A Reflection on Spiritual Friendship, Music, and Faith

Nurturing Sacred Connections: Cathedral’s Thursday Morning Eucharist Community

The 7:30 AM Eucharist service at Christ Church Cathedral is not just a liturgical event; it embodies a loving community on a shared spiritual journey. Each weekly service concludes with a gathering in the Park Room over a simple breakfast of boiled eggs and toast, coffee and tea, where friendships develop and are nurtured with warmth, a non-discriminatory welcome, and curiosity extended to one another. We practice companioning each other and being companioned, walking side by side on our journeys. (And once in a while, there's much grace and chuckles when eggs mysteriously explode!)

The 2025 Music Gala: 

On Sunday evening, June 22, we were honoured to attend Kitty Ma's 2025 Gala at the Chan Centre, co-hosted by HyMusic and the West Coast Symphony Orchestra. Kitty, a valued member of our Thursday Morning Eucharist community and a seasoned piano instructor with HyMusic, exemplifies dedication to her students and colleagues. The symphony gala was a testament to the remarkable talent within our city's musical community, celebrating the mastery of her pupils alongside those of fellow instructors. Some students are on their way to The Juilliard School (US), while others aspire to use music for social good.

We want to express our deepest gratitude and extend our warmest congratulations to Kitty Ma and everyone involved in curating such a remarkable evening at the UBC Chan Centre last Sunday. This event was truly special, made all the more meaningful by the loving support from our parish family at the Cathedral’s Thursday Morning Eucharist community. We especially loved seeing Vineet’s family joining us, who have been cherished members of our Thursday Morning Eucharist community, along with their dear friend from Holy Spirit Anglican Church in Whonnock, where Vineet now lovingly serves as a priest in addition to St. John the Divine in Maple Ridge. Together, we embodied the true spirit of our Diocese, celebrating not just beautiful music but the incredible unity of Christ’s body in our city.

Theological Reflections: Music as a Spiritual Language

Astounding performance aside, the 2025 Music Gala reminds me of the profound connection between music, humanity, and spirituality, one that transcends words. Theologian and musician Dr. Jeremy Begbie, an ordained minister in the Church of England and a professor at Duke University, reflects St. Ignatius Loyola's vision of the Trinity as three musical keys. In a series of lectures, Begbie explored the interplay between the Trinity and music, expanding on Ignatius's musical triad and examining how our perception and understanding of the Trinity can be experienced both scientifically and through sight and sound.

Ontological Resonance: Music and Humanity

Music is not mere sounds to be heard. It is felt. The orchestra’s polyphony unfolds with a tapestry of harmony and tension, interwoven with evocative piano scores, creating a transcendent experience that connects the audience to the essence of our shared humanity. In the resonant space of the Chan Centre, music becomes a bridge, enabling us to traverse the boundaries of time, space, language, and culture, drawing us to our innermost chamber where the Holy One awaits. This experience transcends the personal; the skilled mastery of strings and percussion resonates with our collective existence. In this convergence, our heartbeats synchronize in unity, sharing a rhythm of human lived experiences that encompasses longing, joy, agony, lament, and imagination. 

Spiritual Friendship in a Divisive World:

For those who rise with the sun, we invite you to join us at the Cathedral's Thursday Morning Eucharist Service. Spiritual friendship is a beautiful expression of kinship and a defiant stance against an increasingly divisive world. It resembles a wildflower garden with biodiverse friendships blooming along our shared pilgrimage in a world still unfolding, calling us to bear sacred witness to the goodness that resides in the not-yet.

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Attendees from Christ Church Cathedral (Vancouver) and Holy Spirit Anglican Church (Whonnock) gathered to support Kitty Ma, a member of our Thursday Morning Eucharist community. Kitty (Pianist of HyMusic) and her husband, Ken; Vineet and Veronica, along with their children, Benny and Sarah; Wynnae and her son, Hartley; Tony, Lorna and Bill; Yi Ming Huan (Director and Pianist, Steinway Yang), Shadi, Ivy and Terrence.