Dear friends
                                                                                                                                                     
As many of you are aware, there was an incident at Cathedral Place yesterday involving a Café guest who sought shelter in our building, after being stabbed on James Street. St. Matt’s staff and Cathedral volunteers responded as we would have hoped. Paramedics and police responded immediately, providing care for the victim and arresting the assailant within minutes.

Opening the Café involved an inevitable element of risk. It was a risk we were willing to assume in order to provide a safe and secure space for those in our neighbourhood in need. We strive by God’s grace to treat our guests with respect and dignity, to offer them a place where they belong and where they can take steps towards improving their quality of life as they choose. As the numbers alone attest, the Café is making a significant impact. We continue to host on average 170 unique visits per day and serve approximately 5300 meals per month. As the Hamilton Police remind us, what we are offering reduces their incidence of interventions with those street-involved in the neighbourhood.

I can assure you that from the outset of the Café’s extended hours in December 2023, the safety and security of our staff, our Cathedral community, our neighbours and our guests have always been a primary focus. It is why we have security presence from 7am to 7pm, including two personnel on duty between 11am and 3pm. It is why our Café Operations Committee meets bi-weekly to oversee the functioning of the programme. It is why we are in regular contact with the Hamilton Police Service and advocate for increased police presence in our neighbourhood. It is why our Cathedral ambassadors liaise regularly with business owners in our vicinity.

St. Matt’s staff and the Café Operations Committee are debriefing the incident and will be making any necessary changes immediately to the Café operating policies and procedures. I repeat that the safety and security of our staff, Cathedral community, neighbours and guests remain a top priority.  If you have any questions or concerns, we invite you to be in touch with Dean Tim at tim.dobbin@niagaraanglican.ca or 365.324.4503 or with any of the Corporation through Karen our Parish Coordinator at cathedral.admin@niagaraanglican.ca.

Please pray for the victim and the assailant, for the staff, volunteers and especially the guests of the Café; pray that God’s way of peace, justice and compassion for all people take deeper root in our city and beyond; and pray that the good news stories of the Cafe’s positive impact on countless lives become more widely known.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your ongoing support of God’s life-changing mission and ministry in our midst.

Yours in Christ

Tim +                 (on behalf of Corporation).

The Very Rev. Dr. Tim Dobbin
Rector & Dean of the Diocese of Niagara