Forty days after 11 people died in the tragedy at the Vancouver Lapu Lapu Festival, the Filipino community gathered for a 40th-day memorial Mass at nearby St. Andrew’s Church to pray for the deceased and ask God for peace, healing, and the grace to forgive.
“As we gather today, we gather in prayer,” said St. Andrew’s pastor Father Jun Reyes in his homily. “We ask our Lord to open our hearts towards forgiveness—towards acceptance.”
“I would like to re-echo the words of Jesus to everyone: ‘Peace be with you,’” he said. “These are strong words for each and every one of us, that we may find peace in our hearts.”
Acknowledging the grief still present in the community, Father Reyes emphasized that peace “doesn’t mean that we will forget. The wounds are there. The pains are there. But it gives us the opportunity to move forward—to move with our lives; not to dwell in pain; not to dwell in our fear.”
He encouraged the faithful to place their lives in God’s hands, just as the Apostles did following the Crucifixion.
“Because it is only through acceptance that we can find forgiveness,” he said.
The number 40 holds particular meaning in both Scripture and Filipino culture. In the Bible it represents change and purification: for 40 years the people of Israel wander in the desert, rain fell on Noah for 40 days, for 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness, and 40 days after rising from the dead Christ ascended to heaven.
Culturally, many Filipinos believe the souls of the deceased remain close to earth until the 40th day, when they, like Christ, depart for heaven.
Father Reyes prayed, “As we gather today with the families of those people who were hurt… we would like to move [God’s] heart” to open the gates of his kingdom ““so that they may have eternal rest in your loving arms.”
Following the Mass, mourners processed with a Filipino flag from the church to a nearby memorial at John Oliver Secondary School. There, they prayed the Rosary and lit 11 candles—one for each person who died.
