Category: Announcements

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From the Rector: Holy Week at St Mary’s


One of the ancient spiritual writers of the Church, St. Dionysius, wrote about the three liturgies that take place. The first is the liturgy that takes place before the altar  in heaven, as described for us in Chapters 4, 5. 7 and 8 of the Book of Revelation. The second is the liturgy is that which takes place on earth, which we celebrate before the altar St. Mary’s. (see photo above).  And third liturgy is the one that takes place in altar of our heart. 

The purpose of the liturgy that takes place on the earth is to unite the liturgy in heaven with our heart.  And so it is that in the Holy Communion we pray, 

Lift up your hearts!” “We lift them up unto the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord! “It is meet and right so to do!
Therefore with angels and  archangels an all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name, evermore praising thee and saying, 
Holy, Holy, Holy…

Our purpose in the liturgy at the altar at St. Mary’s on Sunday morning, is that that we should “at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father,  Almighty, Everlasting God, Creator and Preserver of all things”( BCP p. 78) in a ceaseless offering of our lives in thanksgiving and praise to God.

But what are we to do in this time when our liturgy before the altar at St. Mary’s has been silenced?

This is where we need to undertake the difficult work of entering more deeply within our own hearts, to find and serve at the altar of our hearts, and to  find the Lord there. 

Now that Holy Week is upon us, “ Let us dust off the altar of our heart, place the Gospel back in the centre, take what is given to us in this life( both good and bad) and offer it to God in thanksgiving ( Eucharist). When we do so, we will find that we will receive Christ Himself in return, and every encounter with Christ is  Pascha, a passing over from death to life.” ( Abbot Sergius Bowyer)

In support of this collective spiritual effort of ours at St. Mary’s this week, I am attaching a table of lessons and psalms for Holy Week from The Book of Common Prayer, which will serve as our spiritual  guide. 

I have also attached an Evening Service for Light and Peace for parents to celebrate with their children, in conjunction with the video of the service which was taped at St. Mary’s yesterday afternoon, and can be found here:  https://youtu.be/jLIp8gK9xwA 

In addition you can also expect to receive by e-mail the following Holy Week services for you to celebrate in the safety of your home, and in spiritual communion with your family at St. Mary’s:

  • Palm Sunday: Liturgy of the Palms and Morning prayer with Hymns and Sermon ( Beth Christianson preaching)
  • Maundy Thursday: Evening Prayer with Hymns and sermon ( Gene Packwood preaching)
  • Good Friday: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion with Hymns and sermon ( Nathaniel Deng Mayen preaching)
  • Easter Sunday: Morning Prayer with Hymns and Sermon (Claude Schroeder preaching)   

These services will also be posted on our web-site.

Families will also receive “Stations of the Cross” Service which may be used at home, or as part of a prayer walk on Good Friday.

Finally, sanitized palm crosses are available for you to pick up at 15 th Avenue entrance of St. Mary’s  today and tomorrow  as you make your way home perhaps from a trip to the grocery store.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in

Who is the King of Glory? It is the Lord strong and mighty, even the Lord mighty in battle. 

Psalm 24. 7,8

With every prayer for a rich and blessed Holy Week,

Yours faithfully,

Claude +

Table-of-Lessons-and-Psalms-for-Holy-WeekDownload
Light-and-Peace-2020Download
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A Word from the Rector

Dear Beloved People of St.Mary’s,

Some of you will perhaps recognize the figure of the man in civilian dress standing  to the right of centre of a group of uniformed British Army chaplains. It is C.S. Lewis, celebrated author of children’s stories, and most celebrated Anglican lay theologian of the 20th century.

In a lecture he gave to his students at Oxford University during World War II, Lewis said, “The war creates no absolutely new situation, it simply aggravates the permanent human  situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men has postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare thewar with “normal life.” Life has never been normal.”

Replace “the war” with “the corona-virus” and you have some sobering words for us to take to heart in the midst of what we regard as an abnormal situation and our longing for and our wondering how long  before things return to normal…As far as our calling as Christians is concerned, nothing has changed. We must go about our business.

                                     “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” 
                                     Your face, Lord, I will seek. (Psalm 27:9.)

On a practical front, please note the following:

  1. Public services of worship at St. Mary’s have been suspended until further notice.
  2. A phoning committee has been struck and will be contacting you to touch base either today or tomorrow.
  3. I have prepared an order of service for Morning Prayer with Sermon which I will be sending out tomorrow. I encourage you all to  create a beautiful space and read and pray through the service at home, knowing that though “spacially-distanced” from another, we have communion with Christ and with one another through  His Word and Holy Spirit.
  4. Pending the resolution of some technical issues, I may be able “live stream” the service on the St. Mary’s U-Tube channel on Sunday morning.
  5. I will be checking messages on the office answering machine at 306-522-6052 daily. Please call me at home for emergencies.
  6. You may also call Janice K, Churchwarden.

With love and prayer.
Yours faithfully,

Claude +

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Becoming the Story We Tell: Lent 2020 Small Groups Program

Small groups will meet weekly to study the Gospel Lesson for the upcoming Sunday.  This year’s Lenten Gospel Lessons come from the Gospels of John and Matthew.  The readings from John’s Gospel (Lent 2-5) are all stories of an individual person having a life-changing encounter with Jesus.  How can we encounter Jesus in Regina in the 21st century?  How would an encounter with Jesus alter our lives?

                                                     Schedule:

Mondays @ 7:00 pmLeader: Carol M
Host: Lorna C
Wednesdays @ 9:00 amLeader: Claude S
Host: At St. Mary’s
Wednesdays @ 7:00 pmLeader: Henry F
Hosts: Alan and Jacky S
Saturdays @ 7:00 pmLeader: Katherine G
Host: Ginny L
Sundays @ 7:00 pmLeader and Host: Beth C

For families who are unable to make these dates and times work in your schedule, you are invited to sign up to be paired with another family to pray and study together at a time that is convenient for you.  Speak to Heidi D or Karen J to be added to this list and receive the materials.

A group is being organized for our older youth which will meet at St. Mary’s on Friday evenings.  Speak to Nathaniel for details.

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St. Mary’s Book Club (Feb 2020)

The next meeting of the St. Mary’s Book Club will be on Wednesday, February 19th starting at 7:00 pm.  Location is Beth C’s home.  This month we will be reading The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection by Robert Farrar Capon. 

Book description:

 “From a passionate and talented chef who also happens to be an Episcopalian priest comes this surprising and thought-provoking treatise on everything from prayer to poetry to puff pastry. In The Supper of the Lamb, Capon talks about festal and ferial cooking, emerging as an inspirational voice extolling the benefits and wonders of old-fashioned home cooking in a world of fast food and prepackaged cuisine.”

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The Ideas Salon

Saturday, January 25th.  Family Dinner and a Movie.  Next Saturday, starting at 5:00 pm, we will be having a salads pot luck and showing the film “Summer in the Forest,” the story of Jean Vanier and the L’Arche community in France.  Salad greens and breads will be provided; bring salad toppings to share.  Be creative!  Ideas we are exploring: How do we use food to foster human community?  How should Christians invite society’s outsiders into the community we are building (a.k.a. The Church)?  All are welcome!

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St. Mary’s Book Club

The theme chosen for the Book Club’s next gathering is “Sources of Delight.”  Readers are encouraged to share a book that brings them joy and laughter.  We will be meeting at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, January 15th in the lounge at the church.  All are welcome! 

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ALLSAINTSTIDE CELEBRATIONS in ARCHDEACONARY OF ST. CUTHBERT

Thursday, Oct 31.

7.30 P.M. Theological Forum “Life and Prayer in the Communion of Saints” at St. Mary’s

9.00 P.M. Candle-Lit Holy Communion with Witness of the Saints at St. Mary’s

Friday, Nov 1.

12.00 P.M. Noon Day Prayers at All Saints

Saturday, Nov. 2.

3:00 – 6.00 P.M. “All Saints Saturday” for children and youth, to include activities, “The Journey of Faith” – an interactive walk through the Bible, worship, and supper.

7:00 p.m. Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at St. Luke’s Anglican Church.

Christ is Risen from the Dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

O Come, let us worship!

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Refugee Sponsorship

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church plans to sponsor a South Sudanese refugee family of six, currently living in a Ugandan refugee camp. We have raised about $17,000, and we will continue to raise the remaining $18,000 to achieve the goal of raising $35,500 to support the refugee family once they arrive in Regina. You can support St. Mary’s Refugee Sponsorship Program by:

1.  Sending your support through email transfer to (stmaryregina (at) gmail.com). Please include ‘South Sudanese Refugee Family Sponsorship” in the message. St. Mary already has automatic deposit set up for Interac electronic transfers. No password is required. 

2.  Contributing through Cheque for donations to St. Mary Anglican Church, 3337 – 15th Ave. Regina SK S4T 1T3, with a memo line “South Sudanese Family Sponsorship.”

3.  Attending South Sudanese Fall Super (South Sudanese Food Fair) – a fundraiser to be held October 26 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in St. Mary’s upper hall. Meals will be prepared by South Sudanese people in Regina, in support of the family in the refugee camp. You can also place your order at the church office for pick on October 26, 2019. 

4.  Joining our campaign online through CanadaHelps:https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/119188134RR0001-st-marys-anglican-church/campaign/refugee-family-sponsorship-fundraiser/

5.  Donating cans and bottles – St. Mary’s will collect cans and bottle to recycle. Regina residents may contact Amanda H, Elizabeth D or Nathaniel Deng M for a flyer about the recycling project, or  more information on pick up of bottles and cans. 

Welcoming and loving strangers is a precious gift from the Lord, our God (Leviticus 19: 33-34).

For more information about the sponsorship, contact Rev. Nathaniel Athian Deng M, chair of the Refugee Sponsorship Committee. 

SPC members include Beverly K, Deng Mark A, Mary R, Janice K, Sandra D, Tom J, Amanda H and Nathaniel Deng M