INNISFAIL – Next month St. Mark’s Anglican Church will be celebrating its 133rd anniversary serving the town and region.
And the spiritual mission of the venerable institution remains intact, despite the congregation’s reduced numbers over it long and committed service to the community.
On March 4, Shrove Tuesday was observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, as well as Lutherans, Methodists, Western-rite Orthodox Christians, and Roman Catholics.
Shrove Tuesday is the day immediately preceding Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for Christians, and a day to mark a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs are needed to repent, and what life adjustments are needed for God’s help to maintain spiritual growth.
In Innisfail, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School, in conjunction with Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, held its annual Shrove Tuesday celebration.
There was a late afternoon mass at Our Lady of Peace, and then a pancake supper for school staff and students that was hosted by the Knights of Columbus and supported by the school’s parent council and the Catholic Women’s League.
At St. Mark’s Anglican Church there was another celebration, smaller but no less heartfelt.
The pancake supper began with prayer from Edmund Barker, the bishop's warden at St. Mark's who has been with the church for more than 30 years.
“It's just a point to mark before you go into a more reflective time for the Lent season, which ends with the crucifixion and Easter. Before we do that time of reflection, we just sort of stop and have a minor celebration,” said Barker who has been celebrating Shrove Tuesday since childhood.
“And if you're in New Orleans, you do Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, where you take all the things that are potentially going to cause you problems, or you're going to perhaps be looking at getting away from, so there's a period of abstinence and fasting in Lent,” he said.
“Pancakes are in some ways traditionally where the food was prepared and wrapped up and eaten and it's became a more appetizing thing nowadays with a little bit more celebration.”
The Shrove Day celebration at St. Mark’s was also an evening to collect donations for the Innisfail and Area Food Bank.
