St. Michael Anglican Church | Anglican Church in Canmore, AB

Greetings friends of St. Michaels - well when you receive this we will be approaching the Holiest of Weeks in our Christian Calendar. With that in mind, I wanted to paint a picture of Holy Week with its special services and the day of Resurrection.

We begin the journey into Holy Week with Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday Worship. We will proclaim the Palm Sunday Gospel Reading; we will bless the palms and crosses and we will wave them as we sing of Jesus riding into Jerusalem. It is an uplifting piece of worship.

But, soon in the liturgy we move to the Narrative of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Using the dramatization of the Reading of the Narrative with a host of voices, we will also be presented with visuals that describe in form and colour the 'Way of the Cross'. Then we enter into the service of Holy Communion with all of its blessings.

The next service of Worship in Holy Week for us will be Maundy Thursday / Holy Thursday, the day of commandment. This service which will be in the Church at 7:00 is comprised of Foot Washing or Hand Washing and the Institution of the Lord's Supper / Holy Communion.

Good Friday or God's Friday as it referred to in some places will see us gather at 11:00 in the church. This is a Service of the Word. It has been offered here often over the years. It was originally referred to as 'No Body on Earth But Ours'. It is a worship offering of readings, hymns, prayers and reflections on the journey of Jesus to the cross and beyond, and our call to be his hands, his feet, his head and his eyes in the world.

On Good Friday afternoon, private confession will be offered in the church. Should you wish to partake of this Sacramental Act as a part of your Holy Week journey, I would encourage you to be in touch with me and I will provide you with a copy of the pdf created by Br. Curtis Almquist of the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Massachusetts. I will be there from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The order that will be used is found in the BAS on pages 167-170. This will take place near the front of the church. For those who are used to searching the internet - https://www.ssje.org/MWReflections/SSJE_MonasticWisdom_Reconciliation.pdf

Easter Day will see us gather in the Church for the Celebration of our Lord's Resurrection. In this service of Holy Communion we will renew our Baptismal Vows, we will celebrate Holy Communion and we will remind each other of the victory of our Lord with the words - Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

I look forward to greeting you all this Holy Week as we gather to Worship.

Bryan +

Please join us this Lent for an in-depth exploration and conversation around the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness. After an initial exploration of the Biblical text in the first week, we will have five unique sessions focussing on how five different theologians and saints have approached Jesus’s Temptation, looking for their unique wisdom and insight to this event in Jesus’s life and ministry. We are excited, as well, to have each session led by a different person from the Diocese! Hopefully this study will enrich your Lenten journey. We’ll gather via Zoom on Thursday evenings through Lent, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Please contact Barbara Labrecque at the Diocesan Office to register for the study.

Schedule

March 21 – Rev. Elizabeth Short (Deitrich Bonhoeffer)

PLEASE NOTE: If you have registered and not heard back, please resend your request to blabrecque@calgary.anglican.ca

EMBRACING THE LENTEN JOURNEY:
This year, we have embarked on a meaningful Lenten journey together, a journey that invites us to examine our lives, deepen our faith, and grow in our relationship with Christ.
Through prayer, fasting, and acts of kindness, we have the chance to align our hearts with God's purpose for us.
Join us this Sunday March 24th at 10:00am . We want to provide a unique opportunity to engage in reflective worship, hear inspiring messages, and partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Let us come together as a community to support one another on this, our shared spiritual pilgrimage.

ACTS OF KINDNESS AND SERVICE:
Use this season as an opportunity to engage in acts of kindness and service. Consider volunteering, supporting a charitable cause, or reaching out to those in need. By embodying Christ's love through our actions, we contribute to the flourishing of our community.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:
Engage with the church community. participate in study groups, and share your spiritual journey with fellow believers.

PREPARE YOUR HEART FOR EASTER:
As we journey through Lent, let us remember that it is a time of preparation. By embracing this season with sincerity & devotion, we open our hearts to the joy and triumph of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord.
May this time be a transformative & enriching experience for each one of us. Let us support & uplift one another as we seek to grow in faith, love, & grace.

Security

We are now using Master Lock Vault, as our building security system, allowing us the option of using smart phones as a codeless way to access the church key lock boxes. This system keeps a log of who has entered the church and the time of access, which helps us identify any security breaches.

Due to past issues with the church being left open while unattended or even over night, we would prefer that the key access is limited to only those requiring daily access.

If you are a current key owner, and are comfortable using your smart phone, we ask you to switch to the new system. You can be set up in a matter of minutes, and your access will enable you to simply open the app and select an option which opens the lockbox and gives you access to the key you require.

Please come to the church office for obtaining new access and to return your key.

Food & Friends

We need two volunteers from St Michaels Church to join the Coordinator roster. This ensures we keep Food and Friends as part of our St Michaels Outreach.

The volunteer requirement is as follows:

Being in the church on two consecutive Mondays from 3 pm to 8 pm within in a two month period. With five coordinators taking two consecutive Monday shifts within in a 10 week rotation, your requirement would be to be on site only two of those 10 weeks.
Attend a 90 minute coordinator meeting every other month
To respond to emergent issues over the course of the rotation, there may be adhoc meetings or phone calls; due to the experienced nature of the program, these are infrequent.

The Coordinator’s Monday shifts include completing a checklist of duties, identifying needs or issues requiring attention, overseeing the various teams of volunteers who are setting up, dismantling, and cooking, plus retrieving and securing cash.

Please consider representing St Michaels on this team.

Navigating St Michaels Transition

We are pleased to announce that Hannah Wallace has been appointed to the new role of Transition Coordinator on a short-term contract. You will have seen her in the office over the past few weeks, as she recently stepped in to provide much needed administrative support for the Priest and the Parish during Ania’s recent leave. Hannah promptly recognized the importance of ensuring the efficient operation of St Michaels office during our transition toward hiring a new priest, and in light of this, we have decided to restructure the administrative role before making any permanent hires.

While Hannah’s primary role will be to continue to provide core administrative support to the Priest, her duties will extend beyond the essentials.

Hannah will help manage the transition from the previous office administrator to a new potential long-term permanent part-time office administrator. To that end she has been identifying weekly, monthly and annual workflow and reporting requirements and is proposing strategies to achieve them. It is well understood that St Michaels has been underused, so Hannah will work on enhancing community engagement for the use of the church property for special events like weddings, birthdays, reunions, etc. by leading in the development and creation of advertising materials, including expanding the website and assisting in creating brochures.

Furthermore, in a bid to increase congregational and parish council involvement in the "living out” of our Baptismal Vows, Fr Bryan recently unfurled the “Ship of Faith”, a vibrant canvas sailing under the flag of Jesus. The ministry streams of Worship, Discipleship, Hospitality, Prayer and Pastoral Care now have their own Champion from our congregation. The Outreach Champion is yet to be discovered. It is the hope of Fr. Bryan and Council that these advocates will breathe life, interest and energy into our ministry, both within the congregation and during Parish Council meetings. As we sail forward, the hope is that their passion and dedication will enliven and enrich our journey in the days and months ahead.

In addition, the Council is actively creating a volunteer system and structured schedule sourced from the Time and Talent Database. It is hoped that dedicated volunteers will play a crucial role in providing much needed support functions at St Michael, in alignment with their noted interests. Anticipated areas of volunteer support will include hosting regular Social Engagement (morning tea and chat) in the church foyer or the library, offering administrative support by proofreading newsletters and bulletins before publication to mailing list and website, participating in small group short term projects and contributing to the creation of a warm and welcoming environment for parishioners and visitors.

We look forward to the positive changes this transition will bring to our congregation and community.

From the Desk of Father Bryan

Sunday Worship

Lenten Resources

Diocesan Newsletter

A Message From The Wardens

Food & Friends

Time to Be

Funerals - Memorial Services

Athletes In Action

You ARE INVITED

YOU ARE INVITED

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