Cathedral of the Trees

We return to gathering on the Land with regular monthly gatherings on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 4:00 pm in the winter.

OUR THEME for this year is LANDSCAPES

December 18 2025 - Landscapes of Hope

Date: December 18, 2025

Time: 4:00 pm - note change of time - this is one hour earlier.

Location: Rise Above Guest House, 470 East Road Loop, K0L1C0

What to expect:

Theme: Landscapes of Hope. At the darkest times and on the edge of the return of the light, we will consider how birds reveal how to survive in the dark of winter. Spiritually speaking, some birds, the dove in particular, are gentle messengers of better days to come. We will spend only a brief time outdoors and then be inside for most of the event. Come, bring a friend, and gather in a community of people who share our experience of wonder in nature as we spend time together deepening our connection with the elements and other beings with whom we live.

Potluck and Warm beverages to follow Watch Cathedral of the Trees FB for updates. Donations are welcomed. Dress for the weather.

Join us on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 4 pm in the winter

Mark your calendars:

Donations, as you are able, further the work of Cathedral of the Trees and Rise Above Guest House as we seek to connect all with the healing cycles of the Land.

Cathedral of the Trees gathers in community to share our experience of Wonder in Nature.

Our gatherings invite you to spend intentional time in nature deepening your connection with the elements and other beings with whom we live.

It is for those who never go to church/temple/synagogue and those who do.

Mark Your Calendars for 2025

Thursday September 18, 2025.

Thursday October 16, 2025. Landscapes of Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Thursday November 20, 2025. Transparent Landscapes -> A Time of Seeing.’

Thursday December 18, 2025. ‘New Light on the Edge-> The Landscape of Hope.’

At Cathedral of the Trees here at Rise Above Guest House

the earth reminds us of the rhythms of birth, growth, sometimes disease, death and re-birth.

Mama Pine’s steady gaze grants us perspective.

Grandma Oak’s slow demise reminds us that nothing lasts in this form forever.

Our gardens, wood burning stoves, miniature donkeys, and barn cats remind us that there will always be tasks of the day that need tending.

The maple trees give their sap for syrup and we remember how generous the world is.

Within all this, we try to live gratefully, and give thanks that we can gather again soon.

May the earth be your companion as she always is ours and may the Spirit sustain you and surprise you.
Marilyn and Svinda

Cathedral of the Trees, a ministry of the Maynooth-Madawaska Community of Faith, is part of the Wild Church Network. Wild Church Network is representative of an emerging phenomenon: outdoor church. Christians are concerned about the environment and seeking greater relationship with the living world they can see, feel, hear, taste, smell, touch, breathe, drink, nurture, and be nurtured by. In the Cathedral of the Trees, we attune ourselves to the Sacred through the earth and her creatures. The more than human world is part of the gathered congregation.

Join us to listen deeply, explore creatively, and live gratefully.

Come and be transformed by intentional connection with the ancient and sacred rhythms of the creation of which we are a part. Together we will read and study the book of Nature.

The ancients say that to know nature is to know something of God.

A few notes on what to expect:

In the Cathedral of the Trees: We will gather ourselves together, attend to our arrival, share a prayer, a reading or story, and a few instructions for participating in a spiritual practice in nature which may include wandering off on your own and then regathering where you will be invited to share with each other your experiences in order to deepen them. Feel free to bring a journal or sketch book to record your encounters with the land and its creatures. There are no such things as interruptions. And the more than human world is part of our gathering – always full of wisdom and surprises.

Our fall to spring meeting time will be approximately 1 to 2 hours which includes sharing in a light meal at the end if you wish to stay for that.

We meet regardless of the weather so please dress according to conditions (we would cancel only if personal safety were at risk – i.e., lightening or ice storm)

Children are welcome and important.

Cathedral of the Trees is a ministry of the Maynooth Madawaska Community of Faith and sponsored by an Embracing the Spirit Grant of the United Church of Canada and a Transformational Ministry Grant from the former Bay of Quinte Conference of the United Church of Canada.