Please respect Holy Week

do not schedule meetings  March 28 through April 4.

Cursillo
Cursillo Grand Ultreya, March 27, 9:30 a.m. at Christ Church (Parish) Church hall, Westmorland and Charlotte Streets, Fredericton, for the appointment (by Archbishop Claude Miller) of a new diocesan Cursillo secretariat. Bring finger foods to share at lunch. Everyone is welcome.

Prevention and Response Involving Sexual Misconduct
PRISM workshop
9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24
Cathedral Memorial Hall, Fredericton
Register on-line

Diocesan policy B-12 calls for all parish leaders (lay and ordained) to attend a PRISM workshop to obtain a certificate of compliance in this important area of administration, ministry and responsibility. More information at the PRISM web page on the Diocesan web site.


Camp Medley
Find a slide show of the construction at Camp Medley.

Companion Diocese
See the photos taken in our Companinon Diocese of Ho by members of the delegation who traveled there in November.



View An up-to-date list of diocesan appointments and announcements.

Temporal Transactions

View an up-to-date list of property transactions within the diocese.

Open incumbencies

* Appointment process status:
     H - On hold
     P - In parish profile preparation
     E - Accepting expressions of interest
     I - In the interview process
     A - Awaiting appointment

Diocesan openings

The Nominating Committee currently invites nominations for the following positions:

• Investment sub-committee (one member)

• Human Resources Committee (one lay position)
• Nominating Committee Member (one lay and one cleric)

See a current listing of Diocesan Roles, Elections and Appointments on the diocesan web site.

To make a nomination or express interest in a position, contact the pro-tem nominating committee chair Archdeacon Geoffrey Hall <geoffrey.hall at anglican.nb.ca>.

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RCL Lectionary (Year B)

Sunday, March 21

The Fifth Sunday in Lent (Violet)
Propers 294; Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8; Preface of Lent.

Cycles of Prayer
PRAY for The Ligurgical Consulation its participants and secretary, as they resource, promotes and strengthen the worshipping life of the Communion.

Visit these links:
Anglican Cycle of Prayer
Provincial Prayer Care
Diocesan Intercessions

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The Scott Clarkson Educational Scholarship
A bursary for agriculture students with preference given to residents of the Parish of Stanley. Application deadline May 31.

The Hall Music Bursary
The Hall Music Bursary is for students active in the discipline of Christian Church music with preference to applicants from the Anglican Parish of Woodstock. Application deadline June 1.

Camp Medley Registration
Camper registration is now available for this summer. Brochures with applications are in the mail to last year's campers and on-line applications also available. Check out the exciting new programs on the Camp Medley website and register early and save.

Natural Church Development Training
National Church Development (NCD) seminars are designed to enhance the skills of your clergy and lay church leadership. Morning plenary sessions are followed by meetings with Bill Bickle, an Anglican layman, management consultant and international liaison for NCD in Canada. He has some good news for parishes struggling to translate analysis into action.
THIS PROGRAM IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR PARISH SELF-EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDED AS AN ALTERNATIVE BY THE NICODEMUS PROJECT.

Registration $75 (includes materials and lunch), deadline April 1. Choose the location and date best for you:
Halifax, Monday, April 12
New Beginnings Baptist Church, 26 Cherry Brook Road
Moncton, Tuesday, April 13
Highfield Baptist Church, 290 St. George Street
Fredericton, Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Nashwaaksis Baptist Church, 104 Edgewood Drive

Praying With the Highlanders: Celtic Spirituality
A Lenten Quiet Day at All Saints Church, St. Andrews
9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, March 20 (lunch provided)
With the Rev. Christopher McMullen of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Saint John
Details from Canon John Matheson <john.matheson at nb.aibn.com>


Growing in Kingdom Service
A School of Spiritual Healing
May 6-9
Sponsored by the Order of St. Luke and the Parish of St. Margaret's
At St. Margaret's Church, 775 Forest Hill Road, Fredericton
With the Rev. Dr. Jack Sheffield and Anne Marie Sheffield of Deep River Ministries, San Antonio, Texas.
Registration $50
Contact Elizabeth (Betty) Gayley <egaley at nb.sympatico.ca>

Teens Encounter Christ
Applications available now for

TEC 18, May 22-24.
Space is limited so register soon
More info from the TEC registrar <4bents at nb.sympatico.ca>

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March 17, 2 p.m. Council Youth Team, Synod Office board room, Fredericton.

March 18, 2 p.m. Council Episcopal Team, Synod Office board room, Fredericton.

March 18, 3:30 p.m. Human Resources Committee, Synod Office board room, Fredericton.

March 19, 7 p.m. Stations of the Cross each Friday in Lent, St. Mary's, York, McEvoy Street, Fredericton.

March 20, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Empty Vessels Enough for All. A day to replenish the soul of special interest to PWRDF representatives and friends as well as anyone else committed to mission and justice. St. Peter's Church, Parish of Upham.

March 20, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Praying with the Highlanders: Celtic Spirituality, a Lenten Quiet Day at All Saints Church, St. Andrews with the Rev. Chris McMullen of Saint John. Details from Canon John Matheson <john.matheson at nb.aibn.com>.

March 20, 10 a.m. Mothers' Union Diocesan Council, St. George's Church, Parish of Carleton, Saint John.

March 20, 11 a.m. Diaconate Commission, St, Luke's Hall, Woodstock.

March 20, 4 p.m. Taize Service of prayer, music and contemplation at Christ Church (Parish) Church, Westmorland and Charlotte Streets, Fredericton.

March 21, 4 p.m. Monthly Integrity Eucharist and fellowship at Unitarian Fellowship Centre, 874 York St., Fredericton.

March 21  Service of Lenten Lessons and Meditations, St. Peter's Church, 2365 Woodstock Rd., Fredericton. Designed as a counterpoint to Advent lessons and carols, this service  combines  scripture lessons on our Lord's Passion with paired sacred music to create a strangely somber, but uplifting worship experience. All welcome!

March 21, 4 p.m.  Monthly Integrity Eucharist and fellowship at Unitarian Fellowship Centre, 874 York St., Fredericton.

March 22, 12:15 - 1 p.m. Seasons for the Soul, Lenten Talks 2010, with Bishop Bill Hockin and Dr. Barry Craig, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Fredericton. Today's talk is Spring — When Long Days of Loss Give Way to Hope.

March 23, 4:45 p.m. Investment Committee, Synod Office board room, Fredericton.

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PWRDF Refugee Sponsorship Update
As of February 2010 30 of 50, 50th anniversary refugee family sponsorships are in place and 19 of these families have already arrived in Canada. The most recent arrival was on February 11, 2010, when a family of 6 from the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in Clarksburg Ontario, sponsored by St George's Anglican Church. A member of the sponsoring group says, "Any expectations that we had have been surpassed by a gift of an amazing family. The wide eyed wonder of all of what the refugee family experienced today, put in perspective all of the long hours and hard work that so many have given tirelessly. The family could not express their delight and thankfulness for everything they received today. They have been blessed, but we have received a gift that none of us could replicate even if we tried."
If your parish is interested in sponsoring a refugee family, please contact your interim diocesan refugee coordinator Anna Caines <anna.caines at gmail.com> or Carolyn Vanderlip at PWRDF <cvanderlip at pwrdf.org> for more information.

Visit the Diocesan PWRDF or PWRDF National

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March 23, 4:45 p.m. Investment Committee, Synod Office board room, Fredericton.

March 26, 7 p.m. Stations of the Cross each Friday in Lent, St. Mary's, York, McEvoy Street, Fredericton.

March 27, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  Fredericton Archdeaconry Greater Chapter meeting, St. Mary's, York.

March 27, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cursillo Grand Ultreya at Christ Church (Parish) Church hall, Westmorland and Charlotte Streets, Fredericton, for the appointment (by Archbishop Claude Miller) of a new diocesan Cursillo secretariat. Bring finger foods to share at lunch. Everyone is welcome.

March 29, 7 - 9 p.m. Inaugural meeting of the Atlantic Theological Society (ATS) at King's College Chapel in Halifax. Everyone is welcome. The ATS mission is to study orthodox Christian thought through the lens of living a Christ-inspired life in the 21st century. Its aim is to facilitate theological inquiry and reflection. Keynote speaker Dr. David Deane, Associate Professor of Theology at the Atlantic School of Theology, will address the topic, “Why Orthodoxy, Why Now?”

April 2, 7 p.m. Stations of the Cross, St. Mary's, York, McEvoy Street, Fredericton.

April 11, 2:30 p.m. Christian and inspirational music by Tracy Friars and Steve Bell at the Imperial Theatre, Saint John. Tickets on sale March 8.

April 13, 6 p.m. Chatham Archdeaconry Greater Chapter meeting, St. George's Church, Bathurst. 

April 20-22, 2010, Clergy Spouse's Conference, Villa Madonna in Rothesay. Tuesday evening: Diocese of Ho presentation by Heather Miller and the Rev. Jasmine Chandra; Wednesday, counselor Judith Davids; Thursday, Archbishop Claude Miller. (If clergy spouse mailing address has changed in the past year, please notify Carol Anningson <evangel at nbnet.nb.ca>.

April 21, 11 a.m. Church of England Institute Annual Meeting, Anglican House, 116 Princess St., Saint John. Everyone is welcome.

April 24, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Prevention and Response Involving Sexual Misconduct (PRISM) Compliance Training, Cathedral Memorial Hall, Fredericton. On-line registration.

April 24, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Layreaders' Retreat Day with Archbishop Claude Miller, St.Mary's Church, Parish of Chatham. Details.

April 24, L'Arche Saint John's McKim House will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a fundraising dinner at the Wesleyan Church, 399 Boars Head Road in Saint John. Guest speaker is the New Brunswick Lieutenant-Governor, the Hon. Graydon Nicholas. For information contact  Jocelyn Worster, 672-6504.

April 27. 7:30 p.m. Kingston and Kennebecasis Archdeaconry Greater Chapter Meeting, St. Paul's, Rothesay.

May 1, 11 a.m. Atlantic School of Theology Convocation at The Cathedral Church of All Saints, 1340 Tower Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Renowned Canadian writer David Adams Richards of Fredericton will deliver the convocation address.

May 4 & 5 ACW annual meeting, All Saint's Church, St. Andrews.

May 6-9  Growing in Kingdom Service, a School of Spiritual Healing sponsored by the Order of St. Luke and the Parish of St. Margaret's at St. Margaret's Church, 775 Forest Hill Road, Fredericton, with the Rev. Dr. Jack Sheffield and Anne Marie Sheffield of Deep River Ministries, San Antonio, Texas. Registration $50. Contact Elizabeth (Betty) Gayley <egaley at nb.sympatico.ca>

May 7, 5:30 p.m. Reception and Dinner in thanksgiving and celebration of the appointment of Archbishop Claude Miller as Metropolitain of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada. Tickets $50, available from Synod Office, 115 Church St., Fredericton and from territorial archdeacons.

May 8, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Deacons Retreat, St. Luke's Church, Woodstock. The first of what will be an annual, community-building retreat. Two new aspirants, Barbara Haire and Agnes Scott, will be welcomed and congratulated.

May 14-15 North western New Brunswick Shared Ministry Vestry Retreat with the Ven. David Edwards at Lakeside Lodge and Resort, 596 Gillespie Settlement Road. Take Exit 88 from the Trans Canada (Route 2) near Grand Falls.

May 15, 10 a.m. Mothers' Union Diocesan Rally, St. Mary & St. Bartholomew, Saint John.

May 20 — June 2  2010 Atlantic Theological Conference, Moncton, will focus on "Knit together in one communion: Anglican Identity and the Challenge of Diversity."

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Job listings for the Canadian church.

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CoGS backs Vision 2019
by Leigh Anne Williams
Anglican Journal
Mar. 15, 2010
A new strategic plan for the Anglican Church of Canada’s next nine years is now being readied for delegates of General Synod 2010 to consider when they meet in Halifax in June. Council of General Synod (CoGS) reviewed the Vision 2019 report when it met in Mississauga from March 11 to 14 and voted to recommend it for adoption by General Synod 2010. Read the story.

Bishop-elect Mamakwa vows to move indigenous ministry forward
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Mar. 15, 2010
As she stood to receive the applause after being elected first area bishop for the diocese of Keewatin’s northern Ontario region, Archdeacon Lydia Mamakwa recalls thinking, “Is this really happening?” Described by friends as an unassuming woman, Bishop-elect Mamakwa, 53, says she still feels “overwhelmed” by the support she has received. The parishes “took a bold step in electing a woman for their first bishop,” she says. “It is an honour.”   Read the story.

Legacy of violence against aboriginal women continues
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Mar. 15, 2010
Holding an elaborately-carved Talking Stick used by Canadian West Coast First Nations for important gatherings, Rachel Chakasim told the story of how the now-defunct Indian Residential Schools, which she attended as a child, has contributed to ongoing violence against aboriginal women. “It was at the residential schools that I saw violence for the first time,” said Chakasim, a status Indian from Attawapiskat First Nation, located north of Moosonee, Ont. “They always yelled at us, so I brought that with me.”   Read the story.

Waste not, want not
Eco-conscious designers express ‘creative reuse’ of everyday objects
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Mar. 11, 2010
From old neckties that serve as time indicators for a sunburst-design clock to vintage souvenir trays transformed into side tables, a recent Royal Ontario Museum exhibit has proven that the possibilities for reusing objects that would otherwise have ended up in landfills are not only limitless, but also creative.  Read the story.

'Planet Matters’ an environmental advocacy engine
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Mar 11, 2010
It can take the passion of just one person or a single committed group of people to make a significant change to degradation of the environment. In the case of Humbercrest United Church in Toronto, it took the zeal of one parishioner, Rita Bijons, and the foresight of her minister to create “Planet Matters,” an awareness building group that challenges parishes to seek and demand solutions to climate change. Read the story.

Many faith traditions active in environmental advocacy
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Mar. 11, 2010
Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists may have their differences but when it comes to ecological stewardship and respect for the sacredness of creation, their sacred texts share similar teachings. At a forum held March 7 in Toronto, religious leaders cited passages from the Torah, Bible, Ramayan, Quran, and the First Precept of Buddhism, to explain why faith traditions are actively involved in environmental concerns like climate change. Read the story.

BC SYNOD REPORT: New election law
by Neale Adams
Anglican Journal
Mar. 10, 2010
The next time the bishop of diocese of British Columbia resigns, the diocese may not elect a new one. At its biennial synod Mar. 6-7, the diocese changed its canon (church law). Now, the viability of the diocese must be determined before a bishop can be elected. If the diocese is not viable, a bishop from another diocese can be called to step in. This determination of viability will be made by a committee formed on instructions of the metropolitan (chief bishop) of the ecclesiastical province of British Columbia and the Yukon. Archbishop John Privett of the diocese of Kootenay currently holds the position. The ecclesiastical province includes the dioceses of British Columbia, New Westminster, Kootenay, Caledonia, Yukon and parishes in the Central Interior. Read the story.

BC SYNOD REPORT: More blessings?
by Neale Adams
Anglican Journal
Mar. 10, 2010
The diocese of British Columbia may be the next in Canada to ask its bishop to allow the blessing of married gay or lesbian couples. A motion asking that priests be allowed to conduct blessings of gay of lesbian couples has been submitted to the biennial synod meeting Mar. 6-7 by the parish of St. John the Divine, Victoria. The synod, primarily concerned with a restructuring of the diocese, failed to finish its business but will resume at the call of the Bishop James Cowan later this spring when the motion regarding same sex blessings may come to the floor. Read the story.

BC SYNOD REPORT: Minister ‘insulting’
by Neale Adams
Anglican Journal
Ma.r 10, 2010
Bishop James Cowan of the diocese of British Columbia told his synod at the Mar.6-7 meeting that Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was “insulting” in the way he refused to allow eleven priests from the Anglican Church of the province of Myanmar to visit last fall when the diocese was celebrating its 150th anniversary. The BC diocese, which encompasses Vancouver and the Gulf Islands, has had a companion diocese link with Anglicans in Myanmar, formerly Burma, that dates back over a decade. Read the story.

REPORT: Six churches close; others buy time
by Neale Adams
Anglican Journal
Mar. 10, 2010
A dramatic restructuring of the diocese of British Columbia was approved in part by the diocese’s synod in early March. Seven churches—most of them in the Victoria area—are to be closed and sold or leased, and parishioners have been asked to relocate in re-constituted “hub churches.” But the 190-member synod of clergy and laity refused to go along with the recommendations of the diocese’s transformation team to close another six churches. Read the story.

Ecumenical response to earthquake in Chile
Anglican Journal
Mar 10, 2010
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is accepting donations for victims of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile on Feb. 27. At least 795 people were killed and 500,000 others left homeless by the earthquake which hit the capital, Santiago, and Concepcion, Chile’s second largest city. The number of fatalities is expected to rise as reports from remote communities trickle in. Read the story.

Muslim woman in Canada expelled over face veil files complaint
by Leanne Larmondin
Ecumenical News International
Mar. 9, 2010
A Muslim woman has filed a human rights complaint after she was expelled from a Canadian college for refusing to remove her face veil. The Egyptian-born woman, who is a permanent resident of Canada, was enrolled in a government-sponsored French language class for new immigrants in Montreal, Quebec. The school, CÉGEP St. Laurent, expelled her in November 2009 after she refused to remove her niqab, a veil that covers the face with only a slit for the eyes. Read the story.

Legacy Gifts Initiative broadens its scope
Anglican Church of Canada
March 10, 2010
The Anglican Church of Canada is pleased to announce that it will partner with the dioceses of Fredericton, Ontario, Niagara and Rupert's Land to broaden the scope of its Legacy Gifts Identification program to coincide with May's Leave-a-Legacy month (an initiative of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners). Read the story.

Bishop expects “unprecedented recognition” for Indigenous Ministries
Anglican Church of Canada
March 10, 2010
In the latest post on the General Synod web forum, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald explains what's at stake for Indigenous Peoples at the Anglican Church of Canada's upcoming national meeting, General Synod, to be held June 3 to 11 in Halifax, N.S. Read the story.

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Council of General Synod highlights: March 14, 2010

Council of General Synod highlights: March 13, 2010

Council of General Synod highlights: March 12, 2010

Council of General Synod highlights: March 11, 2010

Communiqué from the Dialogue of African and Canadian Bishops

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"Three conversions are needed: of heart, mind, and purse - of these three, the purse is probably the most challenging."

Martin Luther

From the Ven. John M. Robertson, National Gift Planning Officer,

Department of Philanthropy, Anglican Church of Canada

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A mother was nervous about her kindergarten son Timmy walking to school by himself and he didn't want his mother to walk with him. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he wouldn't notice her.The neighbour agreed, since she was up early with her toddler anyway, and it would be a good way for them to get some exercise. She started the first day of school and stayed well behind Timmy and his little friend Ellen, who often walked with him.

Ellen noticed the neighbour and her little girl and asked Timmy if he knew them.

"Yeah, I know who they are," said Timmy. "It's Shirley Goodnest and her daughter Marcy."

"Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?" insisted Ellen.

"Well," Timmy explained, "every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!"

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