Recent Updates

Parish help line

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and social distancing and self-quarantining becomes more stringent, if any parishioners are in need of assistance, please contact Fr Murray. Fr is coordinating the response to parishioners' needs. Let us also care for one another through phone calls, messages, and virtual visits online. If you are concerned about, or wish to reach parishioners who do not have internet access, please contact:
Fr Murray, 613-668-6992, parishoffice@primus.ca
or
Ronald Bentley, 613-822-1911, rwbentley@sympatico.ca

Spirituality in a Time of Isolation

"Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything."
- Abba Moses, sayings of the Desert Fathers.

Trying to maintain a life of prayer and devotion outside of our church community can be a challenge for some, and many of us are perhaps not accustomed to long periods of isolation in a fast-paced world. Fr James Krueger, an Episcopal priest at St. James Episcopal Church in Lake Delaware, nestled in the Catskills of New York State, heads an organization dedicated to contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition. He has written and recorded a series, entitled, Coronavirus and Contemplation, which can be found on the website of Mons nubifer sanctus (Holy Cloud-Bearing Mountain): 
https://monsnubifer.org/coronavirus-and-contemplation-01/

Madonna House of Ottawa has spiritual resources available for purchase and download at their website: https://publications.madonnahouse.org/

The Metropolitan and Diocesan Bishops of Ontario have declared this time to be one of feasting on the Word. The Daily Offices in The Book of Common Prayer are a wonderful way to delve into scripture within the framework of daily prayer. There are many resources available online, of which the following are just a few:

Anglican Church of Canada BCP lectionary:
https://lectionary.anglican.ca/bcp/

The Prayer Book Society of Canada:
http://prayerbook.ca/

The Prayer Book Society (U.K.) has easy access to the lessons of the day:
https://www.pbs.org.uk/the-bcp/daily-office-online

The Society of Archbishop Justus hosts an interconnected collection of Anglican-related web sites, including extensive liturgical resources from across the Anglican Communion: http://justus.anglican.org/ 

There is a Daily Prayer App available here:
https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/daily-prayer/id818491760

Prayer List

We remember those for whom our prayers have been asked: Michelle O'Brien and family, as they mourn the death of Joe; Patricia Boyce, Geoffrey, Joshua, Roger Beland, Emma and Family, Harvey Cottrell, Vera Iodko, The Rev. Dcn Henry Stauffenberg, Jarod, David Blackman, Murray Nash, Emily, Mary and Rob, Ronald Bentley, Phyllis, Fr Borden, Mary Davis, Quinn Smith, Morris Redman, Phyllis James, Bart Beglo, Ann Dobbins, George Stonyk, Gilles Roussel, Sandra Cullen, Therese, Denise Roussel, Shirley Delaney, James Hallett, Sarah Trant, Kaylan and for all living with anxiety and depression.

For the repose of the soul of Joe O’Brien.

The O'Brien family has requested that a funeral be delayed until such time that the congregation might be able to gather together at St. Barnabas. 

Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon him.

Centretown Emergency Food Centre

The funds which were raised by the Parish Outreach Committee at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner, and the offering taken up at the Organ Benefit Recital on March 15 will be donated to the Centretown Emergency Food Centre. Please consider your own donation to a local food bank at this time of high demand. Information on the Centretown Food Centre can be found here:
http://cefcottawa.org/

A Message from the Treasurer and Wardens

The virus crisis may have closed our church building temporarily, but the life of the Parish continues, and so do its expenses. If you are looking for a way to donate while you cannot be physically present, there are several options:

you can go on PAR (pre-authorized remittance) by completing the form found here: https://mcusercontent.com/7f356480738cc49e3563462ec/files/e5bed742-6c01-...

The completed form can either be sent by e-mail to the Treasurer, Christopher Bowers at treasurer@stbarnabasottawa.ca, or mailed to: Church of St Barnabas A&M, 70 James St, Ottawa, ON K1R 5M3

A cheque can be sent the treasurer at the church’s postal address above.

Funds can be e-transferred to the treasurer’s e-mail address above.

Donations can be made through https://www.canadahelps.org/en/

This will be a difficult time for everyone, including churches, but we know that you will keep the needs of our Parish in mind and we thank you! Keep healthy!
Your Wardens and Treasurer.

Virtual Worship: St. Barnabas on YouTube

Last week, the Provincial House of Bishops mandated that, given the inability of parish congregations to physically gather as a community for worship, all churches in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, which includes the Diocese of Ottawa, will observe a "Eucharistic Fast". This means that any Virtual Worship offered at St. Barnabas will not include the Holy Mass. The full text of Bishop Chapman's letter can be found here: 
https://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/images/Pastoral-Letters/2020-03-26-Pastor...

Fr Murray received permission to offer Ante-Communion with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament this past Sunday. This was live-streamed on our Facebook page. A high quality version of the service can be found on our new YouTube page which can be found here: 
https://youtu.be/SG0ZdQipMtA?t=35

Please subscribe to the YouTube page and look for more videos to appear in the near future. 

An update detailing virtual worship for Palm Sunday and Holy Week will be forthcoming. In the meantime, we continue with our scheduled weekly worship on Facebook with the following offices:
Monday: Sung Compline at 8:00pm
Wednesday: Evensong at 6:00pm
Friday: Morning Prayer, The Litany, and A Supplication at 9:00am
https://www.facebook.com/StBarnabasOttawa/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

The Stations of the Cross which would normally be publicly led on Fridays in Lent have been cancelled for the remainder of the Lenten season. Consider making this a personal or family devotion: many examples may be found online. A form which uses the prayers of St. Paul of the Cross, and which includes artwork can be found at the following website: 
https://stationsofthecross1.weebly.com/pray-the-way-of-the-cross.html

Eucharistic Adoration

Bradley Smith, Together: The Voice of Catholic Anglicans (Easter 2020)

Throughout Lent, Holy Hours, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction are often part of our devotions as we try and come closer to God in this holy season and as we journey through Holy week, the Watch at the Altar of Repose on Maundy Thursday is a time we spend with Jesus in His sacramental presence... It’s not uncommon to hear faithful Christians, who attend the Eucharist Sunday by Sunday, to say that if they occasionally miss their Sunday Communion for whatever reason they really notice it. They don’t feel quite complete, as if something is missing from their lives. It’s much more than that they are out of their usual routine, however pious that routine might be - I would suggest that they are somehow less than themselves, less than the people they are called to be – Eucharistic people, because the Eucharist is at the heart of our identity as Catholic Christians...

By putting the Eucharist at the centre of our lives, and by relying on it like we rely on food and water, we put Christ himself at the centre of our lives. You could even be so bold as to say that if the Eucharist isn't at the centre of your life then you're not living an authentically Christian life. Why? Because it was Christ Himself who said ‘do this in memory of me.’ This action of gathering, taking, breaking and sharing is God’s way of us experiencing Christ’s Presence in our lives here and now and, although other forms of worship can be rich and inspiring, they cannot in any way replace the Eucharist as the highest form of worship. From the very opening words of the Mass to the final dismissal every word, every gesture and action is centred on Christ. It’s all about him and in particular on his sacrifice on the Cross that repairs, strengthens and renews our relationship with God...

As Catholic Christians we take Christ as his word, spoken through his priest, ‘This is my body’ (no mere symbol, this) and the Church gives us a wonderful opportunity to dwell on his presence in Eucharistic Adoration outside of the Mass. Many of our churches will give us the opportunity this Lent to come and spend time in the Presence of the Lord in Holy Hours, when the Host is raised up on the altar for our adoration. It is a beautiful thing to look up and ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ and to offer him, in the silence of our hearts, our praise and worship, our thanksgiving for the life he has won for us on the Cross and to tell him our deepest fears and concerns. The Eucharist draws us deeply into the sacrifice of the Cross. As we look up and see the Sacred Host exposed in the monstrance we are at the foot of the Cross. Who would not want to kneel and adore Him? We must make sure that the pious customs of our Faith are not lost. Kneeling in his Presence, genuflecting, bending the knee before the tabernacle, are of immense value. We worship with action and gesture as much as with words. These actions express what words cannot. If there is a time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament before the celebration of Mass this is a wonderful opportunity for careful and prayerful preparation for receiving Christ’s gift of himself in Holy Communion. Such preparation was once a hallmark of our Anglican Catholic piety and, like other disciplines of our Faith is, I believe, in urgent need of rediscovery... 

Our renewed devotion to the Lord in the Eucharist will shape every aspect of our lives and transform all our human relationships. It will give fresh perspective on the challenges of life. It gives glory to God, it enriches our spiritual journey by opening our hearts to the love of God and it also teaches others - faithful devotion inspires others. If we want to the see the church thrive in a new generation then each of us has a role to play in teaching the young in particular the ways of holiness. Young people need models of living faith that will point them to Jesus. By giving priority to the Eucharist we give priority to Christ. Let us make this Lent a time of renewed commitment to Christ in the Eucharist. It will transform our experience of the Mass and open our eyes to Christ’s living Presence. I firmly believe it will contribute to the growth of the church both in numbers and in spiritual depth, and it will transform our congregations into genuinely Eucharistic communities that overflow with thanksgiving and are a blessing to the communities they serve.

The entire article can be found at 
https://www.sswsh.com/uploads/Together018.pdf