The Season of Creation ends officially on Tuesday, October 4th which co-incidentally is also the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. This coming Sunday, we will hold our worship outside and include a blessing of the animals.

Friday September 30th, is Orange Shirt Day, the day in which we acknowledge the grievous harm done by the residential school system.  The Indigenous people have always held the belief that the land and everything in it belongs to the Creator who generously shares it with us. They also model for us the truth that the universe is a web where everything is interconnected. Nothing exists for itself alone, and ultimately, we are all created to give glory to God. As we celebrate this gift of creation today, and in particular, the pets that bring us so much joy, let us also be aware that we are at the beginning of a new relationship with the Indigenous people, a journey that is going to take commitment, patience, hard work, and a willingness to listen, understand and be transformed. We acknowledge that we at St. Matthias worship on the unceded territory of the Lekwungen speaking people, known also as the Esquimalt and Songhees nations, and on this Orange Shirt Day, we commend them to the Creator and pray for a deeper connection as we journey together along new paths.

Worship this Sunday will be at 10am in the courtyard, weather permitting for the blessing of the animals. We welcome you to bring your furry friend or a photo of  beloved pet. Bring a lawnchair or two if you are able and wear orange. 

Rev Colleen 

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is a day set aside for the remembrance and mourning for the victims and survivors of residential schools, the systematic program of assimilation, and destruction of culture, language, and family that has permanently scarred these lands that make up Canada, leaving many Indigenous communities with generational trauma and its effects. Some of us will be gathered in Nanaimo for our biennial diocesan conference We-Together, where we will be holding a service of mourning.

We encourage you all to listen, to reflect and to repent for the ways that we as heirs of our institutional and colonial past have been complicit in and beneficiaries of this project of genocide.

There are many ways you can prepare and participate in the September 30 events, here are a few you may consider:

In line with Season of Creation themes, this art exhibition at St. Matthias Anglican Church, explores the consciousness that links us all together. Featuring Mary Anne Molcan’s and Marilyn Walker’s multidimensional prints, drawings, paintings and source materials. Molcan’s images depict the art of interbeing, where she blurs boundaries between human identity and the natural world. Walker’s multimedia art practice is a contemplative process. Her works focus on sentience and interbeing, where she portrays the consciousness in all living beings. 

GALLERY HOURS: 12-4pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until October 2, 2022.

Hymns of Thanksgiving is an annual sing along musical evening hosted by Organist Daniel Brown. Friday October 14th at 7pm in St. Matthias Anglican Church, 600 Richmond Rd (at Richardson).  

We will be singing songs and hymns that celebrate and highlight this season of thanksgiving! Entry by donation for The Mustard Seed Food Bank of Victoria. Everyone is welcome to raise their voice in Thanksgiving and help feed those in need by donations on behalf our most vulnerable neighbours.

Please join us, all are welcome!

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash.

Thursday morning worship with refreshments to follow at 10.am. During this season, we will be using a Celtic liturgy: Small boat, great big sea. We will reflect on the journey and voyage of St. Brendan and his incredible trust in God.

All are welcome. 

Thursday communion will continue into the fall on a weekly basis so we invite to come everyweek or whenever you can.

In their Canadian debut tour, pianists Catherine Lan and Tao Lin perform some of the greatest and best known works for piano duet and solo composed by Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms.

Tickets

General Admission $20.00
Students $10.00

Tickets available online here, or at St Mary's office Monday-Thursday, 9am-1pm, or Churchmouse Books Saturdays 10am-1pm

 Book Launch: October 2nd, 3pm, St. Barnabas Church Hall (1525 Begbie St., Victoria).

The Rev. Travis O’Brian, rector of St Barnabas Church in Victoria, is hosting a book launch for his newly published collection of prayers, A Word Shared Between Us (Wipf and Stock).  These lyrical prayers were composed daily during the three months of the initial Covid shut-down of our parishes, and emailed each morning to the parishioners of St Barnabas. The book launch will feature readings from the book, music, a high tea with home-baked goodies, and of course the opportunity to purchase and have Travis sign your new book! 

Greater Victoria Acting Together (GVAT) (www.gvat.ca) is a collation of 25 faith and front-line service organizations, unions, and student societies representing over 100, 000 members in the Greater Victoria area. GVAT brings community members together to work on issues of common concern.   

The diocese is a member of GVAT and is proud to be hosting a Housing Affordability Assembly on Sunday, October 2 from 7-8:30pm at Christ Church Cathedral and online. Cathedral to show our civic leaders that we are looking for real action and a commitment to create affordable housing in our communities. 

The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia is seeking a full-time administrative assistant to support the synod office, located in Fairfield/downtown Victoria. This is a one-year contract with the possibility of extension.

The administrative assistant will maintain regular weekly office hours and provide support to several departments within the synod office, including the bishop’s office, communications,  finance and the archives. The assistant will fill a broad and varied spectrum of tasks, including (but not limited to) responding to public requests for information, file management, handling mail and correspondence, scheduling, and basic office organization/purchasing (i.e. ordering supplies, liaising with vendors, etc.). The assistant will also help organize one-off projects such as communication campaigns, fundraisers and special events.

Every Wednesday at 11:15 am at Multifaith, is Abraham's Table! What is Abraham's Table you ask?  

Abraham’s Table is a weekly program dedicated to providing a space to discuss Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Each week, a different topic will be explored, led by one leader within that religion. Each session begins with an informal presentation and is followed by a period of discussion.  

This is our fourth offering of this highly popular anti-racism series. Capacity is limited to 30ppl/session. Register early.

This session will run on Wednesdays, from 7pm-9pm, from September 28 to November 9, 2022.

Our artist-in-residence Jessica Ziakin-Cook facilitates this exciting new group.

Time and Location

Wednesdays 6:00 – 7:45pm* October 12, 19, 26 & November 9, 16, 23

AbbeyChurch (First Metropolitan United)

932 Balmoral - Enter the side door from the Balmoral church parking 

Suggested donation of $10 per session 

Participants in this drop-in style set of sessions will learn to nurture their creativity through writing, special art and poetry projects, and prayer. Weekly discussions, slide lectures and readings will emphasize Benedictine spirituality and relate to art making, art history, and spirituality. Suitable for absolute beginners and veterans alike!