Service Times
Sunday
8:00 am Eucharist
9:30 am Sunday School
9:30 am Sung Eucharist
Wednesday
10:30 am Eucharist
Worship service. Sunday 9:30 am
Sunday Services
Our main services of worship are the Sunday morning Eucharists at 8:00 am and 9:30 am.
The 8:00 am service is a quiet said service. The 9:30 am service has music and hymns. During the 9:30 am service the children are also invited to join the Church School following the children’s story (usually with puppets). There is an area in the Church for the children to colour pictures or to read books that are available. We gather for fellowship and coffee after the 9:30 am service.
Wednesday Services
Each Wednesday we gather in the Chapel for 10:30 am.
This service of the Eucharist (Holy Communion) includes two hymns and is a little less formal. There is a time of fellowship after the service.
Jazz Vespers
On the first Sunday of each month (from October to June) at 4:30 pm.
Jazz Vespers is a special service that joins together wonderful jazz music played by local musicians and a quiet time of prayer and reflection.
Evensong Services
Evensong, January 2019
On the fourth Sunday of each month (from September to June) at 4:30 pm in our Chapel.
Evensong is led by a special All Saints’ choir and brings together traditional (Book of Common Prayer) worship with music and hymns. Other occasional services include Celtic Vespers on the Sunday closest to March 17th and Blue Christmas on a Sunday before Christmas.
Noon Hour Chapel
Open on most Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12:00 to 1:30 pm.
Chapel of the Holy Spirit
Our lovely Chapel of the Holy Spirit is a welcome haven for both congregation members and the community as a whole. For anyone seeking respite from the busy world around us, the chapel provides a quiet sense of serenity and peacefulness, a place for spiritual meditation and prayer if that is what you seek. Everyone is welcome, whether regular church-goers or not. From the lively streets of Westboro we welcome those working in the community, shoppers, out-of-town visitors, curious passers-by and anyone seeking solace from our troubled world.
The chapel itself is of interest for its architectural renown and historic significance. The stained glass windows, artistic wall hangings, and spiritual music add to the ambiance of this very spiritual place. A chapel volunteer is available to welcome you and answer any questions you may have or direct you to other parts of the church if necessary.
May those who enter these hallowed walls experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in whatever form it is acceptable to them, and bring them a sense of comfort and peace.
Labyrinth Walk
Labyrinth Walk in the Courtyard
Everyone is invited to walk the outdoor 7-circuit labyrinth in the All Saints’ Courtyard, or the 11-circuit indoor labyrinth located in Steacy Hall.
A labyrinth is a spiral path that will lead you to the centre and then back out again. One of the oldest contemplative and transformative tools known to humankind, labyrinths have been used for centuries for prayer, ritual, and personal and spiritual growth. They pick up a “sacred geometry” that seems to be encoded in the universe in patterns of water flow, flowers, pine cones, and the winding code of DNA. In the middle ages, labyrinths came to be incorporated into churches as a place of pilgrimage for those who were unable to make longer pilgrimages.
In contrast to mazes, there are no tricks or dead ends in a labyrinth. Among the many varieties of labyrinths is the eleven-circuit labyrinth built into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France in the thirteenth century. All Saints’ labyrinth is the most common, the classical or Cretan design with seven circuits and seven turns. Notice the cross and the circle in the centre.
Once you set your foot on the path, you are gently led to the centre. Like any journey in life, you encounter twists and turns. At points you are drawn farther away from the centre. By keeping the path, you reach the centre; then you are led back to where you started.
A revival of this ancient tool of meditation has been recently recovered by Christians of all denominations. Coming as it does from the early Church, the practice of walking is being shared ecumenically and joyfully.
How to walk the walk?
There is no “right or wrong” way to walk a labyrinth. Journey in and out. Expect to have different experiences each time you do it. Undertake to discover your way for today.
Set your own pace. Pay attention to the rhythms of your own breath and gait. Receive the “body wisdom” that can come from this experience. Then maybe, invite yourself to find new movement. If you meet someone going the other way, do what feels natural. Walking with others can enrich the experience.
Suggestions to try as you walk:
- If you feel you would like to stop, rest, pray…do so;
- Remember other walks you have taken
- Pay close attention to your attitude to the centre;
- As you grieve a loss, use the walk as a symbolic act of honouring what has been;
- Ask, “what can the turns teach me today?”
- Think of the pathway as the “river of God’s love”.
From Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion,
Living the Labyrinth: 101 Paths to Deeper Connections with the Sacred (Cleveland, Pilgrim Press, 2000)