SEE PAGE 4

APRIL 2011

RupeRt’s Land NewsPubLIShEd by thE dIocESE of RuPERt’S LAnd – A SEctIon of thE AnGLIcAn jouRnAL

3From the BishopGood Friday and Easter–Your neighbour is asking

6The F word The Forgiveness Project comes to Portage la Prairie

7Sacred spaces They come in all shapesand sizes

8Cross making party St George's Crescentwoodprepares for Palm Sunday

SEE PAGE 2

PartnersGrace-St John celebrates 10 years of Anglican-Lutheran full communion

ConferenceChildren of residential

school survivors seek healing

Paintings by Gary Styrchak – See page 5

The Way of the CrossThe mocking of Jesus

A woman wipes his face

Simon of Cyrene

2 Rupert’s Land news SApril 2011PARtnERS

St John’s Angl ican Church and Grace Lutheran Church,

both in Carman, Manitoba, came toge ther a s one congregation in March of 2001. Each congregation has brought its unique gifts and personality to form a new identity, purpose and mission. Serious dialogue with the hope of becoming a fully amalgamated congregation began during the tenure of Jim Halmarson and Brad Elliot. The first joint service was held on October 3, 1999 at the Anglican Church with both pastors officiating. An amalgamation exploratory group was established and many hours were spent ironing out the process that resulted in our becoming Grace-St John’s Church. Our congregation profile records that on March 18,

Clergy from Rupert’s Land and from the Metro, Agassiz and

Brokenhead conferences of the Manitoba Northwestern Ontario (MNO) Synod gathered on February 22 at St George’s, Crescentwood. The excitement of this day began for me 10 years ago when Anglicans and Lutherans entered a full communion relationship s i g n i n g t h e Wa t e r l o o Declaration. I was privileged to be there as our assemblies voted in favour of ful l Communion. On Sunday morning, our assemblies met to walk together to the worship venue. There we sang, prayed, ate and drank at Christ’s table. There, the ELCIC Bishop Telmar Sartison and ACC Primate

2001, the two congregations of f icial ly amalgamated, with both Bishops Richard Smith and Donald Phillips officiating. Positive benefits to our worship and congregational l i fe are seen in Sunday school, ladies groups (ELW and Guild). New friendships have been formed and we have discovered new forms of worship practised in each group. It is our hope that we have set an ecumenical example for the ent ire community. We believe that our variety of strengths complement and augment those of one another and provide a sound basis on which to unify our efforts as we continue in the future. During the t ime that Pastor Astrid Schlueter was at Grace-St John’s, a unified Communion service was created with aspects of

Michael Peers signed the Waterloo Dec larat ion , making full communion official and blessed. There, these two bishops in their full regalia danced around the altar while we cheered and cried and danced in our places. It was awesome. Witnessing and partici-pating in that joyous event has moved me to live into full communion including sharing ministr ies with St John’s Anglican parish while I served Lutheran Church of the Cross at Lac du Bonnet and also serving as a Lutheran pastor in the Anglican parish of St Catherine in Birds Hill for three and one-half years. Gathering for a joint clergy day in February was another wonderful way to live into

both Anglican and Lutheran traditions. The people of Grace-St John’s believe strongly in the importance of Lutherans and Anglicans sharing in worship and service together. This two-tradition identity is a source of strength and enrichment. At the same time the people feel that they are one congre-gation. The congregation functions with one worship service that draws from the two traditions, a Sunday School that is taught by our youth under the leadership of an adult, one Church Council/Vestry and one set of financial records and budget. This unity arises from a process undertaken

full communion and once again be with colleagues from both churches. The day began with a Eucharist led by Lutheran and Anglican clergy. We enjoyed the wonderful culinary expertise of members of St George. We met each other by geographic formation. The hall became the territory w h e r e c l e r g y p l a c e d themselves by parish location and introducing themselves from that spot. We became a living map. We studied the Bible text 2 Corinthians 4:1-12. “Since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry……” In small groups we discussed how we live this out including the struggles and joys; and how we call our congregations to

live this out prophetically, pastorally, apostolically and in teaching. After a coffee break our discussion was based on “Full Communion = Partnership in the Gospel”: reflecting on the gifts and challenges to ministering in partnership and what we can do to support one another in our ministries. The day ended with prayer, sending us out to live further into a ful l communion relationship. One way we are living into fuller communion is by the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer partnering with the MNO Synod Committee for Worship and the Arts to offer prayer for parish leaders. A parish leader is a guest of the prayer group which meets on the first

Monday and third Friday of each month to reflect on the Gospel for the coming Sunday. The guest is invited to express her/his prayer concerns and prayers are offered with the laying on of hands. The gathering closes with Eucharist. This is an exciting sharing of resources and ministries. I pray in joyful thanks-g iv ing for the g i f t s o f ministry that we share and look forward in hope as God’s purpose for us in full communion continues to be revealed.

Kolleen Karlowsky-Clark is pastor of Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington Street, Winnipeg.

over some years and much work and good will among the people. On March 20, we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary beginning with worship at 10:30 am with Bishops Donald Phillips and Elaine Sauer presiding. Following worship there will be a catered lunch with a program to follow. The people of Grace-St John’s have planned various events throughout the year to mark this special event. The goal is to be “in” the community doing outreach and sharing our story of being one congregation. Some of the events include; February – 'valentine’s baskets were made up and

members were able to purchase them to give away to someone (not a member) … Sharing God’s love and grace with others. July – there will be a float in the Carman Parade acknowl-edging our anniversary and we will also help out at the hospitality tent during the fair. September – we will go to the Lutheran Urban to serve a meal (which is located at St Matthews). God has richly blessed us with many gifted people when we began this journey together and for 10 years we have experienced God’s grace and love and are excited to see what God has planned for us in the future.

Grace-St John’s celebrates 10 years as a congregation in full communion

Lutheran and Anglican clergy practice full communion

by tRudy thoRARInSon

by KoLLEEn KARLowSKy-cLARK

Rupert’s Land news 3April 20111 fRom thE bIShoP

Good Friday and Easter? Your next-door neighbour is asking

I want to put before you a scenario that could happen to any one of

us. Imagine that you are finally getting outside in the yard to begin planning the changes you want to make to your garden this year (once the snow disappears!), and you say hello to the new person who lives next door. Or perhaps you’re driving into town to pick up the mail and go get the part you need to repair your seeder, and you meet up with a casual acquaintance. One way or the other, the person you meet has learned that you are a Christian and that, with your church community, you are celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The person knows nothing about Christianity. They “think” there’s a God; and that is as much as they know. They feel some respect and affection toward you and so they would like to sit down with you over coffee and ask

you what Good Friday and Easter are all about, and the significance of this person, Jesus Christ.What do you tell them? Because they know virtually nothing about the story, you begin by talking about the Hebrew people of several thousand years ago, and the experiences they had of God, as later recorded in what we call the Old Testament of the Bible. You underline the fact that these people believed that God had caused all of creation to happen and that human beings, in particular, were created by God to have a special relationship with God and with each other. These ancient people learned that God has a purpose to this life that we live – and that ultimately we are meant to live our lives day to day with an awareness of God’s loving presence. You go on to say that the people of the Old Testament came to realize that God has a collective purpose for the whole world – for all people and all of creation – but that we were not able to realize and respond to God’s desire for us.Then you tell them the story of Jesus of Nazareth from the 1st century – of how people responded to

him - and of his amazing power to bring healing and restoration to people, and to their relationships. You go on to describe how the evil and unjust forces of this world “ganged up on him”, arrested him, had a mock trial and sentenced him to death. And you finish by saying the most amazing thing – that three days later many people began to have personal experiences of Jesus being alive – of his somehow rising from death. From these experiences, people realized that Jesus had actually overcome the evil powers that rob us of life, and even overcome death itself, so that we were given the promise of continuing to live with God for ever. At this point , you say s o m e t h i n g a b o u t t h e four Gospels in the New Testament and how they are devoted to explaining the life and purpose of Jesus in slightly different ways. You add that the rest of the New Testament is made up of the testimony of Christian leaders over the next sixty or seventy years as they continued to experience the spiritual presence of the Risen Christ in what they called the Holy Spirit. The communities of believers that formed were called the

the Right Reverend donALd PhILLIPS

bishop of Rupert’s Land

Church. And eventually, the good news of what God had done through Jesus, what we call the Gospel, spread around the world as people proclaimed this work of God, and others had similar experiences of God’s power.As you pause, your listener has a deep and thoughtful look on their face. Eventually they turn to you and say, “I have two questions. First of all, how did Jesus’ life, death and resurrection accomplish all of this for humanity?” Here, you struggle a little. You try and recall things you’ve heard in Church about Jesus being a “sacrifice for our sins”. However, your listener doesn’t really understand what you mean by “sin” and can’t see the logic in an innocent human being, specially sent from God, somehow reconciling us to God by dying. You admit that ultimately it is a divine mystery – that theologians have tried to explain it in a variety of ways, starting in the New Testament and continuing right down to the present day. In the end, it is only God who knows why what Jesus did managed to bring us this new life with God. However, what millions of people do know is that they have experienced the

promised life in the Holy Spirit.And finally, your listener leans forward, looks you in the eye, and with complete respect and sincerity, asks you, “And how do you know that it’s true, that it’s real?” What would you say?I know for me, I would say something about the fact that when I accepted these truths, and the love of which they speak, and began to order my life around them, I discovered another power at work in my life. I began to see the world, other people, and myself – differently. I found myself becoming more concerned for others, and more concerned about my own sense of integrity, honesty and willingness to love. I realized that the story in the Bible was my story too. I could actually see the same forces at work in my life, in my relationships, and in the world around me, that I experienced in the narratives of the Bible. And then I knew it was true, that God was real, and that I really had been brought into God’s family forever. God did this by living my life, and the lives of all of humanity, in the person of Jesus, and by doing so God is saving the world.

by noRmAn coLLIER

Rural ministry The undiscovered gifts of small churches

There’s an old joke that says you know you live in a small

town when Third Street is on the edge of town; when you dial the wrong number and talk for 15 minutes anyway; when you are born on June 13 and you receive gifts from local merchants for being the New Year’s baby; when you don’t need to use your turn signal because everyone knows where you are going. Thank God for small towns and rural communities and the people who live in them. T h a t m e s s a g e o f thankfulness was front and centre at a recent gathering of

rural ministers in St Norbert. A r c h d e a c o n G o d f r e y Mawejje and I represented our diocese at the gathering, and came away with a number of insights and tools to encourage small congre-gations in rural communities. The benefit of small congre-gations to the wider church is often overlooked. According to Dr. Cam Harder, the main speaker at the gathering and a professor at the Lutheran Seminary in Saskatoon, small congregations often serve more congregants per employee, their building expenses are generally lower per member, and their giving

to mission is usually higher per congregant. In small churches, everyone is needed and everyone partic-ipates in leadership. Rural leaders are keenly aware that relationships are more important than programs, and decision-making always takes relationships into account. Dr. Harder believes that many leaders in large urban parishes developed their skills and abilities in small churches. Prair ie churches are often well integrated into their communities. The line between church and community is often blurred,

because small churches are more likely to collaborate with other groups than their urban counterparts. People are closely connected to their pastors, who become community icons of faith and grace, and yet lay people are more important than pastors to the ongoing life and ministry of the rural congregation. For these reasons, Dr. Harder believes that small churches can be a catalyst for developing healthy rural communities. No matter what the size, small churches have many undiscovered gifts and assets that can be

mobilized to build resilient and hopeful communities in partnership with other community groups. The gathering also spent time discussing ways in which rural parishes can be freed to exercise their ministry most fully. Some suggestions included building networks among congregations with similar issues, developing more flexible policies and structures at the diocesan level, communicating encour-agement from diocesan leaders, celebrating small church gifts, and sharing the strengths of smaller churches with urban churches.

4 Rupert’s Land news SApril 2011

by mARy LySEcKI

confEREncE

Survivors’ children: Wounds of the spirit

So, how did the Indian Residential Schools affect the children of

those who attended? I went to the most amazing conference in February, called The Hidden Legacy: Understanding the Impact on Children of Survivors of the Indian Residential School System. It was presented by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. This was a conference by Aboriginal people, for Aborig inal people and, although open to everyone, it was marketed to Aboriginal people. 1400 people pre-registered and by noon on the first day there were 2500 present. I met people from Montreal, Toronto, Mission, B.C., Tataskweyak Cree Nation, and Winnipeg. The conference ran like c lockwork . Vo lunteer s circulated through the room offering glasses of water to participants (no bottled water!). Health care workers, identified by their red vests, kept a watchful eye on partic-

ipants and were ready with an unobtrusive Kleenex, a friendly hand on the shoulder, or just to sit with those whose memories were triggered by the events of the day. There was an impressive line up of keynote speakers some of whom were:• Dr. Gabor Mate – physician

and author of several books, including When the Body Says No and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts.

• Dr. Eduardo Duran – clinical psychologist and author of Healing the Soul Wound

• Elijah Harper – distin-guished leader in Canada’s Aboriginal community

• Dr. Lori Haskell – clinical psychologist, assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of Toronto and academic research associate with the Centre for Research on Violence Ag a in s t Women and Children.

• Chief Vernon White – currently Chief of Police for the city of Ottawa, with extensive experience within

the RCMP• C o l by To o t o o s i s , a

young man who has a background in Grief Recovery, Critical Incident Stress Management, Life Skills Coaching, Suicide Intervention, First Nation Cris i s Response, and Aboriginal at Risk Youth Counselling.

What I learned: Dr. Mate s tated that ch i ldhood exper iences actually shape the developing brain. If you put a healthy normal five year old in a dark room for several years, he will become blind. In the same way, if a child is deprived of affection in early life, his brain develops in such a way that he is predisposed to addictions, suicidality, and disease. The idea that Aboriginal people are genetically prone to addiction is a myth. There were addictive substances,

such as tobacco and peyote, in North America before the Europeans but addiction was unknown. Dr. Haskell spoke out of an academic paradigm and was less accessible than Dr. Mate, but she said very similar things. She spoke about childhood trauma and the effects of protracted abuse and neglect on the development of substance abuse. Dr. Duran reinforced the understanding that childhood trauma does deep and lasting damage to the human being. He gently reminded us that this is a spiritual wound and cannot be healed by medicine and psychology alone. He referred to the 23rd Psalm, “He restores my soul”. Chief White said that as police officers, “We are pulling bodies out of the river downstream. We all know we need more mental health workers and addictions

counsellors upstream to keep the bodies out of the river. Yet, instead, the Government is putting millions of dollars into jails to house the bodies I’m pulling out downstream.” The final keynote speaker was Colby Tootoosis. He, too, spoke of the spiritual nature of the wounds of residential schools. He told us that he holds up both traditional spiritual teachings and his Christian faith. He spoke of the power of forgiveness, and had the entire audience sharing activities of self-esteem. With this conference, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is saying that they will not wait for the government to follow up on its apology to the survivors of the Indian Residential Schools. The AMC is saying, “We have been hurt. We need to figure out what is needed to heal.” And they’re doing it.

St Clement Mapleton Columbarium and Churchyard

1178 River RoadSt Andrews Manitoba

Call for info 204-482-7237

Serving all faiths as a place of final rest

AD.Rupertsland jun-06.v5.FH11 Mon Jun 12 15:52:38 2006 Page 1

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Rupert’s Land news 5April 20111 StAtIonS

Gary Styrchak writes: These paintings were done in the

winter of 1982 and were introduced to the men’s and women’s Cursillo Christian education groups that year. They have been in use (in devotions) every year

since, in Cursillos and by churches in the Anglican community. They are in use at St Margaret’s during Lent. The original set of paintings depicted the fourteen stations traditionally associated with our Lord’s passion and death. Eight are based directly

on events recorded in the Gospels. The remaining six are based on inferences from the Gospel accounts or from pious legend. The paintings were inspired by the work of contemporary Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet. I claim no credit for the designs.

The passion and death of Jesus of Nazareth

Paintings by Gary Styrchal, after Poortvliet

Oil/alkyd and coloured pencil on canvas

Jesus before Pilate

Jesus falls

Crucifixion

The Way of the Cross

Jesus takes up his cross

6 Rupert’s Land news 'deApril 2011foRGIvEnESS

Th e Fo r g i v e n e s s Project is a powerful p h o t o g r a p h i c

e x h i b i t i o n e x p l o r i n g forgiveness in the face of atrocity, and it is coming to St Mary’s la Prairie May 1-7. First launched in London in 2004, it has since been displayed in over 300 venues worldwide, including several in Canada. It draws together stories and images from several countries and uses them to examine forgiveness as a healing process, a journey out of victimhood, and, ultimately, a journey of hope. Entitled “The F Word,” the exhibit aims to open up a dialogue about forgiveness and to empower people to explore alternatives to conflict and revenge. The collected stories and images show all too clearly that forgiveness means many different things to different people. It is deeply personal, often private, and far from the soft or easy option many take it to be. Indeed, forgiveness can be difficult, costly, and painful – but ultimately transformative. In the words of Annie Lennox, “Forgiveness is a radical concept: not easy, but potentially miraculous.”

During the week, there will also be a moderated panel of local people who will share their experiences of forgiveness and reconcil-iation. The panel is open to the public, and wil l undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on those who attend. There are also plans to give away free copies of The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal, which explores the possibilities and limits of forgiveness in a Nazi concen-tration camp. The exhibition will be sponsored in Portage la Prairie in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association and several businesses. This community partnership is a powerful opportunity to promote spiritual and mental health in our community. So many people struggle with issues of hurt and forgiveness, and the opportunity to engage these issues could be a hopeful step in the healing journey. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who himself features in the exhibition and is a patron of the Forgiveness Project, describes forgiveness as a journey out of victimhood. “Forgiveness does not mean condoning what has been done. It means taking what

The exhibition will take about 30 minutes to walk through, but it will leave you thinking for days. It is simple in presentation, but extraor-dinary in effect, and it is free.

For more information contact St Mary’s at 857-3931 or stmarys1@mts.net

has happened seriously and not minimising it; drawing out the sting in the memory that threatens to poison our entire existence. In these forgiveness stories there is real healing.”

St Mary’s la Prairie

The journey out of victimhoodby noRmAn coLLIER

Anne Marie was 19 years old in 1979

when her father Thomas was murdered in the little fishing village of Kingman’s Cove in Newfoundland. He received 16 axe cuts, 7 of them in the head, neck, and face. The 30-year-old man who committed the act was his neighbour. He was suffering from schizo-phrenia, and he believed that he had heard the voice of his dead mother telling him to kill Anne Marie’s father. As you can imagine, she was filled with sadness and despair. She had witnessed the whole thing, and had tried to intervene, but the neighbour tried to axe her. She was completely consumed by anger, bit terness, vengeance and self-pity, and she devoted her energy to making sure the killer would never, ever regain his freedom. As far as she was concerned, the longer he was locked away, the better. In 1996, he was ready for parole, and Anne Marie organized a compre-hensive campaign to stop his release. But it was during that campaign that

she met her father’s killer face to face for the first time, and during their meeting together, she learned about him as a human being and the horrendous suffering that he had endured. She says the meeting lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes, but in that time 16 years and 10 months of misery was just wiped away. As he sat across from her, he started to cry and said, “I’m to blame. I’m to blame.” Anne Marie got up, went around the table and hugged him, telling him that she forgave him. She said to him, “Blame is too strong a word. Blame is too strong a word.” Never did she imagine that in doing that, she would set herself free. All the pain and torment that had held her captive, that had consumed her, were let go. Her life changed, as she began to see the world through new eyes. The numbness was gone. She felt joy again. Her father’s killer was released, and is now 62. He has a job, and has gone to university, and Anne Marie admires him for trying to rebuild his life. She visits him regularly, and they

often talk at length about that grisly day in 1979, and how her forgiving him has changed both their lives. A n n e M a r i e s a y s f o r g i v e n e s s i s n o t permission. It doesn’t mean you agree with what has happened, with the offence, or that anyone had the right to act the way they did. Also, forgiveness d o e s n ’ t d e p e n d o n remorse, because that would mean we can only forgive those who are sorry. Forgiveness is recognizing that the offender is a human being who is deserving of kindness, compassion and love despite the harm they have done. She says , “ I have learned to let go. I have learned that vengeance is blinding, and that while I may have the right to miss my father, I do not have the right to judge, condemn, or hate who killed him. I have learned that while my life could never be the same after the murder, it didn’t have to be worse. That was a matter of choice, my choice. And, I also learned that murder cannot destroy hope, faith, or love.”

the CoLumbaRium

in the histoRiC paRish ChuRCh of st Luke

now offering single and double niches

including perpetual care

kindly contact our office for further informationor to arrange a personal tour

Call the parish office at1-204-452-3609130 nassau street n. at stradbrook avenueLocated in the soldiers’ Chapel “In the midst of life, we are in death.”

HYMN FESTIVAL ﹠ HIGH TEA

St. Aidan’s Anglican Church

She set herself free

Rupert’s Land news 7April 20111

RuPERt’S LAnd nEwS

Publisher The Right Reverend Donald Phillips, Bishop of Rupert’s LandAdvisory Group The Venerable Norm Collier, Len Carlson, Lorraine West, Donald BenhamEditor Terence Moore Layout and Design Gwendolyn Penner

Subscription $20 per year Printer Signal Star Publishing, Division of Bowes PublishingChange of Address Notify your parish or write to Rupert’s Land News, c/o Anglican Journal, 80 Hayden St., Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2 or email circulation@national.anglican.caApril deadline The deadline for the April edition of the Rupert’s Land News is March 1, 2011The Rupert’s Land News is published as a section of the Anglican JournalPhone 1-204-992-4205 Fax 1-204-992-4219 Email rlnews@rupertsland.ca

AnGLIcAn cEntRE

Address 935 Nesbitt Bay, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 1W6Fax 1-204-992-4219 Website www.rupertsland.caAnglican Centre Toll Free 1-866-693-4418

Executive Assistant to the Bishop Susan Suppes 1-204-992-4212

Director of Finance Bernice Funk 1-204-992-4201

Office Administrative Assistant Cathy Mondor 1-204-992-4200

Diocesan Archives Wednesdays 9:00 am to 4:00 pmPhone 1-204-992-4203 Fax 1-204-992-4219 Email archivesdrl@gmail.com

nAncy PhILLIPS

From time to time, opportunities open before us that seem

at the time to not be terribly relevant, but which turn out to be profoundly nourishing. I recently decided to attend the Refreshing Winds Conference at Canadian Mennonite University. I struggled with my reasons for attending since the Conference was clearly designed for Worship Leaders, which I am not. But somehow, it seemed to me that it would be a good place to be, and indeed it was a rich experience. One of the workshops I attended was an exploration of different dimensions of sacred location and space, led by CMU Prof. Gerry Ediger and graduate student Megan Krohn. The workshop encouraged us to explore the nature of sacred space beyond our usual conception of holy places. When we think of sacred space, we often think of visible places, such as a Cathedral, a partic-ularly beautiful church, or a labyrinth. But sacred space could also be a less structured but traditional holy place, such as Iona, the seat of Celtic Christianity; Lindisfarne; Wanuskewin in Saskatchewan; Lourdes or other shrine locations. Sacred space could also be a certain place you go on your walks through the woods or perhaps your back yard in the summer. Sacred spaces are places where we encounter God’s

Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, there are many examples of times and places where people encountered God’s Spirit. In Genesis 28:16, we read of Jacob’s dream of a ladder reaching into the heavens. When he awoke, he declared, “Surely the Lord was in this place, and I was not aware of it”. Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and his ascent and encounter with God on Mount Sinai also speak to us of sacred spaces. In the New Testament, there are many stories of God-encounters in various places: by the side of a lake, on the Mount of Olives, the road to Emmaus and so on. These geographical and personal sacred spaces are only one dimension of sacred space. When Christians of different denominations or cultures come together, they bring with them the gift of their spiritual diversity. Although there are many different ways of concep-tualizing different types or styles of Christian faith or different levels of faith development, many of these conceptual frameworks tend

to separate Christians into different categories. Gerry Ediger suggests that another approach to concep-tualizing spiritual difference and diversity is through the African American notion of a topology. He quotes Robert Smith’s The Spiritual Wisdom of the African American Tradition in using the idea of a topographical map which shows in shape or contour di f ferent features of a landscape such as landforms, towns and roads, and how the features are interrelated to one another. This changes the questions we pose to fellow Christians, from “Who are you spiritually?” or “What’s your spiritual type?” to a more fluid exploration: “Where do you dwell spiritually?” or “Who are your travelling companions spiritually?” Ediger explains that as our spiritual landscape enlarges, and we visit other places spiritually or we encounter travellers coming from “somewhere else”, our stereotypes and misappre-hensions have a way of being modified. Ediger wonders, how this conceptualization of spiritual location might

illumine our understanding o f o u r c o n g re g a t i o n s internally, or perhaps our Diocese. Ediger also explores the area of prayer as sacred space. Walking the labyrinth has elements that are both geographical – grounded in physical space – but also include the non-material journey towards an encounter with God. Often those walking into the centre of the labyrinth describe a feeling of reluctance to leave that place, much like Peter’s encounter with God on the Mount of Transfiguration. But we must walk out of the labyrinth to be faithful to our calling as Christians. Ediger refers to this stretching of our sense of physical location as “translo-cation”. Experiences of Centering Prayer or Christian Meditation, or speaking in tongues can also have the effect of translocating us to a different dimension where we encounter God at deeper places in our soul and emerge feeling rested or more peaceful. Phyllis Tickle has written about the importance of praying the offices (set forms

of daily prayer) – gathering at a fixed hour for prayer. Tickle says this is not just a matter of sharing physical presence with others. Rather, it is the acute awareness that prayer is itself a place, a place that lacks dimensions and meridians but that is the natural habitat of the soul. Ediger explains that attending to prayer at the same time and in the same way as thousands of other Christians provides us with a sense of translocation to sacred space. The season of Lent may itself be a sacred space – a time and place wherein we search our souls, repent of our wrong directions and turn around to face the glory of God’s presence with us. Lent provides us with an opportunity to focus our attention on the holy space of our relationship with God and God’s call to us to be present to His Kingdom in ways that are both nourishing for ourselves and enriching for the communi ty o f believers. May you find abundant sacred spaces in the days ahead.

Lent – and other sacred spacesPRAyER

Tel 1-204-956-2096 Fax 1-204-947-0451236 Osborne Street Winnipeg, Manitoba

GIFTS THAT LAST

CANADIAN JEWELLERS

ASSOCIATION

WEDDINGSGRADUATIONS

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

APRIL 21stMAUNDY THURSDAY

8:00 PM – MASS OF THE INSITUTION9:30 PM – 10:30 AM

WATCH BEFORE THE ALTAR OF REPOSEAPRIL 22nd

GOOD FRIDAY10:30 AM – MATTINS and LITANY1:00 PM – THE SOLEMN LITURGY

APRIL 23rdHOLY SATURDAY

8:30 PM – THE VIGIL

APRIL 21stMAUNDY THURSDAY

8:00 PM – MASS OF THE INSITUTION9:30 PM – 10:30 AM

WATCH BEFORE THE ALTAR OF REPOSEAPRIL 22nd

GOOD FRIDAY10:30 AM – MATTINS and LITANY1:00 PM – THE SOLEMN LITURGY

APRIL 23rdHOLY SATURDAY

8:30 PM – THE VIGIL

300 HUGO ST @ MULVEY AVEPhone: 452-4227 Email: smaa@mts.net

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300 HUGO ST @ MULVEY AVEPhone: 452-4227 Email: smaa@mts.net

www.stmichaelswinnipeg.ca

8 Rupert’s Land news April 2011 PARISh LIfE

Palm or Passion Sunday is the day that ushers in Holy Week with

its solemn commemoration of the Last Supper and the agonies suffered by Jesus as he faced his tormentors and prosecutors. Yet Palm Sunday is a joyous occasion of the church year as we celebrate our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem by parading around the church, symbol-ically waving palm fronds and singing such uplifting hymns as “Ride on, Ride on

in Majesty” and “All Glory, Laud and Honour to Thee, Redeemer King!” The significance of the palms used in the service is historical. It is said that the leaves of the palm represent the open fingers of the hand, ready for service. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in the ancient Jewish tradition, and is mentioned in Leviticus 23:40: “You shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of the palm trees, and you shall

rejoice before the Lord your God”, and in Revelation 7:9: “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” For many years, the women of the Altar Guild of St George’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg have gathered together on the Saturday

before Palm Sunday to make small palm crosses that are given to members of the congregation as they arrive for the Palm Sunday service. This gathering has evolved into an annual “palm cross making party”. A f t e r t h e s o m e wh at laborious task of turning palm branches into crosses, the women are served a lunch of buttered hot cross buns, cheese, fruit, coffee and tea, prepared by the catering group of the church,

affectionately known as The Dragon Ladies, after the dragon that was slain by St George. St George’s parishioners treasure their palm crosses, wearing them in their lapels on Palm Sunday, and keeping them in their homes as a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice until the following year when they are brought back to the church to be burned into ashes to be used at the Ash Wednesday service.

by mARGAREt dEnnIS owEn

On January 19, our parish combined with Transcona

Memorial United Church to form a youth group. The group meets at 7 pm every second Wednesday at TMUC. We are also combining with Transcona Memorial United church for our Lenten series of Wednesday evening services. This series, which started in March, continues on April 6, April 13 and April 20. Call the church office to confirm which church is used which day.

Holy Week services:April 17, 10:30 am: Palm Sunday April 18, 7 pm: Monday night service April 20, 7 pm: Lenten SeriesApril 21, 7 pm: Maundy ThursdayApril 22, 10:30 am: Good Friday April 24, Easter Sunday 8:30 am Sunrise Service 9:30 am Breakfast 10:30 am Holy Communion

Adult Ed is 6:30 pm on alternate Fridays – movie night at the Bakers. Come and see a variety of films and participate in interesting, spirited analysis! Schedule

On Friday, February 2 4 , y o u t h members from St

Peter’s Anglican Church delivered over 350 individual pasta items to the Food Cupboard at St Matthews Maryland Community Ministry. Juanita Mckinnon Smith told the youth that their donations would make over 100 emergency food packages for the clients of the Food Cupboard. T h e s e n i o r S u n d ay school at St Peter’s has been studying our faith and world events and wanted a project to contribute materially towards a better world. The work at St Matthews Maryland has always been important to St Peter’s and it seemed logical to the youth that this was where they could help. This project started just before Advent 2010 when the senior Sunday school

St George’s, Transcona

Joint program with United Church

St Peter's

Youth raises a pasta bonanza for St Matthew’s Maryland

St George’s, Crescentwood

Where do those palm crosses come from?

changes occur occasionally, so please call office (or Bakers) to confirm if interested. The A.C.W. meets the third Wednesday of each month at 1:15 PM in the church hall; April's meeting will be on the 20th. St George 's Angl ican Parish, 321 Pandora Ave. W. (Transcona) wi l l be hosting a Bridge and Whist Luncheon on Thursday April 28; lunch at 11:30 followed by card games. For tickets ($12) or information, call B. Gustafson 256-2304 or C. Wells 222-9205. Men's Fellowship is usually held the last Saturday each month (April 30) Breakfast is served at 9:00 am downstairs at the church. St George 's Angl ican Church, 321 Pandora Ave. W.(Transcona), gathers each Sunday for BAS Eucharist service at 10:30 am, including Children's Sunday School. We also gather for our unique Contemplative Eucharistic Service on Monday evenings at 7 pm. Home communion, hospital visits and prayers for healing are always available upon request. We hope you can join us at St George's and thank you for respecting those with allergies by keeping our building scent-free.

put together candle kits for Advent wreaths sold them to the congregation for $5 per kit. The youth composed a prayer that accompanied the kits and could be used when lighting the candles.

Jesus, we await your coming with longing. Help us to see the error of our ways. Help us to struggle against the wrongness of war and and racism in our world. Give us hope that we can create a world free of poverty and homelessness. Give us joy so that life is not just a task, but an enjoyable experience.

With the candles purchased at about $0.35 each, the kits made a profit of $3.25 each. The net profits were used to purchase cases of Kraft Dinner (“KD”) that were on sale. A total of 11 cases of KD were bought (a total

of 132 individual boxes). Then in January, the St Peter’s youth group (same group as Sunday School) took the cases of KD and built a castle – the “KD Castle for Hunger” after first having some fun by making a domino track with the packages. The youth then challenged the parish to “provision the castle” by filling it with pasta and other food items. This challenge was met and the castle quickly filled with more macaroni, kraft dinner, tins of pasta products and other food items. This project showed the youth that they can produce significant results and make a difference in our community. It showed the parish that our youth (mostly 10-13 years in age) really care about their neighbours and want to bring the Kingdom of Heaven a little closer.

by PAt ALLAn

by jAmES dAun

If you can help or for more information about our church or activities, please visit www.stgeorgesanglicantranscona.caor call our church office 222-1942. Link for our newsletter “The Bellringer” is on our website.Check our main page to see our new anniversary window (dedicated by the Bishop on Feb. 19).

RuPERt’S LAnd nEwS mAy dEAdLInE

Deadline for the May edition of the

Rupert’s Land News is April 1, 2011

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