Father Aloysius Lou dedicated his life to God and to developing the Chinese-Catholic community
The B.C. Catholic
A young priest who moved from Macau to Vancouver in 1972 to assist the growing Chinese-Catholic community has celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination.
“I was very privileged to have this opportunity to enter the priesthood,” said Father Aloysius Lou. “God gave me both the opportunity and the ability.”
After growing up in Macau, Father Lou worked as a Salesian teacher and administrator before feeling the call from God to become a priest. Seven years after travelling to Vancouver, he officially became a priest of this archdiocese.
Father Lou was an assistant pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish before becoming the pastor. “Father Peter Chow, the previous pastor, was in search of a priest who could take up his role before he returned home to Taiwan,” Father Lou said. “They needed a priest who could speak both English and Chinese, and that is why I stayed, 43 years ago.”
The Fathers of the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society established the parish in 1933 to nurture the Chinese Catholics in Vancouver. When Father Lou became the parish priest in 1979, the community had outgrown the church and school, so Father Lou began looking for ways to accommodate the larger population.
He dreamed of having the church, school, and a day care under a single roof, and with that, construction of the new building began. Father Lou spent more than 40 years dedicated to the community because he felt “there was no other person whom God called for the job.”
“Exactly 50 years ago, on Dec. 18, 1965, a young Salesian deacon, Aloysius Lou, gave his definite ‘yes’ to God’s call,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, at the jubilee Mass Dec. 18. “His 50 years have been exemplary in every way, bringing the love of Christ to everyone he meets.”
“Our jubiliarian had the courage to accept his decisive but liberating call,” the archbishop said. “In the call to the priestly ministry, he met Jesus and was drawn to Him, struck by His words, His actions, and His person.”
One of the ways Father Lou encouraged the community to grow was by inviting the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to replace the Grey Nuns who had previously served the parish.
“We, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, are deeply grateful for Father Lou’s hard work and his very good example as a pastor to us,” said Sister Veronica Tang, SIHM. “Words cannot express our gratitude” for his invitation.
Father Lou’s dedication to Christ continues to grow even in retirement. “My heart is full of gratitude to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the people who have supported me over these years. Even though I served them as a priest, they served me in their prayers.”
It’s important to take the time to listen to Christ to find one’s vocation, Father Lou noted. “I would suggest to focus on being a Christian of God first, and to be sensitive to His calling. That is important.”
