Margaret Warwick Receives the Order of the Diocese

A slightly belated "Congratulations!" to St. Catherine's own Margaret Warwick, who was honoured with the Order of the Diocese in November.  Her citation details Margaret's years of service to St. Catherine's:

"Margaret was the parish secretary in the early 1970s.  She was President of St. Catherine’s ACW from Feb 2005 to May 2013, which has included liaison with the United Church Women of Trinity United Church and organization of the annual bazaar.  She has been a member of the liaison committee between St. Catherine’s and Trinity United since 2002.  With her late husband she conceived and implemented St. Catherine’s soup kitchen (Paul’s Place) starting in 2002.  Margaret way Lay Secretary to Synod from 2007 to 2008.  She is currently serving her second year as Vice President of the ACW Place Board.  Margaret has been a member of the Altar Guild for more than 10 years.  She has served several terms as a member of St. Catherine’s Church Council, including more than one as secretary.  Margaret has organized events to celebrate parish  and ACW centenary in 2009.  Actively involved in all aspects of parish life:  Messy Church, Port Coquitlam May Day parade and Relay for Life."

A well-deserved award, Margaret!

Update: Margaret Sherwood Ordained Deacon

Margaret Sherwood, a long-time member of St. Catherine’s Church, was ordained a Deacon on December 8.  See photographs of her ordination here.

Margaret will serve in our parish.  We offer congratulations and welcome the Reverend Margaret Sherwood as our new Deacon.

Margaret’s Statement of Vocation

 

It is my firm conviction that Almighty God has called me to servant ministry in His Church. My understanding of this calling has led me to the diaconate. The clergy and members of the Parish of St. Catherine’s and the Diocese of New Westminster have supported this understanding.

Unless God otherwise directs me, I offer myself to a lifetime of servant ministry including:

·         Identifying services to support the marginalized in Port Coquitlam;

·         Developing, creating and instituting creative programs for children and youth;

·         Nurturing the parish family through visitation and support for nursing home services, and Christian education initiatives;

·         Enabling and supporting the people of God in carrying out the baptismal ministries to which God calls them;

·         Being visible as a Deacon and performing the liturgical functions of a Deacon as set out in the liturgies of the Anglican Church of Canada; and

·         Assisting and supporting my Parish Priest

 

As my faith and family ties are in Port Coquitlam, I pray that I may fulfil this ministry in the community and within the Parish of St. Catherine’s, Diocese of New Westminster.

Camp Artaban Picnic Makes News

The St. Catherine's ACW, under organizer Ann Blue and chef Margaret Warwick, led the way to a highly successful Camp Artaban Picnic at Lions Park on July 20.  See a report and photographs of the event on the Diocese of New Westminster's website http://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/News/DiocesanNews/tabid/252/Mode/ViewArticle/ArticleId/1804/Default.aspx.  Take a bow, St. Catherine's!

CAMP ARTABAN PICNIC

St. Catherine’s ACW is hosting a Picnic in order to raise awareness and support for Camp Artaban.  ACW members were distressed to hear that, in this 90^th year of its existence, Camp Artaban would not be opening its doors to campers due to financial difficulties. 

 

The ACW invites everyone to help by attending upcoming celebration – “CAMP ARTABAN PICNIC – Experience a Day at Camp” – on July 20, 2013 (rain or shine!!!!).  The picnic will be held at Lion’s Park, 2300 Lion’s Way, Port Coquitlam (west of Shaughnessy Street at Shaughnessy Station). 

Learn more about Camp Artaban and how you can help at www.campartaban.com.

Farewell, Paul and Kate!

And so an era ends… Reverend Paul Strudwick conducted his last Sunday service at St. Catherine’s on May 11.  After serving as incumbent priest at St. Catherine’s for nine years, Paul and his wife Kate are leaving to take up a position with the Church of England in Menorca, Spain.

Their leave-taking has been marked by several events in their honour – a piano concert performed by St. Catherine’s music director, Kevin Wong; words of tribute at the conclusion of a joint service with Trinity; and an evening wine and cheese reception.  While preparing for these events – and for the leave-taking to follow – members of St. Catherine’s have had a chance to reflect on the last nine years.

Paul brought to St. Catherine’s creativity and innovation – the Narnia plays, vacation Bible-film school, Messy Church, summer services in the park, donkeys for the Palm Sunday procession, birthday and anniversary prayers and more.  He brought something else as well, something not easy to describe, style with empathy that touched the parishioners of St. Catherine’s and Trinity United Church and others in the community.  St. Catherine’s is stronger for his leadership.

As Mark Hird-Rutter wrote in the Courier, our parish newsletter, “As much as Paul has been the Priest of St. Catherine’s, and a darn good, one, he is not St. Catherine’s.  Paul is a Gift from God, given to us for a time and now it is time to give him back so that he might touch some other, soon to be blessed souls, in a far off place.”

Thus, St. Catherine’s moves into a new era.  On March 18 we will welcome an interim priest, while our Canonical Committee begins the work of finding a new permanent priest.  We will begin to embrace new traditions while keeping Paul’s ministry in our hearts.

Farewell, Paul and Kate.  We wish you blessings and happiness in your new mission.

For Paul's parting words to St. Catherine's see http://www.stcatherineschurch.ca/Saint_Catherines/Reflections/Reflections.html. 

Who Remembers the Easter Garden?

Apart from the liturgical rituals, individual churches and congregations have their own traditions.  Some come and go with the rector of the day; others may last for generations.

Father Ray Edwards brought some Easter traditions to St. Catherine’s at the time the church was located on McAllister Avenue.  On Easter Sunday Father Ray would wear a set of antique vestments.  Each year he would describe how the chasuble and stole had been lengthened to fit him.  At the end of the service he would invite the congregation to view the “Easter Garden” – a diorama of Mary Magdalene at the tomb of the Risen Lord.

The church building on McAllister and the Easter Garden are gone, but St. Catherine's still has traditions associated with Passiontide.  The Seder supper dates back to the McAllister days, although then it wasn't an annual event.  Our current rector, Reverend Paul Strudwick, has brought a new seasonal tradition, the Palm Sunday procession around the church, complete with palm branches and (usually) donkeys.  

What traditions will the future bring?