This Sunday we celebrate the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. Please join us for in-person worship! Holy Eucharist (BCP) begins at 8:30 am, and Sung Eucharist (BAS) at 10:30 am. Our preacher will be the Reverend Victoria Scott.

For those of you who are not joining us in-person this weekend, please CLICK HERE to join the live-stream Sunday at 10:30. We hope you will share this service with others in appropriate ways, abiding physical distancing. 

CLICK HERE to open your Order of Service for the 8:30 Holy Eucharist (BCP)

CLICK HERE to open your Order of Service for the 10:30 Sung Eucharist (BAS).

We are so pleased to open for in-person worship (with restrictions)! For those not ready to return, please be assured that we will continue to offer our weekly live-stream of the 10:30 am service so that you can participate from home. We will also offer one weekday eucharist Wednesdays at noon, using a liturgy from Iona.

For those returning to in-person worship, the guidelines will be very similar to the experience last fall, with  pre-screening, pre-registration, physical distancing and wearing of masks at all times required. Access will be available by Sparks Street only (Queen Street will remain closed) and the rest of the building will remain closed. Washrooms will be available on both the lower level and by the Great Hall kitchen. 

As you return, you may yearn to sit in your "familiar" pew. However, please be gracious and adaptable and sit where indicated by the Sidesperson, as it only takes one person to throw off the seating for the entire congregation while we are limited by capacity and distancing requirements. Also, at this stage of reopening congregational singing is not permitted, so hymnals have been removed from the pews and words to hymns are not included in the Order of Service. 

Please register by clicking on the link below. If you know someone who is not able to register online, please ask them to call the office (613-236-9149) or send an email (info@ottawacathedral.ca).

With the excitement of Phase II of the Cathedral Hill Development comes the challenge for us to be more eco-friendly! If possible, take the O-Train (the Lyon Station is just down the street) or the bus (https://www.octranspo.com/en/our-services/bus-o-train-network/), bike, scoot or walk.

If you are driving, free parking is available on the streets around the Cathedral on Sundays, as well as at the National Archives (395 Wellington Street), a very short walk away. There are also numerous hotel and city lots in the vicinity. 

This week, James Calkin, our Director of Music offers a warm welcome back to in-person service along with an update on the life and work of the Cathedral choirs. We look forward to welcoming you and to the gradual return of music in all forms to our worship services.

Our Bishop, in his wisdom, has identified the need to shape and guide the parish ministries of our Diocese in response to ongoing demographic, cultural, and social changes that we are facing. He has therefore asked parishes to embark on a consultation process called “The Future Shape of Parish Ministry” in order to help guide us moving forward. This will involve gathering and sharing information, conversation, and prayer. It will also involve collaborative decision-making to help determine where God is calling us to be and where we are called to invest the resources that are entrusted to us.

The Cathedral has assembled a small Shape of Parish Ministry (SOPM) committee of willing parishioners to assist in this important work. The process comprises four stages:

     1. Generating a Parish Profile (by Oct. 2021)
     2. Analysis and work with Parish Profiles (by Feb. 2022)
     3. Gather with “neighbours” and build proposals (by Aug. 2022)
     4. Submit recommendations to Synod (by Oct. 2022)

As part of the first stage, we will prepare for an interview regarding our parish profile with the Diocesan team in October, in order to communicate who we are, the strengths we bring to the Diocese, our challenges, and our vision for the future. This interview involves answering the five questions below. The focus will be on the current physical structures, community initiatives and church-based uses of the cathedral buildings, as well as our other potential community involvement, initiatives or partnerships.

We encourage you to reflect on the following questions over the summer:

     1. What is the single most important thing you would like our diocese to know about your congregation or parish?
     2. What are your ministry priorities? How are these priorities lives out in your decisions, activities and use of your resources?
     3. In what ways does your congregation or parish serve the wider community? How are you engaged with the local community beyond your walls (e.g. outreach, events, partnerships)?
     4. What are the challenges in accomplishing the work you’ve described, in terms of finances, building status and human resources?
     5. What other ministry opportunities are you aware of? What resources would you need in order to engage in them?

By early September, the Cathedral SOPM committee will provide more information about opportunities for engagement and feedback on the above questions. The engagement process will depend on the reopening status of the Cathedral, as well as on the COVID-19 protocols in place at that time that govern whether we will be able to (hopefully!) meet in person. Depending on guidelines, engagement may also include an electronic, written, or phone survey. Thank you in advance for your assistance. We look forward to engagement early in the fall. If you have any immediate questions, please contact Jane Morris (janedougmorris@gmail.com).

We are excited to tell you that Christ Church Cathedral will again be participating in the Ride for Refuge in support of PWRDF. The Cathedral team is "getting ready", oiling the chains on their bikes, stretching out unused muscles, tuning up their instruments and sharpening knitting needles. Yes, once again the options of how you can participate are as varied as your talents.

This year's team has set an initial goal to raise $2,500 and with your support will achieve success again this year. Funds in 2021 will benefit the “Light for Every Birth” project, which provides solar suitcases to health clinics in Mozambique, allowing for safer births at night, in areas without power. A matching grant doubles the efforts. Click here to learn more about this project.

Interested in joining this year's team or sponsoring their efforts? We invite you to direct questions or comments to info@ottawacathedral.ca

If you would like to remember family or friends in July, August or September, please let us know your preferred date at info@ottawacathedral.ca. Gwynneth Evans will follow up to discuss your preferences with you.

Looking for a special way to send your next message? This unique set of greeting cards offers lovely images from the cathedral and carry your message to say thank you, to mark special occasions and just to let someone know you are thinking of them. Each package contains 5 separate images and are blank inside. Envelopes included.

Contact the cathedral office to purchase your package of 5 cards for $10, all in support of cathedral restoration.

The Cathedral YouTube channel is your go-to location for all live-streamed services and a number of other saved treasures for you. If you are interested in following the live-streamed services and/or want to revisit some of them at a later time, they are all here for you. Find us anytime at  https://www.youtube.com/c/christchurchcathedralottawa

To find us easily any time, subscribe to the channel. Call the cathedral office if you have questions or need assistance. We look forward to meeting you there.

Readings for Next Sunday
9th Sunday after Pentecost, July 25th 2021
2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

Questions?
For more information on anything in this newsletter or if you are in need of pastoral care or other assistance,
please contact us by calling 613.236.9149 or emailing info@ottawacathedral.ca

The Cathedral church and premises remain closed during this RED stage of the pandemic plan.