LENTFebruary 9 to March 26, 2016

The Parish of Saint Peter’s celebrates sixty-five years of peace and friendship, 1951-2016

Lent, the fourth season of the church year begins on Ash Wednesday (or Clean Monday in the Eastern Churches) and ends at sun down on Holy Saturday. The three days from Maundy Thursday evening until Easter evening are known as the Triduum. In the early church Christians gathered on the afternoon of

Holy Saturday to baptize converts to the church. Those converts had spent Lent preparing for their baptism. That would have included fasting. The fasting ended when the newly baptized received their first communion at Easter. Remember that Easter begins at sun down on Holy Saturday. Originally Lent was forty hours long and began on Maundy Thursday. It was a period of time thought to represent the 40 hours Christ spent in the tomb between his crucifixion and resurrection. By the late second century Lent had become a six day event and after the Council of Nicaea in 325 Lent was confirmed as a forty day period. To be precise Lent is actually 46 days long but fasting only occurs for 40 of those days. Sundays are not fasting days. Not counting Sundays there are 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday.

Lent originally meant ‘spring’. Fasting in the early church did not occur on Sundays and eventually Saturdays either. On fasting days Christians were allowed one meal almost always taken in the evening. By the 1400s the one allowed meal was eaten mid day. Beginning about the same time a drink and/or light meal was also permitted in the evening. Originally ‘flesh meat’ was not consumed or anything that was produced from flesh such as milk, cheese and eggs. In time fish could be eaten at any meal as they were created on the fifth day, the day before land animals were created.

The general practice of giving something up for Lent may have developed from a sense of solidarity that arose among the Christian community with the converts fasting before their baptisms. Regardless, Lent today is meant to be a period of time where Christians focus on prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, atonement and self denial, all behaviors thought to help one recall and renew the commitments of their own baptism.

A theme commonly associated with Lent is ‘humanity’ and quite often the corporal works of mercy ( Matthew 25:34-40 and the Book of Tobit) are associated with that theme: 1. Feed the hungry, 2. Give drink to the thirsty, 3. Clothe the naked, 4. Shelter the homeless, 5. Visit the sick, 6. Visit the imprisoned and 7. Bury the dead. There are seven spiritual works also associated with the seven corporal initiatives. They are: 1. Instruct the ignorant, 2. Counsel the doubtful, 3. Admonish sinners, 4. Bear wrongs patiently, 5. Forgive offences willingly, 6. Comfort the afflicted and 7. Pray for the living and the dead. All in all a tall order for 40 days!

Services and Activities

Feb. 10 – Ash Wed. – 7 PM Holy Eucharist with the Imposition of AshesFeb. 14 –Holy Eucharist - 8 AM and 10 AMFeb. 21 –Holy Eucharist - 8 AM and 10 AM AGM and Pot Luck to follow 10 AM serviceFeb. 28 – Holy Eucharist - 8AM and 10 AM (storm date for AGM)Mar. 6 – Holy Eucharist – 8 AM and 10 AMMar. 13 – Holy Eucharist – 8 and 10 AM

Lenten Lunch and Learn

Feb. 17 – Wed. 11 AM - Holy Eucharist BCP & Mission to Seafarers- Maggie Whittingham-LamontFeb. 24 – Wed. 11 AM – Holy Eucharist BAS & L’Arche – Diane ParkerMar. 2 – Wed. 11 AM – Holy Eucharist BCP & Syrian Refugee Initiative – Allan King Mar. 9 – Wed. 11 AM – Holy Eucharist BAS & Seniors Secretariat -James RobertsonMar. 16 – Wed. 11 AM – Holy Eucharist BCP & Hospital Chaplaincy – Keirsten Wells

Holy Week

Sun. Mar. 20 – 8 AM and 10 AM – Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday – BASMon. Mar 21 – 7 PM – Compline BCPTues. Mar 22 – 7 PM - Evening Prayer – BCPWed. Mar 23 – 7 PM - Holy Eucharist BCPThurs. Mar 24 – 7 PM – Holy Eucharist/Foot Washing/Stripping of the Altar – BASFri. Mar 25 – 7 PM – Solemn Intersession & Stations of the CrossSat. Mar 26 – 10 AM - Morning Prayer - BCP

Easter

Sun. Mar 27 - 8 AM and 10 AM – Holy Eucharist – BAS

Some Notes from the Parish Archives

Parish Council Minutes- March 21, 1993 – Harry Churchill, Junior Warden opened the meeting with a prayer. Canon Phil Jefferson chaired the meeting. Present: Canon Phil Jefferson, Canon Ruth Jefferson, Louise Calder, Harry Churchill, Doreen Hart, George Reid, Joan Creasy, Lynn Orman, Ed Mulroney, Jackie Hilton, John Dunbar, Stephen Wood, Jane Murphy, Gerald Locke, Lewis Holmes, Fred Haley and Hope Gray.

- Lunch Program in Community- Moved by Harry, seconded by Lynn. Parish Council agreed in principle to support and have a lunch program ( students from Grosvenor Wentworth School ) at St. Peter’s at noontime starting Sept. 93. Lynn will report back to the school.

- At a meeting on March 27, the leak in the hall roof will be discussed and recommendations will be made as how to rectify the problem.

From the Office of the Rt. Rev.’d H.J. Allan, Assistant Bishop of Nova Scotia- dated April 25, 1993- Dear Friends, It gives me great pleasure to inform you officially that I am appointing The Rev’d Dr. Timothy M. Appleton as Rector of your parish to take effect August 1, 1993.

Parish Council Minutes – Nov. 24, 1993 – Rev. Tim read a letter ...that he sent to Rev. Wayne Lynch, Rector of St. John’s Church, Fairview, clarifying the position of St. Peter’s regarding possible changes to parish boundaries and location in the Halifax West region.

- Harry received a letter regarding “Companion on the Way” the matching churches across Canada. A small parish in the Toronto area has been matched with St. Peter’s....

St. Peter’s Servers Guild February 1965

Art Burton – TreasurerNorman Duncan – Vice PresidentBruce Hollett – serverNick Holmes – serverBarry Nicks – serverBob Richardson – President Chris Smith – serverGlenn Taylor – Secretary Bill Longmire – ServerSteve Brown – cruciferTom Cullen – cruciferWayne Delhoy – cruciferRobert Eld – cruciferMike Vondette – cruciferJohn Woodroffe – crucifer

From the Guild’s Charter

By-Law D - Point System. Each member is to be given ten points each month. On losing them he is suspended from all social activities for one month. A member may lose points for the following reasons: for failure to show up for duty and not reporting it – 2 points, for not showing up to a meeting and not reporting it – 1 point, for every 5 breeches of parliamentary law in one evening – 1 point, for any use of obscene language during a meeting or social event – 1 point

Rector’s Report 1986

Total Number of Services -187Holy Communion – 160Morning Prayer – 20Other – 7Baptisms – 19Confirmations – 9Marriages – 9Burials – 8Number of People on Parish Roll – 472Average Sunday Attendance -173

Share in the “Humanity” theme of Lent

- By attending the parish’s ‘”Lunch and Learn” series Feb. 17-Mar. 16- By attending “Living with Stress” session March 1 at St. Peter’s 10 AM to noon- By cooking for the St. George’s Hot Meal Project- By donating old C-Pap machine to the Nova Scotia Lung Association- By donating old eye glasses ( they can be left on table in Narthex)- By investigating web sites of organizations dealing with issues associated with corporal

works of Mercy : Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, Primates World Relief, Shelter Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Elizabeth Fry Society, Laing House, Phoenix House, Salvation Army in Halifax, Nova Scotia Red Cross, Feed Nova Scotia

- By NOT GIVING UP FOR LENT