Symbols

Palm branches- excuse me I tickled you with mine.
The branch turned into the cross. Our very fine interim priest did this with the kids and maybe had time to show some adults as well.

The lights in the darkened sanctuary.
The large candelabra - with 5 candles on each side.
Again - after a few years - candles on the high altar and tea lights on the reredos.

The music
- the familiar Palm Sunday hymns known for many years.
- the unfamiliar sound of the organ stopping and the organist going over to the piano.

The procession around the church
- kids and choir only.
- this makes more sense than the whole congregation and even going outside sometimes.

What is coming up this week.
- buying tickets for the Paschal meal on Thursday.
- we will be at the church by 3 p.m. on Thursday. I will be there as well.
- am I needed on Good Friday to so something - no. I will stay at home.
- Holy Saturday - if you stand still you may get cleaned. Polishing of silver and brass will happen.

I have done my part with
- flowers
- candles of various types

Being part of the Holy Week story as well and reflecting on that.
It cannot get lost in all the busyness.

Easter planning 101

I could think about what is done and not done - does that sound like the confession.

Palm crosses will be made. The palms arrived some time ago.

Maundy Thursday meal will happen.

Candles of various types - for the Thursday meal; Paschal candle- yes it has been ordered, tapers - sorted through; regular candles - filling of - has been done; new tea lights - put out and used. There will be lots of light.

Flowers have been ordered; pickup at the florist has been arranged; placement of flowers in the church has been planned; home for them after Easter with shut ins has been arranged.

Other decorating will happen. The candle stands have been repaired.

There is plenty of wine in the cupboard.

The bread is being organized. A new recipe is being tried for the bread. Some thought was given to going back to wafers instead. What is the attraction of using real bread?

The Easter vigil and the movement from darkness to light has been somewhat revised.

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With all this activity and services and I do have a long list - what is the meaning of Easter? New life and resurrection. Our parish is certainly in need of a lot of that this year.

St. John’s does liturgy so well and it has for many years.

Other elements of the people involved and those who have left will sort themselves out.

The music and the singing will be glorious for St. John’s does that very well too.

Images of life and healing

There is something about medical series and British ones at that. I have been watching The Royal which is a spin off of Heartbeat (a very long lived series.) A lot of emotion in the last episode where the female doctor with recent health issues of her own is found crying. She said - is not that one does after a crisis like this? Her very unemotional husband is seen comforting her.

Another very real image of healing as a Canadian medical disaster relief team flies out of Vancouver airport (where I am headed in a few weeks time) to go to Japan and the hardest hit area of the country where this dreadful earthquake and tsunami hit. Helping as one can.

A priest who works full time for the government has been attending our parish for some time now. In the last while she has preached, been with Dana after presenting her difficult report to the parish, leading the healing Eucharist last evening. I know her from many years ago. She is a gentle caring presence in our midst at this time of healing and transition. I told her this and she said it was time for her to be more available.

So the church moves along in its calendar from Ash Wednesday into Lent and looks forward to Easter. St. John’s has many components to all the services and music and everything else. Instead of saying - what is going to happen - I can and I will offer my time and energy to be part of the solution. I need to tell those in charge that I am available to help in any way possible.

Easter continues

Alleluia!

Christ is Risen!

He is risen indeed!

Alleluia!

　

When I came back to Ottawa after Easter I made a time to go and check out the Easter flowers at St. John’s. They were all very nice. There were lilies and hydrangeas. So hopefully they will last for a few more Sundays. Then some of the hydrangeas will be planted in the church garden at a later date.

I have enjoyed reading Easter reflections on the blogs I read regularly.

I have been listening to Easter music on Youtube.

I have been watching some Easter programs I recorded on my PVR.

*****

The picture is of our new altar at St. John's with the flowers and Paschal candle beside it.

Holy Week and Easter services

My time at the convent in Toronto was very refreshing.

There were all the usual services - Morning Prayer, Eucharist, Evening Prayer and Compline. It is never expected that as a guest you have to go to all the services - you can pick and choose.

In the morning I prefer to take a long walk so I do not often attend Morning Prayer.

Because this was an organized retreat, there were various talks by the Sisters. I went to three of them. Two were more interactive as we went through various stages of the Holy Week story. There was some good sharing in the group.

Early on Easter morning we had a two hour service with readings and candles and the Eucharist of course. There was incense but my sensitive nose did not notice that too much. There was music on the wonderful organ and we all joined in singing the familiar Easter hymns.

From Easter past

So this is how Kathi and I got dressed up for the special day. There were probably starchy petticoats underneath those flowered dresses. My mom made those dresses.

The hats and white gloves and white socks - those were part of the outfit as well.

The only problem is that it could not be Easter - there were no roses growing in Lachute at Easter. A nice thought anyway.

Under construction

So many places in our lives are under construction. It is a continuing process.

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Places are under construction too.

Now it is the convent garden. I think back to May of 2004 when I was on retreat at the old convent and Sister Elizabeth brought us over to have a look at the new buildings going up.

The next Easter I was here and things were not finished. The room name plates were temporary ones. The library was not open - which of course I missed.

It was good to be here for my first ever Easter with the community.
It is good to be here again.

*****
After the construction and mess is all tidied up, there is a time for celebration. This happened at Greenbelt with the new barn, at my house when I finished the basement, at St. John's with major renovations and for the new condo unit next door to the church.

Artifacts on a table

A sponge

Nails

Money bag

Dice

A crown of thorns

Holy Saturday

The day is quiet.

The chapel looks expectant.

In the background the sisters are practicing the Easter hymns.

Soon it will be time to join in.

Easter planning

The other evening the Worship Committee met to discuss the Holy Week and Easter services. I am quite new to this group. My sense is that it is there for the rector to help her with all the details of running the services.

What is being done.
How it is being done.
Who could do what.
All these issues were discussed.

It is time for a change this year and there will be no Easter cross decorated with flowers. However there will be lots of other flowers.

Lent and looking forward to Easter

It hardly seems a year ago that I started to be involved with the flowers for Altar Guild. It takes time but the results have been appreciated.

Now I am having a short break as there are no flowers in Lent. But before too long I will have to think about Easter flowers and the schedule for memorial flowers for the next year. I have lots of information and I will have to organize my files and my emails.

I recently joined the Worship Committee. I expect our next meeting will be planning for the Easter services.

I will be out of town as I am going to the convent in Toronto for Easter.

Post Easter 2009

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Le Christ est ressuscité!
Le Seigneur est vraiment ressuscité! Alleluia!

*****

So the Holy Week and Easter services are over and done with. There were more people at the Easter Sunday service than the vigil on Saturday evening.

There were lots of flowers and lots of candles. The church was in darkness as the vigil started. The flowers were put out and the candles were lit. Everyone had a candle to hold. I was sitting in the back of the church and the change from darkness to light was quite striking.

I heard the folks talking who were more directly involved in the service. They liked the way it all unfolded. It was a bit of a struggle to get there - there were lots of new twists to what was done.

My contribution of flowers and helping with setting up and cleaning up after the services was appreciated.

Now I am on to other activities - getting more organized for memorial flowers on an ongoing basis. I am also involved in managing the schedule for folks sitting with the art at Art Credo which starts in a couple of weeks.

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Churches are in the business of being there at important times in people’s lives.

There was a baptism and a renewal of baptismal vows on Easter Eve. One was an adult and one was a pre-teen young fellow.

There will be a big wedding at St. John’s on Friday - 300 people are expected.

We had some sad news as one of the church wardens is seriously ill in hospital in Montreal. There was a prayer vigil for him yesterday at the church.

Holy Week: Vicki's involvement

“A full week of church ceremonies whose intricacies boggle the mind.”
(Anglicans Online)

That sounds very much like my week.

I volunteered to buy the flowers for the Easter services. I made a trip to Costco - they were all quite large as things at that store usually are. I went to Loblaws and there were some boxes being unpacked. That was quite easy for me to take home the plants that I needed.

Now it seems that we need some more plants. A trip to Costco is planned for tomorrow.

This is all a new activity for me. Will the plants last until Easter?

The services for Holy Week have been changed somewhat with our new rector. I am going to many of them and skipping a few. Because the Easter vigil is so complicated and we are decorating the church during the service, there are 2 dress rehearsals. I need to know where to put the plants for the best viewing advantage.

I am helping with various Altar Guild activities as I can. I can help setup for the services and tidy up as well. I am taking home the altar linens for prompt washing and ironing in my basement laundry facilities. There is a shortage of various altar linens but some new ones are being made for Easter.

I made a list to help keep me organized. I need to know where I need to be and when and doing what.

It is shaping up to be quite a busy week for me. I have to fit into several visits to Abracadabra as well.

Holy Week

From one of my favourite blogs about looking forward to Holy Week and all its activities: RevGalBlogPals.

So faced with a busy week:
1. What restores you physically?
2. What strengthens you emotionally/ mentally?
3. What encourages you spiritually?
4. Share a favourite poem or piece of music from the coming week.
5. There may be many services for you to attend/ lead over the next week, which one are you most looking forward to and why? If there aren't do you have a favourite day in Holy week if so which one is it?

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1. Having a nap. Going to bed when I am tired. Slowing down and just sitting down and listening to music or doing nothing.

2. Realizing that I do not have to be everywhere and at every service. I can take time out.

3. Listening to the words of the services - the readings and the prayers and the music.

4.

5. Easter Sunday after the services are all over. It is now time to move onwards to a time of celebration and new life and in this part of the world - hopefully more spring like activities and weather.