Easy Riders

Congratulations to all our riders, walkers and cheerleaders as well as our donors who made this event possible!

Nous avons amassé presque 6,000$!!!! 

Félicitations à tous les participants!

Ride for Refuge 2016

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to ride with us. Saturday, October 1st 2016

Dear friends, Your support really matters! Why? Because through the Ride for Refuge, our team is raising funds to help the displaced, vulnerable and exploited. Once again this year, Montreal City Mission will be participating in the annual Ride for Refuge bike-a-thon onOctober 1st. Please consider either sponsoring our team, joining the ride yourself and/or recruiting some of your own sponsors. This is a small but important action we can all take to support refugees. Follow this link to find out more: The MCM Team

Il nous fait très plaisir de vous inviter à pédaler avec nous. Samedi le 1 octobre 2016

Chers amis, Votre soutien est important! Pourquoi? Parce qu'à travers le Cycle-O-Thon Refuge, notre équipe amasse des fonds qui viendront en aide aux personnes déplacées, vulnérables et exploitées. Encore une fois cette année, la Mission communautaire de Montréal participera au Cycle-O-Thon Refuge, samedi le 1 octobre. SVP, encouragez notre équipe, ou venez pédaler avec nous tout en recrutant vos propres commanditaires. Un geste simple mais important que nous pouvons tous faire afin de venir en aide aux réfugiés. Suivez ce lien pour en savoir plus: L'équipe MCM

Sous la tente du Ramadan... Under Ramadan's Tent

The Muslim Association of Canada joined hands with St. James United and Montreal City Mission to break the Ramadan fast at an Iftar on the St. James Square last week. 

Several hundred people participated in a unique ceremony where the United Church Moderator, the Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell, led prayer in French and English alongside Imam Mahdi Terkawi who prayed in French and Arabic. The chiming of the St. James bells as the exact same time as the Adhan – the Islamic call to prayer – was incredibly moving (see the media links below).

Au coucher du soleil - à 20h48 précisément - nous avons rompu le jeûne avec des dattes, de l’eau, du lait et de la nourriture offerte gracieusement par l’Association Musulmane du Canada. Quelle belle assemblée que cette foule diverse… des gens qui provenaient de milieux culturels, ethniques et religieux différents… mais tous réunis pour célébrer la richesse de Montréal et de notre humanité commune.

A special thanks to UCC Moderator Cantwell for flying in for this event, chief Iftar organizer MCM staffer Anwar Alhjooj and all of our friends at the MAC – Muslim Association of Canada. Shukran!

Un grand merci également à nos photographes : François Gloutnay, Daniel Julien Inacio et Michelle Knight.

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We will gather as an inter-faith community once again at St. James United Church on Sunday June 19th at 2 p.m. for a memorial in solidarity with the victims of the Orlando shooting. As we said at the Iftar, we take pride in our diversity that enriches our city, our country and our world. And we will not tolerate discrimination and hatred against any community.

La communauté inter-religieuse se réunira de nouveau dimanche prochain, le 19 juin, à 14h, pour un rassemblement commémoratif à la mémoire des victimes de la communauté LGBTQ2 en Floride. SVP joignez-vous à nous.

Sous la tente du Ramadan / Under Ramadan's Tent

  Il nous fait très plaisir de vous inviter à un Iftar public.

Le mardi 7 juin, sur le parvis de l'église St-James, de 20 h à 21h

Chers amis,

Il nous fait très plaisir de vous inviter à un Iftar public. Ce serait un très grand honneur pour nous, l’Église unie du Canada et l’Association musulmane du Canada, de vous compter parmi nous sous la tente du mois du Ramadan pour célébrer la rupture du jeûne qui aura lieu le 7 juin 2016 entre 20h et 21h, sur le parvis de l’église St.James située au 463, Ste-Catherine Ouest. La Modératrice de l’Église unie, la Rév. Jordan Cantwell sera avec nous pour cette occasion.

Notre célébration débutera à 20 heures avec de la musique et de la poésie, alors que nous partagerons dattes et eau avec les passants de la rue Ste-Catherine. Ce rassemblement sera une belle opportunité de montrer aux Montréalais et au public canadien, la diversité de nos communautés, et notre capacité de se réunir pour partager. 

Ensemble, musulmans et chrétiens, nous ferons une prière pour la paix et la prospérité à Montréal, au Canada, ainsi que partout dans le monde. 

Cet évènement marque la richesse du Canada, sa diversité et son désir de bâtir ensemble une communauté qui sera à la hauteur de nos espérances.

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to a public Iftar.

Tuesday, June 7th, on the St. James Square, from 8:00 to 9:00 PM

Dear friends,

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to a public Iftar in the month of Ramandan.  The United Church of Canada is gathering with the Muslim Association of Canada on Tuesday, June 7th, on the St. James Square  (463 St. Catherine St. West)  in the heart of downtown Montreal,  to break the Ramadan fast. United Church Moderator, the Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell is flying in for the occasion.

We would be honoured by your presence at our celebration that will begin at 8 p.m. with music, poetry and the sharing of dates and water with passers-by on St. Catherine St.

Together, Muslims, Jews and Christians, will make a prayer for peace and prosperity in Montreal, in Canada, and for the world. 

This will be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the wider Montreal and indeed Canadian public the diversity of our communities, and our ability to come together as one. 

Photo: By Roi.dagobert. - Own work., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15717291

Syrian Delicacies for Camp Cosmos Kids

Samedi le 21 mai, de 11:00 à 14:00, venez découvrir la cuisine syrienne tout en soutenant les enfants syriens au Camp Cosmos...

Pour seulement $7, notre menu végétarien vous permettra d'obtenir ces spécialités syriennes: falafel, humus, zaatar, lebaneh, tabulah, tahini, pita & plus!
Les desserts traditionnels et le thé seront offerts au coût de $3.


Tous les profits de cet événement serviront à couvrir les frais de camp pour les enfants syriens nouvellement arrivés au Canada.

Pour plus d'info, visitez: Délices syriens sur le parvis de l'Église unie St-James
Saturday, May 21st, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., come and discover Syrian food while supporting Syrians kids at Camp Cosmos... 

Our menu will include a vegan main dish for $7 : falafel, humus, zaatar, labaneh, tabulah, tahini, pita & more!
Traditional Syrian sweets and tea for $3.

All profits from this event will cover camp fees for newly-arrived Syrian children at Camp Cosmos.

For more info visit: Syrian Delicacies on the St.James Square


تذوق آكلات سورية وأدعم الأطفال في مخيم كوزومز....
سوف نحضر عده أطباق سورية منها: فلافل، حُمُّص، تبوله، لبنه، طحينية ، زعتر وغيرها. سعر الوجبه سيكون 7$. 
كذلك سوف تقدم حلويات سورية وشاي. السعر سيكون 3$. كل المدخولات ستغطي تكاليف الأولاد السوريين في مخيم كوزومز. 

UCC Moderator's Visit at MCM

Last April 21st, MCM and St. James United were delighted to host the United Church Moderator, the Very Reverend Jordan Cantwell.

Over a delicious lunch of Syrian delicacies, we discussed new and exciting projects with our partners from the Muslim Association of Canada - Nabil Abu-Thuraia, Mehdi Jouhri and Ahmad Abdelkader Mohammed, as well as Amal Elsana and Tahany Okby fom McGill ICAN (International Community Action Network).

Creating a safe environment for Syrian children to learn and play, organizing inter-faith gatherings on St. James Square and providing internships for Syrian university students were all on our discussion menu.

The opportunities right now for diverse communities coming together are stronger than ever. We all need to seize the moment so that walls that divide can indeed come tumbling down!

Moderator Cantwell also took time to meet with members of MCM staff, students and the people we serve to listen to stories of migration, cross cultural challenges, as well as hope for the future.

At the end of our time together, we gathered at the table to break bread – remembering the Spirit that empowers us all to work for inclusion and justice.

Pride, opportunities & ongoing challenges

Melissa Mollen Dupuis, Tehatkatonnions Bush, Sonia Bonspille-Boileau, Paula Kline, Lisa Byer-De Wever, Robert Verrall & Robert McDonough at the McGill School of Social Work

PRIDE … OPPORTUNITIES … ONGOING CHALLENGES …

…are what we saw at two screenings last week of Sonia Bonspille Boileau’s documentary, The Legacy of the Oka Crises-25 Years Later, and heard from a panel of young dynamic First Nations leaders that followed. 

From the 1876 Indian Act that transformed Aboriginal adults into dependent minors, to residential schools, to the ‘60s scoop’ of Indian children, to the Oka Crises, First Nations communities in the Montreal area have just begun the healing process these past five years. Young Tehatkatonnions Bush, an engaging and articulate 15 year old Mohawk, felt his generation was the first to be growing up with pride.

There is currently a veritable explosion of First Nations films with 800 being produced over the past decade. Empowering new generations to express themselves through all art forms is one way to address issues of poverty, loss of identity and purpose according to the panelists. New role models are appearing and fresh perspectives are taking shape.

This is an exciting time for all Canadians - not only to build bridges, but to build a brand new house - from the foundation up - together.

Many thanks to the presenters: Sonia Bonspille Boileau, Mohawk film maker, Melissa Mollen Dupuis, Innu, co-founder of the Quebec Idle No More Movement, Tehatkatonnions Bush, Mohawk, student at the Kahnakwake Survival School and Coutney Montour, Mohawk filmmaker

To our sponsors: Indigenous Access McGill, First Peoples' House, Social Action Office of the Montreal Catholic Diocese, and a shout out to the McGill School of Social Work and St. Lambert United Church for hosting these 2 MCM In Missio presentations.

Bienvenue aux stagiaires!!! Welcome students!!!

La formation terminée, les stagiaires relèvent les défis du travail avec énergie et enthousiasme. Et ils sont plus nombreux cette saison. Sans eux, notre travail ne pourrait se faire

In addition to social work and law students from McGill University and l'Université de Montréal, as well as a diaconal intern from the Center for Christian Studies in Winnipeg, this year we welcome students from the University of Manitoba and Sherbrooke.

We will no doubt be breaking our 2015 record of 18 student interns! Their contribution ensures MCM remains a dynamic and innovative presence in the downtown core and beyond. Essential work gets done and the people we serve are touched by their compassion and devotion.

Long life to MCM students - past - present and future!!