THE REVEREND FATHER EDWARD SIMONTON OGS

RD, M.A (Hons)., M.Th, FRAI, FRSAI, FSA Scot  

REGIONAL DEAN OF THE LAURENTIANS

RECTOR OF RAWDON
PRIEST IN CHARGE OF MASCOUCHE

DIOCESAN YOUTH CHAPLAIN

 CHRIST CHURCH, THE RECTORY, 3365 THIRD AVENUE, RAWDON, QUEBEC J0K 1S0

OFFICE & RECTORY TELEPHONE (450) 834 4457 OFFICE FAX (450)  834 8923
 

 Dear Friends.

We postponed the publication of ‘In Touch’ this year so that it could contain news of the Episcopal Synod and our new Bishop. We only elect a new Bishop about every fifteen years and so we thought the delay worthwhile. However it happens that both the ‘In Touch’ and the Rector’s autumn letter turned out to be ready for posting at almost the same time. So you will find the ‘In Touch’, the Rector’s autumn letter and your Harvest envelope all in the same mailing this year. 

We had a lovely party at the Rectory after our First Communions on Ascension Sunday last spring. The weather was a delight and the Rectory rather leant itself to a garden party. Perhaps we will make this an annual occurrence. 

I have started a Confirmation group with four teenagers preparing for Confirmation either in late spring or early autumn. It will be the first time we welcome our new Bishop to the parish. The Confirmation course is a year and a half long. For most teenagers it is the only chance they will have to come to a deep understanding of the Christian faith and develop their own spiritual language. Short Confirmation classes are almost always followed by a mass exodus of the confirmands from the church. The Lutheran Church, which has a two year Confirmation course, seems to keep it’s youth. The Archbishop and I had numerous conversations about Confirmation preparation which led to the issuing of new clergy guidelines within the Diocese.  I hope to have a garden party at the Rectory for the Confirmands and the Bishop. 

The Deanery youth project produced fruit in the Spring when I was able to set up three new youth groups in the Laurentians and hold a Deanery overnight in St Sauveur. This went extremely well and was well attended. Another two overnights are scheduled for the coming year. The Diocesan paper carried articles about these events.

I spent a week in France with Youth Leaders International at the beginning of June. Alex Campbell and Bryan Rourke both came with me. It was an eventful week as we traversed the entire length of France. Justin Ells, another member, has written an excellent article for the Diocesan newspaper which was just published. It is worth reading. My holiday in Italy was rather dreary as I was ill for the entire trip. However I was able to visit some of the finest art museums in the world whilst visiting Florence, Sienna, Perugia, and Assisi. My week at Quebec Lodge was hard but fruitful as always. Brittany Bertrand spent two weeks this summer participating in the Diocese of Montreal and the Diocese of Athabasca’s youth exchange trip. She and several youths from our Diocese went to Athabasca in Alberta and then youth from Athabasca came to Montreal. She has written an article for the ‘In Touch” about her trip. 

The major news in the parish is the beginning of the church interior restoration. I have written an article for the ‘In Touch’ which goes into detail about the work done and the work planned. 

 I spent the month of autumn and the first couple of weeks of September undertaking a complete overhaul of the church office. This year the historical materials in the filing system were sent to Diocesan Archives to be placed in fireproof containers for safe keeping. Part of this task was the regularising of church meetings to insure smooth running of the parish. The ACW, the Cemetery Committee, the Family Fair Committee, and the Stewardship Committee all operate under their own chairs and I am not involved in their organization. Everything else is oraganised by me. All of the committees and guilds I oversee now have regular meeting times. For example, the Pastoral Care Committee meets the first Friday of every other month beginning in October at the Rectory at 10am. I have produced a complete yearly planner for the community that includes all meeting dates, the dates of all special services and the dates of the major feast days of the church, special dates, my commitments and my holidays. The Schedule covers the period from September 2004 until September 2005. This schedule helps me to plan my time more effectively but more importantly it allows the entire community to plan their calendars and agendas more efficiently. 

There have been a few changes in the general running of the parish. To begin with, the Corporation will now meet every month. Three times a year we will review in depth the finances of the parish with the Treasurer. This should make for a more efficient running of church affairs. I have also reintroduced the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board, made up of the chairs and heads of the various Committees and Guilds will meet every autumn and spring. I have also restarted the Adult Education classes which will meet the first Friday of every month.

The Chair of the Pastoral Care Committee and I have regularised the pastoral services in the community. We have organised with the Heather Hospitals to have a service there every month instead of every other month. The service will alternate with the United Church Minister every other month. So there will now be six Anglican Masses and six United Church Communions during the year. There will be an Anglican Mass at the Sunshine home every other month. The other months will probably be an Anglican service of the word taken by the Lay Reader. We have also started a regular Anglican Mass at St Anne’s home every other month.

This year I have arranged to have regular guest preachers. At the moment the Venerable Peter Hannan -Vicar General of the Diocese, The Rev’d Canon John Simons - Principle of the Theological College, The Rev’d Peter Huish – Prisons Chaplain, The Rev’d Charles Morris – the Clerical Secretary of Synod, The Rev’d Dr Richard Cawley – Lately Rector of St James Montreal, Steve Tiesson – Director of the Torch Bearers College, and One of the Members of the Community Chemin Neuf have all agreed to preach for us. I also hope to have the Rev’d Dr Patricia Kirkpatrick – The Professor of Old Testament Studies at McGill University, and the Rev’d Audrey Morrison – the first locally raised priest in the Diocese come to preach. The new Bishop will also preach when he comes for Confirmation. I hope this will provide some variety and stimulation in our Sunday services. I am sure you do not want to hear me every single Sunday!

This year, for the first time in my ministry, I have booked my entire holidays. One of the benefits of being a parish priest is that we get good holidays. We are entitled to five weeks (including Sundays) every year. As my day off is on a Monday, all civic holidays that fall on a Monday are regulated to a kitty and add up to another week (not including a Sunday). We also get three weeks of Continuing Education every year. My Oratory retreats and YLI trips are counted as Continuing Education. My week at Quebec Lodge is part of my Diocesan Youth Chaplaincy. Fr Chis Belle, the other youth Chaplain, takes Senior Crosstalk Camp, while I take Senior Quebec Lodge Camp. I have found that since I began ministry I have been unable to find the time to take my full holidays or my Sundays. This is partially because the church’s schedule is so full but also because I find it disconcerting to be away for too long.

As many of you know, I am a workaholic. I often work on my days off and seem to have a hard time distancing myself from parish administration especially. I have been told by the outgoing Archbishop as well as my Archdeacon that I am to make more time for self care, reading and reflection, and most specifically recreation. It has been requested that I take the time to develop a sustainable, reasonable work ethic for the long term future of my ministry. Holidays are only one part of this. 

Ironically, the same structure that is requesting that I not work as much has also emphasized the importance of my learning the French language. I am to try and find time to do that this year. There is a possibility that I will be able to take a two week emersion course in French as well as weekly study. On top of that the Deanery to the South of us, Royalmount, has been deemed by the Diocese to be dysfunctional and moribund and there are plans to dissolve the Deanery and redistribute the parishes to other Deaneries. It is expected that the parishes of St James Rosemere and All Saints Two Mountains will come to the Deanery of the Laurentians. As both of these parishes are without a priest direct pastoral oversight of them will fall to me as Regional Dean!  

I see this year as yet another ministry experiment, this time in time management and scheduling. I ask for your prayers and support in this endeavor.

Autumn in the church will be eventful. We have the Blessing of Pets for the Feast of St Francis, our Harvest Dinner and Service, All Saints Sunday and the dedication of the new Memorial Book and Remembrance Book and the display case to hold them, Remembrance Sunday and the service at the cenotaph, our Patronal Festival and birthday lunch, and the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols. We have the Sunday School Christmas party on the 12^th of December. All of the church groups and services have restarted and the normal life of parish life has returned to its fast pace.

It has been requested by the corporation that I return to using more official stationary signifying my official positions. I have been using my informal ‘unpompous’ letterhead for the last year in an attempt to be more familial.

Our organist of the last two and a half years resigned effective September 19^th. Please bear with us as we seek to find a replacement. We will miss Andre as he was a fine musician. We will sing acappella for most Sundays and will try and find an organist for the major feast days. Please keep Fr Peel Steven in your prayers as he builds his strength to undergo an operation sometime in the near future.

                                                                                                                                                    Yours in Christ,

                                                                                                                                                Fr Edward OGS