Good should be done ‘without clamour or ostentation,’  Archbishop tells papal honourees 

Christ teaches us good “should be done quietly, even stealthily,” Archbishop J. Michael Miller told the recipients of papal honours at a conferral Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral on Sept. 7.

Sixteen people received the Benemerenti  medal, awarded to “the well-deserving” who have shown lasting and exceptional service to the Catholic Church, family, and community.  

Pope Gregory XVI instituted the award in 1832 for members of the military and civilians demonstrating extraordinary courage. In 1925 the award was extended to people who go to great lengths to serve the Church. 

Three individuals received the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, which Pope Leo XIII instituted in 1888 for lay people or clergy. It is the highest recognition the laity can receive from the Pope for distinguished service to the Church.

During his homily, the Archbishop expressed profound gratitude to the recipients for their dedication and hard work. He preached on the gospel story of Christ healing a deaf man. After the man is brought to him, Jesus pulls him away from the crowd.

“This miracle wasn’t to be a public spectacle in which Jesus looked for admiration or a ‘wow factor,’” said the Archbishop. 

“Here the Lord is teaching us that the good we do – and this is very true in those who are receiving Papal Honours today – is to be done without clamour, without ostentation, without ‘blowing one’s trumpet,’” he said.

Still, “Jesus doesn’t talk about hiding the light of faith under a bushel basket or remaining mute what we should speak out,” said the Archbishop. “‘What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight, what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.’”

“Let us, then, ask the good Lord to heal any lack of hearing or willingness to speak the truth.”

Mass was followed by the blessing of the medals by the Archbishop, after which he presented them while a brief description of each recipient’s contributions was read from the pulpit by Sister John Frances LaFever, FSE.

Benemerenti Medal Recipients

Gwendoline Allison

Gwendoline Allison has a heart for victims of human trafficking and, as a Catholic lawyer and principal of her own law firm, has engaged the issue consistently, including as a member of the Archdiocesan Anti-Human Trafficking Committee since 2015. With other lay and religious collaborators, Gwendoline continues to contribute to articles and workshops to raise awareness of the scourge of human trafficking and prostitution. She has also contributed her expertise and experience to the Archdiocesan Review Board since 2020. Her colleagues selected her as the keynote speaker at the 2015 Red Mass Dinner sponsored by the St. Thomas More Catholic Lawyers Guild in Vancouver. She currently serves as a member of Red Mass organizing committee. She has also argued in favour of religious freedom for Christian institutions before the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Gwendoline’s efforts on the local and national level are complemented by her family life and periods of service to her parish community as PREP teacher and volunteer for Liturgy of the Word for Children. 

Peter Bull

Peter Bull is a Catholic businessman who places his professional skills and knowledge at the service of the Church community. He has served on the Providence Health Care Board of Directors since 2015, during a particularly critical time in the unfolding of Canadian legislation regarding Medical Assistance in Dying. Peter has served on the boards of Vancouver College, Corpus Christi and St. Mark’s Colleges. He received the Pro Operis Award in acknowledgement of his extraordinary generosity and dedication in service over many years to the work of the Christian Brothers and Catholic education of youth at Vancouver College. Peter funds scholarships and housing assistance for youth. He supported the foundation of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College, BC, which seeks to address the challenges associated with those Christians disengaged from the Church and the life of faith.

Peter and his wife, Kathy Kelly, have raised their children in the faith and actively support Catholic education at many levels.

Richard and Kathleen Cheng

Richard and Kathleen have been key contributors to the work of the new evangelization in our Archdiocese. They are also key supporters in the efforts of priestly formation and are at the ready to support the major projects of the Archdiocese. They are a generous couple and have given zeal, professional expertise and financial support to the Archdiocese. One recent example is Richard Cheng’s services on the L’Arche Greater Vancouver “We All Belong Honorary Campaign Committee” raising funds for housing for the mentally challenged.

Dr. Thomas Cooper

As a former Presbyterian minister, educated at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and ordained by the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Dr. Cooper brings his personal experience to bear on the work of ecumenism and bringing the Catholic voice into civic and political life. He is founder and president of City in Focus which is described as “a chaplaincy that cares for the soul of the city though the dynamic business and political community.” He currently serves on the Board of Street to Home and has served on the Board of St. Mark’s College. 

He and his wife, Karen, have three children, Jonathan, Matthew and Anna and two grandchildren, Austin and Adela.

Timothy McKinnon

For people in the Archdiocesan community, Timothy McKinnon is a living answer to the question, “what does evangelization look like?” After a pivotal moment in 2007, he became heavily involved in the project of evangelical mission of the Church. He coordinates the sold-out Archdiocesan Men’s Retreat, leads discipleship study sessions at his parish, heads Bible Studies and is full of energy and always ready to serve the church and do everything to make the faith community vibrant, active, and alive. Tim welcomes people as a greeter at Mass, is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and takes Communion to shut-ins. He has taught PREP and led the Alpha program – training future parish leaders and motivating parishioners in the process. He has been a member of the Parish Education Committee for years. Since 2020, Tim has served as Chairperson of his Parish Council since 2020 and as a member of his Parish Leadership Team since 2021. 

As a distinctive work of evangelization, he also started a network of business owners who would meet once a month to talk about good strategies and how a strong faith can help a person become better at their job.

Murray and Patricia Neilson

Murray and Patricia, both converts to the Catholic faith, have leant their considerable combined business acumen to serve as exemplary leaders in the Catholic business community. They are founding members of the local chapter of Legatus, with Patricia being the founding president. Murray also served as chairman of the annual fundraiser for International Justice Mission, is a member of the Equestrian Order of The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, served on his parish council, and as Chairman of the NPA Gala Fundraiser. Together, they are also committed to social justice and the beautification of local churches and church facilities. Community contribution is a shared value and they have been involved in many different industry and community organizations and events through their more than 50 years of marriage. 

Murray and Patricia have three children and eleven grandchildren.

Virginia Peters

As a member of the Chehalis First Nation and a Catholic, Virginia Peters has played a key role in the work of healing and reconciliation. Virginia was one of the founders of the First Nations Directors Association (FNHDA) and Board members, serving for more than 6 years. She has a reputation for dedication, kind leadership, and beautiful way of bringing resolution to a group. Her commitment to the community began with extensive volunteering. She then began service in many committees and professional work with health services for her community.

Virginia continues to dedicate time and effort to assist in the community development and healing. Her belief that culture and spirituality play a key role in healing and rebuilding the strength of our families and communities has made her an important voice in the process.

Virginia has five children, and a large family of grandchildren, foster grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as well as an extended family reaching into the thousands.

Henjie and Teresita San Juan

Henjie and Teresita San Juan have devoted their married life to the pastoral work of Couples for Christ Canada and for incorporating the mission with the larger mission of the Church. They do this by providing online training, presenting at parishes across the country, and collaborating with the Office of Filipino Ministry in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Always ready to help make connections in the work of supporting families and the life of faith, Henjie has most recently served as National Director of Couples for Christ Canada and Chairman of ANCOP Canada.

Judit Spence

Judit has been a strong leader in her parish community and actively participates in the mission of the Archdiocese. She has been deeply involved with the leadership of her parish, being Coordinator for the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion for 13 years and Chairperson of the Parish Council for 10 years. She served on the Parish Education Council for 8 years, 4 years as chairperson. She served on the Board of Directors of the Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver Archdiocese for 11 years, being Director for 6 years. She is a member of the Vocation Office’s interview committee and historically was part of the Archdiocesan Synod Committee under Archbishop Exner.

Dorothy Van der Zalm

Dorothy Van der Zalm brings her gifts of art and culture to her local parish and the broader community. Her support of Catholic education was evident in her years of service as Chairperson of the Education Committee at Cloverdale Catholic School and Holy Cross Higher Secondary School. She has also been named Regent by Catholic Pacific College in recognition of her support of that institution. In the local community, she served as Leader of the Surrey Pro-Life Society and Museum Docent at the Langley Provincial Museum, On the Archdiocesan level, she contributed her insights as a member of the BC Catholic Advisory Board, helping advance Catholic culture through traditional news media. Locally, she continues to serve in various ministries at her parish, especially as Coordinator for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and an ardent member of the Catholic Women’s League. She and her husband raised a family in Vancouver.

Dick Vollet

Along with his wife, 2020 Medal Benemerenti recipient Evelyn Vollet, Dick makes extensive contributions to the Church and community through his deep social concern and exceptional financial acumen. He served from 2010 to 2012 as CEO of the StreetoHome Foundation, is a member of Imagine Canada’s Advisory Council, is the current President and CEO of St. Paul’s Foundation, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award at AFP Giving Hearts Awards 2023. 

His service to the broader community is complemented by his direct support of the Church through membership on the Archdiocesan Finance Council and service as Chair of the Door is Open Redevelopment Committee.

Betty Wilson

Betty is an Elder of the Tla’Amin First Nation and has been a faithful Catholic who loves the Church. As an Elder she has made invaluable contributions to the process healing and reconciliation. She is the custodian of the Sacred Heart Church in the Tla’Amin Nation, where she prepares all the liturgies and events for Natives and non-Natives to meet each other. She is a liaison between the local Church and the First Nations Council. Betty is always a connecting link, to preserve faith with other local First Nations. She is a member of the Healing and Reconciliation Grant Committee for the Archdiocese of Vancouver and is a voice and presence of the Church among the First Nations.

Dr. John Yun

Dr. John Yun is the Founder and Former President of PIFE, The Pacific Institute of Family Education, which was founded to help parents fulfill their wonderful role as educators of their children. He has worked as Medical Oncologist and Internal Medicine Physician since 1995 and his professional focus is the care of cancer patients at all stages. He and his wife Agnes are parents of seven children. his involvement in the Catholic community is broad, participating in the Catholic Physicians Guild, Opus Dei, supporting the Korean Catholic community, and serving on the Parish Education Committee Chairperson and Delegate to CISVA. 

Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Recipients

Dr. Felix Durity

Dr. Felix Durity has made remarkable humanitarian contributions for the good of society and to the Church. He is the former head of neurosurgery at the University of British Columbia, serves as the Regional Vice-Chair of Development and Peace Vancouver, and is an active member of his parish and in the Archdiocesan community. He served as Chair of The BC Medical Service Foundation from 2006 to 2010; was a founding board member of the Korle Bu Neuroscience Foundation, the primary focus of which is to provide medical support for brain injuries and diseases for the people of Ghana and West Africa; received the 1995 Vancouver General Hospital Clinical Excellence Award, the Vancouver Medical Association’ 2003 Primus Inter Pares award, the Dr. Cam Coady Medal of Excellence from the BC Medical Association in 2004, the Order of British Columbia in 2005, and the UBC Outstanding Faculty Community Service Award in 2011. He has served on numerous hospital, university, national and international boards and committees.

Mary Margaret MacKinnon

Ms. MacKinnon has served on numerous boards for the Archdiocese and other charitable institutions including Catholic Family Services, St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, Vancouver Hospice, and Sunrise Addiction Housing. 

In 2022, Ms. MacKinnon received the Queen’s Counsel designation in recognition of her remarkable career of service in the legal profession. As general counsel for both the Archdiocese of Vancouver and the Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver, MacKinnon has represented the Church before the courts and served on key committees, most notably in 2019 as chair of the Case Review Committee that studied 36 cases of sexual abuse by priests since the 1950s.

MacKinnon has also done legal work for the dioceses of Whitehorse and Victoria and has served on several panels for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Her faith motivates her professionally and as an active member of her parish, where she facilitates opportunities for interreligious dialogue particularly with our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Her work in addressing clerical sexual abuse and other challenging issues has been transformative for the Archdiocese and has called many deeper into the mission of the Church.

With her husband, David Shaw, Ms. MacKinnon has three adult children all of whom are adopted.

Msgr. Bernard Anthony Rossi

Monsignor Bernard Rossi has been a faithful and zealous priest in many roles apart from his assignment to a parish. He has served particularly in Catholic healthcare as the Episcopal Vicar for Health Care from 1996-2005 and again from 2013-2020. He served as the President of the Catholic Physicians Guild (2000-2005), Board of Directors for Providence Health Care (2013-2018), and as the Archbishop’s Representative of the Catholic Health Association of British Columbia (1998-2020). He also served faithfully in the Marriage Tribunal for over 36 years in addition to three years as Vice Chancellor and two as Chancellor. He has served on the Presbyteral Council, College of Consultors, and the Archdiocesan Liturgy Commission. He is currently the Pastor of St. Michael’s Parish in Burnaby where he has shepherded an active parish and school community for the last 35 years.

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