As a result of the rapid rise of the Omicron variant, churches in our Diocese are in the process of moving to Red protocols which include suspending in-person worship services. Effective immediately and until further notice, in-person services of worship at St James’ Carleton Place are cancelled. This includes Thursday services, Sunday mornings and all Christmas services.

A Christmas Eve service will be live-streamed beginning at 4 pm, and will be available for viewing afterwards.

As usual, you can find the latest live-stream on our home page and YouTube channel.

It’s with heavy hearts that we make the decision to not hold services, and we know it comes at a cost. Please understand that those responsible for making these decision, in our Diocese and at St James, are striking a balance between the risk of harm to individuals or the public, and essential services in our community.

Church Office hours and closure

Cathy Pretty will be in the office until Thursday, December 23rd for essential tasks only. The office is closed to visitors. Those delivering poinsettias can drop them off in the lobby, and other essential deliveries may be made the same way. For those who wish to drop off Christmas offerings, the safest way to do that is to use the mailbox on the wall beside the church office. You should use email or phone calls for inquiries.

Clergy and staff will be working from home as much as possible . We will all be taking a break between Christmas and New Years. In the New Year, all visits must be arranged with Cathy Pretty by email or by calling 613-257-3178.

On-call clergy throughout the Christmas break: call 613-257-3178 x 4

We gather for worship and offer our ministry on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe nation. May we dwell on this land with respect and peace. 

This territorial acknowledgement has been used regularly to begin liturgies in the Area Parish of Mississippi Lake for quite some time. We borrowed it from our Diocesan liturgies, and it has served us well so far. It reminds us that the work of reconciliation belongs to our generation, and must remain in the forefront of everything we do.

One of the key recommendations of the TRC report is:

“to ensure that their respective congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families and their communities were necessary.”

#59; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

A group of parishioners from the Area Parish of Mississippi Lake are engaged in a course of study offered by the University of Alberta called “Indigenous Canada”, a program that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. Members of that group have been asked to write a new territorial acknowledgment for use in our Parish. Stay tuned for what we hope will arrive early in the new year.

If you would like to know more about our study group and other faith formation activities in the Parish, contact the Rev’d Canon Mary Ellen Berry at 613-257-3178 ext 22.