“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”   - Jamie Anderson

During the season of Lent, we are offering two sessions exploring the many facets of grief and loss. The two sessions will build upon each other, and they will each be held in three different locations across the parish.

We are all experts at grieving. No one can get through this life without experiencing loss. As we move through the cycles and seasons of life, there are ways to resolve grief; ways that do not diminish our love and memories but help us to move through them so that we transform our experience of it. 

Our faith in Christ gives us strength; as we come to 'remember' Jesus in the Eucharist, he becomes alive to us. As we and all our relations remember our loved ones, so also do they come alive in our hearts. This time we spend together will be a gentle time of sharing insights, deep listening, and walking together on the road.

The Sessions will take place at:

Epiphany, Barry's Bay: Thursday March 13 (Session 1) and Thursday April 3 (Session 2):  12pm-1pm

Holy Trinity, Pembroke: Wednesday March 19 (Session 1) and Wednesday April 9 (Session 2): 11am-12pm, following the 10am Mid-week Eucharist.

St. John the Evangelist, Eganville: Thursday March 27 (Session 1) and Thursday April 17 (Session 2) : 5:30pm - 6:30pm (Session 2 will lead into the Maundy Thursday Service at 7pm) 

Join the Parish of the Valley for Shrove Tuesday Pancake Meals:

Tuesday, March 4th - 11am-1pm at Holy Trinity Pembroke, in the church hall. Cost is a freewill donation. Take out available.

Tuesday, March 4th - 4-6pm at St. George's South Alice. Featuring a pancake topping bar and potato pancakes. Cost is a freewill donation.

Tuesday, March 4th - 4-6:30pm at St. John's Eganville. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children aged 4-10.

Sunday, March 9th - Noon, following worship - at All Saints Petawawa. Following Sunday worship, join us for pancakes and sausages cooked by the Men's Group.

On Ash Wednesday, we begin our Lenten journey with Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes.

Ash Wednesday services will be held at the following times and locations. Please join us as we begin the season of Lent together. 

10am
Holy Trinity Pembroke
St. Anthony's Whitney (Vestry)

11am
St. Thomas Rankin
Epiphany Barry's Bay

3pm
Ascension Killaloe

4pm
All Saints Petawawa

7pm
Holy Trinity Pembroke
St. John's Eganville

The Parish of the Valley is once again partnering with St. Timothy’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pembroke (503 Alfred St.) to offer Holden Evening Prayer at St. Timothy’s on Wednesday evenings during Lent at 7pm.

Services will begin on March 12th and will continue for five Wednesdays, concluding on April 9th. This year's services will include reflections on the final words spoken by Jesus from the cross: "Words that Last Forever."

All are welcome to join in these beautiful and reflective sung evening prayer liturgies. The services last for approximately 30 minutes and are followed by a time of fellowship in the St. Timothy's hall.

In this Lenten Study being offered by Rev. Margie Patterson, a retired United Church of Canada minister, we will explore how the power of music can deepen our connection to God and form us as disciples of Christ. For many, music is a ubiquitous presence in our lives that affects us, sometimes despite us. The music we resonate with speaks to who we are, what we believe, and what we aspire to as people. Because of this, music is a powerful faith formation tool.  What we sing together has the power to change us.

Using the resource, Something Sacred: Reflections on Faith and Music, this study is being offered at St. John's Eganville on Thursdays March 6, 13, 20, 27, and April 3, 10 from 4-5pm. All are welcome and pre-registration is not required.

The season of Lent begins on March 5th. Each Lent we share a number of daily devotional reflections that parishioners may enjoy adding to their daily prayer practices throughout the season. This year we again have some familliar and some new suggestions for you to consider.

The Primate's World Relief & Development Fund (Alongside Hope) again offers a daily reflection, "Living into God's Dream." This daily email Lenten resource weaves together scripture, reflection and prayer with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Anglican Marks of Mission.

A Lenten Journey in the Holy Land is a six week video and study program prepared by the staff of St. George's College Jerusalem and offered by the Canadian Campaign for supporting the College. 

Episcopal Relief and Development, the American counterpart to PWRDF, is also offering a daily reflection that calls us to celebrate our common life together: the everyday human experiences of prayer​​, worship, grace, love, community and service, as well as our relationship to nature.

Lent Madness is a fun and interactive daily Lenten practice where we learn about the different people listed in the Church Calendar of Saints. It is in the format of a tournament-style elimination bracket and each day you can vote for one of the profiled saints.

For more information about any of these, and links for how you can sign up for them, please click on the blue button below.

On March 7th, you are invited to join in prayer and action for peace and justice around our world. The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement led by women that draws Christians together in prayer. This year's service is based on Psalm 139 and entitled "I Made You Wonderful." It has been written by the World Day of Prayer Committee of the Cook Islands. 

There are three services in our region, all being offered with leadership from members of our parish:

Pembroke: 2pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Eganville: 2pm at St. James the Less Catholic Church
Petawawa: 3pm at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church

Please note the following upcoming Council meeting:

• St. John's, Eganville Congregational Council - Sunday, March 2 at 1pm.

Councils play an important role in our parish's governance, acting on behalf of congregational Vestries in between meetings and advising our Incumbent, churchwardens, and clergy team on a wide range of issues. Please speak with your local churchwardens or council members if there are any items of business that you wish to raise before your local congregational or central council. 

Annual Congregational Vestry Meetings will take place following the scheduled celebration of the Holy Eucharist on the following days:

Sunday, February 23rd
Epiphany Barry’s Bay
St. George’s South Alice
St. Paul’s Cobden

Sunday, March 2nd
All Saints Petawawa

Wednesday, March 5th
St. Anthony’s Whitney

Sunday, March 9th
Ascension Killaloe / St. John’s Tramore
Holy Trinity Pembroke
**St. Stephen’s Micksburg – St. Patrick’s Lower Stafford – St. Thomas Rankin

Sunday, March 23rd
St. John’s Eganville

**The Micksburg/Stafford/Rankin vestry will be an afternoon potluck followed by the Vestry at 1pm at the home of Patty & Thane Childerhose (1440 Ross Rd, Cobden).

The Canons, Bylaws and Regulations of our Anglican Diocese of Ottawa require the Incumbent Priest of a parish to serve as the chair of all meetings of Vestry. With the Incumbent’s agreement, an Associate Incumbent may chair a Vestry in the Incumbent’s stead

Worship times and locations for Sunday, February 23rd are:

We continue to be grateful for the many ways that members of the Parish of the Valley share gifts of time, talent, and financial resources to further God's mission across the Valley and beyond. To ensure the continued financial health of our ministries, all members of the Parish of the Valley are encouraged to make regular offerings to their home congregations and chapels. There are a many ways that you can give. Please click the blue button below to learn more.

Thank you for your continued support of the Parish of the Valley.

Here you will find our parish prayer list, scripture readings according to the Sunday lectionary, and links to worship by the Parish of the Valley and other Anglican resources and services.

Please download from the link below.