have died and attained heaven. This day has been celebrated in different forms and on different dates since at least the 4th century. Of course, in medieval England this day was called “All Hallows” and so its eve was “All Hallows’ Eve” from which we get Halloween. For more info: https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-Saints-Day
In Christ,
Susan
Deanery of Algoma 