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(Reel rattles)

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♪♪♪

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- Allison: The people that
- ask me the most often


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what a chaplain is,

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or my international students

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- who, for whom the concept
- is completely just unfamiliar.


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- So usually I tell them
- that it's almost like


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- a cross between a priest
- and a social worker,


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- because I do the sort
- of religious things


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- at the college and nurture
- spirituality here,


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- but I also just work with
- students of all traditions.


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- And if their English isn't
- very good,


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- I just tell them
- I'm a friend of students.


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I grew up in a tradition where

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- prayer was mostly
- about talking,


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- where I would sort of tell God
- what I wanted,


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what I needed and how I felt.

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- And I would often struggle
- to listen,


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but I didn't really know how,

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and that was kind of it.

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But as I've grown older

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- and explored different
- traditions


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- and some of the ancient
- roots of our faith,


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- I realize that prayer can
- take many different forms.


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- When I try to loiter
- intentionally,


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- I see it as an extension
- of my prayer life.


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- I try to also make space
- for students


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- of different religions,
- whatever they are,


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- and nurture students'
- spirituality.


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- And that's sort
- of my main focus,


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but I also work with students

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- from a lot of different
- backgrounds.


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Walking with them um,

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through really difficult things

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like depression and abuse,

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- and whatever happens to come up
- in a student's life.


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- But also just being a friend
- to those who are lonely,


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- and who need connections
- in Winnipeg


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and that kind of thing, so...

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♪♪♪

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♪♪♪

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- About quarter to 12
- I go down to the chapel.


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- I move our little meditation
- station to the front


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- to prepare for the prayer
- service.


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I've decided that a space

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- to be set apart and sacred
- should be for everyone.


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- And so that's sort of how
- I've come to understand


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my stewardship of this space.

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♪♪♪

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♪♪♪

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- The Eucharist service
- originated with the Last Supper


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which was the Passover,

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- which Jesus celebrated
- before he died.


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- Christianity teaches that
- in some way


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- God is present in the bread
- and the wine.


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- It's like a tangible
- meeting with God.


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- When I first began
- to participate


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in Eucharist services

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- the ritual seemed really odd
- to me and kind of unnecessary.


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But I was really struck by

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- the ancient nature
- of the thing.


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Like realizing that people

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- have celebrated this mystery
- together


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- in essentially this way
- for hundreds,


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even thousands of years.

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- And as of 21st century
- post-modern


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- with not a lot of connection
- to my past,


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- um, that really resonated
- with me,


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- belonging to something
- so much bigger than myself.


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- Belonging to some -
- belonging to like a family


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- and a story with roots
- way deep into the past.


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- Most merciful God,
- (Congregation reading)


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- "We confess that we have sinned
- against you in thought-"


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Just as I feel that all prayer

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- sustains me for my life
- and for my day,


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- the Eucharist sustains me
- in an even deeper way.


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- It has been a source
- of life for me


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- during some of the most
- difficult times in my life.


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- My sisters and brothers,

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- the gifts of God
- for the people of God.


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Congregation: Thanks be to God.

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- Allison: The aspect in
- the Eucharist


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- where I feel the most
- connection to the divine


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- is when I'm handed the bread
- and the wine


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by another person.

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- Partly because of the symbolism
- and the whole mystery


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- around the bread and the wine
- and connecting with God there,


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- but also because of the other
- person who meets me there.


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- The blood of Christ
- shed for you .


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- Amen.

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- And then for me,
- I've gotten to serve also,


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- which has come to be
- increasingly important.


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- The blood of Christ
- shed for you.


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- It's a reminder for me
- that my faith


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- is not something otherworldly
- that I just think about.


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It's not a set of propositions,

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- but it's something I touch
- and eat


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and share with my friends.

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- The blood of Christ
- shed for you.


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- I would say it's sort
- of like the central


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- aspect of our faith
- that it has divided us


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- in some ways over
- how it's done


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- and what it means
- and all of that,


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- but also it's I think if
- you can meet at that table,


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- at the table where we break
- bread and wine together


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in the Eucharist, um,

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then we can...

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we can be one.

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- The blood of Christ
- shed for you.