Robin’s Notebook

Good Friday

Holy Week

Holy Week is an especially busy time in the parish, in the diocese and for the Christian Church around the world as we prepare and journey with Jesus to the cross. The liturgies we celebrate are charged with emotion as we move from the glory of Palm Sunday, to the pain, agony and death of Jesus on Good Friday, only to emerge back to glory and joy of the Resurrection with the Easter Vigil.

Garden of Repose - Maundy Thursday

While I have been somewhat aware of this, it struck me that this was my first Holy Week in-person at All Saints. The previous two have been online due to pandemic and other restrictions. Being in-person this time, this year, has added to the emotion and depth of Holy Week this year. As I reflect on our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies I have felt, and I am sure you did too, an added layer of emotion and significance. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday he did so in a world that was in turmoil and uncertainty. The tension in the air must have been palpable at times. Very similar to our Holy Week this year. We gathered this Holy Week in a world still living through the uncertainty of a pandemic and a war in Eastern Europe. As we gathered this Holy Week we were reminded of the privilege we have to gather in-person, to re-introduce the Common Cup and enjoy our ceremony and fellowship with far fewer restrictions. For all these reasons and the accumulative effect on our emotional health these past two years, Holy Week this year in 2022 has been profoundly moving.

As I write this post on Holy Saturday, I join with you and all other Christians around the world as we sit in the ambiguity of this day as we wait for the joyful Resurrection of our Lord beginning tonight. If the events of this past week have been special for us, I know that tonight and tomorrow will be just as special, if not more so. I can’t wait!

Morning Plenary

Parish Council Retreat Day

On Saturday April 9 parish council met in-person for our retreat day. This was the first time in three years that we were able meet in-person for the retreat day. The day began with Morning Prayer in chapel after which we began our morning plenary session. The morning session focused on exploring together the life cycle of organizations. Following a productive conversation we entered into some unstructured time and lunch where council members were able to go for a walk or engage in a hobby of theirs. Mitch Gillis brought along an almost complete model ship that he has been working on over the past several months.

Mitch’s Model Ship

The afternoon plenary session focused on exploring our purpose as a church. This too generated good conversation and interaction among council members. The session concluded with the opportunity for council members to vote on their 3 top priorities for this year. The priorities, in no particular order are: Young Adult Formation, Music and Greeting. In the coming weeks, council will be exploring in more detail how we as a parish community can further develop these three priorities.

I am grateful for the Diocesan School for Parish Development that provided the models and framework for the two plenary sessions.

Delight in Sabbath

Delight in Sabbath is a new Spring program open to anyone interested in learning more about Sabbath. Sabbath is such an important practice that is rooted in Scripture and is also one that we easily can overlook. This 3 part series will explore 3 in greater depth what Sabbath means for us as individuals and the impact it can have in the life of our parish.

Please do contact the parish office for registration and more information. I look forward to seeing you for 1, 2 or all 3 of the sessions.

Make a Joyful Noise

All Saints is proud to present “A Joyful Noise” piano festival on May 7 at 7-8pm. Come along and hear some fabulous local performers. Minimum donation of $10 and all proceeds will support the development of the music ministry at All Saints. Contact the parish office or speak to Jennifer Scott for more details. I look forward to seeing you there.

Common Cup

As we continue to give thanks for the privilege to receive communion in both species (bread and wine), here again are some friendly reminders from the Bishop’s Office:

• Receiving the Common Cup is a choice. If you do not wish to receive the wine of communion it is appropriate to pause by the chalice, touch the base or bow as a sign of respect to the Sacrament.

• For the health and safety of all receiving communion, please refrain from Intinction (dipping the host into the wine). If you do not wish to take a sip of wine directly from the chalice, please bow or touch the base of the chalice as per the bullet point above.

• For those not comfortable receiving communion, you may still come forward and receive a blessing from the Presiding Celebrant.

If you have any questions regarding these directives, please feel free to connect with me directly.