Kamloops First Nations chief thanks new bishop for invitation

The B.C. Catholic
KAMLOOPS



The welcome Bishop Joseph Nguyen received from his new flock was as warm as the weather that summer day in Kamloops.

“Your Excellency, on behalf of my brother priests in the Kamloops diocese, I am very happy to welcome you to our, and now your, diocese,” Father Dale Normandeau said after the ordination Mass on a sunny Aug. 25.

The rector of St. James Church in Vernon said a few local priests, including himself, had been born and raised in B.C.’s southern interior, but many more have come to serve from as far away as the Philippines, Nigeria, Ireland, Poland, Korea, and Vietnam.

“They have generously put aside their home, their family, and their friends to build the kingdom of God here.”

Bishop Nguyen, who left Vietnam in 1987 because of persecution and a strong desire to become a priest, is in good company.

The 20 or so priests in the diocese “look forward to labouring with you for the sake of God’s kingdom,” said Father Normandeau.

With more than 57,000 Catholics in his diocese, or about 2,800 people per priest, the men in white collars have a lot of work on their plates.

“I believe that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, made a good choice when he appointed you to be the chief pastor and shepherd of the Diocese of Kamloops,” said Sister Analisa Baracena, SFIC, on behalf of the area’s religious.

“He chose a man with a heart, a heart for God and a heart for the people.”

The sister, the diocesan catechetics coordinator, promised Bishop Nguyen ongoing prayer and support. “May God bless you with love, strength, and wisdom.”

The new bishop also got a glimpse into some of the deeply rooted concerns of his people when Chief Fred Seymour of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation gave his welcome.

“It’s an honour to come and bear witness,” the chief told Bishop Nguyen.

He invited his sister to come to the front of the Sandman Centre arena, where the ordination was held, with a wooden staff decorated in feathers. He then asked everyone to bow their heads in prayer for missing and murdered aboriginal women in B.C.

Thirty of some 65 parishes in Kamloops are on First Nations land. Kamloops is the English translation of the aboriginal word Tk’emlups, which means “where the rivers meet.”

Lastly, diocesan financial administrator Gary Cooper took the microphone, welcoming Bishop Nguyen on behalf of all the laity.

“I extend the warmest welcome to our new bishop, Bishop Joseph. Serve us in the same way your predecessors did: love us; let us love you,” he said.

There were more than 2,000 people in the arena at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops for the ordination. “In this unlikely venue is the splendour of the Catholic faith,” he said.

It is “in you, in me, in all of us, all on the same path, bringing different gifts. We’re all heading in the same direction. We’re here to help one another, to encourage one another, because our goal is the same: salvation.”