Category: BC Catholic

Umbrellas were raised and prayers sent heavenward as a small band of Catholics gathered in a relentless downpour to celebrate the midway point of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s 40 Days for Life campaign.

The annual Lenten pro-life campaign has yet to bear legislative fruit in Canada, as the country’s politicians continue to refuse to pass laws to place any restrictions on abortion.

But the two dozen men and women at the March 23 rally showed no signs of discouragement as they joined with Father Larry Lynn, the Archdiocese’s pro-life chaplain, in saying a heartfelt Rosary.

“I’ve never heard the Hail Mary prayed with so much reverence and, well, ardour,” said participant Alex Fantillo. “It was truly inspiring.”

The rally’s guest speaker, Father Mark McGuckin, boosted spirits with a speech that celebrated pro-life activists’ courage and faithfulness.

Father McGuckin, the pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Burnaby, said the commitment shown by campaign participants evoked the spirit of Our Lady of Sorrows.

“Matching Our Blessed Mother’s wounded heart as she knelt before the cross on Mount Calvary, our collective hearts are heavy with the manifold tragedies that lie before us,” Father McGuckin said later. “The steamroller of the culture of death in our society continues to crush our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.”

Father McGuckin said the pro-life faithful are responding by matching “the fearless, forward motion” of the Blessed Mother who drew close to Our Lord at the foot of the cross when most devotees and loyalists abandoned him.

“Our call is just to remain faithful, in the lighter times and in the heavier times,” he said. “We are kneeling in sorrow with Our Blessed Mother, and we also stand, resolute, next to her.”

As he stood under an umbrella held by Father Lynn, Father McGuckin encouraged Catholics to remain faithful to their convictions and to continue to put that faith into action.

“This is the age now of victory,” he said. “This is the age of the Church, and no amount of darkness will be able to eclipse that truth about the sacredness of life that we have been entrusted with to share.”

Fantillo, a parishioner at St. Joseph’s in Mission, said he was motivated to drive 75 kilometres through stormy weather to gather with his fellow pro-life faithful and hear Father McGuckin, who “never fails to inspire.”

“Father Mark needs thanks as he took us to the next level, promoting the most holy missionary call that will, sooner or later, stir in us all,” he said.

Shortly before returning to his home in the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis made a brief appearance from a fifth-floor balcony of the Gemelli Clinic in Rome to a crowd of faithful gathered outside the hospital.

The moment marked his first public engagement in weeks. Waving and giving a “thumps-up” before blessing the faithful gathered outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Pontiff briefly thanked one well-wisher for bringing flowers for the occasion.

After the short interaction, the Holy Father was discharged from the hospital and taken to the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, where he delivered flowers to place before the icon of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani.

Afterward, he returned to the Vatican, according to the Holy See.

The Pontiff prepared a written message published by the Vatican while briefly appearing at approximately noon to greet the faithful and impart his blessing.

“During this long period of hospitalization, I have had the opportunity to experience the patience of the Lord, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of doctors and health care workers as well as in the attentiveness and hopes of the patients’ families,” Francis noted.

“This confident patience, anchored in God’s love that never fails, is truly necessary for our lives, especially to face the most difficult and painful situations.”

In his written address, the Pope reflected on this third Sunday of Lent’s Gospel reading about the barren fig tree, drawing parallels between the patient farmer in the parable and God’s merciful approach to humanity.

On the situation in Gaza, the Pope called for a ceasefire and “that weapons be silenced immediately; and that there be the courage to resume dialogue, so that all hostages may be freed and a definitive ceasefire reached.”

Francis emphasized that the humanitarian situation in Gaza “is once again extremely serious and requires the urgent commitment of the warring parties and the international community.”

On a more positive note, the Holy Father expressed satisfaction with diplomatic progress in the Caucasus region.

“I am pleased, however, that Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on the final text of the peace agreement,” he said. “I hope that it will be signed as soon as possible and can thus contribute to establishing a lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”

Prior to his window appearance and return to the Vatican, Pope Francis briefly met with medical staff and the hospital leadership to thank them for his treatment.

Hospital officials indicated on Saturday that the Pope will continue convalescing at his apartment in Casa Santa Marta for at least two months and will require ongoing oxygen therapy during his convalescence.

TORONTO—For anyone troubled by the state of society or the world, MP Garnett Genuis offers a message of hope and encouragement from St. Peter, who knew something about trouble and sacrifice in times of political distress.

“But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them…. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.” (1 Pet 3:14-16) 

The Alberta Conservative MP for Sherwood Park – Fort Saskatchewan is also co-chair of Parliament’s Canada-Holy See Friendship Group and spoke recently in the comfortably-crowded common room of Toronto’s Ernescliffe College.

Peter’s message, Genuis said, is for the whole Church, and Catholic citizens hold a critical public office.

It’s up to Catholics, acting individually and together, to make Canada the place it should be through a realistic, open-eyed, patriotic love by Catholics sharing their stories boldly and clearly, projecting their convictions with hope and respect for all who hear them.

No matter how bad things might seem, giving up is no option, he said.

“The idea of giving up on our country should horrify us as citizens,” Genuis said. Instead, Catholics must take up their democratic duties.

Quoting then-Senator John F. Kennedy, he said, “In the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.”

That responsibility, said Genuis explained, means participating at all levels of government and society, in accordance with one’s well-formed conscience and political affiliations. 

For guidance, Genuis pointed to three under-used channels of participation at the federal level:  parties, petitions, and Parliamentary consultations. 

Political parties, he said, fill a fundamental role in shaping democracies by defining the policies that they intend to pursue in government.

It’s also surprisingly easy for individual citizens to have a significant voice in party processes, given that party membership fees tend to be low and only a small fraction of the Canadian electorate join a party.

Every member of a party is entitled to vote in leadership races, and volunteer service on committees and campaign activities can greatly increase one’s scope for influence, Genuis said.  Even going door-to-door provides opportunities for faithful, persuasive exchanges with the public.

As for petitions, these come in many forms, with varying degrees of potential effect. Online petitions can be used persuasively by elected representatives, lobby groups, and other advocates, and can offer the advantage of connections to their sponsors, such as email lists. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney is poised to trigger a snap federal election for late April or early May on Sunday by asking Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament, setting in motion what could be the most consequential national vote in generations.

As Canadians prepare for the upcoming campaign, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) president Bishop William McGrattan urged Christians to get involved in the electoral process. 

“I think it is important to realize we do have this freedom and also the responsibility to exercise a decision that will support the country in moving forward in a way that respects common values,” said Bishop McGrattan, who is Bishop of Calgary.

Discourse between relatives, friends, co-workers and fellow churchgoers about the daily news and philosophical debates about the soul of the nation will magnify during the campaign timeframe.

Instead of adopting a combative and intolerant posture during a political discussion with someone expressing clashing viewpoints, Bishop McGrattan said people can exchange ideas charitably.

“I think the first step is to make sure that one is educated or aware of the issues so that one can speak with a certain degree of knowledge,” said Bishop McGrattan.

“And then be open to listening to another person’s perspective and question why they might hold that particular perspective on an issue. Maybe then say, ‘from my perspective of my life of faith, I see this in this light.’

“Faith is not a political position, but faith provides values that we need to be reflecting in our discussions and in making decisions regarding the future of a country and a society.”

Catholics, specifically, are encouraged to resist being one- or two-issue voters by meditating upon all seven core principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST):

•    Dignity of the human person from conception to natural death;

•    Call to family, community and participation;

•    Rights and responsibilities;

•    Option for the poor and vulnerable;

•    The dignity of work and the rights of workers;

•    Solidarity;

•    Care for God’s Creation.

Lay associations, such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Catholic Women’s League, the Knights of Columbus, Development and Peace-Caritas Canada, and pro-life groups that champion these values with their respective missions have been active in previous election cycles.

Bishop McGrattan suggested clergy can meaningfully assist these groups by being aware of the realities of food insecurity, mental illness, euthanasia, and health-care barriers in their local context and then “bring those to the attention of our faithful in their discernment and education as the election unfolds.”

For discernment, he said prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom is “essential at this time as we prepare to go into an election.”

A B.C. Catholic reader and frequent letter writer reached out to us “with astonishment” over last week’s obituary of Sister Dorothy Bob, a Sister of St. Ann who died in Victoria at the age of 92.

Marianne Werner noted that Sister Dorothy Bob had discerned becoming a sister of St. Ann while she was at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. 

Yes, the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Werner wondered whether Sister Bob had ever been interviewed about her experiences at the school. “Working as a young woman cook at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, she must have seen and heard how students were treated there,” said Werner.

 For many, the Kamloops Indian Residential School has become the embodiment of cultural, if not literal, genocide, to the point that the federal government is thinking about making it a crime to “deny” the veracity of any allegation made by anyone about the school.

Yet, Sister Bob was “impressed sufficiently by the work of the Sisters to become a Sister of St. Ann herself,” notes Werner, and she went on to work in other residential schools.

Above, Sister Dorothy Bob in 1996, and at right in 1959. (B.C. Catholic files)

With a little research, it turns out there is more information about Sister Dorothy Bob’s upbringing. Born on the Fountain Reserve, now the Xaxli’p Band, near Lillooet, Dorothy Bob was an Interior Salish of the Lillooet tribe. 

She attended Kamloops Indian Residential School as a young girl but left after four years to care for her sick mother. She later worked as a cook at the school. Determined to complete her education, she undertook private study in Victoria, finishing Grades 5–10 in one year and then completing Grades 11 and 12 the following year at Camosun College.

She told The B.C. Catholic in 1990 that she recalled searching for a religious community but not knowing how to begin the process. “I kept looking for a community, but I did not know how to become a sister,” she said.

It was only when a Sister of St. Ann approached her and asked if she had ever wanted to be a sister that she took the next step.

“I said ‘yes,’ and that’s how it started,” she recalled, admitting to feeling “a small amount of fear” about the application process. With the guidance of a supportive sister and her trust in God, she overcame the hurdle and embraced her vocation. And so, in her early 20s, Sister Bob entered the Sisters of St. Ann, becoming the first Indigenous girl to do so in the congregation’s hundred-year presence in British Columbia.

On a chilly February morning with light snow falling, hundreds of parish representatives gathered in Coquitlam at Our Lady of Lourdes Church for a planning meeting over coffee and conversation. Volunteers shared their hopes and strategies for this year’s 40 Days for Life campaign, energized by a shared commitment to prayer, witness, and defending life. 

“We’re not organizing an event for one day but a movement that takes place over 40 days and involves hundreds of people,” said Father Larry Lynn, pro-life chaplain for the Archdiocese of Vancouver. “It is certainly unique in that regard.”

The meeting set the stage for what Father Lynn says has been an encouraging start to the campaign. As the largest coordinated pro-life effort in the world, 40 Days for Life unites people from all walks of life in a mission to affirm the dignity of human life and resist cultural forces threatening to dehumanize it.

“It is a stand against the killing of innocent human life in all its forms, starting with abortion and euthanasia,” said Father Lynn. “But it also includes actions that reduce the dignity of human life through torture, murder, human trafficking, slavery, and any other form of violence or neglect.”

Unfortunately, many see abortion or euthanasia as “positive, even necessary actions,” he said. “If you have a basic understanding of Catholic social justice teaching, you would be able to respond that we are the Imago Dei. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and we are all equal in dignity, no matter our circumstances.”

Over the past several decades, a “politics of progression” influenced by philosophers who deny the existence of God has taken hold, he said. “Their ideas have been infused into how society thinks and speaks about human life.” Talk about “reproductive rights” fails to acknowledge that life in the womb “is as worthy as any other.”

Statistics bear out his point. According to the World Health Organization, about 73 million abortions are performed worldwide each year. In Canada alone, there were 97,211 abortions in clinics and hospitals in 2022, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Meanwhile, euthanasia accounted for 15,343 deaths in Canada last year, representing five per cent of all deaths. Since euthanasia was legalized in Canada in 2016, there have been 60,301 deaths by assisted suicide.

That’s why prayer is at the centre of pro-life efforts, Father Lynn said. “It’s about changing hearts and minds.”

A focus of this year’s campaign is shedding light on how modern medical and technological advances, such as commercial surrogacy, fetal farming, in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete donation, and cryopreservation (freezing embryos), increasingly commodify human life.

Sebastian Lai, son of Hong Kong Catholic democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, said this week his father is “still fighting for his beliefs” while he remains imprisoned in “inhumane” conditions and his national security trial drags on. 

Lai, the founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and a human rights activist, has been on trial since December of 2023 for allegations of colluding with foreign forces under a national security law put in effect by the communist-controled Chinese government. 

He was originally arrested in 2020 and has been convicted on several other charges over the course of his detainment. 

The 77-year-old has been in solitary confinement in Hong Kong for more than four years, where “he doesn’t get to see anybody. He doesn’t get natural light, and he’s denied the Eucharist as well,” Sebastian Lai said at a press conference on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. 

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller is among a group of Catholic leaders from around the world who in 2023 called upon the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to release Lai.

Noting the situation in Hong Kong “greatly concerns” Vancouver Catholics, especially in the Asian Catholic community, Archbishop Miller said there is an obligation to help those unjustly persecuted.

“Christian charity leads us to pray and do all we can from a practical perspective to help those who are facing persecution,” he said. 

“Mr. Lai is a person of faith who is being silenced and imprisoned for his pro-democracy convictions. Justice demands that we speak up for them and give them a voice.”

His son said the trial had just finished cross-examinations. In the courtroom, Lai was reported to be “skinnier,” but “still very sharp.”

The trial was supposed to last 18 days, Sebastian said, but has now run for well over 100. “He’s not going to get sentenced until either end of this year or the start of next year,” he said. 

The lead of Jimmy Lai’s international team, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, further explained the trial timeline and the anticipated outcome.

“We’re waiting for the closing submissions, and disgracefully, there’s a very, very long delay until early August before the closing submissions,” Gallagher said. “That’s a gap of almost five months in the middle of a trial when you’re dealing with an elderly man who’s diabetic, who’s already been in prison and in solitary confinement for over four years.”

“After that, there’ll be a pause, we don’t know how long before the judges give their verdict. But we think that’s only going one way,” she said. “We think it’s going to be a guilty finding, because he’s being tried under a law which essentially criminalizes dissent.”

John Paul II Pastoral Centre staff lined the balcony and crowded the ground floor to welcome Archbishop Richard Smith for his first official visit to Vancouver, his soon-to-be home and archdiocese.

After flying in from Edmonton and navigating Vancouver morning traffic, Archbishop Smith told pastoral workers he was deeply touched by their welcome.

As part of his visit, he sat down for an interview with Archbishop J. Michael Miller and Deacon Zak Santiago, a Vancouver actor and permanent deacon at Holy Rosary Cathedral.

During the 30-minute conversation, the two archbishops shared their thoughts on topics ranging from evangelization and parish renewal to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

For his part, Archbishop Miller introduced the Archdiocese and its unique character, praising the Proclaim Movement as an engine for evangelical formation, reviewing the Sacred Covenant signed with the Tk̓emlúps First Nation, and describing some of the ways parishes are embracing renewal through innovative approaches to co-responsibility and parish leadership.

“What’s really important is to learn from the local people here and members of the local Church,” Archbishop Smith said. “What really are the dynamics at play here in Vancouver?”

It’s important, he said, “that we don’t rush forward with answers to questions that people aren’t asking,” adding he wants to get “a better sense, a deeper sense of what is going on here [in Vancouver].”

Archbishop Smith emphasized that truth and reconciliation should move the Church not only to listen to Indigenous peoples but to learn from them as well. He praised their focus on the Creator and their tradition of beginning gatherings with prayer.

Vancouver’s new shepherd is also eager to learn more about parish renewal initiatives in the Archdiocese.

“I want to keep to the fore the idea of co-responsibility,” he said. “We all have these God-given gifts that come to us through baptism. How do we work together, collaborate, and grasp the co-responsibility that we all have for the mission [of evangelization]?”

Archbishop Smith and Archbishop Miller both received their episcopal appointments in  2007, and they were asked about leaving their episcopal appointments.  

For Archbishop Smith, leaving his longtime home of Edmonton comes with some sadness, but he said he is ultimately excited about the opportunities the Church in Vancouver offers.

Archbishop Miller, on the other hand, said he has had time to process the emotions of the change.

Pope Francis had an uneventful night in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and continues to rest, the Holy See Press Office said Thursday morning.

“The night passed quietly; the Pope is still resting,” the press office said.

On Wednesday evening, the press office released a statement providing the daily medical update on Pope Francis’ health.

“The Holy Father remained stable today as well, without any episodes of respiratory insufficiency,” said the statement.

“As planned, he utilized supplemental, high-flow oxygenation, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation will be resumed tonight.”

Pope Francis “increased his respiratory and active motor physiotherapy” and spent the day in his armchair.

“Given the complexity of the clinical situation, the prognosis remains guarded,” the statement continued.

On Ash Wednesday, in a private apartment on the 10th floor, “the Holy Father participated in the rite of the blessing of the Sacred Ashes, which were imposed on him by the celebrant. He then received the Eucharist.”

The Pope later “engaged in several work activities,” including making a call to Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of Holy Family Church in Gaza.

“In the afternoon, he alternated between rest and work,” the press office said.

Pope Francis has been receiving treatment for bilateral pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital since he was hospitalized on Feb. 14.

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2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C
First Reading: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18
Second Reading: Phil 3:17–4:1
Gospel Reading: Lk 9:28b-36

In this Sunday’s readings, Jesus is transfigured, and St. Paul tells us that Christ will “transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory.”

The Church confirms it in the Preface: God filled “with the greatest splendour” the bodily form Jesus shares with us, to show us how what first “shone forth” in the Church’s Head “is to be fulfilled” in his Mystical Body, the Church.

Almost universally, non-Christians oppose Christian faith in the resurrection of the body, St. Augustine noted. Many believe vaguely that the soul survives death, but Christians believe that at the end of the world, Christ will raise even our bodies.

To the Sadducees, who denied it, Jesus said unambiguously, “You are badly misled, because you fail to understand the Scriptures or the power of God.” To Martha, he said, “Your brother will rise again.” When she replied, “I know he will rise again, in the resurrection on the last day,” Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

When the risen Jesus first appeared to his apostles, “they thought they were seeing a ghost,” and they panicked, but Jesus showed them the holes left by the nails that had held him to the cross and said, “Look at my hands and feet: it is really I. Touch me, and see that a ghost does not have flesh and bones as I do.” Since the apostles were still incredulous for sheer joy and wonder, he asked, “Have you anything here to eat?” and they gave him a piece of fish, which he took and ate in front of them.

Clearly, therefore, Jesus’ risen body was recognizably his own. However, he did not return to his previous earthly life. For example, he was, occasionally, hard to recognize, and could appear and disappear, even through locked doors.

That is what we can “look forward” to. We say we believe it in the Creed every Sunday. However, we still wonder how the dead will be raised and what kind of body they will have.

St. Paul explains: “The seed you sow does not germinate unless it dies…. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown in the earth is subject to decay; what rises is incorruptible. What is sown is ignoble; what rises is glorious. Weakness is sown, strength rises up. A natural body is put down and a spiritual body comes up.”

If “spiritual body” suggests something more like a gas than a solid body of “flesh and bones,” read C.S.