VANCOUVER – As the universal Church looks toward the papacy of Leo XIV, Vancouver Catholics celebrated their last Eucharist with Archbishop J. Michael Miller at Holy Rosary Cathedral May 13.
Feelings were bittersweet and well summarized by Deacon Zak Santiago in a comment to The B.C. Catholic.
Deacon Santiago said while the Mass was a celebration of Archbishop Miller’s 18-year legacy and 50 years of priesthood, “there is a tender melancholy as we say farewell to someone who brought such new beginnings to our diocese.”
“I might be minorly biased,” the deacon said, “because he has been my immediate shepherd and ordained me, but I truly believe he is one of the greatest bishops we could have ever asked for. There are some bittersweet feelings, but also it is a celebration.”
Precious Blood Parish parishioner Icelina Kroutil said she will miss Archbishop Miller and remembers when he first arrived in Vancouver.
“I went to Our Lady of Sorrow for the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” she said. “He gave the ultimate homily about the image of Guadalupe. I remember telling him, ‘Father, I have been here for so many years. I am Mexican, and I have never heard such a beautiful homily.’ I will always keep him in my heart. I will pray for him. I will miss him dearly.”
On the other end of the spectrum, younger Catholics, some of whom have no strong memories of previous archbishops, reflected on their sense of the magnitude of Archbishop Miller’s presence in the local Church.
Rachel Wong, a parishioner at St. Matthew’s in Surrey, said what many young adults were feeling. “I feel like it’s the end of an era, because I really started to pay attention to my faith at a particular part of my life when Archbishop Miller was the face of the Church here in Vancouver.”
“When this is all I’ve ever known, it will be interesting to have that change. It’s a bit exciting, but also sad. It’s bittersweet [to see him go] because obviously he deserves the rest — it is long overdue for him.”
Annabella and Daniel Ma, members of the farewell Mass choir and founders of the local Sacred Music Sunday apostolate, said the archbishop inspired them and always supported their musical ministry.
Both have memories of his episcopacy stretching back to childhood.
“He confirmed me in Grade 7!” said Annabella. “I don’t really remember the past bishop, so he’s always been ‘the archbishop.’ I was getting emotional during the Mass.”
Daniel shared: “He would have these private archbishop lunches with all the boys that served in campus ministry. I really remember those private meetings. He would exhort us to keep doing what we were doing,” said Daniel.
“We’ve just been grateful for him supporting our music endeavours and supporting the youth,” she said. “He’s always been very supportive.”
Daniel added, “Just today he told us, ‘Keep doing the music!’” and encouraging them to “keep alive the music traditions of Holy Mother Church.”
In his final homily, Archbishop Miller reflected on his 18 years of ministry in the archdiocese, quoting St. Paul: “The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”
The farewell Mass was an occasion, he said, to “express my heartfelt gratitude” to God and to the faithful in Vancouver.
“Dear friends, thank you for accepting me when I first arrived, inexperienced as I was, and for being so willing to collaborate enthusiastically in the evangelizing mission that the Lord has entrusted to all of us. My gratitude for your patience and your prayers is immeasurable,” he said.
To the clergy and faithful he served for nearly two decades, he added: “Thank you for inspiring me by leading lives ‘worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience’ – as the Apostle Paul stated in our First Reading – ‘bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.’”
“As I bid you farewell, your unwavering faith and commitment fill me with hope for the bright future dawning on our beloved Archdiocese,” he said.
“Your affection and support have been a cause of admiration and consolation,” Archbishop Miller added.
“There are so many saints among you! Your goodness brings to mind the words of St. Augustine that Leo XIV cited in his remarks from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, right after his election, though I will read the more extended quotation: ‘What I am for you terrifies me; what I am with you consoles me. For you, I am a bishop; but with you, I am a Christian. The former is a duty; the latter a grace. The former is a danger; the latter, salvation.’”
“It has been a joy to be edified by your selfless willingness to be co-workers in evangelizing this corner of the Lord’s vineyard. My years here with you, dear friends, have been the greatest blessing of my life,” he said.
In a reflective moment, the archbishop asked forgiveness for any shortcomings during his time in office.
“I look back with some regrets: things I wish I had done differently. While I might have fulfilled some of your expectations, I have surely disappointed others. I take leave knowing my deficiencies and sinfulness, and for when I have offended you, I ask your forgiveness.”
Turning his attention to Vancouver’s next shepherd, he said, “Archbishop Smith is a prayerful, intelligent and zealous man.”
“For him, this is also a time of personal transition. I am confident that together you will continue to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, forming a community of vibrant faith that hears the Word of God attentively and celebrates the sacraments devoutly.”
Archbishop Miller concluded with a prayer for the local Church: “May the Risen Lord ever protect and guide this Church of his in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and continue to fill her with hope through the love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
“And please pray for me, as I begin a new chapter in my life as a disciple and priest of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A Tribute Fit for a Golden Jubilee
As a final farewell, Msgr. Gregory Smith, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, delivered a tribute centred on the archbishop’s upcoming golden jubilee of ordination to the priesthood.
“More than one word comes to mind when I think about Archbishop Miller: son, brother, Basilian, theologian, professor, dean, Vatican official, university president, archbishop secretary for the Congregation of Catholic Education, and then Archbishop of Vancouver,” said Msgr. Smith. “That’s the short list.”
Yet among those many roles, one title mattered most to Archbishop Miller: priest.
“Nothing about Archbishop Miller is more important to him, or about him, than his ordination to the priesthood, that June day in 1975,” said Smith, referring to the archbishop’s ordination at the hands of Pope St. Paul VI.
Throughout his ministry — whether in academia, a the Vatican, or leading the Archdiocese of Vancouver — Archbishop Miller’s priestly character shone through, Msgr. Smith said. “His character is priestly, his thinking is priestly, his prayer is priestly.”
He reminded the faithful that while bishops hold the fullness of Holy Orders, there are no great bishops without great priests. “We do acknowledge the supreme importance of ‘Father’ Miller’s ordination to the priesthood,” he said, emphasizing that all his later responsibilities were grounded in that original call.
Quoting Archbishop Fulton Sheen, he added: “‘A priest is not his own’ – he belongs to Christ, and to the Church. And Bishop Miller will always belong to us.”
Though the archbishop’s retirement marks the end of an era for the archdiocese, his priesthood continues, the vicar general said. “While we are losing the daily example of his priestly presence, prayerfulness, and compassion, the Archdiocese of Vancouver will never lose his intercession at the altar.”.
And while the name spoken during Mass will soon change, he said, “let us continue to remember the words we have heard so many times, remember in our hearts ‘Our Archbishop Michael’ – not simply as an outstanding bishop, but as a priest after the heart of the Good Shepherd.”
