Download File - St Mary Magdalene

Our first parish conference, “Unveiling St. Mary Magdalene or letting Mary know what matters to us” was held on
January 28 with about 45 people attending. It seems that what matters to the parish of St. Mary Magdalene is
our faith, and the ability to participate in worship. In fact we would like to share our faith with our friends and
neighbours. We are also very committed to caring for one another and would like to do more of it and to do it
better. And we wish we could do more with and for children and young families. However we are aware that
we are growing older and we are a little frustrated that we are not capable of doing the same things we could
ten years ago.
My hope is that we will continue to explore how and to what God is calling the parish of St. Mary Magdalene.
It is an honour and a privilege to be your priest. I frequently give thanks to God for you, for your faith, your
loving care for your parish and your world.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Lysecki
Deacon's Annual Report for 2011
The past year has been one of many changes. We said goodbye to The Rev. Preston Parsons and his wife
Karen Sunabacka. Preston is now studying in Cambridge, England, and Karen is moving back and forth
between Cambridge and Winnipeg where she holds two positions – one at Providence College, and one at the
University of Manitoba. On September 1 st , 2011 we welcomed The Rev. Mary Lysecki as our rector to St.
Mary Magdalene, and Mary has been settling in since that time.
This past year, we lost many long time and well known parishioners. Kitty and Ken Welham, Nell Hicks,
Jessie Smith, Mary Saranchuk, Jack Sheffield and more recently Gary Brabant have all passed away since our
last annual meeting in January, 2011.
Lissa Wray Beal left St. Mary Magdalene in the Fall to do a term placement at the parish of St. Philip in
Norwood, and is due back this Spring after Easter. The Rev. Dr. Jane Barter Moulaison began working with
the Sudanese community, Emmanuel Mission, which meets at the parish of St. Matthew in downtown
Winnipeg, and she continues to serve St. Mary Magdalene as Director of Family Christian Education. Aaron
Peterson and his wife Erin welcomed daughter Taliah Miriam in December, 2011. Brian Crow resumed his
duties as lay reader in the parish, and has been a great addition to the roster of lay readers who serve at Sunday
morning worship.
Change in our personal lives and in the life of a parish is a constant, and St. Mary Magdalene has seen a much
more than usual amount of change in the past year. Still we move on, and remain open to the new possibilities
with a new rector and all the creative ideas that can come from creative and open minded parishioners. Mary
has begun to work with a group of people who will form a worship committee, and we look forward to the
ideas and dreams that will come from that group.
One of the highlights of the year was Faith Horizons, the semi annual diocesan event which was held on
October 14 th , and 15 th , 2011. It was entitled Xpressions, and featured guest speakers Drs. Nix-Early and
Corbitt, co-founders of Build-a-Bridge International, a community-based organization that uses the arts to
reach out to at-risk youth worldwide. It was good to hear Drs. Nix-Early and Corbitt as they described the
work they do to help youth become transformed through art and music. The deacons in the diocese held a
workshop where their expressions of artistic endeavours were displayed as well as a video that was shown to
give example of the work that is being done by deacons in the diocese. The workshop was well attended, and
those who came spent time in conversation with the deacons present and learned more about what it is to be a
deacon, and some of the educational routes that are available to help move toward ordination to the diaconate.
It has been good to attend Fresh Start gatherings, where we look at new beginnings for rectors/incumbents
and their parishes. It’s a very positive way to sit with other parishes who are also beginning a new process with
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