This Saturday at 6 pm, Sr. Ingrid and Fr. Dimas are leading a bilingual service (Spanish and English) in honour of St. Oscar Romero. Following the service will be an informal potluck dinner in the hall. All are welcome.

Please also note that on Saturday, April 4th, there will be a bilingual Easter Vigil service. Do join us for this beautiful and traditional Easter service.

Image: Prayer card issued by the Vatican on the canonisation of Oscar Romero, 2018.

We invite you to pick up your Easter letter in the Narthex this Palm Sunday. They will remain in the Narthex throughout Holy Week until Easter.

Photo by Sheelah Brennan on Unsplash

Please join the Dolan family in Room C after the 8:30 service this Sunday, March 29th, for their monthly breakfast.

Prepare for Easter by joining us for some thought-provoking opportunities for learning and spiritual growth. Each event takes place in the chapel for an hour, beginning at 6 PM.

Monday

Reflections in Poetry on the Passion of the Christ - Canon John Steele.

Deepen your Lenten  journey with verse and song in a time of prayer and contemplation.

John Steele served eight years as a Naval Officer, thirty-eight years as a priest which included service in Yukon, Vice Principal of the theological college in Burundi and in the Diocese of BC. He represented the ACC at the World Council of Churches and the Canadian Council of Churches in addition to serving on CoGS, PIM, and FWM. He was a Primary Reserve Chaplain for eighteen years - 5 Rd Rgt, 39 CBG and Deputy Divisional Chaplain 3 Div.

Tuesday

The women of the crucifixion and resurrection story and their depiction in religious art. - Jessica Ziakin-Cook

Join artist and art historian Jessica Ziakin-Cook for a look at how the Women at the cross and the tomb, especially Mary Magdalene, are depicted in Western art and Eastern Orthodox iconography. How are we to interpret religious these images, and in particular, what might these images say to us today about the role of women in the church?

Jessica Ziakin-Cook researches the relationships between Christianity and art in the late modern period. Her work considers how curators in the 1990s shifted the conversation on art and spirituality, and how religiously-inflected artworks impact individuals and societies by creating community and posing critical yet essential questions about the nature of spirituality and art. She is a doctoral student in Art History and Visual Studies at the University of Victoria, where she also earned an MA Art History and Visual Studies and a BA in “History in Art” and Psychology. 

(image: William Blake: The Three Marys at the Sepulchre)

Wednesday

A Lectio Divina meditation on the account of Jesus' betrayal and arrest in John 18. - Terry Mikkonen

Jesus is betrayed, and the disciples are scattered in the darkness. Join Terry Mikkonen in a time of prayer, visualisation and meditation as she explores verses 1-12 of chapter 18 of John's Gospel by means of Lectio Divina.

Join us for our next Community Coffee Social held on Wednesday April 1^st from 9:30 to 11 am in the hall.  

We warmly welcome you to come and spend some time in a relaxing and social environment. Bring your friends too! 

Sunday Mar 29              Palm Sunday & Passion of the Cross 10 AM
  
Monday Mar 30             Reflections in Poetry on the Passion of the Christ - Canon John Steele, Chapel, 6 PM

Tuesday Mar 31            The women of the crucifixion and resurrection story and their depiction in religious art - Jessica Ziakin Cook, Chapel, 6 PM

Wednesday April 1        A Lectio Divina meditation on the account of Jesus' betrayal and arrest in John 18. Terry Mikkonen, Chapel, 6 PM
    
Thursday April 2            Maundy Thursday Agape Meal and Eucharist
                                       Service, 6 PM
                                        
Friday April 3                 Good Friday, Church, 10 AM      
                                       (Meditation on the final words of Jesus)
    
Saturday April 4             Easter Vigil  (Spanish & English) @ 6 PM
                                       (followed by potluck dinner)

Sunday April 5                Easter Sunrise Service, 6:30 AM
                                        Esquimalt Lagoon
                                        Easter 8:30 AM Service
                                        Easter 10 AM Service 
                                       (followed by children’s Easter egg hunt)

Jill Dolan and her family invite all children to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt following the 10:00 Easter Day service. Thank you, Dolan family!

Photo by Aleyna Çatak on Unsplash

How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world? In his most personal book yet, Richard Rohr turns to the writings of the Jewish prophets, revealing how some of the lesser-read books of the Bible offer us a crucial path forward today. Drawing on a century of biblical scholarship, The Tears of Things breathes new life into ancient wisdom, paving a path of enlightenment for anyone seeking a way of compassionate living in a hurting world.

During Lent, for her Sermon Series, Sr. Ingrid will be drawing on Richard Rohr's new book, The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage. 

Plans are well underway for our annual Garage Sale on Saturday, May 2^nd.  Two posters are now ready on the entranceway table.  Please take copies of the main event poster to distribute around the community, give to friends, etc. You’re also welcome to take copies of the secondary poster which highlights dates for accepting donations and items that we are not accepting.  We will need lots of willing volunteers to make this great event happen, both during the days of receiving donations and setting them out prior to the sale and on the day of the sale.  Please have a look at the sign-up sheets in the entranceway and add your name to the days and times you can help.  Any questions?  Contact Linda Van Sickle at 778 265 5347 or lindavs51@gmail.com.

Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine will be returning to Ukraine in the next few months and will take with them 'Get Well' or 'Thinking of You' cards from our community for soldiers who are in the Ivano Frankivch Regional Hospital. Please keep the message shortened to a few sentences.

Example: "To a soldier in the Ivano Frankivch Regional Hospital, I am thinking of you and sending a message for a speedy recovery, peace, and security in your future. From a Canadian Friend." (No need to include names or addresses.)

The Canadian VISU team will personally ensure that the cards are given directly to the patients.

If you would like to send one or several cards to the soldiers, you can give them to either Jose Perena Pratt, Mary Wills or Carol Brown at church. The deadline to receive cards is Sunday the 29th. 

Image: Banner on Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine hompage.

Last week’s book selections will remain on the Top Shelf until Easter (unless borrowed). They are:

Timothy Radcliffe. Seven Last Words.
   Dominican friar Timothy Radcliffe provides seven illustrated meditations on the last words from the cross, which he calls “The Word of God spoken in the face of silence.” Their importance, he goes on to say, is that they are not in fact last words. Seen in the light of the Resurrection, they live.

Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan. The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem.
   An analysis of the gospel accounts by two leading Jesus scholars.

N.T. Wright. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is.
   A study of the historical Jesus, with a “so what does this mean for us now?” discussion of discipleship in our own time.

Peter J. Gomes. The Preaching of the Passion: The Seven Last Words from the Cross.
   This brief book contains seven short, powerful sermons on the last words from the cross by the late American Baptist minister and Harvard University professor.

The Passion Play of the Community of Oberammergau.
   Every ten years, the Bavarian village of Oberammergau stages its world-famous play, performed entirely by resident volunteers. This book, fully illustrated with colour photographs of the 1990 staging, also has commentary, a history of the play, and a little about the village (in German with English translation).

On the display on the children’s table this week is Alice Joyce Davidson’s The Story of Easter, illustrated by Victoria Marshall.

To borrow any book, fill out a green slip from the small bookcase in the narthex, and put it in the pink box labelled Library. To return a book, fill out a yellow slip and put it in the box, then leave the book beside or under the box.

All are welcome to join us on Thursdays for our relaxed, lively and interesting Zoom online Bible Study, to discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday. The readings are posted in this newsletter.

No experience or prior knowledge is needed.

Time: 6 PM - 7 PM.

Zoom Link:  https://bc-anglican-ca.zoom.us/j/88378461340?pwd=cU9wSUNEZG02M3h3bGVrUmpyMjRNZz09

Meeting ID: 883 7846 1340
Passcode: 4743031

Please note: There is no Bible Study on Maundy Thursday.
Sr. Ingrid will be teaching the Diocesan Lay Leadership in Worship Course on Thursday nights during March and April and on 28th May. Bible Study will continue under the warm and wise leadership of Lisa Brodersen for this period.

Readings for this Sunday's services:

Isaiah 50:4–9a

Psalm 31:9-16

Philippians 2:5-11

Matthew 21:1-11

Read Sunday's readings online:
1. Go to https://lectionary.anglican.ca/  
2. Select next Sunday's date in the space at the bottom.
3. Click "Link to full text for this day".

Mar 28 Spanish Service (Oscar Romero) & Potluck, 6 pm

Mar 29 8:30 Breakfast, Room C

Apr 1 Community Coffee Social, 9:30-11 am

Apr 2 Maundy Thursday Agape Meal & Eucharist, 6 pm, Hall
           NO Bible Study

Apr 3 Good Friday Service, 10 am

Apr 4 Bilingual Easter Vigil Service & potluck, 6 pm

Apr 5 Easter Sunrise Service, 6:30 am, Esquimalt Lagoon
          Easter morning services, 8:30 & 10 am

Apr 6 Easter Monday, Parish office closed

Apr 8 Ladies Guild Meeting, 1:30 pm

Apr 6-12 Sr Ingrid on Vacation

Apr 12  10 AM service only (no 8.30 service)

Apr 13-16 Sr Ingrid at Clergy Conference

Apr 21 Book Club (all welcome), St. John’s Rm, 10 am
             Parish Council Mtg, 7 pm

Apr 22 Community Lunch, noon

Apr 25 Spanish Service, 5:30 pm, & Parish Spring Potluck, 6:30 pm

Apr 26 8:30 Breakfast, Rm C

Apr 27-May 1- GARAGE SALE PREP WEEK

May 2 GARAGE SALE DAY;
            Taize Service, 5 pm

Faith Tides is the online, faith-based publication of the Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets (BC). Through news stories, reflections and feature articles Faith Tides aims to showcase the work God is doing through our churches. It is a space where people of faith and doubt can walk alongside one another, share their stories and grow together.

Bishop's Column: Welcoming everyone to the table
"As we prepare for the Easter feast, I invite you to think about what your parish could do to spend more time at table with one another and to invite more people, from all walks of life, to join you at the table." 

Churches get creative to raise funds for new keys
A number of our parishes are currently fundraising to buy new pipe organs and pianos — and finding creative ways to raise funds. 

Lenten challenge enters its tenth year
Lent 2026 will see the tenth installment of the Metchosin Challenge, a Lenten challenge set up by a St. Mary, Metchosin parishioner.

New year brings new energy to St. Peter, Quamichan
St. Peter's teaches Holden evening prayer during Lent, and welcomes all for a youth and young person service.

Diocese to host a summer retreat on Salt Spring Island
Retreat participants will spend time reflecting on our call to be the salt of the earth amidst the challenges of the turbulent 2020s. 

100 years since breaking ground at the cathedral
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of construction on Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. 

Ripples: March 2026 
Find out what's been happening around the diocese in this regular feature.

The stories we tell ourselves
What stories to you tell yourself during challenging interactions? And how do these stories seperate you from the love of God?

Alongside Hope partners understand the challenges their communities face
In Uganda, one of Alongside Hope's partners provides women and girls with vocational and business training.

How a Salt Spring Island experiment recovered Christian contemplation
How the Anglican tradition already possesses the spiritual depth many Western seekers cross oceans to find.

Sunday
 8:30 AM - Traditional Eucharist, Book of Common Prayer
(no choir) Chapel

10:00 AM - Contemporary Eucharist, Book of Alternative Services,
with choir 

First Saturday of the Month
5:00 PM - Taize service with singing  Chapel (First Saturday of every month at 5 PM, except January, April and August.)

Fourth Saturday of the Month
6 PM - Spanish Language Anglican Eucharist Service  (Except April moved to 4th). There is no service in December.

For any issues to report concerning the condition/maintenance of the church building and grounds, please email the parish office directly at admin@colwoodanglican.ca, or record them in the maintenance logbook that is located on the parish office door.

Office hours are Mondays  - Thursdays
from 9 am until noon.