Hello,

Coming Up:

$5 Monthly Meal: (in the Trinity Centre) Perogies and coleslaw and dessert…Friday, May 1, 5pm take out; 5:30pm eat-in. Email susan.montague2@gmail.com or phone 705-254-1692 to order.

Elvis rescheduled for Sat., May 2nd! 2-4pm in the Trinity Centre. Still $5 entry; $2 hotdogs; other snacks and drinks will be available too. Email susan.montague2@gmail.com or phone 705-254-1692 to get a ticket.

Next in-person Easter book study is Tuesday, April 28, 4pm in the Trinity Centre. After that, we’ll gather for another study on Thursday, May 7 at 5pm (I have a 4pm Zoom meeting so I need to meet later).

A Liturgical Note For You:   The Church’s Earth Days?

Around the globe, we have recently acknowledged “Earth Day” (April 22 each year). It is the day set aside for raising awareness about environmental protection and ecological sustainability. Of course, one of our baptismal vows is that we promise to respect, sustain, and renew the life of the earth. As a church, we have another opportunity to pay particular attention to this vow…

Rogation Days: The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day (May 14^th this year) have, for centuries, been designated as special days of prayer and supplication for the “seeds sown” (“rogare”).  In our area, springtime planting may not always have occurred by this time and so, the agricultural theme of the Rogation Days has been expanded in recent years to include our concern for the environment as well. This is an opportunity to express such concern together as the Church.  The liturgical colour for these three days could remain white for the Easter season or your church may change the colour to violet which is the traditional colour for supplication and penitence.  Why supplication and penitence? Well, I’m sure you know that, generally speaking, humanity has not been great in fulfilling our promise to protect, sustain, and renew the life of the earth for future generations. We can do much better – especially working together.

A prayer for Rogation Days: Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that your gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labour to gather them, that we, who are constantly receiving good things from your hand, may always give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For Your Devotions: 

Wednesday, April 29th is the memorial of Catherine of Siena, Reformer and Spiritual Teacher, died 1380.  Okay, I know it was a different world back then but, still, I find this amazing…Catherine was the 25th child born to her mother and her mother was just 40 years old at the time. Catherine was a twin, actually, but the other baby did not survive. From a young age, Catherine had religious visions and “entered” a Dominican monastery at 16. She was a tertiary which means she took vows but stayed at home.  She secluded herself for the first three years and saw only her confessor. News of her visions spread and people began traveling to her for advice. She never learned to write but dictated her well-known Dialogues and many letters. Her death, at age 33, came as a result of a fast she held in reaction to the schism that arose when two “popes” both claimed the title. She was going to fast until the church became unified again. For more:  https://www.thoughtco.com/catherine-of-siena-3529726

Thursday, April 30th is the commemoration of Marie de l’Incarnation, Educator and Spiritual Teacher, died 1672.  After just two years of marriage, Marie’s husband died leaving her with their 6 month old son. She had mystical visions which called her to withdraw from the world. She put off joining a cloister until her son was 13. She decided her vocation was in the new world and travelled to Canada with two other Ursaline sisters to establish a school. They were, apparently, the first female missionaries in Canada. The rest of her life was dedicated to teaching young French and Indigenous girls and to writing theological and spiritual treatises. For more information:  https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/marie-de-lincarnation

Friday, May 1st is the Holy Day of St. Philip and St. James, Apostles. We don’t know much about either of these two men but we know that Philip answered Jesus’ call and then brought his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus as well. Of James, son of Alphaeus, we know that he witnessed the crucifixion at the foot of the cross. We do know that both men were dedicated to their Lord, Jesus Christ. To read more see p.158 of For All the Saints:   https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/For-All-The-Saints.pdf

Saturday, May 2nd is the memorial of Athansius, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith, died 373.  Athanasius is known as the “Father of Orthodoxy” as well as “Pillar of the Church”. (He was also called the “Black Dwarf” by people who didn’t agree with him.) He fought vigorously against the heresy known as Arianism (not believing that Jesus was fully divine as well as being fully human) and his was a strong voice at the Council of Nicaea (which, of course, sounds familiar because that is where the affirmation of our faith known as the Nicene Creed was first formulated.)  For more info:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Athanasius

In the joy of the risen Lord,

Susan