Roman Catholics in the qathet Region was a community project, the word “qathet” being a Tla’amin word meaning people working together. It was this idea that inspired me while working on this book.
The project developed out of a display of beautiful historical pictures and stories celebrating Assumption Parish’s centenary in 2011. At the time, I realized not much detail had been written about the history of the parish.
I contacted Professor Jacqueline Gresko, author of Traditions of Faith and Service on the history of the Archdiocese, who guided me through early historical sources about missionaries. For me, the best part of researching this book was listening to the stories of various parish elders, especially First Nations elders, retired religious sisters, elder lay leaders, and former pastors.
Accounts of the courage and faith of the early Oblate missionaries and First Nations have been inspiring to me. In the 1860s-1880s, priests and even bishops travelled by canoe in the winter from New Westminster to provide sacraments to small coastal communities.
At that time, the First Nations would faithfully gather to worship weekly without priests and some would travel by canoe to New Westminster to go to confession.
In the book, I share the stories of various holy people who have lived in the community. Sarah qwoqwʔasukt Adams (1880-1963) is remembered as a hays qaymɩχw, a most respected elder. She served the community as a midwife and catechist, assisted in burials, and sung church hymns in Tla’amin, Chinook, and Latin.
Father Leo Hobson (Pastor 1935-40, 1946-47) is remembered as a true priest who built up Assumption Parish, founding a school, parish hall, the Catholic Women’s League, Holy Name Society, and helping set up B.C.’s first Credit Union. He then took leave from the parish to serve in the Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
A Powell River-raised priest, Italian immigrant Father Victor Gallo (Pastor 1970-1978), is remembered as a thrifty and dedicated pastor who ran parish missions for immigrant families, sailing up the coast on the Star of the Sea parish mission boat to offer the sacraments on Cortes Island, Texada Island, and Church House.
I also found heartbreaking stories of churches being shuttered and communities left without sacraments. One elder in t̓oq̓ on Cortes Island prayed on her own for 30 years after her church was closed, until to her surprise and joy in 2015 Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller made a pastoral visit with her.
Even now, the parish’s pastoral outreach is suffering after the last of the Missionary Sisters of Jesus of Nazareth retired to Malta in 2012. It was the first time in living memory that parishioners have been without the ministry of religious sisters.
My hope is that this book will help young Catholics, new pastors, and newcomers to Assumption Parish to appreciate the rich history of this large remote parish in the north of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Mark Merlino has a master’s in the Cultural Heritage of the Church from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is a catechist at Church of the Assumption, Powell River.
