Good afternoon St. Catherine's Community,

We are preparing for Epiphany. One of my favourite seasons. The Christmas season ends with Epiphany, a feast day in which the early church celebrated Jesus’ brilliant manifestation (epiphaneia in Greek, also translated as “appearing”) first to the Magi (those wise Kings from the East.

The season continues with more of Jesus' revelations - such as his baptism, his first recorded miracle at the wedding at Cana, including the transfiguration. 

I love this season, because it also corresponds to the Roman Calendar New Year. It is a good time to ponder where we are in our journey. We get to ask questions like: As we cross into the coming year, where do you find yourself on the path? Have you been traveling more by intention or by reacting to what’s come your way? What direction do you feel drawn to go in during the coming weeks and months? Is there anything you need to let go of—or to find—in order to take the next step? In the coming months, what gift do you most need to offer, that only you can give?

Tomorrow some of us will gather for a retreat on Centring Prayer. On Sunday we will gather for Morning Prayer, and we will take time to set an intention for the year ahead.

I leave you with this poem by Jan Richardson.

For Those Who Have Far to Travel
An Epiphany Blessing

If you could see
the journey whole,
you might never
undertake it,
might never dare
the first step
that propels you
from the place
you have known
toward the place
you know not.

Call it
one of the mercies
of the road:
that we see it
only by stages
as it opens
before us,
as it comes into
our keeping,
step by
single step.

There is nothing
for it
but to go,
and by our going
take the vows
the pilgrim takes:

to be faithful to
the next step;
to rely on more
than the map;
to heed the signposts
of intuition and dream;
to follow the star
that only you
will recognize;

to keep an open eye
for the wonders that
attend the path;
to press on
beyond distractions,
beyond fatigue,
beyond what would
tempt you
from the way.

There are vows
that only you
will know:
the secret promises
for your particular path
and the new ones
you will need to make
when the road
is revealed
by turns
you could not
have foreseen.

Keep them, break them,
make them again;
each promise becomes
part of the path,
each choice creates
the road
that will take you
to the place
where at last
you will kneel

to offer the gift
most needed—
the gift that only you
can give—
before turning to go
home by
another way.

—Jan Richardson

_________

This Sunday, January 5, 2025  - We will have a morning prayer service with Rev Sharon Smith 

Our Musician will be the Hyejung Jun.

A downloadable bulletin can be found here: Sunday January 5, 2025

Amica will have several copies 

The service will be livestreamed.

The Service livestream can be found here:

St. Catherine's Website Services Page

Previous livestreamed services, and sermon notes can be found here:

St. Catherine's Website Past Services Page or

St. Catherine's YouTube Channel 

Presider and Preacher: Rev. Sharon Smith

Musician: Hyejung Jun 

Readers: Sharon Fedorak and John McGie 

Altar Guild: Vivian McGie

Coffee Group: Penny Zuk, Marthe Duncombe 

Livestream: Ashkon Vahedi 

Thank you everyone for making the Christmas Season so special 

Just a reminder the 2024 ROTA is effective until Vestry 2025

If you want to join the 2025 ROTA please let the office know at scadmin@shaw.ca 

We pray for Spencer, Richard T., and Nicole.

Send non-confidential requests to Natasha: scadmin@shaw.ca

**Please note that for confidential, urgent prayer requests, Natasha will send these to our prayer circle ministry. We ask that you make this clear either by phone or email.

Celebrate Epiphany Sunday with us at a Contemporary Morning Prayer Service. Everyone is welcome to join this meaningful gathering!

In-person: At the church
Online: For those unable to attend, join the live stream below and access the service bulletin here: LINK.

Saint Catherine’s has partnered with Harvest Project, to help address food emergencies in the North Shore. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 2pm to 3pm at Mary Pellatt Room, we will distribute emergency grocery bags; serve coffee, tea, and pastries; and enjoy a conversation with our volunteers.

Our Emergency Food Program is designed to provide immediate assistance to individuals and families facing food insecurity in the North Shore, provide essential sustenance, as well as cultivate a sense of belonging and shared responsibility within our community. At the core of our Food Emergency Initiative is a simple yet powerful idea: neighbours helping neighbours.

Everyone is welcome in this drop-in program.

As we step into this new year, we are reminded of God’s unfailing love and the fresh mercies He provides each day. Together, we embrace 2025 as a year of renewal, hope, and community.

In Isaiah 43:19, the Lord says: "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." May this promise guide us in our journey ahead.