At a time of when larger-than-life Catholic personalities are hard to come by, two notable Vancouver Catholics have passed away within days of each other.
Dolores Holmes, a B.C. Provincial Court judge for more than 20 years who served on numerous Catholic boards in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, died Oct. 14 at the age of 94. A week earlier saw the passing of Frank McCullough, a prominent leader in the Knights of Malta in Vancouver for many years.
Holmes served on several Catholic boards, including Providence Health Care and Little Flower Alumni. She was a Provincial Court judge from 1975 until her retirement in 1999 and continued serving as a counsellor afterward.
The Holmes family was well known in the city’s Catholic community. Dolores’ sister Pat Battensby, a retired nurse, has served in numerous roles in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, from provincial president of the CWL to heading archdiocesan committees.
Holmes’ father, former B.C. Supreme Court and Appeals Court Judge Angelo Branca, was a devout Catholic known for championing the causes of the marginalized.
McCullough, who died Oct. 7 at the age of 102, had been instrumental in the participation of the Order of Malta in the annual pilgrimage to the Grotto of Our Lady in Mission, organizing transportation for the sick. He served on several archdiocesan boards and was involved in the Papal visit of 1984.
A 2014 feature story about him in The B.C. Catholic featured his British military service during the Second World War and began, “He parachuted into occupied France to capture Nazi generals, drove British General Bernard Montgomery over the desert, and sipped tea with Pope Pius XII after Rome’s liberation.”
With his wife Terry, he worked with the Order of Malta to raise money and serve the needs of the poor, displaced, and disabled around the world.
In 2010 McCullough received a the Benemerenti Medal, a papal honour given to individuals for long and exceptional service to the Catholic Church. In 1998 his wife received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For Church and Pope) Cross for distinguished service to the Church by lay people and clergy.
McCullough’s funeral was Oct. 25 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Vancouver.