In 1985, youthful irreligiosity and a poor job market meant that Gregory Accili had no plans to become a Catholic teacher. Regardless, the Holy Spirit was at work, and a job opening came up that June—unusually late in the school year—for a teaching position at Vancouver College.

He’s now been there 40 years.

Accili and the dozens of other teachers receiving similar career milestone awards this year are living proof that teaching is a vocation that inspires dedication and loyalty.

In total, 29 educators received 25-year awards, and seven received 40-year awards at two appreciation ceremonies on Thursday, Feb. 13—one at Newlands Golf Course in Langley and the other at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller was at both venues to hand out the awards.

Gregory Accili receives his 40 years of service award from Archbishop Miller.

The award ceremonies took place during the Catholic Educators’ Learning Days, this year’s replacement for the annual Catholic Educators Conference, which is usually held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The venue was unavailable this year due to the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for injured veterans, which bumped the Catholic schools’ event from the conference centre.

“Quite honestly, being at a Catholic school brought me back to my religion,” Vancouver College teacher Gregory Accili told The B.C. Catholic a few minutes after receiving the certificate.

As fate would have it, he soon met his wife, Cynthia, another teacher at Vancouver College, and they embraced the school as their family. Both are still active in various ministries and athletics.

Teachers gather in Langley and Vancouver for this year’s Catholic Educators’ Learning Days, which replaced the usual Catholic Educators’ Conference.

As a Catholic teacher, his students and his faith are the centre of his vocation. “It’s the enthusiasm of the boys that kept me in this,” he said. “Their energy is legendary. My relationships with those guys have been very good, very rewarding.”

Much has changed over 40 years of teaching. Some changes are obvious, like the ubiquity of smartphones and the constant threat they pose to students’ attention and learning. But others are more subtle.

“It was a simpler time,” he said. “Now there seems to be so much pressure on the kids. They are constantly worried about the marks they are getting, what university they will go to, and disappointing their parents. So we are always fighting that.”

He encourages his students not to let life get too complicated – “keep it simple.”

The simple message he offers them is: “Remember what’s important: listen to God, because he’s always talking to us. If you don’t hear him, you’ve got to try harder because he’s always talking to us.”

Accili says there are many good reasons to be a Catholic teacher in 2025. For one, the pay and benefits have improved significantly since he started. More importantly, however, it’s about how the school “provides an environment to really spread the faith – not just live it but help others to learn it,” he said.

“I would contend that teaching the Gospel values is the single most important thing that we do. I think the world needs more of it.”

Years of Service Award recipients

Burnaby

  • Jasenka Buric (St. Michael Elementary – 25 years)

Coquitlam

  • Teresa Ribeiro (Our Lady of Fatima Elementary – 40 years)
  • Chantal Meredith (Our Lady of Fatima Elementary – 25 years)
  • Cosmas McLaughlin (Traditional Learning Academy – 25 years)

Delta

  • Jennifer Hopson (Sacred Heart Elementary – 25 years)
  • Mark Stocks (Immaculate Conception Elementary – 25 years)

Maple Ridge

  • Anna Kravjanski (St. Patrick Elementary – 40 years)

New Westminster

  • Dave Demare (Queen of All Saints Elementary – 25 years)

North Vancouver

  • John Mendoza (St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary – 25 years)
  • Loui Salituro (St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary – 25 years)
  • Melody Simmons (Holy Trinity Elementary – 25 years)

Port Coquitlam

  • Sharon Kazun (Our Lady of the Assumption Elementary – 40 years)
  • Sameera Fernandes (Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary – 25 years)
  • Tracy Geary (Our Lady of the Assumption Elementary – 25 years)
  • Rosaleen Heffernan (Our Lady of the Assumption Elementary – 25 years)

Richmond

  • Gail Imoo (St. Paul Elementary – 25 years)
  • Diane Ison (St. Joseph the Worker Elementary – 25 years)
  • Vanessa Pereira-Li (St. Joseph the Worker Elementary – 25 years)

Surrey

  • Janine Mar (St. Matthew Elementary – 40 years)
  • Vicky Bourassa (St. Bernadette Elementary – 25 years)
  • Sonja Bourpoulas (Our Lady of Good Counsel Elementary – 25 years)
  • Rachel Lewis (Cloverdale Catholic Elementary – 25 years)
  • Michael Mak (Star of the Sea Elementary – 25 years)

Vancouver

  • Brian Fader (St. Francis Xavier Elementary – 40 years)
  • Judy Der (St. Mary Elementary – 40 years)
  • Michelle Conway (Notre Dame Regional Secondary – 25 years)
  • Robert Gazzola (Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary – 25 years)
  • Kristina Linadi (Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary – 25 years)
  • Peter Stocker (Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary – 25 years)
  • Richard Zahar (St. Patrick Elementary – 25 years)
  • Deborah Welsh (St. Francis of Assisi Elementary – 25 years

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