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OPERATING THE CATHEDRAL People: Clergy The Very Reverend Shane ParkerDean of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa | Rector of Christ Church Cathedral 
"We find our true nature when we locate God's love within us and allow ourselves to be guided by it in all we endeavour to do. To grasp this, however tentatively, is to receive a sense of hope and purpose that is alluring, affirming and life-changing."
The Very Reverend Shane Parker has served as Dean of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral since 1999.
"My priestly prayer is simple: Show me the path, and I will take it." Dean Parker has enabled a major renaissance in the ministry and life of the Cathedral. This includes:
Shane was ordained priest in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa in 1987. From 1995 to 1999, he served as Executive Archdeacon in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Previously, from 1987 to 1995, he held a series of parish positions in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. From 1983 to 1986, Shane worked as a sociologist and research analyst. Shane holds a number of degrees: Bachelor of Theology, Saint Paul University, Ottawa (1987); Master of Arts (Sociology), Carleton University (1983); Bachelor of Arts (Sociology/Anthropology), Carleton University (1981). He has trained in dispute resolution at Queen's and Harvard universities, and is a member of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators. Dean Parker is known in the Ottawa area for his work with United Way/Centraide, the Interfaith Ottawa Steering Committee, as columnist for the Ottawa Citizen Ask the Religion Experts, as founding president of the QUAIL Home for mentally-disabled adults, and as author of Answering the Big Questions (Novalis, 2005). He has also served as a sessional lecturer in the Master of Pastoral Theology program at Saint Paul University, and is a member of the Department of Psychology Ethics Committee at Carleton University. 
The Reverend Canon Catherine Ascah 
"Mine is a ministry of servanthood and hospitality. I am called to proclaim the good news of hope and grace offered through Jesus Christ, as I serve God and God's people. I accompany the faithful on their journeys as disciples of Jesus, and I welcome others into the great mystery that is our faith."
The Reverend Canon Catherine Ascah has served as Pastoral Vicar at Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa since 2008. From 2005 to 2008, Catherine served in hospital chaplaincy and as rector of the Anglican Parish of North Lambton in the Diocese of Huron. Catherine was born in Montreal and grew up in Montreal and London Ontario. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (French) from Huron College, University of Western Ontario in 1991. Then, for ten years, she worked in the private sector, in the areas of business relations, corporate compliance and dispute resolution. In 2005, Catherine earned her Master of Divinity (with distinction) from Huron University College, and was ordained deacon and priest in the Diocese of Huron. After more than 25 years in southwestern Ontario, God called for a huge change, and commanded Catherine to "go before me to the land I will show you". She left the rural shores of Lake Huron for urban Ottawa, to discover and share in the rich diversity, challenges and opportunities of Cathedral ministry in the Nation's Capital. Catherine is passionate about the ministry of servanthood and hospitality, grace-filled preaching, vital, transformative and carefully executed liturgy, liturgical renewal, and the awe-inspiring mystery offered in the Anglican tradition. Since her appointment as Vicar, Catherine has enabled changes and initiatives in order to reflect the Cathedral's rich diversity. Changes to the order of service format have helped people more fully participate in the liturgies. Facilitating regular clergy visits at Sunday School has helped build up the relationship between the youngest of Jesus' disciples and those who pastor to them and their families. Increasing focus on sharing fellowship and hospitality has led to more people staying for coffee after church, and visiting longer. This translates to building relationships and exhibiting that the assembly - the gathering of the community - is the primary symbol of the Church. A fanciful idea to take Bible study out of the church building and into the local pub has resulted in "Feasting on the Word", a weekly gathering of parishioners and others who gather to informally discuss what the Holy Scriptures of our faith are telling us here and now. Catherine sits on the Huron University College Alumni Executive Board. She currently co-chairs the Diocese of Ottawa 'Friends of the Bishop' Committee. She was a member of the National Church's 2010 General Synod Planning Committee, and will resume a role on the GSPC that will see General Synod convene in Ottawa in 2013. "When you risk being led by the Holy Spirit, you will go where you never dreamed you would go, and God will reveal riches and blessings in the people you meet beyond anything you could imagine."
The Reverend Dawna Wall 
"Connecting people to God and to one another through liturgy, preaching, teaching and mentoring defines and energizes my ministry."
The Reverend Dawna Wall was appointed as Cathedral Curate in 2010. She provides leadership for spiritual development, preaches and presides at Cathedral services and serves as Chaplain for the Cathedral Girls' Choir. Dawna was ordained in 1991 in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and served as the minister of churches in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Monterey, Kentucky and Lima, Ohio. Marriage brought her to Ottawa, and in 2006 she was ordained a Deacon in the Diocese of Ottawa of the Anglican Church of Canada. From 2006 to 2007, Dawna served as Deacon at All Saints Anglican Church (Westboro). In 2007, she was ordained to the Priesthood in the Anglican Church at Christ Church Cathedral, where she served as Pastoral Associate until 2010. Dawna graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. She earned her Master of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky, and has pursued graduate studies in theology, spirituality and Anglican studies at the Vancouver School of Theology and Saint Paul University in Ottawa. She is currently working on a Doctorate in Ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary, in Alexandria, Virginia. Within the Diocese of Ottawa, Dawna is a member of the Parish Growth and Renewal Committee and the Doctrine and Worship Panel. She also serves as part of the on-call clergy team for the Ottawa Hospitals, and volunteers with the ecumenical and inter-faith pastoral care team in secondary schools. A quote from the German medieval mystic Mechtild of Magdeburg hangs in Dawna's study, giving focus to her prayers and activities: "Heal the broken with comforting words of God. Cheer them gently with earthly joys. Be merry and laugh with the broken and carry their secret needs in the deepest silence of your heart."
The Reverend Robert (Bob) Graham  "We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others."The Reverend Robert Graham served in the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, New York from 1990 through 2005. His last post of service was Dean of St. Lawrence. When he retired from full-time ministry, "Father Bob" was welcomed into Christ Church Cathedral as Pastoral Associate. (Canonically, Father Bob remains resident in the Albany Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of New York State.) Bob's undergraduate degree is from Columbia University, New York City (1960). His theological degree is from Saint Paul University, Ottawa (1991). Bob served in the United States military. Then, from 1967 to 1981, he worked in package engineering and development with Revlon, Cheeseborough Ponds and Revlon International. Then, Bob entered ministry. "I never felt 'called'; rather, I felt 'sent'. It was an internal realization rather than an external attraction." When asked about his accomplishments, Father Bob says: "I have no accomplishments. God has them. Sometimes, I'm a participant and get to play. Other times, I'm just an awestruck bystander, with a grin on my face, wondering: Wow, what just happened here?" Father Graham played an active part in the development of a deacon training program for the Diocese of Albany. Economic hardships and the relatively high cost of priestly services meant that some smaller parishes could not afford a full-time parish priest. The three- to four-year comprehensive deacon education and practicum program has produced a non-stipendiary cadre of highly trained and motivated men and women who provide ministerial services to people and parishes who otherwise would not have access to such services. Father Graham was key participant in the conceptualization, planning, development and realization of the Christ the King Spiritual Life Centre - a 640-acre retreat in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The Centre is an international destination for people seeking rest, healing and spiritual refreshment. One of the most unique and far-reaching of God's successes in which Father Bob played a part - "I am more proud of this than anything I have ever done in my life" - was the establishment and management of the Massena Free Medical Clinic for Uninsured Adults. He secured church space for the Clinic and coordinated the work of eight church communities to establish the Clinic. He drew in townspeople and businesses who donated time and work and furnishings. He drew in hospitals and doctors and nurses for the provision of free services. He appealed to drug companies and stores for medical and pharmaceutical supplies. "The task was enormous. The details demandingly complex. The work of the community miraculous. But God works in and through all of His people." The Clinic has been in operation for nine years now, for one day a week, and serves in the range of 1,000 people per year. People: Music Matthew Larkin 
"Music is my gateway to faith. I regard it as a gift freely given to me, and I believe myself to be called to share it with others. Music can reveal the true face of the Divine through our own concerted and disciplined efforts. We are inheritors of a valuable tradition, and we must nurture this tradition through wise stewardship and service to others. This is the essence of my ministry."A native of Oxford, UK, Matthew came to Canada shortly before his sixth birthday. His family settled in Kingston, Ontario, and he began singing as a boy soprano in the choir of St. George's Cathedral. As a youth, he studied piano, organ, violin, and cello, and was appointed assistant organist of St. George's in his junior year of high school. Matthew attended both the University of Toronto and Royal College of Music, studying with John Tuttle and Nicholas Danby, respectively. While in Toronto, he served as Organist of St. John's Church, Weston Road, Organ Scholar of Trinity College, and Interim Organist of Grace Church-on-the-Hill. At the age of twenty-four, he moved to British Columbia to serve as Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of St. John the Divine in Victoria, remaining there for seven years. He returned to Ontario thereafter, and settled in Ottawa as Organist and Director of Music at St. Matthew's Church. After a further seven years there, he served for one season at St. James' Cathedral, Toronto, as Music Associate and director of the Men and Boys' Choir. He was appointed Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa, in 2003. In addition to his ecclesiastical duties, Matthew directed the Anglican Chorale of Ottawa from 1997 until 2006, and founded Euphonia (Youth) Chamber Choir in 2000, working with them until 2003. He served as interim instructor in Choral Studies at Carleton University during the 2004-2005 academic year, and has served as Musical Director of the Ottawa Choral Society, the city's most historic choir, since 2005. In 2008, he founded the Larkin Singers, a chamber choir of professional singers based jointly in Ottawa and Toronto. Matthew is an accomplished conductor, accompanist and recitalist, and has worked in those capacities across Canada, and in some of the country's most noteworthy venues. He has led several choir tours of the UK, most recently with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys and Larkin Singers, directed the Anglican Chorale of Ottawa at concerts in France and Belgium in 2006, and directed the Ottawa Choral Society on their 2008 tour of Italy. He is a prolific composer of liturgical music, and has composed and arranged for film, documentary, musical theatre, and popular music. Above all, he loves to serve the Liturgy, and is, in particular, a tireless advocate of the men and boys' choral tradition.
Timothy Piper  "Music for me is a fundamental part of life. It marks my days, it carries my emotions, and enables me to connect with those around me."
Tim has been Music Associate at the Cathedral since 2001. In that year, under his directorship, the Cathedral Girls' Choir was founded. "Whereas the music ministry at the Cathedral as a whole is deeply rooted in the Anglican tradition, the girls' choir is a relatively new part of that tradition. It is only in the last two decades that girls' choirs have begun to appear as integral parts of the music ministry at Cathedrals around the world. My vision for the future of music in Cathedrals is for boys and girls choirs to share in music ministry, each excelling in its own way. Here, at the Cathedral in Ottawa, we have been tremendously successful in pursuing this vision over the past number of year. Both our boys and girls choirs perform music at a high calibre and share responsibilities in leading liturgy. With dynamic leadership and proper resources, this vision should always be worth pursuing." Tim assumed his first Organist position at the age of 18, at Northwestern United Church. He played there for seven years, developing an extensive music program with both senior and junior choirs. For many years, Tim has also been a private music teacher. Tim holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Carleton University and an ARCT degree in Organ Performance from the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. His early musical training was as a chorister in the Cathedral Men and Boys' Choir - as boy chorister, as countertenor, and as bass. He plays organ, piano, violin, viola, and flute. Tim has an interest in musical theatre composition and has written and produced, among other works, two full-scale musicals - both based on Biblical themes. Governance ▪ Governance Structure Vestry
Dean
Corporation (Dean and Wardens)
Parish Council
Parish Council Executive Committee (PCEC)
Finance Advisory Panel
Property Advisory Panel
▪ Administration Practices Staff Meetings
Cathedral Group Coordination Meetings
Budget Summary of Expenses & Revenues - 2010
Stewardship Gratitude is Giving Stewardship proceeds from the moment when we see our lives and all we have as a gift from God - when we see ourselves and all we have as belonging to God.
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1 At the very heart of this life is choosing to express gratitude to God by giving from the abundance God has given to us: in other words, gratitude is giving.
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6.21
But just as you excel in everything... see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7 The ministries of the Cathedral cannot be carried out without financial, physical and staff infrastructure The Cathedral upholds the Biblical tithe as the faithful and spiritually liberating standard for all Christians, and encourages its members to strive toward offering 10% of their annual personal income to the Church and other charities. All shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. Deuteronomy 16:17
For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.
Romans 12:4-6
Program The Cathedral's Gratitude is Giving Stewardship Program aims to make parishioners aware of the various ways in which they can support the Cathedral's ministries.The month of October is designated to highlight Stewardship. The month ends with a Pledge or Commitment Sunday. On that day, parishioners bring their individual commitments for the coming year forward to the Cathedral's High Altar. These financial pledges inform the planning of the Cathedral budget for the next year. There are a variety of ways to contribute to the financing of the Cathedral and its ministries - both current and future. Regular offerings can be made through pre-authorized giving, weekly envelopes, open offerings at worship services or other events, or charitable payroll deductions. Special gifts can be made through instruments such as publicly-traded securities or bonds, annuities, trusts, wills and life-insurance policies. How to Contribute
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