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St George's Newsletter, March 6th
Published about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Weekly Newsletter
March 6th, 2026
Title: Christ and the Samaritan Woman Date: ca. 1470 Artist unknown.
A Note from Rev. Heather
Dear St George’s,
As we continue our Lenten journey, I thought I would share a poem by Montreal-born poet and novelistRosanna Eleanor Leprohon. She was born in 1829 and died in 1879, nine short years after our beloved St George’s first opened its doors.
This poem is of particular interest for this week’s newsletter as it anticipates our Gospel reading on Sunday.
Close beside the crystal waters of Jacob’s far-famed well,
Whose dewy coolness gratefully upon the parched air fell,
Reflecting back the bright hot heavens within its waveless breast,
Jesus, foot-sore and weary, had sat Him down to rest.
Alone was He—His followers had gone to Sichar near,
Whose roofs and spires rose sharply against the heavens clear,
For food which Nature craveth, whate’er each hope or care,
And which, though Lord of Nature, He disdained not to share.
While thus He calmly waited, came a woman to the well,
With water vase poised gracefully, and step that lightly fell,
One of Samaria’s daughters, most fair, alas! but frail,
Her dark locks bound with flowers instead of modest, shelt’ring veil.
No thought of scornful anger within His bosom burned,
Nor, with abhorrent gesture, His face from her He turned;
But as His gaze of purity dwelt on her, searching, meek,
Her bright eyes fell, and blushes hot burned on her brow and cheek.
He told her with a gentleness, by God-like pity nursed,
Of wond’rous living fountains at which to slake her thirst;
That those whose lips, thrice blessed, should a draught from them obtain,
Despite earth’s toils and troubles, would ne’er know thirst again.
He spoke, too, of the frailties which her womanhood had marred,
That priceless crown which, she, alas! had sadly failed to guard,
No word of bold denial did that woman dare to plan—
She felt that He who spoke with her was more than mortal man.
And when the twelve disciples returned, their errand done,
They wondered at His converse with that lost and erring one,
But still they asked no question, while she, with thoughtful mien,
Returned to tell her friends at home of all that she had seen.
Not only for that daughter of Samaria’s hot clime—
Child of an ancient people, of a by-gone faith and time—
Was meant the exhortation that from His lips then fell,
But for His Christian children, for us, to-day, as well.
For us, still pure and sparkling, those living waters flow
Of which He told Samaria’s child long centuries ago:
Forgetting thoughts of earthly pride, and hopes of worldly gain,
Seek we but once of them to drink—we’ll never thirst again.
This work was originally published in the Canadian Illustrated News, a weekly Magazine published in English from 1869 to 1883 (though it is interesting to note that the same publisher produced a French counterpart called: L'Opinion publique. Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon was an English Canadian married to a French-Canadian doctor who made significant contributions to the Canadian literary landscape and is often credited with opening up French Canadian perspectives to English-speaking Canada. She began publishing as a teenager and continued throughout her life; her last book, a collection of poems, was published posthumously in 1881.
It is interesting - I think - to explore how the Christians who came before us in our particular context have engaged with scripture, to ask ourselves how their faith shapes the world we live in now, and to wonder together how our faith will shape the world of those who come after us. I leave you with a prayer shared by the Rt Rev’d Dr DeDe Duncan-Probe, Diocesan Bishop of Central New York, from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for this year, Dancing to the Heartbeat of God:
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer)
Yours in Christ,
H+
Table of Contents:
What to expect in this issue of the Newsletter!
Updates for this week, March 6th
Bishop's Spring Dinner
In Case You Missed It!
Lenten programming at St. George's
Lenten Poem Collection
Lenten Webinar with the Archbishop of York
Sunday Service Information
Updates for this Week, March 6th:
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.
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
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.
With the winter being as intense as it has been, we would like to announce that we will be maintaining our 24/7 opening hours until the end of April to help our community through the last of the rough weather. That being said, we have initiated a new pilot project of outreach work in the neighborhood to help reach people in the neighborhood who are in need. I am including a photo of Edgar, one of our peer support workers who is now on our outreach team. Don’t hesitate to say hello if you see him around.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to send us an email at info@stmichaelsmission.ca and we’ll help you out.
For donations this week, we can use some hygiene supplies, and winter accessories:
o Men’s underwear
o Sweatpants
o Shirts
o Razors
o Toothpaste & brushes
o Bodywash
o Hats
o Mittens
o Boots
As usual we also are very happy to receive tupperware, yogurt containers, empty pill containers, etc… (for distributions of food, shampoo, etc…).
If you have a lot of stuff to bring to us, you can use our in-kind donations form HEREor on our website to let us know you’re coming by.
We also have a new Amazon Wishlist that you can find HERE to get a better idea of some of our more pressing needs.
And, as always, you are welcome to drop in and say hello!
Until next week!
Emma
This Sunday, March 8th
Title: Christ and the Samaritan Woman Date:ca. 1308-1311 Artist: Duccio, di Buoninsegna
Third Sunday in Lent
At 9 AM
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42
At 10:30 AM
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42
Zoom Link for Services
The link for the 10:30 AM Sunday service can be found on our website:
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