In our prayer list we have included `The Missing and Murdered Women, and families, friends and communities.`

For over five decades, there has been a spate of unsolved, and sometimes uninvestigated, disappearances of First Nations and Metis women in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba. Until recently, there was not much outcry against this situation, but the convictions of serial killers like Robert Pickton in B.C. and John Martin Crawford in Saskatoon, and the recent arrest of Sean Lamb, who is alleged to have killed three indigenous women in Winnipeg, have raised awareness. At present, the province is not prepared to launch a public inquiry into the missing and murdered women, and the official line is that such an inquiry cannot take place until the Winnipeg Police Service has concluded its investigation.

However, the First Nations community in Winnipeg holds that the province should at least put in place some sort of action plan to deal with this matter, a process that would not interfere with an ongoing investigation. While the majority of the missing and murdered women are indigenous, the non-indigenous community also has a responsibility to see that justice is done. This is an opportunity for us, as members of a community of faith, to add our voices to the voices of the First Nations community, to contact our MLAs and contact the provincial Justice Minister Andrew Swan asking that an action plan, leading to a public inquiry, be initiated.

Related links…

Who is my MLA?
Use your street address to find out which division you live in and the name of your MLA.

Living with Soul:
Developing resilience for the journey
Genesis 32:22-32

September 21-23, 2012
Speaker: Nancy Phillips

Our Nancy Phillips is this year’s speaker at the upcoming Women’s Retreat at Star Lake Lodge, and would like to invite the women of St. John’s to come and join her!

This is an interdenominational women’s retreat that’s held each year.  Star Lake is next door to West Hawk Lake in the Whiteshell.  The cabins have small sitting area, full bathroom with shower, flush toilet and hot running water, a bedroom with double bed and a bedroom with two bunk beds.  Invite your friends along and bunk together!

Spaces do fill up fast so register quickly.
Brochures can be seen here or picked up at the Cathedral office or you can get more information or register online on the Star Lake Lodge site.

For more details and registration please contact:
Marlene Isaak at 269-1376 or email Meisaak@mts.net

The Two Year Plan…

Vestry has approved the proposal by the Property Management Ministry that will have the Cathedral embarking on a two-year project to do some urgently-needed repairs to the building.

Phase One

Phase One of the plan includes repointing the stonework, installing eaves troughs, down spouts and painting of rafter tails, painting the exterior trim on all the large windows, and refinishing the nave entrance doors. The projected cost for Phase One is between $63,000 and $70,000 and the Cathedral has applied for grants to match Building Fund money which will cover the bulk of the cost and is seeking donations for the balance.

Brochure

Maureen Dolyniuk, chair of Property Management, has produced a brochure (with thanks to Bob Dolyniuk, who donated the materials and printing costs) outlining in detail the work to be done and you can get a copy from the church.

Saturday, October 13

Your presence is needed to help make plans for our future, so mark your calendars now and plan to attend.

Until such time as a new office administrator is hired, the office hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. The cemetery gates will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Thanks are due to Ted Stebbing, who has spent hours this summer working on the garden between the tower and the office annex. The garden is, as yet, unnamed and we’d like your help in giving it a name. Use the sheet headed ‘Name that Garden!’ which is on the table in the Narthex to list your suggestions, or contact the office.

Find out more about Rupert’s Land’s Hospitality House and its goal to sponsor as many refugees as possible.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will no longer provide supplemental health care to refugees during their first year in Canada, starting June 30. With more than 450 refugees sponsored by our diocese in the past 18 months, we have to act.

“Their health and their lives are literally on the line,” said Tom Denton of Rupert’s Land’s Hospitality House.

Find out more.
Check out the Winnipeg Free Press articles:

Manitoba diocese takes federal government to court over refugee health changes

Health-benefit cut for refugees spurs lawsuit