‘We saw Father Oscar as the gift that God had given us’

Father Oscar Pauwels, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, passed away Jan. 22 at Vancouver General Hospital at the age of 96. 

Born in Poperinge, Belgium, he was ordained to the priesthood in the Oblates in 1952. He spent most of his ministry in the Diocese of Whitehorse, first as a member of the Whitehorse Vice-Province and then St. Paul’s Province of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He worked in Winnipeg in a German parish composed of immigrant parishioners and in 1966, when asked by the Oblates’ Superior General, he returned to the Yukon to assist at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Whitehorse.

In 1975 he was named pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Cassiar, B.C., which was also responsible for the Mission in Good Hope Lake, B.C. During this time, he was the Provincial of the Vice-Province of the Yukon until it was amalgamated in 1983 with St. Paul’s Province. In 1986 he became the pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Lethbridge, Alta. he retired from full time ministry, he was assigned to Pandosy Place, the Oblate residence in Vancouver.

His funeral Mass was Feb. 1 at St. Augustine’s. Interment followed at the Oblate Cemetery in Mission. 

Parishioners at St. Augustine’s in Vancouver, where Father Pauwels served for many years, remembered him for his special. They sent the following reflections.

By Clara Lum

It was 2015 when Brian and I found ourselves meeting a retired priest at Pandosy Place. Little did we know that day would also change the course of my husband’s conversion into the Catholic faith. 

Father Oscar’s wisdom and patience with us was a testament to his compassion and understanding without judgment. He spent time helping us navigate the labyrinth of annulling Brian’s first marriage. In the end and with great relief Brian was on the fast track to having his first marriage declared invalid.

That moment started a friendship that would continue until his passing. We would visit him at Kopernik Lodge often and take him for walks around the neighborhood. Most Saturdays when the weather was good, we would walk through the neighbourhood chatting about his life, his family, his Oblate order, and his missionary work in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon. We would talk about world history, current events, and how he survived German occupation in the Second World War. 

We loved how he could see the beauty in little things, pausing along the way to show us God in creation, from the tiniest yellow buttercup to the cedar tree above us. We never tired each week of seeing this ever-changing season of colours. We were eager to hear more and to learn more from him. 

Every goodbye was a hug and he would grab Brian’s hand and shake it with a double pat and smile. They had a special bond as my husband is a former navy diver and Father grew up during the war. They loved to talk about life events and it was in those moments a friendship between the two deepened.

He inspired Brian by showing how Christ would be to the world and because of that became his sponsor into the Catholic church. As Brian shared with me, “all those Saturdays with a man who served God for more than 70 years and for others. He inspired me to becoming Catholic.”

At Brian’s confirmation people shared how moved they were at being witness to Father during Holy Communion. For Father, receiving the blood of Christ was especially important as he had not had the opportunity in the care home. In that moment he began to cry, and others started to cry, moved by his love for Christ. I recall a friend witnessing this and saying after, “This is a saint!” He taught us what it meant to truly receive Jesus with humility and reverence. 

To the very end Father Oscar could be found in the his home asking the nurses whether they were baptized and going to church. In fact, just a month and a half ago he participated in a baptism for a friend and resident in the home. We are amazed at his years of serving God even in this season of his life. Where one may have seen a 96-year-old priest, we saw Father Oscar as the gift that God had given us.

Our lives are just a couple of the many that he touched and will continue to touch after his passing. Even in his last days he had accepted his life in the home, surrendered to Christ where he was called to be and living out his mission to his very last breath.

His prayers were finally answered. He is finally home. I can hear him now in heaven saying, “Oh my, oh my, oh my!”

We will always remember him for his wit, joyful disposition, love for the Rosary Sonatas by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, and his deep love for Christ. He taught us that the best gift you can give anybody is time. 

His last wish and prayer? For vocation of priests, especially Oblate priests.

Father Oscar Pauwels was a wonderful, gifted man of goodwill who looked at the world in a positive light from the “God so loved the world” perspective.

By Peter Allen

We first met in 1992 when I began my position at St. Augustine's as music director. As usually happens when two people see eye to eye about things and have a chemistry, we got along and shared stories and experiences. But things became much deeper and intense very quickly. At that time I was having very serious family problems that were overwhelming and totally devastating. I confided in Father Oscar because I trusted him. What I didn't know at the time was that he had had a lot of training in family counseling, as well as a lot of experience. Everything he told me would happen came to pass, and his advice literally saved me. 

I also remember him telling me about his own path. As a young priest he went up north to work with First Nations people, but became concerned because he found himself dealing with their very serious social problems. He felt he was unequipped to deal with them properly and was fearful of making a mistake. Because of this, he left the north to get formal education in counselling. He then returned to the North for many years, healing hearts and souls, just as he did mine.

He loved chocolate, so every year I brought him Belgian chocolate at Christmas as a thank you for his saving help in the ’90s, and it always brought a smile to his face.

Because I realized that I was fortunate to have met such a wise priest and counsellor I brought him questions from time to time, and he always knew what to say. He was a divinely inspired priest who was in touch with the healing power of the Gospel and knew how to use it.

The last time I saw him was just after Christmas when I brought him chocolate. I will miss him always.

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