St. Catherine's Embraces Rwanda

A Rwandan Baby Wears Donated
Jumper and  Cap

Members of the St. Catherine's ACW have been knitting jumpers for "fish and chips" babies.  The families of these babies (often single mothers or mothers suffering from AIDS) are so poor that they cannot afford clothes for their children.  Because nothing else is available the newborns leave hospitals wrapped in newspaper like a order of fish and chips.  Jumpers donated by the ACW are distributed to these families by the organization Embrace Rwanda.

On October 23, 2015, Hilary King of Embrace Rwanda spoke to the ACW about her organization's work.  Embrace Rwanda's Healthy Mums Program goes beyond providing clothing.  The organization runs programs to teach skills that enable women (and men) to support their families.  One of the programs involves women forming cooperatives in which they share the produce that they raise in home gardens - and sell the excess.

Basket for Donations

St. Catherine's is looking into expanding its support by forming a partnership with an Anglican congregation in Rwanda.  Meanwhile, parishioners are encouraged to donate their spare change (or larger amounts).  A basket made by Rwandan women will be available in the narthex or other locations in the church to collect the donations.

Godly Play Comes to St. Catherine's

“In most religious education children are told who God is. In Godly Play children discover who God is.”   www.godlyplay.uk

Godly Play is a creative approach to Christian nurture.  It is based on Montessori principles and aims to make religion come alive for children.  The teacher acts as a spiritual guide, while the children learn by “doing it themselves”.

A Godly Play session includes:

• getting ready
• telling a Bible story using objects and artefacts
• exploring the story with questions and discussion introduced by saying, “I wonder…”
• allowing the children to respond to the story as each one chooses, using a variety of materials:  art, silence, play, writing…
• enjoying a simple feast and sharing.

The first session of Godly Play at St. Catherine’s will begin at 3:00 PM on Saturday, November 7.  For more information or to book your child's place call St Catherine's on 604 942 9812.

Note:  Our ongoing program for children and families, Messy Church, will continue on the third Saturday of each month. 

St. Catherine's-Trinity Annual Joint Service and BBQ

Credit:  David M. Squires

On Sunday, June 21, St. Catherine's held a joint service with Trinity United followed by a barbeque
both sponsored by the St. Catherine's-Trinity Liaison Committee.  The events commemorated 17 years of sharing a church building and working together.  When St. Catherine's Church building on Shaughnessy Street had to be torn down due to structural instability, the congregation of Trinity United invited St. Catherine's to share their building.  The Liaison Committee formed shortly thereafter to ease the growing pains associated with two congregations with different traditions occupying the same space.  It has evolved from simply dealing with day to day issues into building a partnership that allows for shared ministry while respecting each other's traditions and maintaining the individual Anglican and United Church identities.

Since the joint service was held on National Aboriginal Day, it focused on respecting all peoples and on the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  The message of the day included hard truths about residential schools and ways in which individual members of the congregations could contribute to reconciliation.

The barbecue that followed the service was an opportunity for fun and fellowship.  It included perfectly cooked burgers and donated ice cream for everyone.  Special thanks to Efcon Inc. Ethnic Food Concepts for the ice cream.

Anglicanism 101

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At a recent parish meeting many people expressed an interest in learning more about the Anglican approach to faith. The website link below allows us to have our own St Catherine's School for Christian Formation & Education.  These are ready-made education courses. You can study them by yourself or get a small group together to learn and discuss the course material.  The courses are free, as the parish is paying a monthly subscription to make this possible. 

https://stcatherines.pathwright.com/r/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzY2hvb2wiOjU4ODAsImNsYXNzLXNlY3Rpb24iOjIyMzQzfQ.OGwJ5GL1-bDZV5jeNaxjce8gZMxmXqvScy9HhzLQQHU/

Note:  You must register to use the school.  The link registers you for the Reader’s course, which has some valuable insights into Scripture for everyone.  Once you are on the site, you can browse the course catalogue, which includes “The Episcopal Tradition,” a fundamentals course prepared by the Episcopal Church (the U.S. version of the Anglican Church).

Time for Reconciliation

Oh Great Spirit, who made all races, look kindly upon the whole human family and take away the arrogance and hatred that separate us from our brothers and sisters.