Service of Secularization for St Jude, Greenwood
Members of Holy Trinity, Grand Forks, St. Mary’s Rock Creek, and St. Jude Greenwood, gathered to hold a final Eucharist service at the site of St. Jude in Greenwood. Having burned down on May 10 of this year, it was sadly decided to secularize the property and let it be used for other purposes. Archbishop Lynne McNaughton presided at this gathering, giving time for memories and reflections. People spoke of how Rev. Cathy Straume, a priest at St. Jude, was such a blessing to the Greenwood community, using the church to cook food for people in need, sewing quilts to give away, and providing a place for Aboriginal craft making. In final words, it was said that we are hoping for Cathy’s ministry to continue and that we need to find a way for this to happen.
Sacred Circle Prayer at Holy Trinity
On Sunday, June 23, 2024, Holy Trinity held an Aboriginal Day of Prayer, honouring the Four Directions, with a stone circle in the middle of the sanctuary. Rev. Simon Shenstone spoke about the sacraments, bringing attention to a sacred pipe which was passed on to him by an elder. The pipe is a sacrament, opening our attention to the Creator’s presence in us all. People of Cree, Mesquakie, Anishinabe, and Brazilian native ancestry offered tobacco to the Four Directions, after Reverend Shenstone opened with the Four Directions song in Lakota. Everyone was deeply moved by this service, asking if we could do it again.
