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St George's Newsletter, February 27th
Published about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Weekly Newsletter
February 27th, 2026
Jesus MAFA, Nicodemus, Cameroon, 1973: JESUS MAFA is a response to the New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings.
A Note from Rev. Heather
Dear St George’s,
As we enter fully into this Lenten season, I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out to our Annual Vestry Meeting last week. I am encouraged by your participation and look forward to what the next year will bring. We face many challenges (primarily building-related) but the vibrancy and commitment of our community are undeniable. The Holy Spirit is at work, and as St Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Speaking of God with us, yesterday morning, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book, Dancing to the heartbeat of God by the Anglican Communion, arrived on my doorstep, and I am eagerly catching up. Being in Canada, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book is often late to arrive. I remember in 2016, I was with You, by Kathryn Greene-McCreight arrived so late that I ended up using it for a summer book club rather than a Lenten Discipline!
This year's book is a collection of essays that have been helpfully divided into weekly readings. Each one was written by a seasoned leader in the Anglican Church from across the Communion. It does a beautiful job of grounding the reader in the depth and breadth of the Global Communion.
I am pleased to report that the Anglican Church of Canada is well represented with chapters by our Primate, Shane Parker; Helen Kennedy, Bishop of Qu’Appelle; Anne Germond, Bishop of Algoma and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario; and Risccylla Shaw, Suffragan Bishop in the Diocese of Toronto.
In my sermon last week, I touched on how our personal/private Lenten Disciplines are caught up in the Corporate act of Lent. As the Church repents, reflects, and prepares for Easter, we are collectively drawn home to questions about who we are, what we value, and whether or not we live into that identity and those values. To that end, I offer you the prayer at the end of The Most Rev’d Justin Duckworth’s (Archbishop in the Province of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia) chapter entitled The Prophetic Witness of Friendship:
“Lord God, your heart so desired the reconciliation of all people that you sent your only Son to achieve what we could not. We praise you for this gift and ask that you help us to live lives worthy of the calling we have received through the cross. As your people, may we be empowered by your Spirit to have simple stories of deep friendship across division to share, so that the world may know that the relationship Jesus offers is open to all. Amen.
Table of Contents:
What to expect in this issue of the Newsletter!
Updates for this week, February 27th
Lenten Poem Collection
Lenten Webinar with the Archbishop of York
Lenten programming at St. George's
Sandwich Sunday: March 1st
In Case You Missed It!
Annual Vestry Circular
Sunday Service Information
Updates for this week, February 27th
Lenten Poem Collection
Author Brad Modlin collected 47 poems on Lenten themes for Church of the Epiphany, Verdun and has kindly agreed to share them with our congregation.
The poems cover:
"prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and mortality, peace, grief, endurance, hope, Christ's face with the suffering, and other themes that may come up during Lent"
Lenten webinar led by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
You are warmly invited to join us on Saturday, March 7, from 1:00–3:00 PM (Eastern Time) for a special Lenten webinar led by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York. Throughout his ministry, Archbishop Cottrell has been inviting people to rediscover The Lord’s Prayer—not as familiar words to recite by habit, but as a bold, life-shaping call to transformation. He reminds us that this prayer is meant to stir the heart, challenge the spirit, and draw us into deeper relationship with God. In this two-hour session, the Archbishop will share fresh insights from his recent teaching tour across northern England, offering a thoughtful and inspiring exploration of this central Christian prayer. This gathering provides a meaningful way to enrich your Lenten journey and reflect on a prayer we often say—but don’t always stop to truly hear. All are welcome. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for an afternoon of reflection, learning, and spiritual renewal.
Wednesday Night Discussion Group with Rev’d Dr Holly Ratcliffe from February 25th- March 25th. Meet to watch Rev’d Dr Jesse Zink's series The Christian gospel in works of contemporary culture, at 7:00pm. Then, on a separate zoom link, those of us from St George’s will gather to discuss the course content for another 30 to 45 minutes, closing with prayer.
To register, send an email directly to Holly at h.ratcliffe@st-georgeschurch.org We look forward to seeing you there and to growing together in faith as individuals and as a community with the help of this course! May this be a blessed Lent!
Palm/Passion Sunday: March 29th, 10:30am
Wednesday Holy Week Service: April 1st, 12:15pm
Maundy Thursday Art Talk & Potluck: Join us to share a meal and listen to a lecture by Hilliard Goldfarb titled Poussin: Art & Faith in 17th-century Rome. More information to come! Keep an eye on the Newsletter!
Good Friday Service: April 3rd, 3pm
Easter Sunday: April 5th, 9am and 10:30am
Sandwich Sunday, March 1st
After an extended break, we're back!!! Join us after the 10:30 service on March 1st for an afternoon of sandwich-making for St. Michael's Mission! We will be making PB&J with the jam donated by the congregation! There will also be colouring activities for kids! We are also sharing a potluck lunch - if you'd like to contribute, bring a dish! But no pressure, you'll be fed :) Hope to see you there!
St. George's Annual AGM is this Sunday, February 22nd! To prepare, we invite you to take a look at our Vestry Circular and read about what 2025 has looked like for our Church and community.
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