In our Parish Cycle of Prayer we pray for Catherine, Penny, Will and Tim Anderson; and Pat Andrew.

In our Community and Partners Prayer Cycle we pray for the James North neighbourhood.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Church of North India (United).

In the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada we pray for the people of the Anglican Church of Canada and the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

In our Diocese of Niagara we pray for our Bishop, The Right Reverend Susan Bell; and for St. Luke, Smithville, The Reverend Dr. Eleanor Clitheroe, Rector, and the people of that parish .

As a community we pray for the isolated, the lonely and those mourning or remembering the death of family and friends.

Those who have asked to be remembered in our prayers: With ongoing needs Celina Liong; Ernie Taylor; Susan Andrews; Cathy Johnston; Larry Andrews; Susan Worrall; John; Wayne & Michelle; Lisa LaRush; Rachel & James; With current needs Kim; Heather; Judy Robertson; Dawn Romig, Charlotte Read; Ann Fricker; The Reverend Michael Clark.

Those recently baptized and recommitted Michael Hobbins, Friedrich Liu and Jasmine Christiansen.

Those preparing for baptism Riley Robinson.

Flower Dedication Flowers at the High Altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Mona Alice Hunt, Patrick Gowlland Hunt and also the women killed on December 6, 1989 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, given by Anne-Louise and John Watts. Flowers at the Chancel Steps are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of The Right Reverend Joe Fricker, given by his family.

SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER - THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8:30am - Holy Eucharist in person

10:30am - Choral Eucharist in person and on the

Cathedral's YouTube channel

DECEMBER 3  ORDER OF SERVICE

WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER

8:30am - Morning Prayer via Zoom followed by coffee and conversation

12:15pm - Eucharist in the Cathedral

FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER - 12:15pm Litany of Reconciliation in Bishopsgate

SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER - SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

8:30am - Holy Eucharist in person

10:30am - Choral Eucharist in person and on YouTube

The Cathedral is delighted that a hearing loop has been installed in the sanctuary and choir seating areas. By installing a hearing loop, Christ’s Church Cathedral has joined thousands of churches and places of worship around the world that are removing communication barriers and building inclusive spaces for people that are hard of hearing.

HOW CAN A HEARING LOOP HELP?

Hearing Loops can transmit the church's audio signal directly into hearing devices via a magnetic field, reducing background noise. Whether it is the sermon, liturgy, or announcements - anything amplified through a microphone can be delivered clearly to an individuals hearing aid, cochlear implant or via a receiver and headset.

HOW TO USE THE HEARING LOOP?

WITH A HEARING AID OR COCHLEAR IMPLANT - Individuals who have a hearing aid or cochlear implant may have a telecoil program activated that will allow them to connect directly to the hearing loop.

WITHOUT A HEARING AID/COCHLEAR IMPLANT - Prior to a service, please ask for a receiver which is used with a headset. You will be asked to leave a credit card or set of keys as a “deposit” as a reminder to return the equipment.

WHAT TO ASK YOUR AUDIOLOGIST AND HEARING AID PROVIDER

“Please advise me if my hearing device(s) has a t-coil. If they do, please activate and program them for use in a hearing loop. If I do not have a t-coil, can my devices be retrofitted or is there an accessory remote control / streamer telecoil option?”

Funded by the Government of Canada's Community Services Recovery Fund.

In these sessions, we're taking a Bible Tour - an overview of what's in the Bible, where it came from, and how it came together in this extended survey of the scriptures.

Matthew Green writes: “Our faith is grounded in the Bible, so it might be handy to know what's in it. Let me take you on a tour, and I'll point out some of the wonderful (and frankly weird) things along the journey. Don't forget to bring your Urim and Thummim! (Don't know what those are? Then that's at least one thing you can learn!)”

Sundays in the Spence Room after the 2nd service at 12:15-1:15pm.

For further information, please feel free to contact Matthew Green at 905-865-9863.

Join us in the Spence Room for our final Movie Night of this series on Choices. We will be watching the appropriately themed Joyeux Noel, a 2005 dramatization of the World War I Christmas truce of 1914.
Popcorn provided! Please RSVP to: cathedral.admin@niagaraanglican.ca.

COP28 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in the United Arab Emirates from November 30 – December 12, 2023. Please join us in praying for this important global event.

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

Friday, December 8 at 7:00pm Concluding with Evening Prayer at 8:00pm

A focal point for this week’s Art Crawl will be an opportunity to light a candle and pray for climate justice and the decisions made at COP28, followed by a prayer service led by Climate Justice Niagara.

PRAYER FOR COP28

God of blessings, the universe sings of your glory. Deepen our gratitude for all you have made and awaken in us a renewed commitment to care for the earth and each other. Inspire world leaders at COP28 with openness to listen to those most affected by climate change and with courage to act urgently and wisely, so that our common home may be healed and restored and all people, and generations to come, may delight in it. Amen.

(From The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development)

Have you ever wondered why, to save us from ourselves, our almighty God would choose to become a helpless infant, dependent in every way?  In the course of this Advent Quiet Day, we will explore how this remarkable vulnerability is revealed in the Incarnation and how we, as human beings on a spiritual journey, are called to live into this vulnerability in order to come closer to God and to deepen our relationships with each other. 

Led by Susanne Prue, parishioner of Christ's Church Cathedral and graduate of the Education for Ministry Program.

Participants are asked to bring their own lunch.

Please RSVP by December 2nd directly to Susanne Prue by email.

Any willing and available hands are invited to join us for one of our biggest cleaning and polishing event of the year. Come help make the Cathedral shine!

Envelopes for Christmas memorial flowers are available on the narthex table and at each of the collection boxes.  Please print clearly the names of those that you would like remembered in the Christmas bulletin. Envelopes must be returned to the church office or in the collection box by Sunday, December 17th in order to allow for printing of the bulletin.

Christmas cards are again on sale on Sundays, and you can buy the Anglican Church calendar ($5.00) at the same table. Christmas cards were first sold in 2008 in response to requests from those who wanted “Christian” Christmas cards and the acknowledgement of Christmas in the message in place of “Season’s Greetings”. The price today is the same as in 2008, so you can save money and help the cathedral!  Each card is $1.25 ( 4 for $5.00, $15.00 per dozen) – AND the price is 20% LOWER for orders of $50.00 or more.

Reflections on Farming, Family and Faith in the midst of the Climate Crisis

As our  world is overwhelmed with climate-caused disasters, it’s easy to feel helpless. But in actions, both big and small, we can find hope. During this season of Advent, PWRDF invites you to join Karri Munn-Venn – writer, climate activist, and wool farmer – as she weaves together reflections, scripture readings, and prayer. Subscribe to this free resource by visiting https://www.pwrdf.org/advent2023/ and you will receive an email each day that also includes a PWRDF story or video. You can also download the resource in its entirety as a PDF (you will be required to provide your email address).

For more information on other ways to support PWRDF, please contact your Parish Representative, Louise van Woelderen, at louise.vanwoelderen@gmail.com or 905-387-1820.

Update on the Diocese of Niagara PWRDF Advent Challenge

Great news! We are pleased to announce that as of Tuesday, November 28th, our diocese has raised $1,343.43 of the $18,450 goal - that is approximately 2.2 farms. Way to go, team Niagara!!! A “Diocese of Niagara” crowdfunding page has been created to track the donations to this Advent Challenge. If donating online, please click HERE.

If sending a cheque to PWRDF, please write ‘Diocese of Niagara Advent Challenge’ on the memo line.

December's Action Buy fewer items locally, shop secondhand, and repair what you can! Instead of buying everything new this Christmas, focus on repurposing, regifting, or rehoming.

Why? Electronics, clothes, plastics and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and transporting goods to market. And supporting local small businesses stimulates the economy where you live!

Impact? Plastics alone generated 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 – 3.4 per cent of the global total. Buying fewer new clothes – and other consumer goods – can also reduce your carbon footprint. Every kilogram of textiles produced generates about 17 kilograms of CO₂e.*

*From the UN's Actions for a Healthy Planet: https://www.un.org/en/actnow/ten-actions

Bishop Susan has launched a special appeal, designed to support the life-saving food security work happening across our diocese through community fridges, running food banks and community meal programs, cultivating community gardens, and delivering prepared meal boxes to those most in need in our communities. Thanks to a generous donor, all donations will be matched, up to $10,000. Funds raised will go directly to our parishes, missions, and affiliated food security agencies to help meet the overwhelming need, especially ahead of the Christmas season. Please consider sharing this special appeal or making a donation yourself. This is a great way to engage their friends and family in support of our ministries. Together we can help enhance our capacity to provide healthy and nutritious meals across the diocese!

Please visit the donation page by clicking HERE.

We are pleased to report that we now have all the volunteers that are needed to host the Christmas dinner for Cathedral Cafe! We are still hoping  for more  financial donations . If you note "Outreach: Cathedral Café dinner" on your cheque or eTransfer it would be appreciated! We are also  looking for offers to make  dessert for the dinner.  For ease of serving we would prefer fancy squares / tarts / cupcakes. Please let Roseann Barry know if you can help out with this at 905-570-6527 or roseannbarry336@gmail.com .

At the back of the Cathedral there is a Tap donation device.  You can use your debit or credit card to "tap" and donate $5 to Christ's Church Cathedral.  If you wish to donate more, you can tap up to four times!  Your generosity is appreciated as it allows us to continue to maintain our beautiful facilities and offer innovative ministry to our community.  Thank you!

Please forward items for the Chronicle by 1:00pm on the Wednesday prior to publication to the Parish Coordinator at cathedral.admin@niagaraanglican.ca or 905-527-1316 ext 240.