Outreach
Community Engagement
Community Path:
After the blessing of the community trail by Bishop Shane and Albert Dumont, Algonquin Elder, on July 18, 2021, Albert Dumont was asked whether he could propose an Algonquin Anishinabeg name for our trail. Two weeks later Albert proposed the following name: Nakweyamàdiwin Mikàns.
The name means “Le sentier de l’amitié / Friendship Trail” .
For the pronunciation by Albert Dumont of the Algonquin Anishinabeg name see this video :
Seniors’ Lunches:
For many years, St. Mary Magdalene Church (SMM) has hosted monthly lunches for seniors living in the Chelsea area.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seniors’ lunches are postponed until further notice.
Community Events:
- Early in each June, during the annual Chelsea Days, SMM hosts a community Tailgate Sale & Book Café. Community partners, such as the Boy Scouts and the Chelsea Housing Corporation, have partnered with SMM at this event. SMM donates the proceeds from the sale to community outreach.
- In late October, SMM hosts “Cooks & Books / Bouffe et Bouquins,” which includes a huge sale of quality used books, delicious waffles for breakfast, chili for lunch and an all-day sale of delicious home baking. SMM donates the proceeds from Cooks & Books to community outreach.
Black History Month – February 27, 2022
On February 27, 2022, members of St Mary Magdalene Church (Chelsea) and Church of the Good Shepherd (Wakefield) gathered with friends from n
ear and far on Zoom
for an Ethiopian dinner from the Blue Nile Restaurant in celebration of Black History Month. The guests of honour were Rev. Canon George Kwari and his wife, Epiphania. Tsedey Kassa, the owner of the Blue Nile Restaurant joined the celebration on Zoom.
Community Support
SMM supports the Quebec Association for Independent Living (QUAIL), which provides housing in Chelsea to adults with developmental disabilities. SMM assists QUAIL with their fundraising efforts, particularly the sale of QUAIL jams, jellies and preserves, by allowing QUAIL to use the SMM kitchen facility to prepare their jams and jellies. For QUAIL, SMM provides the use of the kitchen free of charge.
SMM supports affordable housing for seniors in Chelsea by fundraising for the Chelsea Housing Corporation, a local non-profit group.
Through prayer and educational events and gatherings, SMM is committed to fostering healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. SMM engages in this outreach in accordance with the Calls to Action set out in the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) of Canada. For further information, please see the TRC Calls for Action at:
Contributions
In respect to the global community, SMM makes a financial contribution, as part of Outreach, to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), which is the Anglican Church of Canada’s agency for sustainable development, relief, refugees, and global justice. PWRDF works with partners in Canada and overseas to provide relief during disasters, support refugee rehabilitation and development, and undertake health care projects. Additionally, SMM has one representative, who liaises with the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa working group regarding PWRDF.
https://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/primate-world-relief-development-fund
Community Outreach groups that SMM supports include:
- La Lanterne
- Maison Libres-Elles
- Centre 454
- Today4Tomorrow
- St Margaret’s Church in Vanier, Ontario
- Citizens For Public Justice
