Schedule

Thursday, September 24th - Senior Leadership Team Meeting (am), Online Meeting with Synod Task Group, Meeting with Vocations Coordinator (pm)

Friday, September 18th - Day Off

Saturday, September 26th - Ordination Service at 2pm at the Cathedral Church of All Saints to ordain Deborah Beck, Annie MacQueen and Natasha Bejarano to the Sacred Order of Deacons. Reception in the Great Hall to follow.

Sunday, September 20th - Parish Visit - Parish of the Good Shepard, Beaver bank (9am), St. Andrew's, Timberlea (11am); Deconsecration of St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Parish of Blandford (6pm)

Monday, September 21st - day off

Tuesday, September 22nd - Reading and Administration (am), Mission to Seafarers Volunteer Reception, Government House (pm); Meeting with international Secretary General for the Mission to Seafarers (pm)

Ordinations

God willing and the people consenting,

on Saturday, September 26th, 2026 at 2:00pm

at The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax,

Bishop Sandra will ordain:

Deborah Beck

Annie MacQueen

Natasha Tobin-Bejarano

to the Sacred Order of Deacons

Your prayers and presence are requested for Deborah, Annie, and Natasha

as the prepare for their ordination and the vows and promises they will make

before God and the gathered community.

Clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers are invited to vest and process, The liturgical colour is red.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God willing and people consenting,

on Monday, September 28th

- The Eve of St, Michael and All Angels - 

at 3:00 pm at the Church of St. Peter and St. Thomas, Weymouth

Bishop Sandra will ordain:

Christopher Ryan Tidd

to the Sacred Order of Priests

Your prayers and presence are requested for Christopher

as he prepares for his ordination and the vows and promises he will make

before God and the gathered community.

Clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers are invited to vest and process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God willing and people consenting,

on Thursday, October 15th

at 4:30 pm at Christ Church, Berwick

Bishop Sandra will ordain:

Kenneth MacIntosh

to the Sacred Order of Deacons

Your prayers and presence are requested for Ken

as he prepares for his ordination and the vows and promises he will make

before God and the gathered community.

Clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers are invited to vest and process.

This festive day of gratitude on October 11, is an opportunity to host something special for your community. Our seasonal service and the surrounding days serve as an ideal time to welcome first-time guests and reconnect with longtime members of the congregation. Here are some ideas to consider:

Building Faith Does Thanksgiving: 7 Helpful Posts (Virginia Theological Seminary, Episcopal Church)

https://buildfaith.org/thanksgiving/

Thanksgiving Sunday (United Church of Canada)

https://united-church.ca/worship-special-days/thanksgiving-sunday

Autumn offers practical opportunities to advance our Anglican commitments to the National Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. Parishes can actively engage in relationship healing and rebuilding with Canadian First Peoples through targeted advocacy and education initiatives.

- September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

- October 1 is Treaty Day, marking the beginning of Mi'kmaq History Month (PEI & NS)

Here are some links to helpful resources:

Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI - https://mcpei.ca/

Mi'kmawe'l Tan Teli-kina'muemk / Teaching About the Mi'kmaq (Debert, NS) - https://www.mikmaweydebert.ca/sharing-our-stories/education-and-outreach/school-curriculum/

Diocesan webpage: https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/pages/celebrating-indigenous-peoples--916

You're invited to our webinar, "Increase Your Impact with a Legacy Gift" co-led by CanadaHelps, Laurie Fox from Will Power, and Financial Advisor, Janine Purves.

Join us on Tuesday, September 29th at 1:00 pm EDT to discover the benefits of planned giving and how including charitable giving in your legacy planning can have a huge impact on the charities of your choice.

In this short and interactive session you'll learn:

• The financial benefits of different methods of charitable giving.
• How to make the most out of charitable tax credits.
• How to create greater impact with investments.
• How to use your Will and RRSP/RRIF to make an impact for your favorite charities and your family.
• PLUS, a Q&A session where you'll get to ask Laurie and Janine all your burning questions.

Register for the webinar happening on Tuesday, September 29th, at 1:00 pm EDT. Unable to attend? You can still register - a recording of the presentation will be sent to everyone who signed up!

Click here to register

Parish leaders are often looking for practical, easy ways to help people connect Sunday faith with everyday life. This week, we begin rolling out ready-to-use "Flourishing Faith In Daily Life" mini-resources. The topic is: Living the Litury.   Download the pdf here: Flourishing Faith - Insert 3  

These 'micro-practice' faith inserts are designed to be plug-and-play, adaptable across multiple settings with zero extra preparation:

• Sunday Leaflets: Print-ready, vertical half-sheet bulletin inserts.
• Parish Newsletters: Compact reflections ready to paste straight into your digital or print communications.
• Social Media: Short, engaging snippets formatted for Facebook.
• Parish Meetings: Built-in devotional starters to ground Parish Council or committee meetings.

What: We are hosting an on-line conversation about Divine Feminine Energy as inspired by Mary Magdalene's Gospel

When: Thursday, October 1st - 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Who: Speaker is Linda Longmire, Spiritual Director, Barat Spiritual Centre, Halifax

Where: This gathering is hosted on Zoom

Register: email soulstirringconversations@gmail.com and the Zoom link will be emailed to you

Why: The character of Mary Magdalene was denigrated by the early Church and her written Gospel disappeared for over fifteen hundred years. Today there is mounting Feminine Divine Energy flourishing worldwide and the spirit of Mary is emerging like a phoenix out of the ashes to support our love for God and relationship with Yeshua/Jesus, and to empower women's spirituality and spiritual authority. This topic is likely to spark lively conversation and encourage self-reflection of our own sacred wisdom.

What to bring: your experience; an open mind and heart; a willingness to explore deep topics. Please know that this is a safe place to have an honest, authentic conversation about our emotions

Ground Rules: Be kind; be respectful; be supportive of each other; be authentic; take care of yourself; honor confidentiality.

Who we are: a collection of open-minded, affirming, authentic people associated with the Anglican Church of NS and PEI. All peoples are welcome to this important conversation in a trusting and safe environment.

This event is supported by the Prospect Road Recreation Association

These calls have been on a bit of a hiatus, but we're back on this fall and winter! Children's, youth and family ministry leaders, both lay and clergy, are invited to join in on these informal workshops to talk about a variety of topics. Find all the details here: https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/pages/inspired-faith

One thing that we hear often is that for leaders in children's, youth and family ministry, it can be difficult to find time for your own continued growth and faith formation. We can't magically add hours to your day or to your week, but we can invite you to set aside one every other Sunday from 7:30 to 8:30 to spend time in prayer with other leaders in children's, youth and family ministry.

Find all the details here: https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/pages/praying-together

On November 30 at 6 pm our diocese will gather in All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, to celebrate with an exuberant service of Holy Eucharist the 50

anniversary of our Church ordaining women to the priesthood. And because that date also happens to be the 6th anniversary of Bishop Sandra's consecration as bishop, an event that had no real public celebration as it took place under Covid restrictions, we will also celebrate her ministry among us.  A reception will precede the worship.

We hope every parish in the diocese will join in preparing for this celebration. More information will be coming throughout the summer, but here are some of the ways to get involved: 

• Make a list of the women ordained in or from your parish and female rectors – and also those who felt called and were not welcomed into ordained ministry; those stories are part of the fabric too. 

• Collect the stories of these women, and those who supported them

• Create artwork depicting your parish’s women clergy and stories (a template and instructions will be sent out in advance so these are the same size and material; these will be gathered and hung in the Cathedral for the service)

• a collect will be sent for prayer during October and November)  

• Host a parish watch party for the national celebration being held November 25 in Victoria

• If you are too far from Halifax to attend, host a parish watch party for our diocesan celebration. 

We are making resources available to assist those who want to attend the national celebration in Victoria and need financial help to do so; please contact Lawrence Roche at financialcontroller@nspeidiocese.ca if you ware interested in going. 

And watch for further announcements about ways to participate in this grand celebration!

The Parish of Lantz has the following items available for parishes/groups. Note that all items must be retrieved before October 14

• Pews made of solid wood (some 93” long and most 116” long)

• Two prayer desks

• Two candle stands (approx. 5’ high)

• Wooden Font

• Bishops Chair

Looking for an accessible, low-pressure way to dive into scripture this fall?

Joine us for Lessons from Paul: Living a Christ-Centered Life, a Zoom Bible study series co-hosted across three dioceses (Calgary, Algoma and Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island) and Thorneloe University, Sudbury, ON.

Each session follows a simple, open format: a passage of Scripture is read twice, followed by a wide-ranging, accessible discussion on how Paul's writings apply to our daily lives.

Event details

When: Thursdays from Sept. 3 to Oct. 8 at 9:00pm Atlantic Time

Where: Online via Zoom

• Meeting ID: 827 3436 6468
• Passcode: 830537

Weekly Reading Schedule

• Sept. 3 - Colossians 3:12-17
• Sept. 10 - Ephesians 4:29-32
• Sept. 17 - Romans 12:1-13
• Sept. 24 - Romans 12-14-21
• Oct. 1 - Romans 13:1-7
• Oct. 8 - Romans 13:8-14

Co-Leaders

Mike Hobson - Postulant, Church of St. Andrew, Cole Harbour, NS (Diocese of NS & PEI)

Coery Brunatti - Parish of Trinity Muskoka Lakes, ON (Diocese of Algoma)

Rev. Mike Black - Parish of St. Martin's, Calgary, AB (Diocese of Calgary)

All are welcome! Grab your bible and join the conversation from wherever you are.

Imagine being in a hospital to support a loved one in a moment when they need medical attention... and the lights go out.

St. Luke’s Hospital is located in Nablus on the West Bank, and is a hospital operated by the Episcopal (Anglican) Diocese of Jerusalem. Alongside Hope has been working in partnership with the Diocese of Jerusalem to fund the purchase and installation of 407 solar panels for St. Luke’s Hospital. 

The appeal for Light for St. Lukes officially went out in the late spring. Our goal is to have $176,000 by October 18 2026!

As of this week, Alongside Hope has fundraised $151,284 of $176,000! 

This week two parishes from the south shore came together to fundraise together (Thank you Holy Trinity Bridgewater and the Anglican Parish in New Germany)- participants got together to walk and rock together to fundraise! To hear more about this recent event or if you or your parish is interested in joining in the final push for Light for St. Lukes, every Watt counts! Check out the article linked Here for more information on how to support the project.

We continue in the Season of Creation.  Anglicans Powering Potential recognizes that it is a season that has the capacity to strengthen our relationship with our Indigenous neighbours, both because of our shared commitment to the well being of our God-created universe, to live in peace and harmony with it, and because of the Season of Creation encompassing Canada's National Truth and Reconciliation Day - September 30th. 

This is a solemn day of remembrance and resolve to learn more about the trauma of Canada's residential schools. All are invited to a special presentation with guest Chris Benjamin as he shares Legacies of the Shubenacadie Residential School, followed by a brief interfaith service of repentance and healing:  

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Time: 5:30 pm

Place: Great Hall, 1340 Cathedral Lane, Halifax

Treaty Day for Nova Scotia is October 1, introducing October as Mi'kmaw History Month.

There is a special  celebration, a Creation Extravaganza with Pet Blessing, to close the Season of Creation and honour St. Francis of Assisi:

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026

Time: 11:00 am  - 2 pm

Place: Victoria Park and the Cathedral Church of All Saints, 1330 Cathedral Lane, Halifax 

Here are more interesting International/World Days for September and the first part of October

Sept. 25: World Maritime Day

Sept. 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

Sept. 28: International Day for Universal Access to Information

Sept. 29: International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

Oct. 2: International Day of Non-Violence

Oct. 5: World Teachers' Day (UNESCO)

See what your parish offers in the way of prayer programs, contemplative gatherings, or quiet prayer times.

 Explore prayer gatherings from other parishes, perhaps not available at your church, or held at a time more convenient for your schedule; in person and on ZOOM.

Fall updates