Father Norman Birch, who served as pastor of St. Jude’s in Vancouver, St. Paul’s, Richmond, and assistant pastor at Sts. Peter and Paul, Vancouver, died Jan. 8 at the age of 91.
Father Birch, born March 12, 1930 in Sydney, Australia, passed away from lung cancer at Delta Hospital where he had been residing for the past month.
A former schoolteacher, he discerned a call to the priesthood and after studying in Rome was ordained at the age of 41 on March 27, 1971.
In addition to his service at parishes in the archdiocese, Father Birch served as director of the Catholic Information Center, where he taught courses in the Catholic faith, as coordinator of the archdiocesan pre-marriage program, and as chaplain to Simon Fraser University.
During his retirement, he volunteered as a chaplain on cruise ships. In March 2020, around the time Father Birch was celebrating his 90th birthday, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across Canada with devastating effects on vulnerable seniors.
Before long, Father Birch found himself helping his neighbours weather the storm by celebrating private weekly liturgies in the dining hall of Augustine House in Delta.
Prayers will be held at Saint Paul’s on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. His funeral Mass will be Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Holy Rosary Cathedral at 10 a.m., with burial at Gardens of Gethsemani Cemetery at 12:30 p.m.
