At the Diocesan Clergy Day held at St. Paul, Calgary on February 14, clergy shared the various resources they are using during the Season of Lent.  Below, please find links for several of these programs, books or online education for either parish or personal use.

The Living Church: Lenten Guide: this can be a parish-wide study, a small-group discussion, or for personal reflection.  Read each article carefully, either quietly or aloud.  Consider the questions after each article.  Reflect and pray.  The link is HERE.

Bible Project.com: Classes, podcasts, and information related to anything about the Bible.  The link is HERE.

Lenten Daily Reflections - Not by Bread Alone (2023) by Susan Swetnam

Animate Series: A DVD study (Lutheran based): Animate: Faith, Animate: Practices, and Animate: Bible.  Five session studies.  Available HERE.

Embracing Forgiveness: five session study using a participant's workbook and DVD.  Information available HERE.  (There is also "Embracing a Life of Meaning" and "Embracing an Adult Faith."

Rev. Jason Carroll of St. Augustine, Lethbridge will be offering a Lenten Series entitled Pilgrims Through Glass Palaces: Keeping the Faith in the Modern Age.  The Zoom link is available by email.

Suggested books:

Alan Jones, Soul Making: The Desert Way of Spirituality (HarperOne, 1985)

Henri Nouwen, Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity, and Ecstasy in Christian Perspective (Image Books, 1986)

Eleonore Stump, Atonement (Oxford, 2018)

Justin Welby, The Power of Reconciliation (Bloomsbury Continuum, 2022)

Emma Ineson, Failure: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2023 (SPCK Publishing, 2022)

Incumbent for St. George, Calgary:

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that, after much diligent, prayerful and thoughtful work by the Search Committee, he will appoint The Rev. Chris Nojonen as the new Incumbent of St. George, Calgary beginning February 15.  Rev. Chris was formerly the priest with the Partners-in-Christ Shared Ministry at Holy Trinity, Rocky Mountain House.  After spending some time in Northern Ontario, she now returns to our Diocese to take on this new role.  Please keep Rev. Chris and the parish of St. George in your prayers as they begin this faith journey together. 

Many thanks are extended to The Rev. Greg Clark who has been serving as Interim Priest at St. George's.  It has been a blessing to have him lead and guide this congregation since 2021.

Retirement:

The Rev. David Holmes will retire from his position as Incumbent at St. George, Stettler as of February 28.  We thank David for all he has done over the years for the community of Stettler.  We ask for prayers as he looks forward to his faith journey ahead.

Registrar of the Diocese:

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that he has appointed The Rev. Deacon Charmaine Evans as our new Diocesan Registrar.  We look forward to working alongside her.  Please keep Charmaine in your prayers as she begins this new role in addition to her ministry at St. Stephen, Calgary.

New to the Diocese:

We welcome The Rev. Jim McDermott to our Diocese.  Jim comes to us from the Diocese of Montreal, and will be Honorary Assistant at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in Calgary.  Please pray for Jim as he begins this ministry.  Welcome, Jim!

On Sunday, February 5, Archbishop Greg ordained The Rev. Adam Bedford as priest, at Christ Church, Calgary.

We celebrate and ask God to bless this new ministry for Rev. Adam.

February 17 to 21: Holidays

February 22 to 28: Retreat Leader in the Diocese of Central Florida

March 1 to 5: Council of General Synod in Toronto

March 6 to 9: Ordinal Task Force meeting in-person in Toronto

March 10 to 12: Consecration of Bishop Elect Morris Fiddler in Muskrat Dam, Ontario

March 13 to 20: Personal time away from the office

Please note that according to our Canons, Annual Meetings of Parishioners must be held prior to February 28, and the Annual Return forms must be in by March 15.

We congratulate the Parish of St. Leonard-on-the-Hill, Red Deer for being the first to submit their paperwork.  Well done!

St. Peter Anglican Church in Calgary is seeking a parish administrator.  The position is for 30 hours per week.

You will be responsible for the general operation of the church, the creation of a bulletin for each worship service and a weekly newsletter, booking rental spaces and attaining subsequent paperwork, taking minutes at monthly meetings, answering emails and phone calls, directing information, ordering supplies, bookkeeping, recording parishioner donations and preparing year-end tax receipts.

Skills necessary for this position include computer literacy, competency with Microsoft Office, and familiarity with general office procedures.

Please call The Rev. Jagdutt Singh at (403) 466-4987 for further details.

Many parishes will be holding a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 21, for the first time in several years.

We have learned about two; please contact your local parish to see if they will be offering a Pancake Supper.

St. Andrew, Calgary - 5:00 - 6:30 pm.  

Holy Cross, Calgary - starting at 5:30 pm.

To register, please Click Here.

You can also register by calling St. Martin's at (403) 249-3014 or emailing the church here.

St. Martin's is extending a volunteer opportunity, to have conversations with new English speakers.

Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 am, a group will be meeting (until the end of May).  It's fun, interesting and rewarding.

If you are interested, please contact Martha by email.

The purpose of this workshop is to learn how to fight the enemies of God with His word and His power.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  (Eph. 6:12 NIV)

This workshop will be led by The Rev. Martyn Alvey, Honorary Associate at Meota Parish, who has led numerous workshops on Prayer and Healing, and held a monthly Wholeness and Healing service at the Southwell Minster for 15 years.  He was the advisor to the Bishop of Southwell on Wholeness and Healing, including Spiritual Warfare, before emigrating to Canada in 2016.

Please bring your own lunch.  Muffins and drinks will be provided.  There is no cost, but there will be a freewill offering to help cover costs.  As space is limited, please register: by email at admin@stbenshr.church or call the office at (403) 652-2271.

For more information, please contact James.

Early in 2022 we had begun the process of moving towards becoming a Mission of the Diocese and turning the buildings over to the diocese.  One of our main concerns was to be able to continue as a church ‘family’ and to continue our outreach in our community – ie., our Food Bank and Christmas Hampers.   We have reached an understanding with the Diocese to continue using the Mission Hall (many of you are familiar with our building located behind the church) for the Food Bank and outreach programs as the Diocese takes over the property and considers how best to utilize it.  The ‘Mission of St Edmunds’ will also use the Mission Hall for lay led worship services and activities.   

We will be having a celebratory Spring Tea on Saturday April 15th (11:00 to 1:00) to mark our continuing evolution and the move from Parish back to Mission and us continuing to ‘Serve Christ and Community.'  Come join us to see how we have retooled the Mission Hall and feel free to take a tour of the Food Bank.  We ask for an RSVP for the free tickets (tickets will be available at the door, space permitting) – call 403-288-6330 or email here. 

In 2022, The Anglican Foundation asked for Requests for Proposals for Indigenous Ministry projects.  The Diocese of Calgary submitted a RFP for the Blackfoot Translation Project, working to translate Anglican worship materials, such as the Bible, the BCP and the BAS, into the Blackfoot language.  We are pleased to announce that our RFP was accepted, and the Anglican Foundation will be granting our Diocese $7,100 towards this translation project.  We look forward to working with Indigenous Elders, Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Canadian Bible Society, and our Indigenous parishes in furthering the Word of God through this project, and are grateful to the Anglican Foundation for its support.

Last year's campaign was a great success and built substantially on the success of the 2021 campaign.  We hope to see another fruitful year where the AFC can continue to be a partner in transformational ministry, with a special focus on young people, across the Canadian church.

Please click here to read the article describing changes to this year's campaign, most notably around the revenue sharing formula. We invite you to register for one of the upcoming webinars to learn more.  To learn more, contact Michelle.

We announce that our former Director Don McLeod will be stepping back from his role with the Centre, and the new Director will be The Rev. Dr. Jane Rowland.  Thank you to Don who has expanded our reach into the virtual realm, opening new possibilities for connection and conversation.

Going forward, Jane hopes to maintain the wide vision mapped out by the founders, bringing Wisdom traditions into play with current issues of justice, faith and human thriving.  She brings her own gifts and interests as a priest, theologian, and artist.

Upcoming Events:

Listening to Medieval Women Preach: Dr. Carolyn Muessig, Chair of Christian Thought (University of Calgary):  Long-held and repeated misconceptions about the Middle Ages portray it as a monolithically backwards and repressive epoch.  The very word 'medieval' is sometimes used as a synonym for barbaric.  Yet no one historical era is all good or all bad; it is a mixture of both.  This lecture aims to demonstrate that not only was the Middle Ages not all bad, but it was at times positively progressive.  One notable and often overlooked example of this is the role some women played as respected preachers in the Catholic Church.  February 28, 2023 at 7:00 pm.  For more information or to register, click here.

Bentall Lecture on Education and Theology: An Evening with Beth Allison Barr: "History forgets much more than it remembers, and what it remembers is often what people have chosen to preserve.  I argue in my book The Making of Biblical Womanhood that historical ignorance paved the way for evangelical support of women's oppression.  I also contend that a lack of understanding about the broader cultural impact of these evangelical beliefs contributes to the continuation of oppressive structures even outside the church."  March 2, 2023 at 7:00 pm.  For more information or to register, click here.

If you’re thinking about pursuing Seminary education, please join us for a virtual Seminary information event on February 16 from 6 - 8 p.m. (MT).  Learn more about the admission process, meet and interact with Ambrose seminary faculty as well as learn about seminary focused programs and certificates.  To register, click here.

A coat company in Calgary called Warm became aware that hundreds of people in our city have no winter coat this year.

They have created a purchasing incentive called "Love is Warm."  Their mission is to reduce the number of people in our city without an adequate winter coat to zero. 

When you purchase a coat from this company, you get a reliable, warm winter coat you can count on, and it provides the same thing for someone in dire need.  One for one; same coat, same warmth.  Warm works with registered Canadian charities to allocate coats to people who really need it.  Project Warmth Society of Alberta is their current partner this winter.

Don't need a new coat, but still want to help?  Warm also has hoodies!  Each hoodie contributes to putting more winter coats on people without one.  These hoodies are lined with polar fleece and are sure to be your new favourite hoodie.

To find out more, visit their website or click here to begin your order.

Use Code GRACE for $50 off all coats; Use Code LOVE for $10 off all hoodies.

On behalf of the 2023 Images Planning Committee, this is your invitation to the 33rd Annual Images of Spirituality gathering (in-person again).  Come and join with other women to celebrate God's spirit among us.

Friday, March 31 beginning at 6:00 pm to Sunday, April 2 after lunch, held at the Entheos Retreat Centre.

The theme this year is "Being in the Presence of God: Where Christian and Celtic Spirituality Join."

The Session Leader and Worship Leader will be The Rev. MJ Leewis-Kirk.  The weekend will include sessions with MJ, small group discussions, lunch breaks and some craft time together, as well as singing, worship, fellowship, and the usual free time on Saturday afternoon.

Early Registration Fees: $250 for Double Occupancy or $270 for Single Occupancy.  Deadline for registration is March 17 and a non-refundable $100 deposit is required.  Late registration fees are $270 for double occupancy or $290 for single occupancy.

Learn more on their website.  

What is World Day of Prayer?  Informed Prayer. Prayerful Action. Imagine Christians from over 170 countries coming together in spirit, uniting on a common day to pray for relevant issues affecting women and children. This is a reality: the movement has been active for nearly 100 years. Each year, a different country writes the service materials. The World Day of Prayer is generally celebrated on the first Friday of March. This year it will be on Friday, March 3 and the writing country is Taiwan:“I have heard about your faith” based on Ephesians 1: 15-19 is this year's theme.

The Service from Taiwan is already available on YouTube here. 

Gift of Hope Retreat for Unemployed Persons: A Time of Transition - Friday, March 3 at 5:30 pm: This retreat is not for job-finding but a heart-helping retreat of conversation, reflection, laughter, connectedness and hope!  Loss of employment can be trying to our souls and our emotional balance, not just our financial health.  Struggling for a sense of hope in the midst of disappointment is an arduous task.  Tickets available from Eventbrite here.

Praying with the Stations of the Cross: Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00 pm: Have you ever wondered why there are plaques or statues in some churches that tell the story of Jesus' last days on earth, often used during the season of Lent?  Learn about the history and practice of praying the Stations of the Cross in the FCJ Chapel.  Tickets available from Eventbrite here.

Summer Jobs Available: Come join us for rewarding work in a positive and enriching environment.

We are building a dynamic team of young people to help make the "Summer at Sorrento Centre" experience extraordinary...not just for our guests (from the littlest to our elders) but for the summer youthy staff, too!  We are seeking enthusiastic, energetic, and motivated individuals to join our summer youth staff during summer.

Take a look at this lineup of exciting full-time jobs for youth aged 16 to 30.  Here's a chance for young people to gain valuable paid work experience and build employability skills for the future.

Five Weeks of Summer: Please click here to find out about our amazing lineup of courses and leaders.

It is with sadness that the Diocese Office has learned of the death of The Rev. Dr. Catherine Hall, late of Nanaimo, BC, who passed away on February 8.

Rev. Cathie served from 2016 to 2018 here in the Diocese of Calgary, assisting at St. Andrew, Calgary.  She was also the Director of EfM Canada, and was an advocate for Christian formation, starting an EfM group who met at St. Andrew's, before returning to BC to be closer to family.  We give thanks for her life, her work, and her witness to her Christian Faith.

We ask for prayers for her family and friends at this sad time.

Please remember in your prayers:

- those who are sick, suffering, fearful or in need, remembering those suffering from COVID-19 and their caregivers, those feeling isolated and those who are vulnerable;  

- for peace within our country, and in the world, remembering the countries of Ukraine and Iran; we pray for areas of unrest and riots, asking for wise discernment in our leaders;

- for Monica, Howard, Terry, Janet, Victoria, Rick and Deb, Donna, John, Adrian, Caroline, Barbara and Elizabeth, Cathy, Vic and Fergus;

- for those who have died and those who mourn, remembering the family and friends of Rev. Cathie Hall;

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

- the victims of violence and natural disasters;

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

- refugees, remembering those fleeing the Taliban regime, and those fleeing war in the Ukraine.

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.