Organist Mark McDonald stands below Christ Church Cathedral’s organ, Canada’s largest pipe organ west of the Rockies. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News) Published 9:00 am Wednesday, May 27, 2026 by Olivier Laurin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once called the pipe organ “the king of instruments.” Considered by many to be a marvel of music and engineering, the pipe... Continue Reading →
Notes by Ken Gray: I am Looking forward to Sunday’s Pentecost service shared between St. Stephen’s Anglican Church and Summerland United Church. We share costs and facilities between us at our historic 1910 location in downtown Summerland. Now a few years into a very special relationship between our congregations, we occasionally gather together for shared... Continue Reading →
I have a long relationship with the Requiem by French composer Gabriel Faure. Unlike the bombastic operatic showpiece by Verdi, the intensely dramatic rendering by Mozart, or the massive work by Benjamin Britten, Faure’s Requiem is intimate, melodic, of small scale, and sublime. It whispers, though never shouts. Surely we all want to drift off... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Sunday, May 3rd, 2026, by the Very Rev. Ken Gray JOHN 14:1-14 A few weeks ago, on the 5th Sunday in Lent, I preached on the text from John’s Gospel: “I am the resurrection and the life.” At the time I... Continue Reading →
Once again, another Jazz Vespers service looms large. Information is on the poster, but allow me to add: Justin Glibbery on pianoStefan Bienz on bassLoni Moger on guitarEric Manuel on drums The announced theme is Joyspring, (I don't expect this to be played as we don't have a trumpeter on this gig), but you never... Continue Reading →
Sermon Notes at the Closing of St.Andrews Trinity East from the Right Rev. John Watton, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Central Newfoundland My friends, I’ll be honest. Throughout the three dioceses in Newfoundland and across the country, we will face increased Church closings. It’s hard to talk about, let alone live through it. When... Continue Reading →
Ikonostasis, Orthodox Monastery, Birchdale on Kootenay Lake BC - David Burrows photo Extract from an interview in Sunday’s New York Times between David Bentley Hart and Peter Wehner - The complete interview is worth a careful read David Bentley Hart is one of the world’s most formidable and provocative theological minds. He is an Eastern... Continue Reading →
Photo Credit: ScottProject Photography/Kamloops Tourism, Kamloops BC A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton on the Second Sunday of Easter Sunday, April 12th, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray I know it’s not the traditional, formal Easter greeting many of you prefer: “The Lord is risen / He is risen indeed; Hallelujah.”... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the United and Anglican congregations in Summerland BC on Good Friday, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray We need a new name for today, for what is “good” about Good Friday? By definition, “Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, Maundy Thursday, April 2, 2025 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray “I don’t think it’s appropriate at all! Please don’t use this image,” snapped a member of one of my former parishes. (Not Summerland I might add.) My critic referred to a setup photograph created at... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 