Weekly Newsletter

March 20th, 2026

A Note from Rev. Holly

Dear St George’s,

My preoccupation, both in ceramics and in the spiritual life, is about finding meaning in death in our context… and through that, to discover new meaning in life. It isn’t just the Tibetan Buddhists who have an amazing monastic tradition of meditating on one’s death. In the Benedictine tradition, monks are taught to remember death daily as a meditation. It’s called Memento Mori. I suggest that John 11, can be a significant Memento Mori for us, in this era.

Jesus says I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Currently, our material/medical-focused culture has effectively reduced life to having one meaning, that is, our physical life on this earth which ends when we cease to breathe. If this life is all there is, then let us by all means eliminate the suffering we might endure at our end. But the consequence of this way of thinking can be seen in what I have described above: the growing silence around death, and the indecency of grief.

In John’s gospel there are two words for Life. One is Psyché the natural life we count in years and which dies. The other is Zoé, which is the spiritual life, the life of the Resurrection, the life given in believing in Jesus into which we are born in baptism. Our life on earth is given—if we choose—as our way to grow into the Way of life of Jesus.

These two kinds of Life are not incompatible with one another. Our psyché can be disposed or not disposed to believing in the Zoé of eternal life, in this life and beyond. But this is precisely what is difficult for many in our day. It requires a multivalent understanding of our life, our very selves. It is embraced in some kind of imagining of what that unseen life might be in us and for us, and we are poor when it comes to such imagination on our own.

Martha is the representative figure of the faith of the evangelist John himself. She believes who Jesus is, the Son of God, though she has as yet seen no sign of resurrection in her experience to base this faith on. Despite her grief and disappointment, she believes. But Jesus’ absence from Lazarus while he was ill, and his arriving too late after his death, has a purpose. The evangelist is addressing those in his community, and all those who will read the gospel down through the ages, who have not seen Jesus in the flesh who will believe in him despite his apparent absence in their experience. 1

Mary and those who were grieving with her, on the other hand, are not so willing to believe without seeing. They are representative of the natural experience of grief, of the tears of loss which Jesus shares. It is for them and us that Jesus resuscitates Lazarus, the last of his signs before his own Passion, so that they may come to believe that in Jesus is this Life which is never really absent, this Zoé from God, which he desires to share with them.

There are, of course, also those who see this sign, but choose to be blind to its meaning. But we will hear more about all those people as Holy Week progresses.

For now, I have a question: What Memento mori practices might we take on which would help us grow into this faith in the presence of Eternal Life, even if this Zoé that is Jesus, can seem apparently absent in our experience?

Our Life in the Body of Christ needs nourishment. We come together for the Eucharist. The Eucharist itself, and Baptism, are each a kind of Memento Mori, a remembering of and participation in the death and Resurrection of Jesus. We trust that the taste of Eternal Life we receive will never die and is freely given to all who will receive it. But to experience this Life fully, we need each other in community. It is important to be bearers of it for others.

One way might be to visit those we know who are ill, who have given much of themselves to the community but are now in long term or palliative care. Especially those who receive few if any visitors, who themselves may be tempted, like Martha and Mary at first, to believe that Jesus is absent when needed, that the Light of the World has gone out. And if we are unable to visit, we can pray for them and send cards to let them know we are remembering them. (I know an oncologist who prays for his patients nightly before he goes to sleep.) This can help renew and refresh in us that hope and love which we see rekindled in the others’ lives. And likewise, if we are ill and not able to visit others, we too can pray for absent ones. Such actions have a way of working in us more than we can imagine. I pray that this Holy Week and Easter season may be a time in which our awareness of the presence of Eternal Life may grow in us, even as we share of its presence with others.

Holly

1 Schneiders, Sandra. Death in the Community of Eternal Life: History, Theology and Spirituality in John 11, Interpretation vol 41 (1): 44-56, 1987.

Table of Contents:

What to expect in this issue of the Newsletter!

1. Updates for this week
   1. Maundy Thursday Art Talk
   2. Shawls for Parishioners
   3. "Burst" into Spring Campaign
   4. Call for Passion Play Actors
2. In Case You Missed It!
   1. Bishop's Spring Dinner
   2. Lenten programming at St. George's
3. Sunday Service Information

Updates for this Week, March 13th:

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. Celebrated for his superb artistry and great intellect, Poussin spent most of his career in Rome, where he painted two unprecedented series of works devoted to the seven sacraments (including Eucharist - the Last Supper). Together, we’ll explore these moving masterpieces; their contrasts and use of symbolism, as well as the religious and historical contexts in which they were created.

Poussin's personal scholarship defines his works, and in rediscovering his history, we stand to rediscover our own. Come on a journey through archaeology, religious movements like the Counter Reformation, the practices of the Early Church in Rome, new movements like the Oratorians, and Poussin’s intellectual circles, as we decode what Poussin has to tell us about today's world and our faith.

Call for Passion Play Actors

Our annual Passion Play is coming up Sunday, March 29th and we need you!

If you're interested in reading one of the roles, please reach out to the office at office@st-georgeschurch.org !

Burst" into Spring Campaign: Help St. George's Recover from our Burst Radiator Disaster!

Dear Friends of St. George's,

As many of you have heard, on Wednesday, January 28, a radiator in Rev'd. Heather's office burst, geysering hot water all over the church annex and flooding the basement archives. Some documents, archives, and vestments were lost, but due to the heroic efforts of many who stepped up that week and in the weeks following, many more precious items were saved from the flood waters.
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Now, we must fix the significant plumbing and structural damage that our church building sustained during this disaster. This involves making an insurance claim for tens of thousands of dollars. The insurance deductible required to begin work is $10,000, and we must raise this money ourselves.
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We are launching our "Burst" into Spring Campaign, which aims to raise the $10,000 required to begin the repair work on our building. This campaign also serves as our annual Easter campaign, and it will last from March 22 until Pentecost Sunday May 24. We are asking everyone who has interacted with us, everyone who has fond memories of this place, to consider supporting us during our time of need. The suggested donation is either $50 or $100, depending on your ability and comfort level.
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Donations can be made by cash, cheque, or on CanadaHelps. No matter how you donate, please make sure to mark your donation with the words "Burst into Spring" so that your donation goes to the correct place. All donations are tax deductible. If you have any questions about this campaign or how to contribute, please contact Chloe Caso, Stewardship Committee Chair, at chloecaso91@gmail.com.
Thank you very much for your support!

Yours sincerely,

The St. George's Stewardship Committee

Call for Passion Play Actors

Our annual Passion Play is coming up Sunday, March 29th and we need you!

If you're interested in reading one of the roles, please reach out to the office at office@st-georgeschurch.org !

In Case You Missed It: Reruns from Last Week's Newsletter

Bishop's Spring Dinner

Join us May 1st at 6PM for the Spring Dinner 2026! This gathering is a chance to savour good food and reconnect with one another, while supporting the work of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal.

For more information and tickets, click: HERE​

St. George's 2026 Lenten Offerings

Tuesday Night Compline with Rev’d Ben Crosby, 8:00pm on Zoom from February 24th - March 31st

The link to join the meeting is here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82316871217?pwd=P8pvRyuwKJVMtoa3GSt9kkwb9aeNuD.1​

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

This Friday, March 20th

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Zoom Link for Services

Ways to Give to St. George's​

• Interac transfer to accounting@st-georgeschurch.org

• Contact the office at office@st-georgeschurch.org to initiate or change your PAR giving

• Mail a cheque to: St. George’s Church, 1101 Rue Stanley, Montreal, QC, H3B2S6​
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