From 1,000 Catholics flooding a conference hall for the launch of the Proclaim Movement to ongoing initiatives in supporting marriages, Catholic education, spiritual life, and ecumenism, the year 2019 was a full and spiritual one in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
It was also a challenging year, as a report about 36 cases of sexual abuse of minors and adults by clergy was released in the fall. Archbishop J. Michael Miller, in his response to the report, offered an apology to victims of abuse and a commitment to implementing serious changes that will continue to make waves in the future.
On the global stage, significant events of 2019 included the plight of people in Hong Kong, an unexplained blaze at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and a divisive Canadian federal election.
Around the Archdiocese
Strengthening marriages
The archdiocese’s second annual Marriage Anniversary Mass, held at St. Paul’s in Richmond, honoured the milestone anniversaries of 153 couples and their combined 4,800 years of marriage. Later in the year, a mentorship program called Witness to Love was launched, aiming at helping engaged couples create meaningful, lasting relationships with Catholic couples in their parishes.
Also in 2019, 23 civilly married couples celebrated as their relationships were blessed by the Church at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Surrey.
Supporting Catholic education
Vancouver College broke ground on a new elementary school in March. The project is set to replace an old structure on campus (keeping some of its heritage elements) with classrooms, a gymnasium, six residences for Christian Brothers, and a chapel.
Also this year, St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School completed phase 1 of a major rebuild including new classrooms and a gymnasium. Phase 2, which will see the old school torn down, the creation of a new athletic field, and renovation on the old convent, is still to come.
Meanwhile, after 28 years of offering faith-based teaching, Traditional Learning Academy was officially recognized as a Catholic school Oct. 22.
Celebrating Easter and Passover
A meal at St. Patrick’s Parish marked a significant moment in relations between Catholics and Jews in Vancouver. About 200 people of various faith traditions gathered April 8 for traditional eats and a discussion of Easter and Passover, death and new life, suffering and redemption. The event followed the same format as a Christmas and Hanukkah event hosted in December of 2018.
Marching for Life
About 2,000 pro-life activists did not do much marching at the 2019 March for Life in Victoria, B.C., as smoky air and the smoldering wreckage of a downtown fire caused organizers to call off the “march” portion of the event. The large crowd of demonstrators still arrived on the lawn of the B.C. Legislature for a rally, showing solidarity with thousands of others marching in Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa.
Recognizing accomplishments
The B.C. Catholic was singled out for several outstanding efforts among North American diocesan newspapers and publications at the Catholic Media Conference in June. Honours included Best Personality Profile (first place), Best Layout of Article or Column (first place), and Best Regular Column (second place). The archdiocese’s Communications Office also received first place for Best Annual Report.
Opening a new church
A new church for members of St. Paul’s Parish in Richmond was blessed June 18. Archbishop Miller, pastor Msgr. Dennis Luterbach, and others broke ground on the project in 2017, after the old church was deemed far too small for the needs of the neighbourhood.
Viewing Unplanned
After a heated battle that included petitions and a national boycott, the controversial film Unplanned landed a distribution deal in Canada and was shown at select movie theatres for one week in July. Two independent theatres in B.C. scheduled to screen Unplanned received threats and had to cancel the viewings, while other theatres sold out hundreds of tickets in a few hours or days.
Abby Johnson, the Planned Parenthood worker turned pro-life activist whose story is portrayed in the film, arrived in Surrey later this year and spoke to a crowd of more than 900 people at a fundraiser for Advokate Life and Education Services.
Focusing on the Eucharist
Since June 30, members of St. Anthony of Padua Parish have been worshipping God in a renovated adoration chapel thanks to the initiative of pastor Father Justin Huang. He said the transformed space, decorated with gold and handmade statues by Spanish artisans, is part of a cultural shift to place the Eucharist in the centre of parishioners’ lives.
Equipping evangelizers
About 1,000 people flooded the Vancouver Convention Centre for the inaugural Upper Room conference, an event meant to equip Catholics who have a personal relationship with Jesus to become evangelizers in their communities. The Oct. 26 conference featured speakers Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT. It also marked the launch of the Proclaim Movement, a missionary movement and resource for local evangelizers.
Celebrating significant anniversaries
2019 was a big year for St. Jude’s and St. Luke’s parishes, both of whom celebrated their 75th anniversaries with Masses and banquets. In November, the Catholic Charities Men’s Hostel celebrated 60 years of offering warm, safe places for homeless men to sleep. Among their success stories is Bruce Nolte, a man who became homeless in 2014 and is now gainfully employed at the hostel.
Also this year, Providence Health Care celebrated 125 years since their founding sisters opened St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver as they continue fundraising and planning to build the new St. Paul’s.
Digging into the sexual abuse crisis
The Archdiocese of Vancouver released a groundbreaking report on clerical sexual abuse Nov. 22. The report was compiled by a Case Review Committee that studied 36 cases of abuse by priests from 1950 to the present day and included 31 recommendations. Also released that day was a list of nine Vancouver priests who had been criminally convicted, named in settled lawsuits, or the subjects of other public cases, as well as a pastoral letter from Archbishop Miller apologizing to victims and pledging to make a difference.
Lawyer Mary Margaret MacKinnon described it all as a first step forward and invites any victims of sexual abuse by priests to come forward to seek justice and healing.
Celebrating a double-ordination
Father Felix Min and Deacon Richard Conlin were ordained in a solemn ceremony at Holy Rosary Cathedral Dec. 7. Archbishop Miller ordained the young men, both in their thirties, and spoke about the importance of having a supportive community when growing in the spiritual life.
Losing two priests in one day
Two notable priests in the Archdiocese of Vancouver passed away on the same day, Dec. 29, the Feast of the Holy Family. Ninety-two-year-old Msgr. Pedro Lopez-Gallo was a former secretary for Cardinal Eugene Tisserant during the Second Vatican Council and a longtime pastor of St. Pius X Parish in North Vancouver. He was also a weekly columnist for The B.C. Catholic newspaper and a judicial vicar for the archdiocese’s Marriage Tribunal.
Father Benno Burghardt served in the archdiocese for 37 years, including as pastor of Holy Family Parish, assistant pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, and judge for the Marriage Tribunal. He was 86.
On the National and International Scene
Rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral
The world watched in shock and horror as the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris collapsed in a massive fire April 15. French president Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild the cathedral even as it was still smoldering, though how it will look, and what caused the fire in the first place, is still unknown.
Grieving bomb attacks on Easter Sunday
Bombs exploded at several churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing hundreds and seriously many hundreds more. In the aftermath, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Council of Imams issued a joint statement condemning the violence.
Sri Lankans in the Greater Vancouver Area responded by reaching out to friends and family on the island nation, hoping their loved ones were safe, and launching GoFundMe pages to repair the damage. They also invited Sri Lankans regardless of their faith background to pray for peace on the Feast of Our Lady of Madhu at St. Matthew’s Parish in Surrey Aug. 10. As many as 300 people participated, including people of Buddhist, Catholic, and Hindu beliefs.
Honouring a Canadian hero
Philosopher, philanthropist, and visionary Jean Vanier died May 7 at age 90. By the time word travelled from Paris to Canada’s west coast, people were calling for his canonization. About 250 friends and admirers of Vanier, including many members of the L’Arche and Faith and Light communities, held an ecumenical memorial for him at Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver.
Praying for Hong Kong
Large-scale demonstrations with increasing violence rocked the streets of Hong Kong starting in early June. The protests began as a response to a controversial bill that would allow the Chinese government to extradite alleged criminals from Hong Kong to face trial in China, which critics have called a threat to human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Millions of people have since taken to the streets and added police brutality and the resignation of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to their demands. In Vancouver, an estimated 550 people staged a protest at the Chinese consulate June 16 to show solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. Pastors, including Father Richard Soo, led the group in prayer and Scripture readings.
Marking 50 years of abortion in Canada
The year 2019 marked 50 years since abortion was legalized in Canada. To mark the occasion, a handful of pro-life and Christian organizations partnered to create The Missing Project, a series of 50 documentary-style videos portraying 50 people across the country whose lives were profoundly affected by abortion.
Canonizing a cardinal
Cardinal John Henry Newman, a convert to Catholicism and a praised homilist, poet, theologian, and champion of education, was canonized in Rome with four women Oct. 13. More than 90 people held an event in honour of then soon-to-be St. Newman in Vancouver Oct. 2.
Voting in a federal election
Ahead of Canada’s federal election, several parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver created Civic Affairs Committees, non-partisan groups aimed at encouraging more Catholics to get informed and vote. One of the first committees was launched at St. James Parish in Abbotsford with a public event in April called “Politics for Dummies.” Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Toronto hosted an election debate with representatives of five parties and thousands of viewers at the John Bassett Theatre in Toronto. Tickets for that event sold out in under 72 hours and many more viewers saw the debate online. The October election resulted in a minority government and another term for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Celebrating an ecumenical milestone
In 1999, Catholics and Lutherans came to an agreement on the doctrine of justification by faith, which had been a major issue in the Reformation. In 2019, Christians in the Lower Mainland celebrated the 20th anniversary of that historic moment and hoped to raise awareness of a document both denominations can agree on.
Parish Visits
Archbishop completes second year of visits
Archbishop Miller continued his pastoral tour of the archdiocese by visiting another 10 Catholic communities this year: St. Pius X, Our Lady of the Assumption, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Church of the Assumption, Immaculate Conception (Delta), Canadian Martyrs, St. Mary’s (Vancouver), Star of the Sea, St. Joseph’s (Langley) and St. Augustine’s. This puts him at 21 completed visits out of 77 parishes.
Have we missed something? Tell us about your Catholic highlights of 2019 in a letter to the editor: letters@rcav.org.
