- drama, diversions, life experienced by Kenn Chaplin

Archive for the ‘church’ Category

Two names to be added to Craig Chaplin Memorial Award

This spring’s presentation of the award in my brother’s memory will include a couple of firsts – two individuals are being cited and they’re from across the Canada-U.S. border in neighbouring Vermont. To be more accurate, one-half of the couple of Dr. Delores Barbeau and Carol Olstad, R.N. will be honoured posthumously as Carol, who [...]

Messiah the Musical

I know, I know – George Frederick Handel’s famous work is actually an Oratorio.  (A musical would require lots of period costumes and at least one big dance number!  Now imagine combining that with Mel Gibson’s gratuitously blood-letting Passion of the Christ.  No, let’s not.) This was the time of year, probably forty years ago, [...]

“The Shack”: allegory, empathy and the question of forgiveness

“I brought a book I think you’ll find interesting,” my cousin said as we sat down for lunch recently, handing me a paperback copy of The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. I believe, now having read it, that she might have been nudged to give me this book because she knows, perhaps as much as [...]

Happy memories revisited

Holiday stories are nothing if not repetitive. These memories crossed my mind again today so, after double-checking to see that I had covered mostly everything, I’m left only to re-post! From 13 December 2009, I give you Christmas church candles and Coca-Cola chuckles.

World AIDS Day 2010 – Stories – 2 – “This friend living with AIDS who gave me so much…” by Dominique Gauvreau

Each author in this series has generously given me permission to post their work. The views and experiences shared are their own. Where applicable, links will also be provided at the end of the piece. This is the World AIDS Day, 2010 entry in Dominique Gauvreau’s blog Rencontre sous le Chêne de Mamré (Meeting under [...]

A veritable piece of music history heads down the highway

The family piano is on its way to southern Ontario from Perth, having been wrapped in quilts with care this morning, under Mom’s watchful eye, and loaded into a moving van.  It is about to find another appreciative home at my sister’s where my young niece and nephew are at a good age to learn [...]

An historic church building lives into the future with the past

Crédit-photo: Massicotte et Dignard Une traduction ( +/- ) suit. That glass atrium between the church on the left and the social hall on the right was, until renovations began, an empty space most of the time – except in the weeks leading up to Christmas when a pre-fabricated wall, about half the height of [...]

Brother André

Millions of Roman Catholic pilgrims climb the 283 steps to St. Joseph’s Oratory – praying on their knees. In the early days of my AIDS diagnosis I used to go to a “healing mass” at Our Lady of Lourdes on Sherbourne Street here in Toronto.  I can’t say I wholeheartedly believed there was much hope [...]

Really? Really! Really?

Praying over bread and wine (or grape juice) used to make them the body and blood of Christ – literally, according to the faithful. Then someone dressed Jesus in a white wafer and, poof, a melt-in-your-mouth Christ. And, while I could see how it would upset the modern-day Pharisees, such a fuss over spontaneously giving [...]

The Sailors’ Church

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Originally uploaded by Kenn Chaplin   La Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (loosely translated as Chapel of Our Lady of Safe-keeping), known as The Sailors’ Church, backs down the hill towards the edge of Montréal’s Old Port on the St. Lawrence River. It is almost as striking from the rear with the large statue of Mary greeting sailors [...]

An Easter I wish I could do over

In my second year at college I hitchhiked from Niagara to Burlington, as I would do occasionally, just a few weeks before Easter. A cousin, her husband and their young family were happy to pamper me with good food and fun. On this particular weekend they also shared their enthusiasm with me about their conversion [...]

The infuriating sins of the ‘Fathers’

As I walked up to the subway this morning I passed a young Tamil-Canadian family crossing the street from St. James Town to attend Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church – so a confession is in order. I have received Communion from Jesuits there which, as a Protestant, I am not permitted to do. [...]

‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like’ having no score for The Sound of Music wedding march?

As I followed some suggestions, during a morning stroll through YouTube, after viewing an organist handle a Bach piece with flair I found another one with a story much like one I can share. Many years ago, I’ll bet it’s pushing forty years now, my mother was asked to play for a family friend’s wedding.  [...]

Unearthing one of my early newspaper appearances

  After the cathartic experience here this morning of again recalling Craig’s struggles, in the early days of his ministry, I was remembering some of what was going on in my life 700 km away from Craig.  In the raucous days of an Ontario Human Rights Code amendment debate, giving gays and lesbians protection in [...]

Alyson Huntly receives this year’s Craig Chaplin Memorial Award

From left to right:  my sister Lynn, Alyson Huntly, and Claude on my left Google Alyson Huntly’s name, as I did even before I knew with absolute certainty that I’d be writing this, and you’ll see what an accomplished author, educator, Diaconal Minister, grandmother (and on and on) she is!  Add Doctor, too, Alyson having [...]

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