As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close this Christmas season, we invited parishioners across the Archdiocese of Vancouver to share their journeys of faith. For them it was a year defined by pilgrimage, renewal, and as one contributor put it, “Waters of Grace.” Their stories remind us that hope is not a feeling, but a choice to trust in God’s providence amid the trials of life.
Growing in the virtue of hope
Losing my job just two weeks after getting married was overwhelming and honestly not how I imagined the start of married life. Fear and uncertainty set in quickly. Around that time, I reached out to my spiritual mentor, and he shared the example of Martha and Mary – which, interestingly, was also the Gospel that same week. He simply asked me: Would I choose to be overwhelmed like Martha, or would I rest in God like Mary?
That question stayed with me. I chose to be like Mary of Bethany – to sit at the Lord’s feet, surrender the situation, and trust him completely. That decision changed how I walked through this season. During my unemployment, I gave many interviews, but nothing seemed to move forward. On the very first day without a job, I came across an opening that felt like a real boost to my career. I applied in July with a quiet sense of peace, trusting God to lead the way.
The interview process continued through Aug. with three rounds plus HR. After the final interview, Sept. was silent. The waiting was hard, but instead of giving in to fear, I leaned into prayer and trust. This phase also drew my husband and me closer – to God and to each other. Our marriage didn’t begin with a smooth, storybook start; it began with challenges that led us into family prayer and helped us build a truly Christ-centred marriage.
I finally received my offer letter in October. I lost my previous job on the feast of St. Anthony, and I had trusted in his intercession that God would restore what was lost. Today, I see that prayer answered – far beyond what I imagined. This journey taught me that hope isn’t the absence of struggle, but the choice to trust God in the middle of it. All praise and glory to God, whose timing is always perfect.
— Joyce Villaverde, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator
Christ is our hope
We usually hear: Christ is our hope! But what does it mean? How do we understand hope? According to St. Augustine, the human soul has three powers: understanding, memory, and will. St. John of the Cross links these powers to the theological virtues: understanding to faith, memory to hope, and will to love.
Through our memories, we can imagine possibilities and futures. And this is where Christian hope enters; as Christians, we know that the best possible future is to be with Christ, to live in communion with God and with our brothers and sisters. As Christians, we know this future is possible because Jesus died and was risen. And this future is more real, stronger, and more powerful than any other possible future that we fear or we hear in the news. So yes, Christ is our hope!— Luis Esquivel, seminarian, Seminary of Christ the King, Mission
My 2-km Jubilee pilgrimages (translated)
In this Jubilee year, I have had many opportunities to make pilgrimages, both in groups and alone. I have shared these journeys with brothers and sisters from diverse backgrounds: different ages, parishes, and countries. Some pilgrimages were meticulously planned, while others were spontaneous. In every single one, God has surprised us, granting us the gift of hope, which is found in meeting others.
Due to the proximity (about two km) of my apartment to the cathedral in Vancouver, I have been able to go many times – perhaps once a week – walking, using public transportation, or driving, as a pilgrim receiving the respective plenary indulgences of this Jubilee. Now, every time I go, my hope, spirit, and desire to return to receive God’s love and infect others are further awakened.
Near the end of this year’s Lent, we had the privilege of serving at a retreat for adolescents from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. The culmination of the retreat with them was a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Jude in Vancouver, which is a Jubilee pilgrimage site, approximately two km from the parish.
At the end of May and beginning of June, my husband and I travelled to Asia, visiting Tokyo and Bangkok. We had the opportunity to attend Sunday Masses at Jubilee locations in the cities we visited, even experiencing the Pentecost Vigil and feast with brothers and sisters from around the world. In this way, we were able to see and share the beautiful, universal faith of our brothers and sisters there.
Another moment of grace was sharing a prayer mission with the Lay Palautian Missionaries called MILPA. Even with the fact that most of them are seniors, despite their age and with all the effort and enthusiasm of meeting in person, we were able to make a pilgrimage to the Vancouver Cathedral church in July of this Jubilee year, reviving the fire in our mission.
Later, in August, with my ministry brothers and sisters for temporary field workers and Sister Marisol Guzman, FMA, we were able to make a group pilgrimage to the cathedral. That day, we had the spontaneous blessing of two new friends: an English-speaking brother who joined us and a young Hispanic sister from Colombia who started sharing and serving in our communities.
Currently, I reside in the Fraser Valley and participate in the prayer and faith growth community of St. Ann’s Parish, Abbotsford. There, too, in September, we went on pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Santo Nino de Cebu (Holy Child of Cebu) at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Agassiz. This community is made up of people of all ages and from many Latin American countries, full of joy and simplicity. In addition to the pilgrimage, we experienced a full day of retreat, reviving our hope and strengthening our fraternal union.
I also serve as a volunteer in the Betania Catholic retreat community (Betania in the Bible is described with a proximity of two or three km from Jerusalem), which held its Advent retreat this Nov. 2025 on the eve of the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe, alongside 20 young adults from the Archdiocese. They also rekindled the hope in their lives as Latino migrants and gave testimony of their faith in the city with a pilgrimage from Sacred Heart Parish in Vancouver to the cathedral.
All these previous beautiful experiences are unique and have gifted us with much fraternity – in my personal case, often feeling like a resurrection of something I thought I had completely lost. All of them occurred within my large spiritual family in the Hispanic community in Vancouver, which walks and seeks the encounter with God in the small ministries and apostolates of our Archdiocese.
To end this story with the best part is that I still know I can continue to drink from the “Waters of Grace” that the Lord’s mercy offers us without limit in this Jubilee. Every Sunday I serve in the music ministry at the Sanctuary of Santo Nino de Cebu, having the opportunity every Sunday at 1 p.m. to continue being a pilgrim of hope together with my husband. What I have learned and what has encouraged me during these weekly pilgrimages is that “now that I know the way, I can invite others to come or return to the house of our Father and celebrate with joy the feast of being loved and called his children.”
For me, everything is a gift from God that I haven’t finished unwrapping yet, and I will be able to continue sharing the surprises of God’s love with more brothers and sisters.
— Rebeca Reynoso
Spirit Day 2025
Spirit Day 2025 was an unforgettable experience for me. From the moment I arrived, everyone was so welcoming and made me feel like I truly belonged. Being there helped strengthen my relationship with God, especially through hearing the speakers share their stories. Many of them talked about real struggles they had gone through and how their faith in Jesus and hope carried them through. Seeing them now, encouraging over 1,700 people, reminded me that God is always with us, even in hard times.
My faith was also tested that day when I gave a short thank-you speech to Archbishop Richard Smith. I was extremely nervous because it was my first time speaking in front of such a big crowd. But with the support of my friends, the kindness of those around me, and the courage given to me by the Holy Spirit, I was able to do it. Spirit Day taught me that hope means trusting God even when you’re scared, and that with faith, you can do things you never thought you could.
— Diego Cortes, Grade 7, St. Anthony of Padua Elementary, Vancouver
The universal faith
May I introduce myself as a baptized Catholic convert teenager from Maryknoll Convent School, Hong Kong. I am a consecrated woman with our Archdiocese’s Daughters of the Church community for more than a decade. I am on the Chinese Ministry Council (CMC) and a registered parishioner of two local parishes, a member of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL), the Legion of Mary (LOM), and the Cursillo in Christianity Movement.
Since May 2025, I went on three local pilgrimages with Father Paul Chu, priest in charge of our Archdiocese’s Chinese Ministry Council (CMC) for nine years, and Father Peter Kang, a priest from Mongolia who studied in Rome for 10 years. Since Sept. 2024, he has been at Canadian Martyrs Parish. He is the Spiritual Director of the over 95-members-strong Canadian Martyrs Mandarin Families Group (CMMF), whose members are Mandarin-speaking Catholics from various local Greater Vancouver Catholic parishes.
Recently, I pilgrimed with two of the CMMF groups to Rome, Italy. Our three local pilgrimages covered all our three designated Year of Hope pilgrim sites in our Archdiocese. I went with over 150 Chinese Catholics from seven-plus parishes to the Chinese Ministry Council organized May 24 pilgrimage to Holy Rosary Cathedral. Then the second was on Aug. 4 with 200 others from CMC’s some four parishes – 75 per cent of whom are CMMF members – to St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Agassiz, B.C. The third one was on Sept. 30, again with the same groups, to St. Jude Parish, Vancouver, B.C. I sensed the joy and hope permeating and growing stronger as I completed each of these three local pilgrimages.
From Nov. 23 to Dec. 5, I was in Rome, Italy. I pilgrimed with two groups of CMMF members. Father Peter Kang organized and led us; he certainly knows Rome very well. We visited and entered the Holy Doors of all four Basilicas: St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. We also visited 21 churches and holy sites in Rome, including the Mamertine Prison and the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli.
My Roman pilgrimage allowed me to again encounter my Lord Jesus Christ. My first encounter with my Lord was in the year 2,000 when I attended a Cursillo Weekend in the U.S. organized by Mandarin-speaking Catholics from Taiwan. Our Blessed Mother, our star of hope, had been holding my hand and leading me to her Son. My Lord wants us to be holy. As I continue walking, I was deeply touched by God and felt the many graces and blessings showered upon me for more than five decades.
This was especially true during Father Peter Kang’s dedicated private Thanksgiving Mass on Nov. 27 at the St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica. I recognized the truth that “God alone suffices” as he never changes nor disappoints. I am “tickled pink” as I know my past years of pilgrimages all came about because of his Will and plan for me. I trust my sufferings and sacrifices in life would be fulfilled as I rise to meet my newborn King during this Advent.
Strangely, on the First Sunday in Advent, I found my “wilderness” at the packed St. Peter’s Basilica. It makes me want to work fervently towards true repentance for the rest of my life, to seek and do God’s Will, and to move from self-love to love of God and neighbour. At the Wednesday audience, Pope Leo XIV reminded us that “life is a free gift from God to us.” With his gift, we yearn to understand our purpose and the meaning of our ultimate goal in life. Our world, ill with a lack of trust that God’s Will is love, would not believe that he wants us to be happy and joyful.
I feel so charged up with the assurance that Our Resurrected Lord is our ultimate HOPE. I know that he will be with me and everyone till the end of time! With this hope, we can really try hard to love him above all things and our neighbours as ourselves. I then can hope to see him in others who can see him in me too.
My 2025 First Sunday in Advent 10 a.m. Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica became my hope in action, where the faithful melted in love for God and neighbour. This Sunday Mass in Rome was in both Italian and English with so many Catholics from all over the world. Gathering at the High Altar under the canopy of the main St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass was an experience of a lifetime and the first Mass there for me. The Cardinal spoke in English to welcome us on behalf of the Pope, who was away in Turkey. I pray that God would let all of us know his Will for each one of us, and bless us with heartfelt trust in him to always want to fully cooperate with him. Amen.
May I conclude this write-up by inviting you, the readers, to join us for a Jubilee Year of Hope musical drama entitled THE WAY OF HOPE organized by CMC, assisted by Father Peter Kang. There will be two shows on Jan. 25, 2026, at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond, B.C. — Mary Waung, Chinese Ministry
The Doors of Wisdom
We longed to journey to Rome, but obstacles made that dream impossible. Still, we realized that pilgrimage is not only about distance but about intention. Whether crossing doors of stone or doors of wisdom, each step has been a chance to grow in faith. As Pilgrims of Hope, let us keep on praying, keep the faith, and walk together with courage—bringing light into our families, parishes, and communities. — Eric and Cherry Iñigo
Anchored in Grace
We are a family of five Nicaraguan migrants – two adults, two sons, and one daughter – pilgrims of hope, which encouraged us to leave behind our country, our profession as doctors, and our comfort zone to begin this path of faith. We have witnessed the best and the worst of human beings; we have suffered injustices, theft, racism, and even a flood that almost ended our lives and our dreams. This gave us the opportunity to be reborn through trust in the grace of the Holy Spirit, who has been our anchor and our strength to persevere, to grow, and to believe.
Since we arrived in this country, wonderful people have helped us, such as Rafael and Janeth Gomez, who adopted us as family from the moment we met them at Our Lady of Sorrows, our faith community where we were able to participate in Holy Mass in our own language. They have given us support, comfort, and human warmth, not dependent on circumstances, but on divine faithfulness that transforms suffering into peace.
When we came to the country, we arrived at an Airbnb because we believed it was the only place we could rent. When our rental period ended, we were left without enough money for the Airbnb, without food, and with nowhere to spend the night. It was desperate; we felt powerless and helpless for the first time in our lives, without friends or help. About to end up on the street, we managed to rent a basement, but now the problem was that we were in a completely empty room, without beds, not even a single pot to heat water for coffee.
That was when our now compadres appeared in our lives. They were the miracle we begged for. Our compadres Rafael and Janeth supported us many times in different ways – with food, clothing, school supplies for our children, household items, as well as information that helped us speed up processes, save money, and adapt more to the reality of the province where we live. They were the ones who gave us beds when we had nowhere to sleep or food when we had nothing to eat. They were, are, and will be God’s answer to our prayers.
Additionally, once inside the community, the Church has accompanied us on this journey, and our faith has not been disappointed. Father Rosemond Silvestre, our Pastor, has supported us in many ways, such as with Christmas baskets. Father Jaime Aguila, Sister Angela Moloney, and Jeremy Boudreau have also supported us greatly. Priscila Santos made it possible through her support for our children to receive Holy Communion and Confirmation, taking them to and from catechism. In short, all of them have been part of the Church’s faithfulness in supporting our family.
Today we are part of the OLOS community, being parishioners, catechists, and lectors, together with our son Kenneth, who also serves as a catechist, lector, and is one of the leaders of the youth community heading to Korea in 2027. The Jubilee of Hope 2025 is a theme that touches our life and family in a special way. Spiritually, hope encouraged us to trust in God’s promises – that promise that moves you to rely not on your own strength but on God’s strength, which during these almost four years has never left us alone. This is despite all the trials, injustices, fear, and anguish, as some people have tried to take advantage of our lack of knowledge of our rights and the language barrier to exploit us. But we have never lacked a helping hand, Providence, mercy, and the faithful and loving support of our Creator. There is still much road ahead; however, we remain grounded today more than ever in faith and hope, which strengthens us to continue trusting and believing in the One who can do all things and is our main support and strength.
— Kenneth and family
Holiness in the fields
When I think of the virtue of hope and how God has allowed me to experience it this year, my heart returns again and again to the temporary agricultural workers with whom I have shared prayer, path, and community in the Hispanic community of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Although the time we have shared has been short, it has left me with great lessons. Each life and each community is an experience that helps me in my human and spiritual growth.
My husband, Rolando Suazo, Anita Morales, Sister Marisol, and I arrived into the lives of a group of agricultural workers from Langley, having found a small community that was silent and humble. I was impressed by their faith, their fraternity, and their enormous capacity to resist loneliness. The strength of the love for the loved ones for whom they sacrifice makes them strong and motivates them to keep going regardless of the conditions or difficulties they find.
Sometimes, my husband and I visit them in the fields where they live and work for months away from their homes. And every time I cross the door of those shared houses, the first thing that moves me is the humility with which they live together. Although each one cooks for himself, they share food naturally, as if the table were always a space for everyone. They keep their homes clean, orderly, and dignified, despite the long days and the exhaustion. Among them, they treat each other with a solidarity that is born of necessity, but also of a noble heart that knows that life is more bearable when it is sustained in community.
One of the deepest moments for me was when one of the workers told me that they hold processions to the Virgin. They walk around the houses of the field they inhabit, singing, carrying in their heart Mary as mother and protector. He described to me how some pray the Rosary together at night, and I knew then that that little piece of Canadian land, cold and isolated, becomes for them a small sanctuary where they seek comfort and strength to keep going. They need hope, and they seek it where their soul knows to find it: in God.
One of the moments that most deeply touched me was the joy of being able to accompany them on the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Santo Nino de Cebu. Watching them walk with devotion, with their faces illuminated by hope, made me understand the depth of their simple and authentic faith. For many of them, it was a dream to be able to reach a site designated to receive the indulgences of the Jubilee, and witnessing their emotion before the Santo Nino was an immense spiritual gift. That day, I felt that the love of God became close, palpable, and alive among us.
The Sanctuary of Santo Nino de Cebu, although small, has a charm that envelops the heart as soon as one arrives. There, after Mass, we shared a lunch full of gratitude and joy, and then we took the workers to contemplate the waterfalls called Bridal Falls located in Chilliwack, British Columbia, near the small and picturesque community of Agassiz. They are places of indescribable beauty with imposing mountains that join the blue sky. That direct contact with nature, with the sound of the water falling and the green of the forest that surrounded everything, made me feel in a deep way the presence of God in his creation. My husband commented that seeing the workers admiring that landscape with eyes full of wonder and peace was a deeply spiritual experience – a reminder that the grace of God also manifests in the wonders of the earth.
The times I saw the agricultural workers attend Mass, the devotion they expressed touched me in the depths. They kneel with a humility that is born from the heart, pray with a silence that speaks more than any word, and sing with a voice that is pure prayer. In their faith, I find a truth that we sometimes forget in the comfort of our lives: that hope sprouts strongest in the hearts that have known loneliness, sacrifice, and displacement.
There was one day in particular that remained engraved in my soul. A worker approached me after a Mass and, with a mixture of embarrassment and need, said to me: “We feel very alone. When you and your husband visit us, it gives us much joy. It helps us not to feel so abandoned,” and added: “visit us when you can, you don’t have to bring us anything.” His words tore me and enlightened me at the same time. I understood that, for them, our visit was not only a gesture of pastoral accompaniment, but a reminder that God does not forget his children, especially those who live on the margins, far from their own.
The experience that most marked me this year was during a Bible study directed by Sister Marisol, in which we reflected on the journey of Mary and Joseph, forced to leave their land to protect the life of the Son who was about to be born. The sister reminded us that all immigrants, in one way or another, share that experience of vulnerability, displacement, and search. Some emigrate to give a better life to their children and wives, leaving them behind with a broken heart. Others leave our land, family, and friends because our lives were in danger when we sought justice or faced powerful structures. Each story is different, but the thread that joins them is the same: the deep desire to find a place where life can flourish.
In that moment, while we listened to the Word of God, something was illuminated inside me: Jesus himself was a migrant before pronouncing his first word. Mary and Joseph lived the uncertainty, the fragility, and the fear. And yet, in that fragility, God became hope. Through my brothers, the temporary agricultural workers, I have seen that same hope alive. A hope that is not theory or discourse, but shared bread, sung prayer, silent tears, improvised processions in the middle of the field, laughter in the small kitchen that everyone looks after, and a faith that sustains more than any labour contract.
This year, the virtue of hope took for me the face of them: simple men, workers, alone but not defeated; fragile but deeply believing; tired but sustaining each other with love and dignity. The Jubilee of Hope taught me that Christian hope does not consist of waiting passively. It is something that is built: with presence, with accompaniment, with listening, with a prayer, with the simple fact of not leaving alone those whom the world tends to forget. And I also learned that hope is contagious: when one approaches them to accompany them, it is one’s self who comes out strengthened, renewed, and embraced by God.
Today I give thanks to God for each one of them. For their stories, for their faith, for their courage. They are a gift for our Church and for our communities. And above all, they are a living reminder that God walks – truly – with his migrant children, carrying in his hands the seed of a hope that never dies.
— Elizabeth Valdez is a lay Scalabrinian
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