Category: BC Catholic

What did you think of the news?

As a Filipino, in my heart, I was expecting Tagle! (Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization)

Really?

Then Prevost—he’s like a wild card. He’s our brother. I worked with him.

He actually celebrated Mass with us. He was our provincial. We were in the same province. In fact, our province just sent greetings. This was never expected.

I was so excited—a big shock—because nobody expected this. Even me, as an Augustinian, I never expected him to go as far as he has today.

On Thursday, Archbishop Miller was celebrating Mass, and someone said, “There’s white smoke.” I whispered it to him before the Gospel.

After Mass I asked, “Who do you think it’ll be?”

He didn’t know, although we Filipinos thought Tagle’s name was strong. I noticed Tagle and Prevost were always sitting beside each other.

Then when he came out—Prevost! That’s our brother! He was our provincial in Canada. Later he became general. And when he was general, I became provincial of the Canadian province. He was the one who installed me—at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Toronto. He was general when we started working with the federation.

We never expected one of us to be Pope! I by own mind he is still our brother Bob. I was so excited–shocked in a good way.

His big word was always “community.” We are of one mind and one heart, inspired by St. Augustine himself. That’s our contribution to the Church—not just as friars or Augustinians, but following the witness of St. Augustine, one of the greatest sinners who became one of the greatest theologians.

And Prevost—when we had meetings, he was always big on collaboration: “What can we do together?” Because together, we are stronger.

He assisted the process of the Canadian province being included into the Chicago province. The Canadian province was in decline and he said, instead of trying to survive on your own, come together and share your strengths—for the sake of the Church and the ministry.

Despite its growing popularity, I have been reluctant to comment on The Chosen, the television series produced by “Loaves and Fishes” that narrates the story of Jesus. 

In large measure, my delay has been due to the fact that, although the series is currently available for free and through some streaming services, it remains incomplete — only four of the proposed seven seasons are available. Season five is apparently about to be released. However, having viewed the first four seasons, I feel confident that anything I have to say will also apply to the remaining productions.

In fact, my reaction to what has been released is largely positive, though potential viewers should be aware of some caveats.

The first of these is that, unlike many previous attempts to portray the life of Christ on screen, The Chosen does not offer a clear narrative easily followed by those unfamiliar with the Gospels. Instead, the series plunges the viewer into the dramatization, often without identifying characters or explaining their role. Viewers are expected to piece together the story using what they already know of the Gospels.

Persistence pays off. This approach appears deliberate — the purpose of the series seems to be, above all, to ask the viewer to rethink the familiar.

The Chosen relies heavily on imagined interactions between characters. They are introduced almost haphazardly, and viewers gradually come to know them. This results in significant invention by the writers. For example, there are frequent, entirely imagined conversations among the disciples, often involving the kinds of questions many of us would want to ask. Characters given only brief mention in the Gospels are granted lengthy reflections on the events portrayed. Martha and Mary, for example, are given larger roles than one might expect. Thomas — he of doubting fame — is fleshed out in a way that logically builds on what little we know of him but gives him unusual prominence.

In other words, the point of the series is to flesh out the characters so that we can reconsider the import of the Gospels. The show raises the kinds of questions we might have asked if we had been there. This encourages deeper meditation on the Gospel stories. Because of this, many will welcome the fictional interplay among characters, the extension of minor incidents, and even moments of comedy.

For me, the biggest stumbling block is the portrayal of Jesus. I suppose this is inevitable, but the performance — for me, at least — lacks the gravitas and charisma that Jesus surely had to compel twelve men to follow him on a perilous journey. That said, I acknowledge that giving a convincing interpretation of Jesus is almost impossible.

As white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, was at Sacred Heart Church in Ladner, celebrating Mass ahead of the March for Life in Victoria. 

Pastor Father Francis Galvan, OSA, leaned over after the first reading and quietly said: “There’s been white smoke.” 

“That gives about a 40-minute window before the new Pope is announced,” Archbishop Miller recalled. “And so I was on the way back to Vancouver — actually just at the Massey Tunnel — when I was following it on the media. Cardinal Prevost had been elected as Leo XIV.”

“It was certainly a surprise, frankly, to me,” he said. “Although he had been sort of in a wider group of so-called ‘papabile’, he wasn’t in the top five or six that the media had identified — and that I, too, had more or less identified as the top runners. But we were all surprised. The Holy Spirit had a different plan in mind.”

He reflected on the fact that someone from Chicago, in the United States of America, is now the successor of Peter. “It’s the first time anyone from North America has succeeded to the Petrine office. It’s amazing. It’s really a wonderful testimony that the electors went beyond political considerations — like American superpower status — simply to find the best man available, who in a sense happened to be an American.”

He has “enormous experience in Latin America, where he served as a bishop in Peru — not in his home country,” said Archbishop Miller. “He’s spent time in Rome, studied with the Dominicans, was rector of a seminary in Peru, taught canon law, and most recently he’s been a cardinal for a little less than two years. But in his position as head of the Dicastery for Bishops, he obviously enjoyed the trust of Pope Francis and of his fellow cardinals.”

The election was “rather quick,” he said. “This is only the second day — maybe the fourth or fifth ballot — which shows great unanimity. There was no major kind of blocking or power plays that endlessly delay the election.”

Archbishop Miller found the Pope’s chosen name particularly striking. “When I heard it — Leo XIV — I said, ‘Wow, what an interesting and bold choice of name.’ That’s really a throwback to a nineteenth-century Pope.

Leo XIII, from 1878 to 1903, “was sort of the father of modern Catholic social teaching. He revived interest in St. Thomas Aquinas at the end of the 19th century. He was a great devotee of Thomism. That fits very much with the profile of the new Pope,” he said.

In one of his last public acts before he retires later this month, an emotional Archbishop J. Michael Miller spoke to a cathedral filled with uniformed first responders, political officials, faith leaders, and grieving friends and family members of victims of the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy, reminding them “that our lives are bound together and that we cannot face tragedy” as isolated individuals.

“We need a community of solidarity to support and help us as we walk through this valley of darkness,” the Archbishop said, in reference to Psalm 23, read as the Responsorial Psalm during the liturgy.

Reaching out to everyone affected by the horrors of “this grim day in Vancouver’s history, but especially to our Filipino brothers and sisters and their friends,” the Archbishop spoke of the temptation during catastrophe to forget the needs of others. “Our gathering this evening in our cathedral tells a different story about who we are in Vancouver,” he said. “Instead of surrendering to either helplessness or self-interest, we have chosen to cultivate the simple virtue of kindness” through consolation and practical assistance.

He assured those mourning “that they are not alone in their grief,” and that “we are with you in the sorrow that shakes all of us to the very core of our being,” as they remember the “innocent victims and those injured so senselessly on Saturday evening.”

He then spoke of the gratitude the city of Vancouver has for the many gifts the Filipino community brings. The “vibrant” Filipino community inspires others “with its spiritual resilience founded on faith, openness to others in difficulty, and the importance it gives to the treasure of family life.”

Although everyone at the cathedral was united in sorrow, the Archbishop spoke of how faith among believers forms an interconnectedness that is “even more profound because it engages us supernaturally” and forges “bonds of communion between the living and the dead.”

By offering one another “our thoughts and prayers,” he said, “we recognize that we can pray for one another, even for those who have preceded us in death. Our prayers for the deceased express our kindness and our confident hope in the certainty that death doesn’t have the last word.”

Authentic kindness entails not only words and prayer, he said, but also practical assistance. He noted the many civic associations and faith-based ministries offering spiritual care at their places of worship and health-care facilities.

The Archdiocese of Vancouver is providing counselling and spiritual support, he said, and a special collection this weekend will support ongoing healing and outreach services for victims and their families.

Pope Benedict XVI said music can open hearts and minds to the good and beauty created by God. If so, this year’s edition of Blooms into Rooms might just have helped scores of seniors catch a glimpse of the divine.

In addition to the customary Holy Saturday distribution of flowering plants and greeting cards to retirement homes, group residences, and long-term-care facilities in the north of the Fraser area, three of the volunteer teams this year sang songs for the seniors.

The performances have never been part of the regular Blooms into Rooms program, said Blooms co-founder Wim Vander Zalm. “They seem to have grown organically as volunteers looked to bring light and love into the seniors’ lives. It’s wonderful to see.”

At Chartwell Willow Retirement Community in Maple Ridge, for example, family members of St. Patrick’s parishioner Elizabeth Loch presented a program of 13 religious and secular songs, including Amazing Grace and Edelweiss, accompanied by piano and guitar.

“Not many of the seniors were able to sing along, but they all clapped heartily after each piece,” Loch said.

This Easter marked the 31st year that parish and school Blooms into Rooms teams from Coquitlam to Chilliwack have visited seniors to lift their spirits and bring to life the Church’s reverence for life. 

At Eagle Ridge Manor in Port Moody, a St. Joseph’s parishioner serenaded three separate groups with Broadway show tunes, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin.’ Some seniors were so lifted by the performance that they continued singing and clapping well after the performer left.

Choir members from Holy Cross Regional Secondary augmented their annual Blooms into Rooms tradition of flowers by serenading residents of Elim Village retirement community in north Surrey with a variety of songs, including Let it Be. Volunteers also included parishioners from St. Luke’s Parish in Maple Ridge and students from Our Lady of the Assumption School in Port Coquitlam.

Art’s Nursery provided 1,500 African violets — one for each senior — at wholesale cost to project organizers, who were supported by cash donations from the Life Compass Society and several individuals and parish groups.

Loch said a wonderful byproduct of the Easter-flowers event is the joy it brings to staff serving the seniors. “They said they loved how the flowers, companionship, and music lifted their patients’ spirits,” she said. “And that, in turn, lifted their spirits, too.”

Martha Bonnet, who led the team visiting the Westbrooke Seniors Living Community in Pitt Meadows, said everyone from receptionists to nurses is buoyed by the visit.

“The nurse said, ‘If my patients are happy, I am happy. And they are very happy and grateful,’” Bonnet said.

Not surprisingly, the sick and elderly who received the flowers, cards, and visits were grateful, too.

After 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we have finally reached the Easter season of rejoicing. Although we are now free to leave fasting behind and celebrate, our prayer is that we carry the Lenten pillars with us in new ways as we move forward in the hope of the Resurrection.

As St. Augustine of Hippo wrote in Confessions VIII, “There is no pleasure in eating and drinking unless the discomfort of hunger and thirst have preceded them.” How spiritually fulfilling is our Easter feasting now, having experienced the hunger and thirst of Lent!

During Lent, we focus on improving our relationship with God and on becoming more self-aware, both of ourselves and others. In addition to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we aim to grow through repentance and renewal. We are all called to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once during Lent. And now, with Easter hope and joy, we are called to keep converting our hearts every day.

St. John Paul II once said that Lent is “a time to be dedicated in a special way to conversion and renewal, to prayer, to fasting, and to works of charity.” Lent allows our hearts to be transformed and our vision refocused on our heavenly goal. The good habits we embraced during Lent must not be left behind. They are tools that help us grow closer to God throughout the year. There are many distractions in life, but when we recall our Lenten commitments, we pray they will sustain us during Easter and beyond.

St. John Paul II also said, “… after these weeks of penance, we will experience the joy of Easter. Our eyes, purified by prayer and penance, will be able to behold with greater clarity the face of the living God.” Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice inspires our behaviour and assures us that he has paved the way to eternal life.

We know that Christ has triumphed over death and sin. He has opened the path to heaven. But as Easter people, we are called to live in a way that reflects that truth. Yes, Christ showed mercy to the Good Thief in his final moments, but we who know the story of salvation must not wait until death to turn to God. Each day we are called to grow in self-awareness, to seek forgiveness, to deepen our relationship with Christ and others, and to live with gratitude for his mercy.

In her diary, St. Maria Faustina shares Christ’s message of Divine Mercy, especially from Good Friday until Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday after Easter. During the joyful celebrations of the Easter Octave, we are called to intentionally seek God’s loving mercy.

The Philippines made history on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday, by becoming the first nation in the world to consecrate itself entirely to Jesus through divine mercy.

In 2016 at the Pan-African Congress on Divine Mercy Sunday in Rwanda, bishops in Africa consecrated the continent itself to divine mercy. However, the Philippines is the first singular nation to do so.

“This is remarkable; this is really unprecedented. Never has this been done before in the history of the world — a country consecrating themselves to the divine mercy,” said Father James Cervantes of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (MIC), a congregation devoted to spreading the message of divine mercy. “I believe the bishops are being inspired by the Holy Spirit to lead our country to holiness.” 

The bold initiative began with a single spark — a heartfelt letter from Father Cervantes to bishops across the country calling for a nationwide consecration to divine mercy. Dioceses responded enthusiastically, and soon the idea spread like wildfire.

The Permanent Council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) gave its official approval, declaring that a national consecration to divine mercy would take place during all Masses on April 27 as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations.

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the CBCP, issued a statement calling on all dioceses, parishes, religious communities, and Catholic institutions to participate in this landmark spiritual initiative.

“This nationwide consecration will be a profound expression of our trust in the divine mercy — a trust that remains our final refuge in these times of uncertainty and trial,” Cardinal David said. “As Our Lord Jesus said to St. Faustina, ‘I desire that my mercy be worshipped, and I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation; that is, recourse to my mercy.’” 

He described the national act of consecration as a “collective response of faith and hope” amid grave challenges facing the country and global community today — such as the threat of global war, widespread corruption, the erosion of truth, and persistent opposition to Church teachings on life and family.

The consecration was to take place during all Masses across the country on the second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. The Prayer of Consecration to the Divine Mercy was to be recited in place of the general intercessions.

“It’s not just about reciting a prayer,” Father Cervantes told CNA. “It’s about being properly disposed — understanding what it really means to consecrate ourselves as a nation to the divine mercy.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller reacted with shock and grief to what Vancouver police called “the darkest day in Vancouver’s history after a man drove into a crowd of people at a Filipino street festival, killing 11 people and injuring numerous others.

The Archbishop said he mourned “the tragic and senseless loss of life”  that took place last night at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Festival. 

“We grieve the deaths of 11 people and the suffering of so many others. We hold especially close our beloved Filipino community, who are a treasure to our parishes and to our city.”

The attack took place on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, he said, when “we are reminded that the Risen Christ is near to the wounded, the suffering, and the brokenhearted. We entrust the souls of the departed to his mercy and pray for comfort and healing for all those affected.”

Social media was filled with expressions of prayer and solidarity from around the world and across Canada, with messages of support coming from Catholic school boards in Fort McMurray and Ottawa.

Poignantly, as Vancouver’s Filipino community was reeling from the violence, the Philippines became the first nation in the world to consecrate itself entirely to Jesus through divine mercy.

The Permanent Council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had given its official approval for a national consecration to divine mercy to take place during all Masses on April 27 as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations.

In the Archdiocese of Vancouver, condolences were sent to the Filipino community, who were included in memorial Masses Sunday at Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery in Surrey, said Filipino ministry coordinator Deacon Raul Abella. He said he planned to meet with B.C. MLA Mable Elmore, who was a festival organizer.

Expressions of sorrow also came from the president of Providence Living, a Catholic health care organization in Vancouver with many Filipino staff members.

“There are no words to express the deep heartbreak brought on by the senseless tragedy last night at the Lapu-Lapu Festival in Vancouver,” said Mark Blandford, president and CEO. He noted that many staff likely had family and friends “deeply affected by this event.”

“I want you to know that myself, the board, and all of the Providence family stand with you today.”

Noting the “great pride in the strong Filipino representation among our staff,” Blandford said, “Everyone is devastated by this senseless tragedy and we know that the Filipino community is grieving deeply.”

Assessing a Pope—his life, his legacy—is fraught with risk, especially within days of his passing.

The obvious has already been said by those who were prepared well in advance. But some of us need time to assess him in the light of the void—the interregnum—that now confronts us. The Holy Spirit often works in silence, so this time before the conclave can offer a rich opportunity for reflection and discernment.

This raises a deeper question: Should we even assess? Rushing to evaluate, we risk getting caught in the swirl of instant analysis—in the currents of the day. But getting into those currents might not always be a bad thing. Pope Francis was often caught in them. And what’s the difference between being caught in a current and reading the signs of the times? G.K. Chesterton said that only a living thing can swim against a  current. Francis often seemed to get into these cultural eddies, and then come out with something generated by the Holy Spirit. It was in those eddies that he was defined by many, by how he was perceived—by both his critics and his supporters.

Eddies form when the main flow hits resistance—rocks, riverbanks, sudden turns—and the water circles back on itself. They can look like traps, places where momentum is lost. But they can also be pockets of stillness in an otherwise relentless current. In many ways, Francis’s eddies were often just that—resting places where something deeper could form.

Name 10 things Francis is most known for, and I’d suggest many were produced in eddies, not currents: “Who am I to judge?”, the residential school genocide comments in Canada, and the Pachamama statues controversy. Each of these became opportunities for him to be assessed, while something was being forged in the struggle of eddies.

Francis pushed me out of my comfort zone more than once. As a communications director, it was a constant challenge trying to keep up with his latest unscripted moments and then explain what he was actually trying to say. More often than not, a quick source check revealed there was far less controversy than people assumed.

Over time, I had to surrender my Benedictine left brain and make room for the Francis right brain—drawn less to argument and more to listening. It’s still a work in progress. I even had to step back from engaging in social media, which has little room for listening. I began asking myself: “Would Pope Francis post this?” And more often than not, the answer was no—he would simply listen.

And maybe that’s the most honest assessment I can offer right now. He’s been called many things: the People’s Pope, the speak-off-the-cuff-and-let-the-world-sort-it-out Pope, the Messy Pope, the Field Hospital Pope.

Three Vancouver Catholics—Archbishop J. Michael Miller, Paralympian Aaron Wong-Sing, and Ukrainian Catholic priest Father Mykhailo Ozorovych—have received King Charles III Coronation Medals in recognition of their exceptional service to Church, country, and community.

The medal honours Canadians who have made significant contributions to society or achieved accomplishments abroad that bring credit to the country. Thirty thousand medals were created for distribution across Canada.

Archbishop Miller was nominated by the Canadian Interfaith Conversation (CIC), a national coalition of faith-based organizations that promotes religious freedom and cooperation.

The organization recognized the Archbishop for his “outstanding service in fostering respect and understanding of religious traditions in Canada” and for his contributions to “the positive role faith communities make in Canadian civil society.”

Archbishop Miller was honoured for his pastoral work with diverse Catholic communities, including Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Syro-Malabar Catholics; his support for national reconciliation efforts through Bill C-15, the federal legislation endorsing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act; and his leadership in promoting interfaith clinical pastoral education.

The CIC noted the Archbishop’s service at the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant, and his establishing of offices for First Nations Ministry, Hispanic Ministry, Filipino Ministry, Chinese Ministry, and Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations.

The CIC also recognized his public stance against racism and anti-Semitism and his work with other faith leaders and the City of Vancouver  mayor to address Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside challenges.

The CIC also noted that Archbishop Miller was a founding member of the Multifaith Summit Council of British Columbia and, in 2024, entered into a Sacred Covenant with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc people on behalf of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.