As we walk the way of death and resurrection with Jesus, my hope is that each of us will be able to set aside time to attend to prayer, worship and rest for our own soul’s sake. In the meantime I continue to pray for you all: for our parishes and their clergy and lay leaders, for those who are sick and for those who tend to the sick, for those who have died and those who mourn, and for those in anxiety during this time.
Holy Week and Easter Worship from Christ Church Cathedral
Below please find virtual worship and at-home worship materials that will be available on the Christ Church Cathedral website shortly. This worship was created with the Christ Church Cathedral community in mind as well as both for the entire Diocese and even for some in the Ecclesiastical Province. Please share this information with your parishes and beyond.
For Tuesday in Holy Week retired Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster, the Right Reverend Michael Ingham offered a reflection on vocation titled "To be icons of Christ, to nourish Christ's people and to strengthen them...". Bishop Ingham shares words of comfort regarding the current world pandemic situation and then reflects deeply on call and ordination through the context of Jesus' words, "you did not choose me, I chose you." Here is a link to the reflection archived on YouTube.
Maundy Thursday Virtual Worship at 7:30pm on April 9, 2020: Gospel Reading, Homily and Prayers, all related to Jesus’ words to his disciples on servanthood. Music from Rupert Lang and the Choir of St. John’s Church, Elora, Ontario, and Christ Church Cathedral Choir. The Rev. Matthew Johnson, Street Outreach Priest from St. James Church in the Downtown Eastside offers a homily that focuses on Jesus' words "A new commandment I give to you that you love one another," and reflects on them through his experiences as a street outreach priest in ministry to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Fr. Matthew explores the extraordinary service of our Lord through the washing of feet, sharing a compelling personal story and examining through scriptural context the service of so many in communities around the world giving of themselves during this unprecedented time.
Good Friday Virtual Worship at 3pm on April 10, 2020: The Passion Gospel, Homily, Solemn Intercessions and the Veneration of the Cross with music from Rupert Lang and the Christ Church Cathedral Choir. In an examination of the Cross of Christ, the Reverend David Taylor, Rector of St. Dunstan's, Aldergrove and Co-founder of the St. Dunstan's Centre for Spiritual Renewal directs us to look at the Cross with a fresh perspective, the symbolism of the Cross, and the actual physical attributes of the Cross, as he constructs his conclusion, "that in the Cross of Christ, God has shown his great love for you and for this world."
Holy Saturday Morning Home Prayers April 11, 2020: This at-home resource available on the Cathedral’s website is a Saturday morning prayer guide through the prayers and readings associated with Holy Saturday, the day we remember Jesus time among the dead. The materials include renown theologian Karl Rahner’s meditation on Holy Saturday.
The Easter Vigil Evening Home Prayers April 11, 2020: An at-home resource available on the Cathedral’s website. This evening guide will take participants through the readings, prayers and times of personal sharing about God’s actions that bring us out of darkness and into the light. The materials will include a link on the Cathedral website with a homily from the Rev. Marnie Peterson, Priest of St. Brigid’s Community at the Cathedral and Priest to the Cathedral’s Maundy Café.
Easter Day Virtual Worship at 10:30am, April 12, 2020: Full Eucharistic Easter Day Celebration, with Archbishop Melissa Skelton as celebrant and homilist. Music by the Chor Leoni Men’s Choir, the Elektra Women’s Choir and Rupert Lang and the Christ Church Cathedral Choir. The theme of the homily: “Relying on the Resurrection.”
