St. Catherine’s Anglican Church in North Vancouver will feature Chris Woods’ Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
Vicar’s Warden, Robb Watt, ODNW has written an introduction; here is a portion:
Over the centuries, accomplished artists have created visions to illustrate key elements of the life of Christ.
This year when the world is experiencing a new and terrible turmoil, with the invasion of Ukraine and the suffering there, together with the ongoing challenge of the Covid pandemic, it is timely to be able to share a remarkable series of paintings of the Stations of the Cross and invite you to reflect on human suffering.
These 14 oils were painted by Canadian artist Chris Woods between 1994 and 1995, when he was 24, turning 25, in the first half of the first decade of his career.
From his studio in Chilliwack, he shaped a new and intriguing portrayal of the journey made by Jesus from his being condemned to death, to his death on the cross, to his burial in a tomb. Throughout, Christ is in a white robe, all other figures are in contemporary dress and the setting is in various sites in downtown Vancouver.
This gives Christ’s journey a new, startling and very different feeling. Family and close friends were the models for the various figures. Woods produced one painting for each of the 14 stops that Jesus is, by tradition, believed to have made along his journey, each one made by the artist after months of study and reflection.
The series was commissioned originally by Rev. James Penrice of the Anglican parish of St. David of Wales in East Vancouver. For many years they have been cared for by Rev. Michael Batten and the parishioners of St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in Vancouver following the closure of the Parish of St. David of Wales.
The paintings will be on display at the church from 10 am – 4 pm; entrance by donation. A meditative booklet will be available.
Schools support Ukraine
Emelia Lupynis organized a Spirit Day in support of Ukraine at St. Patrick’s Secondary School. Photo: The BC Catholic
An article in The B.C. Catholic pointed to the ways in which many of their parishes and schools are providing aid to Ukraine.
Here’s one example:
St. Patrick’s Secondary, Vancouver
For Emelia Lupynis the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces was not just something she heard about in the news: it was something members of her family were experiencing.
The St. Patrick’s student is a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and when the invasion began, she wanted to get her school community involved in the relief effort.
She organized a Spirit Day in which students and staff dressed in blue and yellow or with sunflower symbols. She and her family also provided a Ukrainian flag that St. Pat’s has been flying to “stand with Ukraine.”
Thanks to the generosity of St. Pat’s families, $1,365 was collected and sent through Development & Peace – Caritas Canada to its partner Caritas Ukraine for Catholic relief services on the ground in Ukraine. The school continues to pray for peace in Ukraine and for those affected by the war every morning in the school chapel.
Go here for the full story.
Nonreligion in Cascadia
Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme will be one of three panelists discussing nonreligion in Cascadia next week.
A group of scholars who study ‘nonreligion’ will zero in on our region during a webinar next week.
Religion at the Edge will look at the Cascadia bioregion (British Columbia, Washington and Oregon), which they say is often seen as a bellwether for social change in North America.
Here is their description of the event:
This virtual panel, co-hosted by the Nonreligion in a Complex Future Project and the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, celebrates the recent release of Religion at the Edge: Nature, Spirituality, and Secularity in the Pacific Northwest [University of Chicago Press, April 2022; distributed by UBC Press].
In this panel, co-editors Paul Bramadat (University of Victoria), Patricia O’Connell Killen (Pacific Lutheran University) and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme (University of Waterloo) will explore changes in (non)religion and spirituality in Cascadia over the past several decades and the implications these regional trends have for broader North American society.
The Centre for Studies in Religion and Society (CSRS), based at the University of Victoria, “is the leading centre in Canada for scholarly interdisciplinary research on topics at the intersection of religion and public life.”
The Nonreligion in a Complex Future (NCF) project, based at the University of Ottawa, “identifies the social impact of the rapid and dramatic increase of nonreligion. Canada is the focal point of our international research sites, which include Australia, the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland), the United States, the United Kingdom, and Latin America (Brazil and Argentina).”
Among the Collaborators with NCF is Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, Dean of Nursing at Trinity Western University, along with Wilkins-Laflamme and Joel Thiessen, who co-wrote None of the Above: Nonreligious Identity in the US and Canada in 2020. They wrote about it here.
See related articles here:
Christian scholars respond to recent StatsCan survey of religion
Stats Can study confirms decline in religious participation, especially in BC
‘Religious nones’ thrive in BC, thoughts on who they are and how to respond
Cascadia: church in the ‘None Zone’ face challenges, look for opportunities
Apr 2022
United Voices "Arise!" Spring Concert – April 14, 2022 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pmHow the World Began – April 14, 2022 - April 16, 2022 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Testament – April 15, 2022 - April 18, 2022 at All Day
An Artistic Journey: Original art by Chris Woods – April 15, 2022 at 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Stations of the Cross (two guided walks) – April 15, 2022 at 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Hearing God Seminar 2022 (Saturday mornings) – April 17, 2022 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Religion at the Edge: Findings from the Cascadia Project – April 20, 2022 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Creation Care and the Good News of Jesus Christ – April 22, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Meet the Author of 'Posting Peace' – April 27, 2022 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The Good Samaritan and Health Care Justice: Scott Kline – April 27, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Shari Ulrich's Trust Me' Series presents Martyn Joseph – April 27, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Faith & the Environment – April 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Flourishing Conference: Overseas and Over Your Fence (online, two mornings) – April 29, 2022 - April 30, 2022 at 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
2022 CLF National Law Student Conference – April 29, 2022 - May 2, 2022 at 6:00 pm - 12:00 pm
God & Government British Columbia Conference – April 29, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Rogue Folk Club presents Martyn Joseph – April 29, 2022 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Free Income Tax Service – April 30, 2022 at 9:30 am - 2:00 pm
SIM 2022 Virtual Banquet – April 30, 2022 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
May 2022
Vigil for Ukraine – May 1, 2022 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pmEnding Poverty Together Business Workshop – May 2, 2022 at 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
CLF Annual Symposium on Religion, Law & Human Rights: Reimagining Section 1 of the Charter – May 3, 2022 at 8:45 am - 5:30 pm
Refugee Crisis Webinar: Why, Where & What You Can Do – May 4, 2022 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Concerned Persons (Wednesday evenings) – May 4, 2022 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Lost and Found – May 5, 2022 - May 15, 2022 at All Day
Book Launch: Religion at the Edge: Nature, Spirituality, and Secularity in the Pacific Northwest – May 5, 2022 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Parenting Conference (two evenings) – May 6, 2022 - May 12, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Becoming Neighbours: Trust – May 7, 2022 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Relief for Ukraine: MCC Fundraising Event – May 7, 2022 at 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Share Jesus & In the Harvest Training – May 9, 2022 - May 12, 2022 at 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Caring for Missionaries from the Local Church – May 11, 2022 at 10:00 am - 11:15 am
Indigenizing Canada: Truth and Reconciliation and Next Steps in Canada with Prof. Ray Aldred (four discussions) – May 11, 2022 at 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
MCC Spring Banquet – May 12, 2022 at 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
May Art and Prayer Retreat – May 13, 2022 at 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Navigate Bible Conference: The King is Coming – Hearing the Message of the Book of Ruth with Dr. Daniel Block – May 13, 2022 - May 14, 2022 at 4:30 pm
March for Life – May 14, 2022 at 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Congregational Singing Today – May 14, 2022 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Sentences & Sentience: C.S. Lewis & the Word, with Dr. Andrew Kaethler – May 14, 2022 at 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
SOZO 2022: This is the Kingdom – May 14, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Delta Ukrainian Refugee Support – May 14, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 8:45 pm
United Voices "Arise!" Spring Concert – May 15, 2022 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
New Roots Fest: Five Works in Process – May 16, 2022 - May 19, 2022 at All Day
Lissa Wray Beal: Villains, Heroes & Those in Between – God's Ways & a Broken World – May 16, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Why the Faith? Canada Wide Tour – May 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mission Pastor Roundtable – May 18, 2022 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Faculty Roundtable: Old Testament Difficulties – Violence & Trauma – May 18, 2022 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Why the Faith? Canada Wide Tour – May 18, 2022 at 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Kaleidoscope: Opening Reception – May 18, 2022 at 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Transform Gala for the Salvation Army's 'Nine Stories of Hope' Campaign – May 18, 2022 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Gordon T. Smith: Generation to Generation – the Inter-Generational Dynamic of Vital Christian Communities – May 18, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
A Creature Chronicle: Exhibition & Symposium – May 19, 2022 - May 21, 2022 at All Day
Launch Day: The Sanctuary Course, Revised & Improved – May 19, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Singing Justice – May 21, 2022 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Mark Noll: What I Have Learned from Studying the History of the Bible – May 23, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Religious Responses to Climate Change: An Inter-Religious Conference – May 24, 2022 at All Day
A Message for Canada National Tour – May 24, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley: Religious Responses to Climate Change (Opening Keynote) – May 24, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Faculty Roundtable: Applying Scripture to Life – May 25, 2022 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Adrienne Dengerink Chaplin: Art, Conflict & Healing: Case Studies from Northern Ireland, China & Ukraine – May 25, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Digital Evangelism 101 – May 26, 2022 at 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Harnessing Conflict for Change (two-day workshop) – May 26, 2022 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Raymond Tallis: The Houston Centre Presents – 'Why We're Not (Just) Beasts' – May 26, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
'Everything But the Closet' Sale – May 27, 2022 - May 28, 2022 at 12:00 am
Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation 2022 – May 27, 2022 - May 29, 2022 at All Day
Prayer Gathering, by 24-7 Prayer Canada – May 27, 2022 at 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Impact Conference – May 27, 2022 - May 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm - 2:00 pm
musica intima: NAGAMO (sings) – May 27, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Spring Fair at St. David's, Delta – May 28, 2022 at 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lion's Gate Brass Quintet Ukraine Fundraiser – May 28, 2022 at 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Behold Israel – May 28, 2022 at 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Rise Above, with the Amabilis Singers – May 28, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
The Prayer Walk: Burnaby / Ridge Meadows / Abbotsford – May 29, 2022 - June 4, 2022 at All Day
Vancouver Orpheus Male Choir Concert – May 29, 2022 at 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Rejoice! A Performance with The Gallery Singers – May 29, 2022 at 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Royal Jubilee Proms Concert – May 29, 2022 at 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Malcolm Guite: A New Orientation – Insights from the Poets on What it Means to Turn to Christ – May 30, 2022 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – May 31, 2022 - June 1, 2022 at All Day