February Newsletter
St. Matthias Newsletter ~ February 2018
Into the Holy Darkness of Lent…
Shrove Tuesday
We will begin outside, burning our palms in preparation for Ash Wednesday. At 6pm the pancake feast begins! Folks from St. Mary's Oak Bay, St. Barnabas, the AbbeyChurch and Emmaus Community will be here too! And the Odd Hack Band with caller Rosemary Lach will lead us in a family-friendly contra dance (that's kinda like hip square dancing) ... Come on out!
Ash Wednesday Services (February 14th)
7:45am Belmont House Chapel
4:00pm BCP - St. Matthias Chapel
7:00pm Church - Prayer in the way of the Taize Community (Joint with the Abbey)
During Lent there will be times to meet with our Priest, Meagan for Confession or a chance to check-in. Email her to set up a time.
Jesus Christ Superstar!
For those parishioners who do not know the Director, Peter Gatt, he grew up attending St. Matthias. Like many of his generation, Peter "lost his way with his faith and community". However, music brought him back to the fold. St. Matthias has been a safe space to him for the last few years. He and Colleen were married here and He and his mother attend regularly. He is the “big kid” at children’s time. For this production, he has gathered the most talented local singers to tell the story with a new twist, by setting it in the 1920s Speakeasy replete with bootleggers, flappers and apostles. Help us fulfill Peter’s dream by attending the show.
The show will be performed at St. Matthias Anglican Church, 600 Richmond Avenue, parking off Richardson. The show opens Friday Feb 16 at 7 pm, with additional performances, Saturday Feb 17 1:30 & 7 pm, Sunday Feb 18 - 7 pm, Wednesday Feb 21 - 7 pm, Thursday Feb 22 - 7 pm, Friday Feb 23 - 7 pm, Saturday Feb 24 1:30 & 7 pm, closing Monday Feb 26 at 7 pm. Tickets are $22.50 adults, $12.50 seniors & students. They are available in advance at the church or online at:
http://www.ticketrocket.co/event/details/102268/jesus-christ-superstar or at the door. Please bring your friends, it should be a wonderful evening.
Mindful Yoga and Meditation in the St. Matthias Chapel
Tuesdays in Lent starting on February 20th at 5:30pm we are excited to offer the opportunity to engage our bodies as well as our hearts in a Lenten disciple.
“Yoga postures, while being a very healthy and popular form of exercise, have always been intended as a means of calming the body and focusing the mind for the individual to be able to enter more deeply into the stillness of meditation”.
During Lent we will explore yoga postures as a mindful and meditative practice concluding with contemplative prayer. Penny Martin will lead these sessions. She has been a Kripalu trained yoga teacher since 1995 and is a member of the Contemplative Society in Victoria. Referred to as a "meditation in motion," Kripalu Yoga is practiced through a combination of disciplines. Asanas (postures), meditation, devotion, and selfless service are intended to establish a conscious communication of body, mind, and spirit. These drop-in sessions are suitable for beginners to more experienced practitioners. All are welcome. Please bring a blanket and/or yoga mat and wear comfortable clothes. By donation.
Thank-you!
It is with huge gratitude that we acknowledge your generosity this past year. Your financial offering has enabled us to continue to live into our ministry here at St. Matthias!
If you haven’t picked up your tax receipts, they will be mailed out early next week.
A word from Meagan
“Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” - Pope Francis
This week, one of the children asked me if the season of Lent meant we had to be serious all the time, I replied that I hoped that rather than just serious, we might find within the rhythm of our church season, times of quiet and beauty and contemplation and times when we are awoken as if from sleep. The church season, not unlike that of creation, leads us in necessary rhythms of both celebration and lament. Lent allows for the work of planting, nourishing and cultivating the seeds and soil of faith so we can fully experience the necessary death that leads to Resurrection.
Our ‘Why’ statement at St. Matthias is ‘Practicing the presence of God through faith and action in our community.’
What will it mean for you to practice the presence of God this Lent? How will this be shown in your life of faith and in your life in this community and beyond?
This Lent may you find yourself immersed in the beauty of Gods presence and may it give you the courage to face the difficult questions of who we are and who we are called to be as children of God here and now.
Blessings and peace for the journey,
The Reverend Meagan Crosby-Shearer