A happy day in the life of our church

Today, our priest Father Peter Jardine announced from the pulpit that an official letter from our College of Bishops of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC) went out on Friday, March 12, the day we honored St. Gregory the Great, Apostle to the English, to ask "that the Apostolic Constitution be implemented in Canada."

This news was announced in ACCC churches across the country.

I can scarcely contain my joy. This is really happening. And to have us all find out about this on Mothering Sunday or Laetare Sunday. Christian Campbell writes over at The Anglo-Catholic:

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, called Laetare Sunday from the first words of the Introit at Mass, “Laetare Jerusalem” — “Rejoice, O Jerusalem”. On this Sunday, the mid-point of the season of Lent, the Church permits certain special signs of joy to encourage the faithful in their course, a relaxation of the stark penitence of the Lenten fast and a foreshadowing of our joy in the Risen Lord at Easter. Flowers are permitted at the altar, the organ may be played at Mass and Vespers, the deacon and subdeacon wear dalmatics instead of folded chasubles as on other Sundays of Lent, and in place of penitential violet, rose-colored vestments are allowed.

I stuck a picture of Father Peter wearing pink, I mean rose, on Gaudete Sunday in Advent, since today Bishop Carl Reid celebrated the holy mass. Then you see Bishop Carl with Mary Wells, our "mother of the year" this year. Two of her four boys visited from Montreal today with their wife and girlfriend. Then you see Mary cutting off the marzipan balls off the Simnel cake that Bishop Carl was blessing on the altar in the photograph above. Barb Reid baked the cake using a traditional recipe passed along by one of our now deceased parishioners. Then we see Moreen, who organized the lovely tea (with china cups and saucers, and fancy tea services) giving Barb a hug in thank you for baking the cake.

Today the hymns were wonderful, too.