Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Toko●thanat●ology is the theoretical study of the parallels between birth and death, especially in medical care.  What do birth and death have in common? They both represent times of profound change, when patients and their families need emotional support and empathy from their caregivers—things they don’t teach in medical school.  The practical skills and knowledge required to provide care in obstetrics and palliative care are essential.  But dealing with the deeper meaning, the human connection, is equally important. The very nature of these events encourages the caregiver to walk alongside the patient, to assist rather than control.  In her recent book, “Bookends: A Family Doctor explores Birth, Death and tokothanatology,” Dr. Susan Boron explores the powerfully human aspects of caring for people at both ends of their lives. She shows how expertise in one area of care easily transfers to the other, increasing confidence and improving care and satisfaction for practitioner and patient alike.  Susan also talks about her parents, Murray & Elinor Enkin.

Rev. Dr Holly Ratcliffe moved to Montreal about one year after the massacre of the fourteen women engineering students at la Polytechnique and have lived there ever since.  As a woman of faith and more recently a ceramic artist who makes funeral urns, I will be reflecting on the kinds of monuments created to remember these women and on the film and plays that have been created in the wake of the massacre, which address some of the social issues that the event raises.  How do they speak to us now?

Joy attended services at a mosque, synagogue, Ukrainian Catholic church and Quaker meeting house.  Touching on the different rituals, spaces, messages and communities, Joy will present what it meant to learn more about what members of our human family are doing in their spiritual practices and religious organizations.  Joy Huebert is an attender at the Vancouver Island Quaker Meeting and former member of the Unitarian Church in Edmonton.  Raised in a strict Mennonite community in Winnipeg, Joy continues to explore cultural and personal aspects of the human experience of religion and spirituality. ** in-person; no Zoom; the homily will be recorded and posted online later.

The word “solstice” derives from the phrase “sun stands still.” During this busy season join Amanda for a ritual of slowing down and embracing the dark.  We will have lots of carol singing and celebration too.

Does our conscious identity continue beyond death?  This is probably the most important question of our lives and religions have given many conflicting opinions about it.  What evidence do we have and is it possible to draw any conclusions about something which is necessarily beyond our comprehension? 

Since the so-called Age of Reason, pundits have been predicting that science would inevitably drive religion and religious thinking to extinction. But as our presence here today demonstrates, religion stubbornly persists and spirituality is alive and well. Is there any cause to think that one will ever conquer the other? Are faith and reason truly in opposition, or could it be that they are in fact “the two faces of one and the same complete act of knowledge”?  If this were so, the implications would be quite revolutionary. No longer in opposition, we might find that the essential spiritual truths of ancient wisdom and faith traditions align with the findings of modern scientists! Join us this Sunday for another adventure through time and space and find out if all roads do indeed lead to Rome.

With a focus on social history, it could cover topics such as cultural and spiritual diversity, as well as social activism. I would also include some of the challenges of researching women’s history, in particular in the fur trade.

Born in London, UK, Vanessa Winn lives in Victoria, BC, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Her latest novel, Trappings, depicts real people and events in 19th century British Columbia, during the aftermath of the gold rushes. It was a course textbook for a Public History seminar at UVic. Her debut novel, The Chief Factor’s Daughter, was a finalist for Monday Magazine’s “Favourite Fiction” award and was also studied in history courses at BC universities. Currently she is completing a chapter contribution for a Métis Matriarchs textbook. She also writes book reviews, and her poetry has appeared in several journals. Beyond her love of the written word and historical research, she finds inspiration in dance and teaches Argentine tango. Please visit her website at vanessawinn.com.

What are the limits of compassion? What prevents us from understanding and connecting with others, from being able to feel with others and see through their eyes? I look at this problem with reference to the experiences of Two-Spirit and transgender people who seek acceptance and inclusion. I seek answers from three gender-diverse authors who have explored the problem in recent coming-of-age novels. In Jonny Appleseed, Joshua Whitehead finds ways of bridging limits of compassion through sex and ceremony. In Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir, Kai Cheng Thom cracks resistance to compassion by feeding hungry ghosts. Vivek Shraya, in She of the Mountains, breaks through limits to compassion through Hindu mythology and the science of evolution. By reflecting on these models, we can feel our way into understanding our own limits to compassion and finding the means to expand those limits.

Sunday, February 5 – 10 am PT Congregations are experiencing a lot of change these days: from ministerial transitions to implementing the 8th Principle, all during a pandemic. Upheaval, loss, uncertainty, pain, aspirations, conflict: cultural shifts within and without are calling us to hold one another gently, despite our differences and difficulties.

Covenanting through Transition is a national worship service that asks us “How do we stay in covenant through all of this in our communities? How do we stay in it in a good way when it is hard and people aren’t always their best selves or are disappointed?”

We encourage you to bring materials to help you participate in a creative ritual to express yourself during the service; art supplies, an instrument, findings from outside, whatever moves you!

Where: Zoom, YouTube Live

Use the bitly link to join the service on Zoom, or watch live on the CUC’s YouTube channel

If you’re phoning in, call 1-855-703-8985 and enter the Meeting ID and password when prompted:

Meeting ID:891 5257 2984

Password:  136347

Covid closed religious houses around the world, and many switched to Zoom.  Now that the pandemic is largely over, church attendance has not recovered.  But declines in church attendance started many years ago.  What happened to Sunday mornings?  Where is everyone?  Will people return to the pews?  Come and hear.