Dear Friends,

Fr. Ian here. Fr. Gordon Druggett (our previous Rector), has asked me to pass the following information on to the people of St. Stephen's Parish. Below you will find information as to how you can attend the funeral for the late Donna Druggett via online means. It will take place this Friday (the 15th of May) at 7 p.m.

"Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her. Amen. May Donna's soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen.

Blessings,

Fr. Ian+ (Archdeacon Ian Wissler)

Rector

First, let me say, in this very general way, on behalf of our family, how grateful we are for all your love and support, not only through the time of Donna’s illness and hospitalization, but since then in the time of our grief. This time for us, as for so many others, has been complicated by the ongoing pandemic and the necessary restrictions. We were able to bury Donna’s ashes on April 17 with the hope of a later “normal” funeral. As the restrictions continue with no clear end in sight, we have decided to proceed with her funeral online on Friday , May 15^th at 7:00 pm, Atlantic time. We hope this will provide many of you an opportunity to participate, when it would otherwise be difficult or impossible. The link below should enable you to register to do that.

https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony/?c=c7e47849-5ea7-4051-a736-ad40fdca4fcc

You should be able to click on this link or copy it to your browser to go to the registration page for the service, where you enter your email address. This is a two step registration process, so you should almost immediately get  an email from the host with a link which should take you right to the page, which is now set up as a pre ceremony guest lobby. Check your spam or junk folder if you do not receive an email with the link. The service will be live streamed  here at the appointed time. For now, you will find there the bulletin /program and a photo gallery. There you will be able to sign a guestbook  and add other photos if you wish. You should be able to bookmark the page or add it to your favourites to get back in at anytime. Otherwise, you should be able to get back in by the link provided in the email you should receive. If you are unable to join at that time, the funeral should be available for viewing at a later time as well. Please try this and let me know if you have any issues, so that I can attempt to get them resolved,

Unfortunately, I only have a limited number of email addresses, and would appreciate it very much, if you could share this with any of your contacts who may be interested.

Thanks so much. Thank God for this technology in these times. Let’s pray that it might work well for us and others.

Blessings!

Gordon+

Dear Friends,

The Rector here. I commend to you this week's letter from the Archbishop. 

I wish to highlight something the Archbishop alludes to in this correspondence, that the Electoral Synod (at which the Archbishop's successor will be elected), originally scheduled for the 30th of May, will be officially postponed to the 12th of September. Under our canon laws, once the Diocesan Bishop submits his or her resignation, it cannot be rescinded, and so Archbishop Cutler will be retiring at the end of June as planned. Until the new bishop is installed (which won't likely be until sometime in the mid-autumn - perhaps October would be my guess) canon law dictates that the administrative functions of the bishop over the diocese will fall to a council of three senior clergy. If my understanding is correct, the list of candidates for the Archbishop's successor will be released sometime late next week. 

And now, on to the Archbishop's thoughts for the week.

Blessings,

Fr. Ian+

To:         To Clergy and People of the Diocese

Date:     May 6th, 2020

 Dear Friends,

We are obviously living through a period of great uncertainty. In our desire to share as much information as possible in order to lessen the anxiety we may be overwhelming people with too much stuff to keep track of. So this week I am going to keep my letter to the diocese very short.

Request for information.

Last week the synod office sent two requests for information to all parishes. One is a request for parish financial information from treasurers. This information is critical to our application for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. Please ensure it gets to Glen Greencorn as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the information please contact him. (ggreencorn@nspeidiocese.ca)

The second request for information is a “Parish Activity Log”. The information from the log will help us get a clearer picture of what is happening in parishes in this time of disruption. A portion of this information will be shared with the General Synod. It will be valuable both for the historical record and to help inform Diocesan Council decisions as the Covid 19 response continues. We plan to share the good news stories and ideas of how our congregations and parishes are adapting ministry and mission. Please contact Canon Gordon Redden if you have questions about this form. (gredden@nspeidiocese.ca)

I realize that no one particularly likes filling in forms. These are not “make work” projects - this information is important to us right now. Even as we are trying to share information with parish leaders and members of the diocese, we also require information from you. 

Tolerance for Uncertainty-covid-19-Workbook.

After coping with uncertainty and settling into new routines we now find ourselves longing for this all to be over. Perhaps it is warming weather and sunny days but these restrictions seem to have been going on forever. It is far too soon to lift them all and we need to appreciate that for the common good we must remain committed to fighting this pandemic. Our Primate has shared a workbook developed by a group of psychologists which may help you sort through the emotions that this time is raising. The link is below.

Electoral Synod

Yesterday a memo was sent to Synod Delegates to give notice that we do not believe that we will be able to gather for the Electoral Synod on May 30. The alternate date for the Synod is September 12 2020. The list of nominees will be released on May 16. Please keep the nominees, Synod members and our diocese in your prayers as we continue to prepare for this important decision. There will be more information about the interim time following my retirement and before a new bishop can be installed following the Diocesan Council meeting on June 13. In the meantime I ask you to keep using the prayer resources for “What’s Next?”.

Blessings,

 The Most Reverend Ron Cutler

Archbishop of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island

The Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the Fifth Sunday of Easter  We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

        

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service, Chester

Fifth Sunday of Easter

10 May 2020

  

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

Happy Mother’s Day!

"We give thanks to God for all mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and mothers-in-God of our parish family. We pray that you will have a wonderful Mother's Day!"

MORNING PRAYER

(Book of Common Prayer)

The Penitential Rite:                          p. 4

Responsory:                                        p. 5

Venite:                                                 p. 6

The Proclamation of the Word

Psalm:                                       31:1-6, 18-19 - p. 364

Lesson:                                   Acts 7:55-60

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.

Te Deum:                                            p. 7

Epistle:                                  1 Peter 2:2-10

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Benedictus:                                        p. 9

Gospel Lesson:                            John 14:1-14

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

Reflection:

Apostles’ Creed:                                 p. 10

Lord’s Prayer:                                     p. 11

Versicles and Responses:                  p. 11

Collect:

Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

Give us grace to love one another and walk in the way of his commandments,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Collects for Peace and Grace:                p. 11-12

Intercessory Prayers

General Thanksgiving, Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, The Grace p.14-15 

Dear Friends,

The Rector here. Below is Archbishop Cutler's weekly letter to the diocese. Much food for prayer and thought here. I commend it to you.

Blessings,

Fr. Ian+

Office of the Archbishop 1340 Cathedral Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2Z1 902 420 0717 - bishopsoffice@nspeidiocese.ca

To: To Clergy and People of the Diocese Date: April 29th, 2020

What has changed, what will change? In the past week, I have been part of several meetings where the topic of conversation has been: What do the restrictions used to fight the Covid-19 pandemic mean for the church in the long term? In the past six weeks, many things have changed and the change has been rapid and dramatic! Even as provincial education officials and teachers have had to resort to technology for children in the public school system, so too, we have started to use the same technologies for worship and for adult and children’s Christian formation programs. The changes have affected some of the practices at the core of our identity: the inability to gather physically, the inability to shake hands or give/receive a hug, the inability to receive Eucharist, the inability to share meals, the inability to meet physically for planning/decision making and the much greater challenge; to support those in our communities who live on very thin margins in the best of times and who are desperate for food, decent shelter and human contact.

 I have gone from the excitement of figuring out how to use “Zoom” in the first week of shut-down to the place where I am thinking about the way in which the increased use of such technologies change our processes. Technology to share worship both opens up opportunities to connect with those who have not been a part of worshipping communities and provides an opportunity for those who previously dismissed worship to cautiously and anonymously check out worship. Some kinds of worship risks turning the congregation into spectators rather than participants in what is meant to be “the work of the people”. At the same time, parts of our diocese are excluded from this possibility because they don’t have access to the technology and/or don’t know how to use it. A great concern has been the challenge of funding ministry at every point: congregations, parishes, dioceses and the General Synod are all wondering how the massive increase in unemployment, the curtailing of regular sources of funds and decrease in investments are impacting us now and will continue to do so. Comparatively speaking, we are still living in a time of abundance but it doesn’t feel that way. Our Synod Office staff has had to figure out how to provide supports to the parishes and leaders of the diocese while working from home. This time of dislocation has meant the rediscovery of “dated technology” like the telephone and regular postal delivery!

 In the first few weeks of this evolving situation, we were simply reacting, trying to figure out how to do our thing under new circumstances. No one knew how long we would have to do this. We were making decisions on a daily basis using the best available information in that day. We were not thinking of long term consequences and we were not planning. Now the excitement of the first Zoom meeting has worn off and we are figuring out new ways we can begin to reflect on what has changed and what will change. Which of our temporary ways of doing things will last and which will disappear as soon as we are allowed to go back to the way things used to be? 2 These are questions that our whole western culture needs to be asking and there are particular questions that we need to be asking as a part of the Church. In both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, there is no definite time line for a lifting of restrictions. It does seem likely that there will be a prolonged period of adjustment and that some elements of usual social interaction are not going to return for a very long time. In the meantime:

What have we learned?

What has worked?

What has not?

What can we keep?

What do we need to let go?

Who has been left out?

Who has been invited in?

How has our vision of God’s kingdom been impacted?

What will we not go back to doing?

How will even the familiar and comforting rituals and routines be different in the “after Covid time”.

 In January the Anglican Journal published a story which told about a statistical analysis indicating that the Anglican Church of Canada would die by 2040. There was lots of reaction to the speculation of what kinds of changes would need to happen in the next 20 years for this prophecy not to be fulfilled. In the two months following the story, we have had to deal with 20 years’ worth of challenges. I know of some people who have found that the edict to stay home has provided them with time for self-improvement and reflection. They have actually learned new things or discovered old and neglected passions. For many, however, it has meant a huge increase in the work of holding a family, a home and a career together. For others, this has been an experience in simply trying to survive. All of these experiences have also been true for congregations. Even as we long for a return to normal, we need to realize that there is no way we can go back, without carrying the changes we have experienced in the time of Covid 19 with us. Is it possible for us to use these experiences in a positive way to equip us better for God’s mission? There are many places in the bible where the people are reminded of the faithfulness of God in the past, in order to give encouragement that God walks with them into the new challenge or opportunity. It is a teaching well worth remembering in these times.

 Blessings,

 The Most Reverend Ron Cutler

 Archbishop of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island

the Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the Fourth Sunday of Easter  We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

        

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service, Chester

Fourth Sunday of Easter

3 May 2020

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

MORNING PRAYER

(Book of Common Prayer)

The Penitential Rite:                          p. 4

Responsory:                                        p. 5

Venite:                                                 p. 6

The Proclamation of the Word

Psalm:                                           23        p.356

Lesson:                                   Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Te Deum:                                            p. 7

Epistle:                                  1 Peter 2:19-25

For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly.  If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. 

Benedictus:                                        p. 9

Gospel Lesson:                            John 10:1-10

Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Reflection:

Apostles’ Creed:                                 p. 10

Lord’s Prayer:                                     p. 11

Versicles and Responses:                  p. 11

Collect: O God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do your will, and work in us that which is well-pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Collects for Peace and Grace:                p. 11-12

Intercessory Prayers

General Thanksgiving, Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, The Grace p.14-15 

This is the Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the Third Sunday of Easter We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service, Chester

Third Sunday of Easter

26 April 2020

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

MORNING PRAYER

(Book of Common Prayer)

The Penitential Rite:                          p. 4

Responsory:                                        p. 5

Venite:                                                 p. 6

The Proclamation of the Word

Psalm                                           116:1-3, 10-17        p.481

Lesson:                                   Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, "Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Te Deum:                                            p. 7

Epistle:                                  1 Peter 1:17-23

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

Benedictus:                                        p. 9

Gospel Lesson:                            Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Reflection:

Apostles’ Creed:                                 p. 10

Lord’s Prayer:                                     p. 11

Versicles and Responses:                  p. 11

Collect:  O God, your Son made himself known to his disciples

in the breaking of bread. Open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.. Amen

Collects for Peace and Grace:                p. 11-12

Intercessory Prayers

General Thanksgiving, Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, The Grace p.14-15 

Office of the Archbishop
1340 Cathedral Lane, Halifax, NS B3H 2Z1
902 420 0717 - bishopsoffice@nspeidiocese.ca

To: To Clergy and Parishes of the Diocese
Date: April 15th, 2020
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Most years I find myself emotionally and mentally exhausted in the week following Easter Day. If you want to “push a button” for most clergy, ask for a meeting on Easter Monday! This year is not like “most years”. Our season of Lent was marked by the declaration of a Public Health emergency. The restrictions on gathering and movement added to the penitential nature of the season, as has the underlying message that beneath the “giving up” of these normal freedoms there is a desire for health and a care for others in our communities. As churches, we joined in the broader societal scramble to adapt our way of being to these new realities. Video conferencing for meetings, live streaming, audio and video recording for our worship, additional resources to turn every home into a place for worship and study. In the back of my mind for the past month was the question, “Would we be able to gather for Easter?” The answer was no. No, we did not gather in the ways we did in the “before Covid” time. No, the traditional liturgies of the church did not take place at least not in the ways we have known them. They did happen- but in new ways. We celebrated and we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We continue to celebrate God’s great ‘yes’ to life in the
face of death. The upside down view of the world which Jesus lived and proclaimed (the kingdom of God) came to its pinnacle on the cross. Once again I want to say thank you to those who have worked so hard to maintain contact within congregations over the past month. For those who have learned new technologies to gather people for worship and study. For those balancing work at home with the increased demands of home schooling and disrupted family life. For those who continue to provide the financial support necessary for ministries to continue. Please continue to pray for those who are dealing with the reality of this pandemic every day. For healthcare workers, first responders and those whose jobs in serving the public have been deemed essential. Please pray for those who live with anxieties and those cut off from family and physical support networks. Please pray for those who are mourning without the kinds of community support that is usual and vital in those times. Lent is over, we made it to Easter. A lot of energy has gone into getting us this far, but this is not the end of the fight against Covid. The Public Health Emergency is not going to end soon. Everyone is asking the question “How long will this go on?” - including me. The answer is we don’t know and the only way to keep it as short a time as possible is to follow the directions we have been given. I have previously asked you to plan for the restrictions to continue to the end of May. According to the modeling released by the Nova Scotia Department of Health that may be an optimistic target. The race we are in is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We need to pace ourselves if we are going to finish this race. We need to appreciate the “upside down” nature of the kingdom in which we are now living. There have already been things which we have “set aside” in this race? Are there others that we have come to realize are irrelevant in this moment (or maybe even permanently?) How do we draw more people into the new ministries we are creating? Are we continuing to discerning the gifts necessary for the Good News to be proclaimed in this moment?

The public health people keep reminding us that we won’t know we have hit the “peak” of the pandemic until after it has past. In the middle of it we can’t do the proper analysis. It is too soon for us to appreciate how many of the changes we have entered into, will impact us well beyond the end of the Covid pandemic. Despite the longing to return to normal we need to remember two things 1) What was normal was not perfect, no matter what kind of normal you are thinking about. 2) This experience has taught us lessons, both good and bad. When anyone has a significant disruptive experience they are changed. We have been changed. Perhaps there is a third thing we need to remember: A virtual hug is no substitute for the real thing.
Alleluia, the Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia.
The Most Reverend Ron Cutler
Archbishop of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island