From grief-support programs in First Nations communities to pastoral care for crews at Canada’s busiest port, this weekend’s Home Missions collection supports ministries that would be difficult to sustain otherwise.
Parishes across the Archdiocese will take up the annual Home Missions second collection at all Nov. 22 and 23 Masses.
The funds collected helps the 12 Catholic missions in First Nations communities in the Archdiocese of Vancouver and the Apostleship of the Sea chaplaincy in the Port of Vancouver.
The Archdiocese’s First Nations ministry supports 12 missions stretching from North Vancouver to the Fraser Valley and into the Interior. The communities are served through regular worship, home visits, grief-support programs, food banks, and liturgies that incorporate Indigenous language and cultural elements.
In Agassiz, St. Anthony of Padua Parish cares for the chapels of Our Lady of Fatima in Sts’ailes and Immaculate Conception on Seabird Island, part of a long-standing pastoral relationship that includes culturally grounded programs and support for families facing loss, illness or poverty.
The ministry is linked to the Archdiocese’s reconciliation work, which includes a $2.5-million five-year pledge for Indigenous healing initiatives developed with local First Nations partners.
The second portion of the Home Missions collection supports the Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) ministry. Coordinated in Vancouver by Deacon Dileep Athaide, the chaplaincy visits crews aboard merchant ships, provides transportation from ship to shore, offers SIM cards and winter clothing, helps with contacting family, and offers pastoral care in emergencies.
The Port of Vancouver handled 158 million metric tonnes of cargo in 2024 and averages about eight merchant-ship calls each day, meaning thousands of seafarers pass through annually, often spending only a few hours in port before returning to sea.
While Vancouver’s mission collection remains local, many smaller and remote dioceses in Canada direct their mission appeals to Catholic Missions In Canada (CMIC), the national pontifical society that supports more than 600 remote and Indigenous mission communities in 24 dioceses and eparchies.
CMIC reports distributing $5 million in grants in 2024, with more than 80 per cent going directly to missionary support—such as heat, food, travel, sacramental ministry, building upkeep, and religious education. Its bursary program provides up to $12,000 annually in seminary studies; one recent case was Father Peter Van Dai Nguyen of the Diocese of Mackenzie–Fort Smith, who received $72,000 over six years before his ordination in May.
Another example of missionary formation through CMIC was at the Missionary Seminary Redemptoris Mater of Vancouver. Filipino seminarian William Mancao completed his philosophy and theology studies and began a one-year placement in Whitehorse in July, as documented in CMIC’s “A Seminarian’s Missionary Journey.”
Archdiocese of Vancouver officials say the collection is key to helping Indigenous Catholic communities, rural chapels, and seafarers who rely on Stella Maris during brief visits in Vancouver.
Parishioners may donate by using the Home Missions envelope in their parish packet or online at support.rcav.org, selecting “Home Missions – Archdiocesan.”
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