Please join us for Holy Week Services 2023.
Update – March 23, 2020
Until such time as we can come together in person once again, we must adapt and do things a little differently. The cathedral is doing service videos on YouTube will be doing wellness calls to parishioners. We encourage you to stay in contact with your clergy and fellow parishioners – check in on one another, in whatever way makes sense. Stay up-to-date with the cathedral by our Facebook posts or by our YouTube channel.
Remember, too, that the expenses of the cathedral continue. As you are able, we encourage you to continue to donate. Many parishioners are already pre-authorized donors. This helps a lot! If you wish to explore that option, just send an email to Teresa at info@brandon.anglican.ca and she can lead you through the procedure. Another option you can access through the comfort of your own home is CanadaHelps.org. The only difference with using them is that they send you a receipt, rather than us, and we don’t know who made the donations unless you tell us.
Our first priority is our people, the church. Rest assured that the dean and staff will continue to be paid during this uncertain time. With prayer and action, we will get through this together.
Diocese of Brandon COVID-19 Update
On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Bishop William issued a letter to be read in all parishes in the diocese with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the most up-to-date information from provincial health authorities and in consultation with senior diocesan leadership and other bishops in our Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land, all public worship in the Diocese of Brandon is suspended from Monday, March 16 through Sunday, March 29, inclusive. The situation will be reevaluated at that time.
The Diocesan Office will remain open.
It is important to reiterate that while public worship is suspended, ministry will continue. Visitation to the sick and suffering may continue so long as the clergy themselves remain healthy and health guidelines are followed. The use of the internet, including Faceboook and Instagram, is encouraged in order that we might continue to gather remotely.
To sum it up, Bishop William wrote in a letter earlier this week: “Finally, I want to add that our preventive actions are not being taken out of fear for our own safety but rather out of our concern for those members of the body of Christ who are at greater risk: the immuno-compromised, the elderly and those with underlying conditions. In the economy of grace, caring for the weaker members means we will find ourselves doing the best for all the members of the body. To paraphrase Paul in the twelfth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, “we will treat the weaker members of the body with greater care”. I believe that this places us spiritually in the right place. Not a spirit of fear, but rather of confidence in the saving work of Jesus and the wisdom and skill of the physicians and scientists who are working hard to give us the best advice.”
Letter of March 15 – full text
Letter of March 12 – full text
New Dean Appointed
In a lette
r to the Cathedral parish, The Right Reverend William Cliff, Bishop of the Diocese of Brandon, announced the appointment of The Venerable Don Bernhardt, currently Archdeacon of the Diocese of Brandon, as Rector of the Cathedral and Dean of the Diocese. The letter was read to the parish by the Rector’s Warden, Aynsley Helwer, at both morning celebrations on October 2, 2016.
Archdeacon Don and his wife, Heather, along with their two (now grown) children, were active members of St. Matthew’s Cathedral leading up to and while he was studying to become a priest. Archdeacon Don has held the position of Rector of St. Mary the Virgin, in Virden; St. Mark’s, Elkhorn; and more recently Christ Church, Melita; and St. John’s, Reston. His ten-year-plus ministry at St. Mary’s has been a very fruitful one, in particular, having encouraged and led them through the fundraising and building of a new, beautiful Parish Hall. He and Heather will be sorely missed by their parish family.
Archdeacon Don will officially take the reins of St. Matthew’s as of December 1, but in the meantime will help Bishop William, staff and committees work to redevelop the Cathedral building to make way for the Synod Office to share its space. Welcome back, Archdeacon Don and Heather!
About St. Matthew’s
St. Matthew’s Cathedral Church is a lively and vibrant faith community in the heart of Brandon. We’re a place where people come to worship God and deepen their faith through learning and service to others. If you live in Brandon, or are just here to visit, why not come and pray with us? You’re always welcome here.
403–13th Street, Brandon MB R7A 4P9
Office hours: 9–12, 1–4, Monday-Friday
Tel (office): (204) 727-2380 | Email: stmatt@mymts.net