Archbishop J. Michael Miller celebrates Mass under the shade of a gazebo at Fraser River Heritage Park before the procession to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. After several years of cancellations and smaller numbers, the annual pilgrimage drew at least 4,000 people this year, organizers say. (Paul Schratz photos)

Grotto pilgrimage attendance returns to pre-pandemic level, or better

The largest annual event in the Archdiocese of Vancouver is again the largest annual event in the Archdiocese. After a two-year pandemic-caused hiatus and last year’s return with only half the typical number of participants, massive crowds flocked to this year’s pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Mission. Despite the sweltering heat, more...

Simona Mascitti, and her younger sister Sasha Mascitti are products of the elite Coquitlam soccer program and the Our Lady of Fatima community in Coquitlam. (Contributed photos)

Coquitlam parish is gaining reputation as hotbed of soccer

Soccer fans now know that Spain’s women’s team has been crowned the new Women’s World Cup champions, and congratulations to the players for a wonderful display of talent and teamwork. Sadly, we also are aware that Canada did not advance beyond the group stage. This is a huge disappointment based on expectations going into the...

https://bccatholic.ca/system/images/W1siZiIsIjIwMjMvMDgvMjIvNHVodnVhZmdval8zNjgyMjkwNzNfMTAxNjMxMTQ4NTAzNDMzNDVfNTM4NzI4ODY5NDUwMTM2NTQ5M19uLmpwZyJdLFsicCIsImNvYWxlc2NlIl0sWyJwIiwidGh1bWIiLCIxMjAweCJdLFsicCIsIm9wdGltaXplIl1d/image.jpg

B.C. churches remain spared as wildfires spread

Wildfires wreaking devastation across British Columbia and the Northwest Territories appear to have spared Catholic churches, though the same can’t be said about numerous other buildings.

St. Matthew’s parishioners Kathleen Furtado (right) and Vanessa Potusek (middle) exchange one of 100 Plastic Bank rosaries, made from recycled ocean plastic, with a fellow pilgrim from Venezuela. (Contributed photo)

Vancouver rosaries made from ocean plastic shine at World Youth Day

In a blend of faith and environmental activism, World Youth Day pilgrims from Vancouver gifted rosaries crafted from recycled ocean plastic to other travellers in Lisbon, Portugal, to spotlight the dual themes of religious devotion and ecological stewardship. 100 rosaries were distributed by pilgrims from various Vancouver Catholic parishes, including Christ the Redeemer Parish in...

A smoke plume rises from the wildfire near Yellowknife that forced Bishop Jon Hansen to flee his diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith. Despite the devastation, Bishop Hansen saw moments of humanity as well. (Contributed photo)

Fire devastation ‘closest image to apocalyptic wasteland I have ever seen’: northern bishop

Bishop Jon Hansen, CSSR, of the Mackenzie-Fort Smith diocese was one of thousands of thousands of people forced to flee a wildfire near Yellowknife as hundreds of fires continue to sweep through the Northwest Territories and Western Canada. Bishop Jon Hansen, CSSR Bishop Hansen related his journey from his diocese, which includes the Northwest Territories and parts of Saskatchewan and Nunavut, in an email update to parishioners the day after he completed a 12-hour evacuation drive from Yellowknife to Grande Prairie, Alta., to shelter with family. I am one of the lucky evacuees who have family in Alberta so I am very comfortable staying in the home of my niece and her husband. That’s not the case for all who were forced to leave. As I drove, I saw many tents and campers for the entire length of my journey. There will also be many families in hotels and evacuation centres across Alberta and British Columbia. I gathered the quote below from one of our information sources, Cabinradio.ca, a fantastic media source for up-to-the-minute information about the fires. Bishop Jon Hansen was forced to flee a wildfire in his diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith to take refuge in Grande Prairie, Alta. (Google Maps) “Approximately 63 per cent of the NWT population is currently under evacuation order if we use the most recent community population numbers provided by the NWT Bureau of Statistics. That’s about 28,904 residents, though this number doesn’t account for non-residents such as tourists or people here on short work contracts whose home province is elsewhere and would also be evacuating the NWT right now.” Presently there are various levels of crisis in the NWT. A number of communities including Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Inuvik have fire at their doorsteps and we are just waiting to see what the weather will do to move the fires forward or to aid the firefighters and help hold the fires back. Other communities have already been breached including Behchoko (three homes lost) and Enterprise which was, according to reports, about 90 per cent wiped out. I drove through there yesterday and it was the closest image to an apocalyptic wasteland that I have ever seen. For some communities such as Hay River and Katlodeeche, this is the second time they have been evacuated this summer after having to do the same a year ago due to floods. On a brighter note, there is nothing like a crisis to bring out the best in humanity. There was a traffic stop at Big River outside of Fort Providence. This is the only place on the 700-km stretch between Yellowknife and High Level where you can stop for gas. With more than 5,000 vehicles passing through a gas station with four pumps, you can imagine that it could have been a place of chaos, and there was some of that. However, the prevalent mood was very neighbourly. People got out of their cars to stretch their legs and walk their dogs and spent time talking and laughing with one another. I was also surprised to see the many farm yards in northern Alberta that were freshly mowed and had big, hand-painted signs, offering free camping to all those equipped with tents and RVs. The next few days are now just a matter of waiting to see what will happen next. All our staff and clergy are safe and accounted for, although they have been scattered to the wind by plane and by road. Keep the prayers coming as we ask for the miracle of rainfall in abundance for our parched land.

Firefighters stand on a Kamloops Fire Rescue truck at a wildfire near Fort St. John, British Columbia, May 14, 2023. (OSV News photo/Kamloops Fire Rescue handout via Reuters)

Bishop evacuated, asks for prayers as NWT wildfires grow

Over 30,000 of the approximately 45,000 people living in the Northwest Territories has been mandated to vacate their homes, including more than 20,000 who reside in the capital city of Yellowknife. Fort Smith, Hay River and the K’atl’odeeche First Nation are other communities under an evacuation order.

Former Calgary Bishop Fred Henry, shown in 2005 talking with then-Pembroke Bishop Richard Smith, wants Canada’s bishops to address the narrative of large numbers of missing residential school children. (B.C. Catholic file photo)

Retired Calgary bishop demands proof for ‘missing children’ claims

Retired Calgary Bishop Fred Henry summoned the energy to publicly break the silence around what he considers the prevailing “lie” about missing Indian residential school children.

Providence Hospital in Kingston, Ont., has hired a MAiD proponent as its interim head of palliative care. (Photo: Facebook)

Providence palliative director a MAiD provider

The appointment of a Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) provider as Interim Clinical Director of Palliative Care at a Catholic hospital in Ontario has provoked renewed concern about the future of Catholic health care in Canada. Dr. Danielle Kain is a palliative care specialist who is Associate Professor and Division Co-Chair of Palliative Medicine at...

World Youth Day pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Vancouver faced many adversities together, writes Patrice Quon, right. “People continually offered up their suffering and encouraged each other.” (St. Mary’s Chilliwack WYD Facebook photos)

Keeping it cool at WYD with Rosary and grace

My experience at World Youth Day has been such a blessed time. At the beginning of it, I was thrown into a group that I wasn’t very familiar with, but over the past two weeks, I’ve been able to get to know some of the most positive and supportive people. That in itself is life-changing....

Scroll to top
Translate
Skip to content