Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Altar Serving but Were Afraid to Ask (Part 1)
Mysterious mumblings, strange gestures, bells and smells - what’s it all about? Find out here!
46 Years and Counting at the Church of St. John the Evangelist
In September 1973, I came to St. John’s for the first time, and now forty-six years later, I am still a parishioner.
Making Room: An Advent Reflection
I began my preparations for Advent by writing a sermon for the first Sunday of the season. It speaks of the need to make room for Jesus to be born anew in our hearts, and to quiet our distracted minds so we can await our risen Lord’s coming again.
Bishop James’ Visit
St. John the Evangelist was blessed with a visit from the Right Reverend James Almasi, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Masasi in Tanzania, during his two-week visit to the Diocese of Montreal in October.
The Bishop’s Visit
While we always observe la Saint-Jean with due solemnity (even if I pine for a solemn Te Deum and outdoor procession as in days of old), this year it was particularly special – and even more so for three individuals who played a major role in making the following weekend’s Jazz Mass happen.
Keeping Lent
As a child, I used to give up candy or movies or snacks for Lent. I couldn't quite see those things were fine to do any other time of the year, but not in Lent.
Serious When Occurred - Funny Now
What happened that made me wipe the scales off my eyes was a series of funerals, the likes of which I could never have dreamed up. They seemed serious at the time, but in retrospect they are humourous.
Parish Archives
On Sunday, July 28, a new storage facility for the St. John the Evangelist Parish Archives was inaugurated in the crypt under the church, with a formal blessing by the Rector, Fr. Keith Schmidt.
Where There is Faith, There is Hope
As the distribution of the palms takes place on Palm Sunday at St. John’s, and as we hear this story of Jesus’ welcome into the city, I often think that it sounds like a number of the political rallies I have attended – people passing out flags and pins and clapping and shouting when the new leader appears.
A Latin Pilgrimage through Lent
The series of Lenten masses is an amazing, but very old construct, and not always logical.
The Tri-History Conference of the Episcopal Church
I was privileged this year to accept an invitation to address the Tri-History Conference of the Episcopal Church, held in Toronto at Wycliffe College and the University of Trinity College in June. As its name suggests, the conference is held every three years under the sponsorship of three Episcopal historical societies – The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church (HSEC), The National Episcopal Historians and Archivists (NEHA), and The Episcopal Women’s History Project (EWHP).
Farewell to Kieran
It was a very sad good-bye to this young couple who made St. John’s their home church for the last four years.
A Recent Visit from Bishop Mary
This Epiphany, we were honoured by a visit from our Bishop, Mary Irwin-Gibson.
Congratulations to RoseMary!
On April 28 of this year, our former Rector's Warden, RoseMary Brinkema was awarded a Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers/Médaille du souverain pour les bénévoles for her years of dedication and contribution to St. John's and to St. Michael's Mission.
Redevelopment Project Update!
As many of you know, St. John’s has, for a few years now, been working towards redeveloping our property.
Welcome to St. John’s!
St. John’s has been blessed with a number of newcomers in recent months, and we’d like to take this opportunity to introduce a few folks you may have seen at coffee hour lately.
Memories of Christmas around 1950
Christmas is a time for nostalgia. I recall here the Christmasses of my youth.