Lights in the city: missionaries take to the Vancouver streets during World Cup

As the Vancouver excitedly prepared to host its first games of the World Cup, Holy Rosary Cathedral opened its doors to offer people a moment of stillness and an opportunity for encounter amidst the chaos.

In collaboration with the Archdiocese of Vancouver, volunteers from Catholic Christian Outreach and Proclaim took to the streets to invite people into the Vancouver cathedral for prayer and reflection on June 13. 

Clarence Figueroa and Ulrick Buenada, CCO members as well as fourth-year students at UBC and SFU, expressed their gratitude for being able to serve God on what was a historic day for the city. “I felt I needed to be here,” said Buena. He saw the event as “a call to delve deeper into [his] faith,” but also to “share the faith with visitors from abroad.”

When asked to give advice to people who may be hesitant in pursuing evangelization opportunities, Figueroa spoke about the importance of entrusting the work to God. “If someone reaches out about missionary or outreach work, just try it out,” he said. “Based on [the experience], discern the rest of [the plans] God has in store for you.”

For the event itself, CCO and Proclaim volunteers were organized into three teams. Members of the first team were stationed at a table in front of the cathedral, inviting passersby to light a candle for a loved one or a personal intention. Another team of volunteers stood by the cathedral entrance to greet and welcome visitors into the space.

Kezia Soh, a CCO member and UBC student, served on the third team in charge of roaming the surrounding streets and inviting people to the cathedral. It was her first time doing missionary work. She describes the experience of reaching out to strangers as scary and unfamiliar.

“I was able to get one person into the church and that was a win for me as well as the other person.” While they prayed during adoration, Soh realized that “there are no coincidences with Jesus.” The opportunity to share the faith and bring people into the cathedral also affirmed her belief to “never turn down a mission.”

Justin Namoro and Natalie Cano, parishioners of Immaculate Conception in Delta, shared about the peace they experienced while attending the event.

“I was given a lot of rest during this time of adoration,” Namoro said. He described the gift of “being able to have Jesus encounter [him] in the midst of [his] life” as something to be cherished.

For Cano, the event provided an opportunity for her to reflect on her current season in life. “Currently, I’m experiencing a lot of challenges in the context of my family and within myself as well,” she said. “Being here allowed me to surrender everything to God and to trust in Him.”

In addition to street evangelization teams, CCO and Proclaim volunteers inside the cathedral also offered to pray over visitors and event attendees. Janel Cruz and Ruthann Chiu, CCO members and UBC students who were stationed inside the church, shared one success they had.

“We were introduced to a girl who told us she had grown up in a Muslim family, became agnostic, and in the past year, felt pulled towards Christianity,” said Chiu. "She and a different friend were encouraged to join our pray-over where she met [missionaries] Janel, Jazz, and I. She shared how she was sacrificing a lot to be there and how happy she was in finding such a warm and caring group.”

As the three volunteers prayed over these two individuals, the girl and her friend were overcome by emotion. At the end of the prayer, the girl asked how she could get baptized. “It was a completely eye-opening experience for her,” said Cruz. They were then both given a Bible as well as the contact information of one of the volunteers to keep in touch after the event.

Chiu described the experience of praying over them as “nerve-wrecking” but rooted herself in the conviction that she was only a conduit for the Holy Spirit. “It’s not you, it’s the Holy Spirit working through you,” she said.

It wasn’t just invitations that drew people into the candlelit cathedral, but curiosity as well. Daniel Low, a blacksmith, said that he made a spontaneous decision to enter the cathedral while out running errands. “A friend told me that every time there is an adoration, someone meets God,” said Low. “I’ve come out of adoration knowing a little more about the character of God.”

Low told volunteers that he appreciated their “beautiful patience” and willingness to remain completely present with him.

“This is the second Eucharistic adoration I’ve attended,” he said. “I’m not Catholic but slowly becoming one.”

By the end of adoration, over a hundred candles were lit and left at the altar. People in the cathedral then gathered in the hall to watch the match between Turkey and Australia. Visitors, organizers, and volunteers all congregated around a single screen to share in the viewing experience. Watching their city’s inaugural World Cup match, visitors and volunteers alike came together as one community to share in a festive and joyful evening.

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