In response to the BC provincial health officer’s extension of the December 7 COVID-19 health order, the diocese of British Columbia is suspending all in-person worship, meetings, events and community gatherings until at least February 8.

"In response to this updated order, the diocese is extending the suspension of all in-person worship,
gatherings, events and meetings (indoors and outdoors) until at least February 8. You and your
parish leadership team are encouraged to make plans for online worship beyond this date in case the
order is extended through Easter.

Church facilities can continue to be used by staff, with adherence to safety protocols, though staff
who can work from home are encouraged to do so. It is permissible to pre-record or live-stream
worship for remote participation.
Weddings and funerals (excluding receptions) will be permitted during this period with a maximum
attendance of 10 people, including the celebrant, providing they adhere to the parish’s approved
safety plan.
External community user groups should be advised to consult the provincial health order for further
information as to how these restrictions apply to them. Parishes may decline to host groups for safety
reasons at their discretion.
Masks must be worn, by those who can, in all common areas of our facilities.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to keeping our communities safe".

(The Very Reverend) M. Ansley Tucker
Dean of Columbia and diocesan administrator

Continue to watch our website and the provincial government website for updates as this situation develops. 

As a New Year begins, we invite you to take a moment to bless this new year and all that it holds! 

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Chalking the Doors!  

We invite you to adopt this ancient Epiphany custom in your home this year. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our homes, our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and sorrows.  

A traditional way of doing this is to use chalk to write above the home’s entrance, 20 + C + M + B + 21. The letters C, M, B have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of the three figures in The Gospel of Matthew for Epiphany: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus Mansionem Benedicat, “May Christ bless the house.”    

“Chalking the door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany and God’s blessing of our lives and home. With time the chalk will fade, as it does, we let the meaning of the symbols written sink into the depths of our heart and be manifest in our words and actions the Latin words, Christus Mansionem Benedictat, “May Christ bless the house.”    

Instructions for Blessing the Home

Using the chalk mark the lintel of your front door (or front porch step) as follows: 20 + C + M + B + 21, while saying this or another prayer:  

Visit, O God, this home with the gladness of your presence. grant that we may manifest your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch. God of doors and homes, bless this home this year and every year. Bless all who come and go through this door, both those who live here and those who visit. May all who enter through this door come in peace and bring joy. May all who come to this door find welcome and love. May the love and joy in this home overflow and spread into the community and the world. Through Jesus Christ our companion, now and forever. Amen.

A journey through painting, drawing and printmaking paralleling the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage

The Chapel Gallery is thrilled to continue its season with this exciting and wonderful exhibit.  Please click to read the Artist Statements from Alain Costaz and Victoria Edgarr:   https://www.stmatthiasvictoria.ca/ministries/the-chapel-gallery/pages/next-exhibit-walking-together

In the meantime, enjoy these brief exerpts:  

Alain Costaz: "The Spanish landscape and its effect on my sense of identity as an émigré returning to Europe to travel was the impetus for the work in this show. Central to my studio work is the use of the figure. I use the figure allegorically and expressively in images exploring ideas about emotions, place and identity."

Victoria Edgarr:  "In 2017 Spain offered a different focus from my previous travels; I walked for 40 days across the land rather than a touring of museums and galleries. With my artist husband and my feet rooted in the constant present, absorbed in life around me we walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage in Spain."

Gallery Opening Hours:  Fridays and Saturdays:  12-4 pm; Sundays:  12-3 pm.

Please visit the Gallery in person to view this beautiful show and chat with the artists. We are being very careful & have strict Covid safety protocols in place. Masks, hand sanitization & social distancing are required at all times.

You are invited to join Lutheran Church of the Cross in this special Truth and Reconciliation event

The Rev. Dr. Martin Brokenleg is co-author of the book Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future and co-developer of the Circle of Courage model and provides training worldwide for individuals who work with youth at risk. He holds a doctorate in psychology and is a graduate of the Anglican Divinity School.  He is a retired professor and was most recently director of Native Ministries and Professor of First Nations Theology at the Vancouver School of Theology.  

For thirty years, Martin was professor of Native American studies at Augustana University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has also been a director of The Neighborhood Youth Corps, chaplain in a correctional setting, and has extensive experience as an alcohol counselor. He has consulted and led training programs throughout North America, New Zealand, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. He is the father of three children and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. He is also an active member and honourary assistant at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. 

To access the Zoom event, please contact the Lutheran Church of the Cross office.

Celebrating 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Canada

"Every year, Christians around the world are invited to celebrate a Week of Prayer for the unity of all Christians, to reflect on scripture together, to participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services, and to share fellowship. The international resources for 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have
been prepared by the Monastic Community of Grandchamp in Switzerland, a group of religious sisters from different church traditions brought together by a common vocation of prayer, community life and hospitality and by their commitment to Christian unity.

The 2021 theme – Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit (John 15:5-9) – calls us to pray and to work for reconciliation and unity in the church, with our human family, and with all of creation. Drawing on the Gospel image of vine and branches, it invites us to nourish unity with God and with one another
through contemplative silence, prayer, and common action. Grafted into Christ the vine as many diverse branches, may we bear rich fruit and create new ways of living, with respect for and communion with all of creation.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) was first proposed in 1908 as an observance within the Roman Catholic Church by Fr Paul Wattson, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in Graymoor, New York. Since the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948, many other Christian denominations
around the world have come to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity."

https://www.weekofprayer.ca/2021-wpcu-resources

Please save the date and plan to join us, via live-stream on the diocesan website, for the consecration and installation of our 14th bishop, the Rev'd Anna Greenwood-Lee. It will be streamed and available on the Diocesan Website Facebook and YouTube

In this issue: Underwriting the online revolution; How is our diocesan vision functioning?; A New Year's prediction...and more. Click read more to download this issue.