Easter 2012

photo by linda adams

Pax EASTER 2012

st. james’ baptistry, photo by tracy russell

The Eighth Day | Fr. Mark Greenaway-Robbins The Eighth Day. God spoke in silence.

God acted in secret.

Jesus was raised from the dead.

And there was silence.

The life of Jesus is united with God. An eternal act which is God’s eternal being.

And God saw that it was good.

The eighth day.

A rock rolled to one side and the presence of an angel

signify the act.

Emptiness and absence speak of a new presence.

Disciples run to and fro from the place, but the event

itself ?

They cannot speak of it. A divine act – the raising of

Jesus.

This is the eighth day. The new creation.

And God saw that it was good.

Jesus did not return to life.

Jesus was not resuscitated.

Jesus was not a ghost, who made haunting appearances

of possibility.

Jesus was raised by God. Jesus passed through death to new life.

Good news for those who believe.

The eighth day.

Through baptism we share in the life of Christ.

We have died and we have been raised in Christ.

We are dying in Christ and we are being raised in him.

Jesus reveals our destiny on this day.

And God saw that it was good.

The eighth day.

Baptized into Jesus’ death we now walk with him in

newness of life.

In order to live as God’s new creation, we have to know

death.

There is an interior death, a spiritual death, which is

the surrender of ourselves to God. Each sacrament draws us into this dying and rising.

It is a surrender which is the triumph of faithfulness.

As Jesus was faithful in defeat and triumph, in death

and resurrection so we are called to be faithful.

(All Christian life is sealed with death and resurrection.)

And God saw that it was good.

The eighth day.

On this Lord’s Day. The Son rises.

The dawn of a new creation has broken and can never

end.

Our life, the Community of Believers, is now

illuminated with death and resurrection.

Now is the Eighth Day - when our lives are hidden

within the being and will of God. Now is the Eighth Day - when our destiny is also our

present life.

Now is the Eighth Day – when all that is and has been

is becoming redeemed.

And God saw that it was good, very good.

The Eighth day.

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 1

Financial Equilibrium | Angela Van Luven

F

rom the Nicene Creed:

“I believe... in one Lord, Jesus Christ. …And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, And ascended into Heaven….”

photo by christine hatfull

I believe…

Throughout the life of St. James’ there have been several ‘rising again’ episodes. One could say that the construction of this present building of St. James’ was a blend of faith, hope and charity – faith that it could be done (during the Depression no less), hope and trust in God that comes with that faith, and charity being the financial wherewithal to build the structure.

I believe…

That this icon, this beacon that we call St. James’, is and should be the centre of our universe – the hub of our Christian thoughts and activities in the name of Christ. We have to keep this place, these buildings, the ministries that we share, viable and healthy both physically and financially. Our fifth Mission Objective says it all.

2 | PAX: EASTER 2012

I believe…

We have honed the Budget to represent the basic operational needs of the church, to keep it functioning to our best abilities and to the greater glory of God. I have confidence in the fiscal leadership team consisting of the Finance Committee, my fellow Trustees, Envelope Secretary Philip, and our bookkeeper Dorothy.

I believe…

That another ‘rising again’ episode has been the new St. James’ Parish Foundation – formed predominantly to be the holder of the parish assets. They are the keepers of the investments and have helped the church considerably in reaching financial equilibrium. And I understand they are soon to be engaging in a renewed Planned Giving initiative.

I believe…

That as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, let us also give thanks to Him for our financial rising again in financial equilibrium, to His everlasting glory.

St. James’ fifth mission objective: To maintain financial equilibrium, develop our reserves and optimize the use of our assets to ensure the preservation of our sacred space and ministry from generation to generation, to the everlasting glory of God.

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola | Joyce Locht Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess.

Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O Lord, I return it.

All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will.

Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

St. Ignatius of Loyola (d. 1556)

I

was first introduced to St. Ignatius of Loyola in a Spiritual Autobiography class at Regent College.

Nothing about the chivalrous, tough Spaniard bent on a military career hinted at the mystic that Ignatius would become, or the contemplative gift he would leave behind. While recovering from severe war injuries, he turned to romantic novels of chivalry and when those were read, a book about the lives of the saints. Without even reading the Bible, he was converted and transformed to become a follower of Jesus. Over his lifetime he developed the Spiritual Exercises (1541), helping others deepen their relationship with God. These Exercises are a series of prayers and meditations, originally designed to be completed by an individual over the course of a month-long silent retreat. Now they are most often completed in the setting of a “retreat in daily life,” in which the individual commits to daily prayer and regular meetings with a spiritual director.

The Exercises are often thought of as a tool of discernment for major life decisions. But the value of the Exercises is broader than that – they draw one into a deeper friendship with God. The Exercises are also helpful in discovering what leads to despair or disconsolation, and conversely, what is life-giving or consoling. The Spiritual Exercises are not designed to be read in isolation. A spiritual director who has completed the Exercises leads an individual through the series of spiritual exercises. Occasionally, they are also given in a group setting.

My own path to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius began with an unusual thought I had a year prior to embarking on the Exercises. While putting away freshly laundered clothes, bending slightly to open a middle drawer, the words, “Help me to fall in love with Jesus” came to me – like a thought balloon. I was taken aback; it sounded ‘hokey.’ But I also noticed a warm pleasant sensation of fervency in my heart. After studying St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises, a desire to experience them developed, although I wasn’t sure why. What did I have to discern? It seemed a bit late in life. However, what I received in the process was a surprise, and went deep to a longstanding desire of my heart.

“Help me to fall in love with Jesus” I have always struggled to have and know a sense of my self. I saw the prairie tumbleweed as an apt reflection of myself. Without a strong sense of self, I tumbled through life driven by the wind and external forces.

The wise support of my spiritual director (weekly meetings over a period of months) provided the context for a powerful experience of being drawn into a deeper friendship with God. And through God’s amazing, paradoxical, and mysterious graceful ways, I gained a sense of myself! Something shifted and clicked. I now feel and know that to have a self, I need to turn to my Creator. I need the mirror of God’s loving face to see and know myself. I also learned more about how to pray than I had in all my preceding years. These gifts are more than I could have asked or imagined!

For more information about the Spiritual Exercises, visit the websites below. Or if you are interested in exploring them on an individual basis, you are welcome to contact me. www.cenaclesisters.org/vancouver www.ignatianspirituality.com

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 3

Change | Fr. Michael Forshaw

A

s I celebrate the death and Resurrection of Christ, in my life and in the liturgy of the Church, the word change comes to mind.

The dead body of the man called Jesus, lying in a borrowed tomb, was three days later dramatically changed from death to life. And as we know from Scripture, Jesus was all about change. We read about the miracles that changed people’s lives. We read how Jesus changed the law of rules and regulations to the law of love. The people of the Way, as it was sometimes called, started to change the world and continue to do so.

So, how does this--what I would call the change of Jesus--have to do with the life of Michael, priest, gay person, follower of the Way, and most of all Beloved of God? Well, let me tell you. For brevity’s sake I shall put these changes in point form.

1. At the age of 18 I was a very shy, prudish young man--I joined the Royal Canadian Navy and by so doing my lifestyle as I knew it changed--I was becoming alive. I didn’t know it at the time. But now I see that the hand of God was there. I had wanted to be a priest at that early age. However, things had to change in my life. As a boy I said the words but did not know what they meant.

2. After leaving the navy I went to work for the Workers’ Compensation Board. The place was run like a military camp! I and a couple of other coworkers felt that working conditions had to change, so we started a Union which still exists today. The change: at long last I was not afraid to stand up for justice.

3. Around 1967 I came to terms with my sexuality.

Change: I came to appreciate other cultures, creeds, and so on.

4. During this time I visited with my relatives in England. I attended my cousin’s parish church which was very evangelical. Change: I learned that to be a Christian one must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ--it wasn’t (as I had thought) all about

4 | PAX: EASTER 2012

how one worships or what one wears, but rather to throw one’s arms around Jesus as you would a lover.

5. In 1981, for many reasons, I became a Roman Catholic. The calling to become a priest was still present and I heard this call again; as a result I was ordained to the priesthood in 1987. Change: not doing what I wanted but waiting and responding to the call of God. 6. However, life was not a bed of roses. After a series of events and the realization that I had grown up in a dysfunctional family, I sought out a therapist.

After a number of years it came to me that what I had done was get involved in a kind of spiritual dictatorship. Change: I left the Roman church--but not the priesthood.

7. I had had enough of organized religion by this point so I did not darken the door of a church for many years. However, from time to time I did celebrate Mass with friends in the confines of my apartment. Change: not totally giving up--but hanging on.

8. God does work in mysterious ways! One day a senior clergy person said to me, “Michael, don’t let the institution get in the way of God.” Change: I decided to join a worshipping community, and after a long while I approached the Bishop. And after a period of discernment, he received me as a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. Change: God had slowly been stripping away all the clutter in my life so that I could serve Him and the people of God, and not myself.

9. I am now an honorary assistant at St. James’. Are there more changes to come? As Jesus was willing to say to the Father, “Into your hands I commend my Spirit,” so also I know that change can bring new life.

So, not change for its own sake, but change because this is what God wills for us: To change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. And by so doing we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ--to die to self means to change.

Reformation: Europe’s House Divided, 1490-1700 James McKenzie

R

ecently a number of members of St. James’ congregation took the opportunity to view a series of DVDs produced by the BBC on the history of Christianity. The series was based on Diarmaid MacCulloch’s sweeping monograph, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years.

MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Saint Cross College, Oxford. Available in the Parish library, it has now been joined by MacCulloch’s history of the Reformation. Taking place in what is termed “early modern Europe,” the Reformation was a part of the many processes that shaped modern Western civilization. During this era the Latin Church ceased to be the dominant Western church, and our own Anglican faith was shaped out of the swirl of newly-formed Christian confessions.

Reformation is not about theology as such. It is a history of the social, political, and theological forces

that caused a rupture in the sway of the Church of Rome over Europe. This rupture changed how men and women lived their daily lives, how they responded to earthly and temporal authority, and how the modern states of Britain and continental Europe began their evolution. MacCulloch brings an even-handed and humane view of this era to our attention through his erudition and his marvellous writing ability. The book is best approached in sections and it is admirably laid out to do so, with its division into three parts and numerous sub-sections. The addition of a detailed index, copious endnotes, and an Appendix of Texts aids access and research. Don’t be put off from reading this book by its size (eight hundred plus pages); it is accessible and filled with the stories of women and men struggling with and for their faith, and you will find yourself caught up in their lives.

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 5

Tractarianism and Anglo-Catholic Identity There is no doubt that the Tractarians … recovered a more organic relationship between mystery and life. For, like the Fathers, the Tractarians connected the Christian life and Christian ethics with the mysteries of Christ, present in the Church. Not only was Christ to be regarded as an ideal pattern for imitation but, in all his mysteries, as a principle of life (Alf Hardelin, “The Sacraments in the Tractarian Spiritual Universe”).

I

n response to political and religious upheaval in England during the late 1820s and early 1830s, a group of men centred at Oxford University began publishing a series of tracts known as the “Tracts for the Times,” from which the group was eventually named the Tractarians, and their cause the Tractarian Movement. In all, they wrote 90 tracts between 1833 and 1841. Among the authors were John Keble, John Henry Newman, Edward Bouvarie Pusey, Isaac Williams, and Hurrell Froude. The tracts addressed a number of political, theological and social issues that arose in the wake of the Parliamentary reforms of Church and State.

Of particular importance for the Tractarians was their wish to address the identity vacuum created by these reforms. The reforms, by removing (among other things) the requirement that Members of Parliament must receive Holy Communion according to the rites of the Church of England, signalled that the character of British identity was no longer coterminous with the character of the Established Church. As J. C. D. Clark points out, “In 1828–9, the English were to discover … that Protestantism was not enough, for the Protestant Constitution was fundamentally redefined, or abandoned, by Parliament itself.” As the cultural and political hegemony of the Church crumbled, a deep chasm or vacuum grew in the very heart of the nation.

The Tractarians were troubled by the increasing tendency of some to fill this vacuum with an identity based mostly on a sense of nationalism. This tendency (or ‘Erastianism’), they observed, would remake the Church in the image of the culture. While they did not believe a sense of nationalism was wrong, they did not believe 6 | PAX: EASTER 2012

it should be the primary source of a Christian’s identity.

They believed this tension posed a far-reaching challenge for individual Christians. On the one hand, the Christian could not avoid the vacuum by disengaging from society. On the other hand, while acknowledging the inevitability of reflecting one’s surrounding culture, the Christian must ensure that his values remain the values taught by the Church. Indeed, the Christian should be seeking to shape the values of the nation according to the values and practices of the Church - values from a non-national source that could be embodied into his own local context with no loss of essential meaning.

To address these challenges of identity, the Tracts presented a distinct understanding of the Christian life wherein the Church functioned as the Christian’s primary public, not separate from the broader culture, but nonetheless a distinct entity within it. They taught that a Christian’s primary socio-political identity, and its attendant praxis, should come from membership and regular participation in the Church. In other words, among all the voices that influenced the Christian’s identity, the Tractarians argued that the Church must be allowed to speak with the loudest voice. This was true whether that voice complemented or conflicted with the national voice.

The Tractarians believed that the Church should function for Christians, in terms of their identity and values, in the same way that the nation was then functioning for those outside of the Church: [Christ] has actually set up a Society, which exists even at this day all over the world, and which … Christians are bound to join; so that to believe in Christ is not a mere opinion or a secret conviction, but a social or even a political principle, forcing one into what is often stigmatized as party strife, and quite inconsistent with the supercilious mood of those professed Christians of the day, who stand aloof, and designate their indifference as philosophy (Tracts for the Times No. 11).

palm sunday 2012. photo by tracy russell

Benjamin Amundgaard

The Christian’s commitment to the Church must be primary in every aspect of life. It must supersede all other conflicting commitments. Nevertheless, the Church was not to function in isolation from the rest of the nation. Rather, the life of the Church ought to inform the Christian’s interaction with the culture around him.

Fundamental to this understanding of Christian identity was a proper understanding of the Communion of Saints. The Tractarians, following the Church Fathers, said that the Christian must have a “deep sense of the Communion of Saints, as a relation really subsisting between them and the Patriarchs and Prophets, and not merely a figure of speech.” They stressed that the Communion of Saints was not a metaphor describing the work and witness of those who had gone before, but a real and living connection between all Christians, living and dead.

Neither time nor space, neither death nor life formed boundaries for the Communion of Saints.

The Christian’s membership in this Communion is dynamic, not static. While one entered the Church through baptism and left it only through excommunication or apostasy, the real bond of the Communion of Saints demanded continued participation in the ongoing life of the Church: ‘The Communion of Saints’ is maintained by unity of worship, by similarity of devotional forms, by one Baptism, and also by her Saints’ days; whereby various Churches throughout the world, by commemorating the same Saints, on the same days, preserve a communion of spirit with the living, and also with the dead, whom they commemorate. (Tract 87) This devotional life ought to mark the Christian out from the surrounding culture by informing one’s values and grounding all identity in the Church. This active participation with the saints who had gone before reminded the Christian that when one acted in accordance with the particular national context, one was doing so as a representative of and participant

in a body that extended beyond the geographical and chronological boundaries of the day. Thus, the Christian must see the social and political issues of the day in the larger context of the issues facing the Communion of Saints throughout time and space.

Participation in the Eucharist is the most important part of the ongoing, dynamic life of the Church.

Receiving Holy Communion on a regular basis not only acted as a visible marker of one’s membership in the Church, but it also reaffirmed one’s baptismal commitment and brought one’s focus back to Christ.

Moreover, when the Christian receives the bread and the wine, that person receives a measure of the same grace received in baptism. This grace renews the Christian and gives increased strength to live faithfully when one leaves the church building and enters the larger society.

Participation in the Eucharist is also a real and substantial link between the visible Church and the heavenly Kingdom, for this is the meal in which all members of the Church commune and come together. The Tractarians believed that, in the same way in which Christians shared one baptism, they also shared one meal. The Eucharist offers spiritual nourishment not only to the one receiving it, but also to the entire Church body, both living and dead. It was thus a mark of unity between heaven and earth as well as between individual Christians. It is ultimately both the sign and the reality of the union between the whole Church and Christ himself.

As an event that brings heaven and earth together in a great communal feast, the Eucharist for the Tractarians resolved the tension between mystery and common life by providing an identity rooted in the Incarnation. The society of those who are invited to that table, both living and dead, are indeed the Christian’s true countrymen and companions; for Christ is the true king. Only by participating in the Eucharistic feast, in the company of the saints, might Christians find their true identity.

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 7 photo: Chris Loh

The Bells of St. James’ | Christine Hatfull No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a Promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

From John Donne, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1624)

A

st. james’ centennial plaque, photo by christine hatfull

lone bell rang out the morning of June 13, 1886, from the little wooden church on the shore of Burrard Inlet, calling the faithful to Mass for Pentecost Sunday.

This festival day was very late in that year - a rare calendar occurrence - but that was not to be the only unusual thing about the day, nor the very last time the bell would be heard. This Whitsunday would

later be called “Black Sunday” - the Great Fire of 1886.

Soon after the service, through the wind and smoke, Father Henry Fiennes-Clinton was ringing the bell in distress, to warn citizens of an encroaching wildfire. Some twenty-two persons perished and 1,000 buildings were turned to ash in less than forty-five minutes. The bell was ultimately abandoned to the fire and reduced to a small pile of slag, which was retrieved from the ruins of this first St. James’ Church.

It remains now a precious artifact, yet unrecognizable as a bell, in the Museum of Vancouver.

Indeed, it is hard to imagine the waterfront as it was in 1886, on the edge of Gastown. The foreshore is now hundreds of meters away on the other side of the railway tracks and a park. A plaque commemorating the location of the church is on the wall of a building on Alexander Street just west of Main. Built soon after the devastation, from ballast brick out of the ships coming from China, the building represents what came to replace the wooden shantytown that was consumed by fire, now in accordance with a new bylaw that reinforced the building codes of the three

8 | PAX: EASTER 2012

original bell salvaged from the fire in 1886, courtesy of the museum of vancouver

develop, manage and operate an innovative project at Vancouver’s former Remand Centre - furthering the Society’s mandate of “strengthening communities by providing vital support to Vancouver’s most vulnerable citizens.” The ripple effect of their work is like the sound waves emanating from a ringing bell. It reminds us that we all share in the life of our world, and tells of how St. James’ shares in the ongoing history, society and spiritual life of Metro Vancouver. The bells of St. James’ continue to toll not only for death but for new life.

photo by christine hatfull

month-old City of Vancouver. A second church was built at the corner of Gore and Cordova Streets on land donated by the CPR. But by 1904, Father Clinton was calling for a new, more permanent structure and just fifty years after the fire, in 1938 and with great public acclaim, Father Cooper (the current rector) saw the consecration of a beautiful, innovative, cast concrete Neo-Gothic church, complete with a peal of eight bells in a carillon. This is the third St. James’ church building, unrecognizable from its humble beginnings.

But a state of emergency persisted downtown in the form of social neglect, and rather like the bell calling out from the wooden church years ago, a small yet insistent voice was calling May Gutteridge. She was a parishioner who responded to the challenges of the neighbourhood, and whose perseverance and practicality along with many volunteers founded in 1961 what would become the flourishing St. James’ Community Service Society of today.

Recognized for its leadership in social services, the Society was recently selected by BC Housing to

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 9

Please Support Our Northern Clergy Families Celia Dodds

C

an you imagine what it must be like to be a clergy spouse, with a family living in a small community in one of the northern dioceses, hundreds of miles from the nearest city? The lucky ones are those where the priest has a stipend; but often he must administer several parishes large distances apart, which entails a lot of travelling. Several of the priests are non-stipendiary, and have to hold down a second job to make a living.

There is never enough money to take a trip or buy new clothes. All the money goes towards basic essentials which cost so much more than in the big city.

The Canadian Mothers’ Union has been administering the Northern Clergy Families’ Fund since 1974. It was originally known as The Northern Clergy Wives’ Holiday Fund; in 1986 it changed to The Northern Clergy Wives’ Discretionary Fund, and finally in 1992 was given its present title to encompass the wider needs of families in the North. It is the principal fundraiser for our national outreach, while Make a Mother’s Day is for Mothers’ Union global outreach. It is growing steadily year by year from donations received, not just from Mothers’ Union branches, but also from Anglican Church Women and individual churches. We started in January 2011 with $16,854, and at the beginning of November we sent out twenty-five gifts of $950.00 to the spouses of clergy in the northern dioceses.

Our NCFF Coordinator initiates the process by writing to the bishops of the North in turn, requesting the names and contact information of two needy recipients in their diocese. Once this information is received, Joan writes to each recipient enclosing a cheque for $950.00, which is non-taxable. This process often takes several weeks (or even months) to be completed, owing to the slow delivery of mail or to the movement of clergy, especially during the summer; the letter can sit in the PO Box for several

10 | PAX: EASTER 2012

weeks before being collected. Joan Titus requests that recipients acknowledge receipt of the cheque as soon as possible so that she can then open up correspondence with bishops of other dioceses. She also requests any information they can give about their lives in these remote communities.

You can imagine the joy and gratitude receipt of this sum of money creates. This year one recipient was able to purchase needed maternity clothes and items for a coming baby. Another priest’s wife was able to travel to her daughter’s wedding and buy a modest outfit for herself. A third, husband of a priest, had just purchased a guitar, the cost of which just matched the gift. Another wife of a priest used the gift to stock up on food items and pay bills. Everything costs so much in these communities because it all has to be shipped in once or twice a year.

St. James’ Mothers’ Union sends money each year at Christmas time from our fundraisers. If any individuals are able to make a donation, please see our website at www.mothersunioncanada.ca and use the Canadahelps “Donate now” button on the home page, or send a cheque to Joan Titus at 1966 Gillespie Road, Sooke, BC, V9Z 0Z2. palm sunday 2012. photo by tracy russell

Resurrection

John Donne (1572 - 1631) SLEEP, sleep, old sun, thou canst not have repass’d, As yet, the wound thou took’st on Friday last; Sleep then, and rest; the world may bear thy stay; A better sun rose before thee to-day; Who—not content to enlighten all that dwell On the earth’s face, as thou—enlighten’d hell, And made the dark fires languish in that vale, As at thy presence here our fires grow pale; Whose body, having walk’d on earth, and now Hasting to heaven, would—that He might allow Himself unto all stations, and fill all— For these three days become a mineral.

He was all gold when He lay down, but rose All tincture, and doth not alone dispose Leaden and iron wills to good, but is Of power to make e’en sinful flesh like his.

Had one of those, whose credulous piety Thought that a soul one might discern and see Go from a body, at this sepulchre been, And, issuing from the sheet, this body seen, He would have justly thought this body a soul, If not of any man, yet of the whole.

Desunt caetera*

* This Latin phrase means “the rest is lacking,” for Donne did not complete this poem, or at the least he didn’t finish it as he wished.

ASK !

BEAR

Dear Bear, When is a member of the clergy called Father, Mother, Brother, or Sister? — Tracy Russell Dear Tracy, Here are some of the customs in the western church: Brother and sister are used for those who have professed monastic vows, of which there are many degrees and that follow various Rules. Examples at St. James’ are Sister (Sr.) Mary Christian Cross, and Brother (Br.) John Blyth.

Of course, in a very general way, which does not signify a religious profession, we may say that we are all “brothers” and “sisters” in Christ.

Mother, historically, was applied only to a nun who held the office as a superior in a religious community (or Mother Superior, or Abbess), the male equivalent being Abbott or Prior (not Father, but sometimes Father Superior). Now Mother is sometimes used for women priests, especially Anglo-Catholic; this usage is recent (Mother Jessica and Mother Alexis).

Father is used to address any priest, or bishop; again, it is most common in Catholic and Anglo-Catholic expressions (Father Mark, Father Michael, Father Matthew). But bishops are commonly addressed as “Bishop M.,” or simply as “Bishop”; the old tradition, still current in some parts of the Anglican Communion, is to say “Your Grace,” in personal conversation. In formal usage, bishops are addressed as “The Right Reverend Father.” An archbishop is the head of a particular ecclesiastical province or jurisdiction, and the formal address becomes “The Most Reverend.”

Among the Desert Fathers and Mothers, we seem to have an early exception where these ascetic Christians were known as Abba or Amma so-and-so, not because they were priests (they usually weren’t), but because of their maturity and heroism in Christ.

Traditionally, deacons are known as “Brother.” However, I don’t know of any precedent for women deacons to be called “Sister.” While Sister Mary Christian Cross is in fact a deacon, she is also a professed member of a religious order.

— Bear Bear is the first resident canine at St. James’ Rectory. As a member of the Greenaway-Robbins and parish family, he is privy to many and varied meetings, conversations, and gatherings. Though usually silent, in this column he offers his perspective on parish life.

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 11

Serving at Low Mass: A Reflection | Tim Firth “...And grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in newness of life...”

faith, which of course are always related in some fascinating or unimagined fashion. And as pilgrims on the road, we are thus led on from strength to strength, f you consult the concordance in your Bible, deeper and deeper into the mystery, closer to God. you will find that there are many occasions on Every word or gesture, every symbolic act, is ritually which the words “serve,” “server,” and “servant” and spiritually charged. appear. While many of these usages profoundly As the form of the Mass unfolds there comes with describe and capture our experiences, emotions and it, I find, a quiet joy, enveloping one almost in slow roles as followers of Christ, here the focus is on the motion, like a big wave gradually washing over you; server assisting the priest during Mass. for the pace is not hurried, nor should it be. It is a The power of the Mass is readily perceived by the pace at which one can be at peace. There is space senses and the mind. It is an excitaround and within the words and ing and emotional event.

The symbolic acts into which beauty, Wherever and whenever liturgy is the formal corporate I enter into these mysteries, thanksgiving, and love swirl and worship of our faith communresonate. It feels as if the liturgy I always discover ity, the totality of words, music, and the pacing are designed to to my continual delight actions, and symbolic aids. At facilitate reflection and that quiet that there is always more, Low Mass music is absent. Yet, joy just spoken of, warming us a well of treasure words, gestures and symbols are as rays of sunlight streaming in without bottom. more than sufficient to convey the through a window. drama. The contents and effect Because Christ’s story did not of these words, gestures, and symbols open up and end with his crucifixion, we still gather two thousand make transparent insights and much deep meaning. years on to celebrate the victory over the cross. Jesus Wherever and whenever I enter into these mysdied then rose to new life. We still seek to be--and teries, I always discover to my continual delight are--transformed by this new life celebrated and lived that there is always more, a well of treasure without at the Mass. These things we hear, know, and believe bottom. Glimpses, or things solidly grasped, lead but ultimately, as T. S. Eliot has said, we are not here to further interest in other aspects of the liturgy and to verify, but to kneel.

12 | PAX: EASTER 2012

palm sunday 2012. photo by tracy russell

I

The Joy of Serving During High Mass | Irene Vandas

I

have been attending St. James’ now for almost fifteen years, and have for the last year been participating as one of the servers during High Mass. During those first years I marvelled at the attentiveness and reverence that each server seemed to display, and wondered if ever I would be called to serve in such a way. I loved to sit and gaze from my seat at the beautiful unfolding of the Mass and the frequent processions that took place depending on which feast day was being celebrated. But, given the nature of my evangelical Protestant upbringing, I often found myself struggling with this form of worship. The tradition I came from instilled in me the value of a free and informal expression of worship, and so, I often struggled with the structured nature of High Mass. My ingrained Protestant roots resisted the more Catholic expressions of frequent genuflecting and crossing of oneself.

This simple realization helped me confront my fear, and in the face of my struggle, I made the decision to fully embrace the worship during High Mass, in all its expressions. As a result, I chose to become one of the High Mass servers. The transition has been effortless and has been an experience filled with peace and joy.

And now it feels like second nature to be at the altar with other brothers and sisters in Christ, and to serve the church, knowing that from this place of worship my expression is acceptable in the sight of God.

I was afraid of my worship turning into a ritualistic act...

servers processing, november 6, 2011. photo by elaine jan

For these reasons, I knew that being a server would probably always be impossible. As much as I grew to love the formal expression of the High Mass service I felt heavily confined with a resistance of not wanting to conform. I was afraid of my worship turning into a ritualistic act and it becoming somehow meaningless as a result. And then one day a very dear friend of mine challenged me to take a more humble stance, and to see how any form of worship is acceptable to God as long as it comes from the right motive of the heart. Whether one expresses love for God through song or dance or whether it is through the sign of the cross, each action can remind us of our need for God’s grace and mercy. In fact, the sign of the Cross--as a symbolic expression of remembering God’s sacrifice for us--may have a stronger impact of reminding us of these things.

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 13

Salmon Run | Linda Adams Laughing children run along the river, poking sticks, examining rocks, bending - when they remember to peer into the river running red with spawning salmon.

Gray-haired, their elders move more slowly, pausing to reflect by pools where salmon rest, gathering strength for another foray into the current.

The water is shallow.

Scarlet backs and hooked green snouts break the surface, grappling for position before red roe resting on the gravel below become impermeable to fertilization.

As carefree children run and shout, the milky spawn is released.

Life once brilliant in reds and greens fades slowly to shades of gray, leaving pale staring eyes lying empty on the sand, reflecting the sky.

14 | PAX: EASTER 2012

The silvery innocence of childhood never looks for the tears in the eyes of its elders whose lives bear the deeper color and the scars of the salmon who have fought the currents upstream and struggled to leave something of themselves behind; who know of beginnings that become endings, and endings that become beginnings, and who long for home and the waters of their birth.

Bound for the sea, the children’s stories wait for them in the endless oceans that gave rise to all life.

As the elders drift down to the river’s shore, embracing their own stories in the salmon flowing red as their life’s blood, the Spirit moves over the waters of the river, over the waters of the far off salty ocean, over the water of a single salt tear sliding down a cheek, while sheltered in the gravel on the river’s bottom new life begins.

Farewell to Long-Term Servants of St. James’

Susana Bulasao just returned to her first home in the Philippines. She was a very generous parishioner both with her time and treasure. She: • Was a member of Servers’, Women’s and Sanctuary Guilds • Looked after the church one day a week some years ago when the door was opened at 6:30 AM to welcome 50 or 60 persons for shelter and sleep. She was able to escort the big men out at noon, despite their demands for money, food and washrooms • When living at St. Luke’s, was the emergency replacement for a missing server for a midweek Mass and for a baby sitter for Simeon and Anna Greenaway-Robbins These are some of her contributions - we will miss her!

They say a call has come to go To follow where He leads.

With pilgrim staffs and wonderment ... Okay tickets check, visas check, Marriage certificate check and yes, love for this congregation check.

Elizabeth Feeley, Palm Sunday 2012 After seven years of worshipping with us at St. James’, and five years of service in the Narthex Guild (the last two of which Philip was the head) and years of serving in the Readers’ and Intercessors’ Guild, Elizabeth and Philip Feeley are moving to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They will be doing medical research at King Khalid Hospital.

photo by tracy russell

susana’s farewell, photo by elaine jan

She gave away her steel-toed boots.

She gave away her hat.

He parted with his favourite games And all sorts of this and that.

PAX: EASTER 2012 | 15

Did You Know? Parish Life at St. James’ New Members of our christian Family On January 8, the Baptism of the Lord, we welcomed two new members to the family of God: Lily Elizabeth LeClair, and Gavin Logan Tataren.

Lily is the daughter of Christine Carlick, and comes regularly to High Mass with her mom. Gavin is the great-grandson of our long-time parishioner Helen Tataren, and is the latest of many family members to be baptized at St. James’.

At the same High Mass, the Mothers’ Union banner - bearing the names of all those baptized during the previous year - was blessed. This banner and the ones from previous years hang in the Parish Hall. Take a closer look sometime!

At the Saturday Vigil Mass on March 17, Mirabelle Marion Andersen and Angus Robert Anthony Crerar were baptized and welcomed to God’s family. We are celebrating also the baptism of Dylan James Amundgaard at the Easter Vigil, and are looking forward to the baptisms of Shyla Coan and Julian Bastow at a later date. We are delighted to have so many new babies in our midst!

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE In January at St. James’, there was a memorial service for Jason Modrijan and a Requiem Mass for Brian Kaneen. Brian was a member of the Servers’ Guild and his faithful service and his friendship are greatly missed.

Patricia Harris, another long-time parishioner, died on March 20th and a Requiem Mass was celebrated for her on March 24th. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

16 | PAX: EASTER 2012

ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING The 2012 AVM was held on February 19. We are grateful for all those who are continuing to serve for another year in their various terms of office, and we welcome several people into new positions of responsibility.

Brian Rocksborough-Smith begins his term in 2012 as Rector’s Warden; Jane Turner will act as Parish Council President; Erin Kenny takes on the duties of Parish Council Secretary; and Elisha May Walker will be our Youth Delegate to Synod. All those elected or appointed as officers of the Parish for 2012, along with all those serving as heads of our many committees, guilds, and ministries for the coming year, were inducted at High Mass on February 26. We very much appreciate their example of servant leadership at St. James’.

EDUCATION AND FORMATION AT ST. JAMES’ The spring Formation program has been varied and interesting. On Sunday mornings from January 15th to February 5th, those attending viewed an excellent sixpart video series called ‘A History of Christianity: The First 3,000 Years.’

This was followed by an informative session on Anglican Chant led

by Ruth Greenaway-Robbins. The current Formation series, being held from February 26th to April 22nd, explores the seven sacraments of the church, with the aim of helping us grow into a way of seeing and living in the world that reverences life as holy mystery. All are welcome at 9:30 on Sunday mornings to enjoy these and many other wonderful opportunities!

STRAWBERRY TEA The Mothers’ Union is pleased to announce it is hosting a Strawberry Tea on Sunday, June 24, 2012. It will take place right after High Mass and will take the place of Coffee Hour that day. Tickets will be sold in advance in June.

HOLY FAITH LIBRARY EXPANSION Librarian Tim Firth has been heading up the reorganization and drive for new acquisitions for the Parish library. Tim has a list of desired books that can be purchased and donated to the church. You will receive a tax receipt for the value of the book. For a list of titles and suggestions about where to purchase them, please contact Tim at timfirth@shaw.ca.

NEW JULIAN GATHERING This spring Mother Alexis Saunders, Oblate of the Order of Julian of Norwich, began to lead a monthly gathering of those wanting to study and meditate on the writings of Dame Julian of Norwich. The group meets once a month for a potluck supper, reading, meditation and discussion. If you would like more information, please contact Mother Alexis at 778-882-3307.

LENT AT st. JAMES’ The observance of Lent and Holy Week at St. James’ always includes many opportunities for growth in our individual and corporate lives in Christ. This issue of PAX would not be complete without a thank you to everyone who gave of their time and their own unique gifts to prepare us to celebrate and follow the risen Lord.

Rachel Busby & Wendelin Jordan Engagement Announcement, February 19, 2012. Photo by Tracy Russell

March for the Missing Women, February 14, 2012. Photo by Judy Graves

Requiem Mass for Brian Kaneen, January 17, 2012. Photo by Elaine Jan

Candlemas Potluck, February 2, 2012.

Photo by Elaine Jan

Thanking Jane Turner at the Annual Vestry Meeting, February 19, 2012. Photo by Elaine Jan

Making Palm Crosses, March 30, 2012.

Photo by Elaine Jan

Palm Sunday Parade, April 1, 2012.

Photo by Tracy Russell

303 East Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC, v6a 1l4 Telephone: 604 685 2532 Fax: 604 685 7605 Email: office@stjames.bc.ca

www.stjames.bc.ca our vision: Discovering the beauty of holiness in our lives and neighbourhood, by living a Christ-centred sacramental life rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.

PAX is free, but voluntary subscriptions of $10/year are welcome. PAX aims to be financially self-sustaining and therefore donations to support this ministry are greatly appreciated, and may be offered through your envelope (clearly marked PAX), mailed to the church office, or submitted on the church website with a credit card. The material printed in PAX is produced by members and friends of St. James’ Church in Vancouver, Canada. A theme-based call for submissions is issued two to six weeks prior to each edition in the Sunday church bulletins. All submissions to PAX will receive acknowledgement of reception and be reviewed and edited by an editorial panel made up of the managing editor of PAX, a Warden, a member of the clergy, and one additional parishioner. Submissions are reviewed to the extent that they fit the mandate of PAX. All submissions may be edited for length, the maximum being 500 words unless otherwise specified.

palm sunday 2012. photo by christine hatfull

PAX no. 14 © 2012 St. James’ Anglican Church Editorial Panel: Jen Amundgaard (on leave), Paul Stanwood, Tracy Russell, Mother Jessica Schaap Designer & Art Director: Jen Amundgaard Writers: Fr. Mark Greenaway-Robbins, Angela Van Luven, Joyce Locht, Celia Dodds, Bear, Fr. Michael Forshaw, James McKenzie, Linda Adams, Tim Firth, Irene Vandas, Christine Hatfull, Benjamin Amundgaard, Elizabeth Feeley Photography: Tracy Russell, Elaine Jan, Christine Hatfull, Judy Graves Distribution: Mary Brown Archivist: Jane Turner