Past Events
May 2024
Living Laudato Si’: The Challenge and the Promise
Friday, May 17, 2024 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM PDT
Location: St. Mark’s College Chapel
5935 Iona Drive, Vancouver, BC. V6T 1J7
How can we navigate the challenges and fulfill the promises that caring for creation in the spirit of Laudato Si’ places before us?
Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for creation, is a clarion call to listen to the cries of the earth and of the poor and to assuage their suffering.
Sr. Damien Marie Savino, FSE, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist will explore how we can navigate the challenges of caring for creation in the spirit of Laudato Si’ in our current times.
This is a free event and all are welcome.
Ambrose Matilda Music Connection (AMMC) presents
10th Annual Fundraising Concert / Dinner
Saturday, May 4, 2024. 5PM-8:30PM
Point Grey Golf Course
3350 Marine Dr. Vancouver, BC
Net proceeds will be directed to Development and Peace Caritas Canada.
* PROGRAMME*
PART 1: Concert featuring Clarinet Quartet: Christopher Lee. M us. Juilliard and Principal
Clarinetist of the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra with his three students and
AMMC winners, Sebastian Rendon, Ryan Lai, Leonardo Jung
PART 2: Dinner (with cash bar)
Upholding human dignity is at the heart of the mission of Development and Peace
Caritas Canada. It supports partner-organizations around the world for projects
defending integral human development and ecological and social justice – the right
to life, clean air and water, health and education, biodiversity and environmental
sustainability. Your tax-deductible donations will help provide emergency aid and
support humanitarian projects in 36 countries around the world.
“Teaching Mass”
Sunday, May 5, 2024. 1:15pm
During this teaching mass, Fr. Rob will explain the meaning behind each of the rituals, responses and prayers. Anyone wishing to serve at mass are invited to participate (as a starting point, the Confirmation class and RCIA class are invited). The community is also invited to support those who are learning to serve and growing in their faith.
“You Alone, Lord” Moms Retreat
Sat, May 4, 2024 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Join us for a rejuvenating and uplifting moms retreat! Take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and treat yourself to a morning filled with self-care, inspiration, and connection. This hybrid event is designed exclusively for moms of all ages and stages who are seeking some well-deserved quiet time for themselves and to allow God to refill their cup. “You alone, Lord, are my portion and my cup” (Psalm 16:5).
Free childcare available with advance registration. Sliding scale registration fees. Suggested amount $40-75 plus 5% GST. Bursaries available upon request. Zoom option available.
Called to Freedom” Ignatian weekend retreat
Bethlehem Centre, Nanaimo, May 31-June 2
“For you were called to freedom…to serve one another through love” (Gal 5:13).
We invite you to explore spiritual freedom through the lens of the spirituality of Ignatius of Loyola. Spiritual freedom is a key element for discernment and for movement in our spiritual journey. For schedule, costs, travel details and registration, please visit this link.
April 2024
Christian Life Community (CLC) Faith Sharing Groups (ongoing)
Come share your life and your faith with others in the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola and Christian Life Community. All are welcome.
Regular Student CLC meetings
Wednesdays April 3 and 10: 12:45-2 pm, Room 308.
Sundays April 7 and 21: 5:45 pm, Room 308.
March 2024
Triduum and Easter Services 2024
Palm Sunday March 24: 9:30am, 11:30am & 4:30pm Masses
Holy Thursday: March 28. 7pm Mass
Good Friday: March 29
11:00am: Stations of the Cross
1:00pm: The Seven Last Words (Plato’s Cave)
3:00pm: The Lord’s Passion – service.
Easter Vigil: March 30. 9pm Mass
Easter Sunday: March 31. 9:30am, 11:30am Mass. NO 4:30pm mass
Join us on Good Friday, March 29, 11am in the Chapel for the
Stations of the Cross
Step up Close to Jesus
The Way of the Cross
Led by the young children of the Parish
Our 2024 Share Lent Campaign “Create Hope, Reaping Our Rights” was launched on Feb 25. Here is how you can contribute financially:
By Envelope:
- Use the specific Share Lent Envelope in your box collection or
- Use your own envelope, either cash or cheque (Payable to St. Mark’s Parish), but be sure to include your name and address and memo to Share Lent for tax receipt purposes. Deposit in the parish’s regular collection, either in the basket or in the collection stand at entrance.
- Use the Development and Peace envelope available on the tables and mail to Montreal.
Online donations :
- https://devp.org/en/make-a-donation/ Select the Where the need is greatest button to donate to Share Lent Campaign.
For Online Donations (or those mailed directly to Montreal), please email to parish.smark@rcav.orgor call the parish office (604-822-0261) to let us know you made a contribution so we can tally up a Parish total. You will be receipted directly from head office.
Sleep Out 2024
Date and time: Fri, Mar 15 6:00pm – Sat, Mar 16 9:00am PDT
Location: St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church 5251 Joyce Street Vancouver
Catholic Street Missionaries invites you to join us in a movement of change by making a bold and courageous decision to join us in SLEEP OUT.
You will be making a true sacrifice by experiencing what it’s like to be homeless & spend one night outside in the cold. The reality is there are many people who do sleep on the street and experience the discomfort that we often forget about.
Change starts with us. Are you up for the challenge?
Visit: https://beholdvancouver.org/events/sleep-out Registration Deadline: March 11
Easter Egg hunt – Rain or Shine!
Join us for an Easter Egg Hunt on the parish grounds
on Sunday, March 31 between the morning masses.
Please be inside the chapel for instructions at 10:35am
There will be three separate zones
A: 0-2 years old
B: 3-6 years old
C: 7-11 years old
If you have any questions, please contact the parish office at parish.smark@rcav.org
EASTER CONTESTS
1. EASTER EGG GUESSING CONTEST
GUESS THE NUMBER OF CHOCOLATE EASTER EGGS & LINDT TRUFFLES
in the YELLOW, GREEN & BLUE BASKETS.
EMAIL your GUESSES for each BASKET to parish.smark@rcav.org no later than Wednesday, March 27. Contest is open to all parishioners
The RACE is ON! The FIRST parishioner to email the correct answer for each colored BASKET, wins that gift pack! The # of loose chocolate eggs & truffles combined are between 25 – 55 pcs for each basket. Winners will be announced after the 11:30am Mass on Easter Sunday.
LIMIT 1 ENTRY per PERSON per BASKET
2. EASTER CHILDREN’S DRAWING CONTEST
DRAW YOUR BEST IMPRESSION of the RESURRECTION or YOUR BEST FESTIVE EASTER EGG/s & BUNNY/ies for the season!
Open to all children in the parish. Use any medium: pencils, paints, watercolors, construction paper or other materials. Send a photo of your entry to parish.smark@rcav.org with your name & contact info by 5pm, Wednesday, April 3 .
Three winning entries will be chosen & announced a week after Easter, on April 7.
Judges’ decisions are final.
Criteria: Originality & Creativity- 50%, Color Scheme – 25%, Theme Appropriateness – 25%
He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. Isaiah 53:5
The Seven Last Words
March 29, 2024
Good Friday, 1:00pm
Plato’s Cave, St. Mark’s Parish
Reflection will be delivered by Michael Goco
The Longest Sabbath Lenten Retreat, Sat Mar 2, 9 am – 12 pm (in-person and via Zoom)
Lenten Reconciliation Service:
Sunday, March 17. 2:30pm-4:00pm
Chapel
Lenten CLC – Give it a look
Please note the new start dates below:
Tuesdays (Mar 5-Mar 26), 1-2pm, chapel
Wednesdays (Mar 6-Mar 27), 1-2pm, room 308
- As we return to classes this week, students are invited to consider attending a Lenten edition of Christian Life Community (CLC) student faith-sharing experience.
- These sessions will be held on Tues. and Wed. 1-2pm for the remainder of Lent.
- These student faith-sharing groups are an opportunity for you to join with other students to share your Lenten journey.
- These gatherings are open to all students, no matter where you are in your faith journey. These sessions will include a light lunch
Share Lent Campaign
Create Hope. Reaping Our Rights
Everywhere on Earth, impoverished populations are facing growing challenges due to climate change, land grabbing, resource theft, soil contamination and armed conflict.
Rural populations are particularly affected by these upheavals, and Development and Peace — Caritas Canada supports them in defending their rights to life, land, water, biodiversity, justice, health, participation, decent livelihoods, a healthy environment and more.
Who would have thought that a problem faced by Canadian prairie farmers is shared in common with farmers in the rural communities of Indonesia where “agriculture is increasingly abandoned and youth migrate to the city,” the concern for rural de-agrarianization. Find out why it is high time to hear about defending rural communities’ rights.
With the Lenten call to alms-giving and with the preferential option for the poor, help Development and Peace, working with local partners, accompany our needy brothers and sisters in the Global South in their struggle for justice, dignity and the essentials of a livelihood: food, water, shelter and freedom from exploitation.
February 2024
Papal Visit 2022: The Catholic Church and the Four Steps of Reconciliation
February 29, 2024
Dr. Niigaan Sinclair
Professor, University of Manitoba.
National Commentator on Indigenous Issues
Pope Francis’ historic visit in July of 2022 to apologize for the church’s role in residential schools and answer the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action was rich in symbols, stories, and steps. Every night of the visit, Dr. Niigaan Sinclair was a voice on national and international media documenting the visit and the four steps the Pope modeled to evoke reconciliation in the Catholic church in Canada.
Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe (St. Peter’s/Little Peguis) and a professor at the University of Manitoba, where he holds the Faculty of Arts Professorship in Indigenous Knowledge and Aesthetics in the Department of Indigenous Studies. Niigaan is also an award-winning writer, editor and activist who was recently named to the “Power List” by Maclean’smagazine as one of the most influential individuals in Canada. In 2018, he won Canadian columnist of the year at the National Newspaper Awards for his bi-weekly columns in The Winnipeg Free Press and is a featured member of the Friday “Power Panel” on CBC’s Power & Politics. A former secondary school teacher, he won the 2019 Peace Educator of the Year from the Peace and Justice Studies Association based at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
St. Mark’s Film Series presents:
The Apostle
Academy Award Winner, Robert Duvall, is Sonny, a Pentecostal minister, who in a shattering instant, finds himself far from the redemption he so zealously preaches. A dynamic story, superb cast, and tour-de-force performance by Duvall, make THE APOSTLE one of the most authentic and compelling American films of the last 40 years.
Wednesday, Feb 21, 2024. Plato’s Cave, 5:30pm.
an evening of film, food and community in the St. Marks film series:
Matinee Idols: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly depictions of Faith in Film
Food for the Soul Student retreats, Feb 15 & 17
World Day of the Sick – St. Mark’s Parish
Anointing of the sick after each of the Masses (9:30am,11:30am & 4:30pm) will be offered on Feb 11
…return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. Joel 2:12-13
Ash Wednesday
Feb 14, 2024; 12:10pm, 4:30pm, and 7:00pm Liturgies.
Join us in the Chapel as we begin the season of Lent
Stations of the Cross
Time/Location: Fridays during Lent (except for March 29)
After 12:10pm daily mass in the Chapel
Holy Hour
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Tuesdays during Lent, 3-4pm in the Chapel (until Apr 7)
Pray, Meditate, Reflect, Sing
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!
Friday, Feb 2, 2024. Mass 12:10pm, Chili lunch: 12:45pm
St. Mark’s Parish Film Series Presents
Monsignor Quixote
A Whimsical Tale of Friendship and Faith
Two of the finest actors of their generation, Alec Guinness and Leo McKern star as the descendants of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza – Guinness the town’s priest, and McKern its communist mayor. Circumstances set the two unlikely friends on a whimsical journey that mirrors the one traveled by their ancestors. Funny, and poignant, it is a story of friendship, doubt, faith and hope. Based on the novel by Graham Greene.
Thursday, Feb 1, 2024. Plato’s Cave, 5:30pm.
an evening of film, food and community in the St. Marks film series:
Matinee Idols: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly depictions of Faith in Film
Pray the famous “Spiritual Exercises” Retreat of St. Ignatius of Loyola
This is the main Retreat that we offer in the Vancouver Archdiocese.
This is geared for Young Adults seeking God’s Will for their Life; Personalized for each individual; tailored to their specific situation & issues; gets their own personal Retreat Director. This is an Intensive Retreat – extending to about 9 months.
It focuses on your Actual EXPERIENCING God, whereby — you will learn Discernment & Praying your own Life & Christ’s Life – together, at the depths of your Soul.
The Retreat is held in 2 Parts: (approx. May to June & October to April)
Requirements include:
– daily: a 1 hour prayer period (+ a 10 – 15 short prayer period); weekly: a meeting with your personal Retreat Director (online, these days); Instructional Lecture (& Small Groups) Sessions (online, via MS Teams & Skype):
Part 1 is Weekly; Part 2 happens Monthly; Silent Retreat Day (9:00am – 5:00pm [on a specified Saturday in May])
Application deadline: February 15, 2024
The retreat is free (but there is a $100 non-refundable application fee). Bursaries are available. To apply, please email: coordinator@jsav.ca or visit https://jsav.ca/the-spiritual-exercises.html
January 2024
2024 Campaign “Stand For The Land”
Felix Durity and Jenny Cheng, your Development and Peace representatives, wish to thank you, our fellow parishioners, for the 185 in-person signatures for the “Stand for the Land” campaign over the past 2 Sundays. We also thank those of you that did your signature support online via the bulletin and website links, open until Feb 24. As usual, our small parish has strongly supported this campaign, which we expect will give voice to protecting rural Honduran agriculture from irregular damaging mining exploitation
“Heed the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the poor and let’s act!
In His encyclical “Laudato Si”, Pope Francis calls us to hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”, but in the Central American country of Honduras, since 2015, several rural communities have been trying in vain for justice to maintain their traditional meagre livelihood against a rapacious open-pit iron mining company, jointly owned and funded by rich Honduran and American exploiters. Even as their vital land and water resources are polluted, they are attacked and even killed. Eight have been unjustly imprisoned for over two years, and three people have been murdered since January 2023.
Our Honduran brothers and sisters have requested us in Canada to join their plea and request that “The Government of Honduras act diligently and suspend these extractive activities, carried out irregularly with total disregard for the environment.”
Please lend your voice and support our write-in signature campaign to be delivered to the Honduran ambassador to Canada
“You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27)
ECUMENICAL WORSHIP SERVICE
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024
Due to anticipated winter weather conditions, this event (originally scheduled for Jan 17, 2024) will be rescheduled.
Sermon to be delivered by Michael Weidman
Chaplain, Mennonite Brethren at UBC
Power to Change Staff, Bridges International (p2c) at UBC
The Center for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College presents
Thursday, January 25, 2024, 7:00PM-9:30PM. St. Mark’s College, Vancouver, BC.
Fr. Myles Sheehan, S.J., an expert in bioethics and environmental ethics, will deliver the Annual Jesuit Lecture at St. Mark’s College on January 25. His talk delves into the historical shift of bioethics from environmental concerns to clinical dilemmas in the 1960s due to technological advancements. The current climate crisis has prompted a return to the roots of bioethics, exploring the interconnection between human health and the environment.
Fr. Sheehan, a physician, ethicist, and Jesuit priest, directs the Pellegrino Center for Biomedical Ethics at Georgetown University. His expertise spans teaching Catholic Clinical Ethics and consulting on ethics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
This event is free to the public, but kindly register beforehand on Eventbrite. Light refreshments to follow the question and answer session.
Thank-you from the Residents of Purdy Pavilion
Between our residents, social work, nursing, and recreation staff, we were truly overwhelmed with the generosity & kindness shown by St. Mark’s parishioners this Christmas.
Long-term care can often feel closed-off for its residents, operating as its own separate island at the best of times.
For those residents without family or friends to connect them to the outside world, it can be incredibly isolating experience. Through your gifts and your cards, our residents were able to feel cared for and part of the community once again. They were truly in awe that people that didn’t know them could still care enough to provide for them.
We count ourselves very lucky to call St. Mark’s our neighbour, and to have a parish that truly lives the words of Pope Francis: “to live the faith, not individually or in isolation but in community, as a people loved and willed by God.”
Thank you for continuing to reach out, and continuing to wrap our residents in your care and your faith.
Purdy Pavilion sends its very best wishes for 2024!
Celebrate the Feast Day of Mary, Mother of God, to start the new year. Jan 1, 2024.
One mass at 11am.
Warmest wishes for a happy, healthy
Christmas season and a prosperous New Year!
Parish Retreat
“Finding Grace”
Saturday, January 27, 2024 9am – 1pm
Directed by Fr. Myles N. Sheehan, SJ, MD, from Georgetown University Medical Center
(This is a free retreat)!
Register by Jan. 25 thru the parish office
December 2023
Christmas Liturgies 2023
4th Sunday of Advent, Dec 24: 9:30am, 11:30am
Christmas Eve: Sunday, Dec 24: 5:00pm Family Liturgy
8:30pm Caroling. 9:00pm Evening Liturgy
Christmas Day: Monday, Dec 25: ONE MASS 11:00am
Feast of the Holy Family: Sunday, Dec 31: 9:30am, 11:30am
New Year’s Day: Monday, Jan 1, 2024: ONE MASS 11:00am
12:10pm weekday mass continues during the Christmas season
2024 Envelope Donation Boxes
…are available for pick up in the Chapel. They are arranged in alphabetical order, by last names. Same numbers as 2023.
Kindly write your names on the first few envelopes you will be using in January 2024, so we can cross-reference envelope numbers with names.
If you are not using an envelope donation box in 2023 or if you are new & wanted your own personal donation box in 2024, please contact the Parish office.
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2023 – 2024 Sunday Missals are available for purchase at $5.00 each Sunday Missals for Young Catholics are $10.00 each
After-mass Christmas Socials
Sunday, Dec 17; after 9:30am, 11:30am & 4:30pm masses
The parish is providing the main dish.
A nice spread of mini muffins, cupcakes & an assortment of cookies & candy/chocolate will also be available. Contributions of fingers foods (nut-free), veggie or fruit trays, & drinks to share with your group will be appreciated.
Santa’s Reindeers will pop by at Plato’s Cave after the 930am & 1130am Masses.
Enjoy some treats and have some holiday cheer !
Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day celebrations
Celebrations will take place on
Tuesday, Dec 12; 12:10pm
and Sunday, Dec 10 all masses.
Special hospitality will be available in Plato’s cave after all masses on Sunday
Purdy Residents Christmas Gifts
Once again, St. Mark’s Parish will be buying Christmas gifts for some residents of Purdy Pavilion, a long-term care facility at UBC Hospital. Some of the patients have no family or visitors, therefore they have no one to buy them Christmas presents.
This is where we come in. On December 3, cards will be passed out with the patient’s name on one side and the gift they are hoping to receive on the other side. Some items have been pre-bought and will be available to purchase at the same time.
It is important to have the “Christmas gifts” returned to St. Mark’s by December 17, in a Christmas bag with the gift tag firmly attached & the name of patient visible. These residents have appreciated our friendship so much in the past. Thank you in advance.
Holiness in Advent: A Time of Adoration with the Jesuit Saints
Reflection by Fr. Robert Allore, SJ
Tuesday, December 5 at 6pm – St. Mark’s Parish
You’re invited to come and spend an hour of prayer, music, and reflection before the Blessed Sacrament. This season of Advent is an opportune time to spend time with God, holding fast to the “blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour”, and to prepare our hearts for Christmas.
As it is a month after the Feast of All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus, we would also be remembering in a special way, here at the Jesuit parish of St. Mark, their lives and the holiness
that they have exemplified and ask for their intercession in our Advent journey.
Pizza social to follow at Plato’s Cave!
Advent Concert evening with the Sam Rocha Trio (+ guest).
Saturday, Dec 2. 6:00pm
November 2023
St. Mark’s Parish Film Series presents:
Shoes of the Fisherman
a 1968 film that follows the story of a former political prisoner who becomes Pope and faces the challenges of global politics and humanitarian crises.
Beautifully photographed, the film depicts the fictional election of the first slavic pope,
a full decade before the actual election
St. John Paul II. With an all-star cast featuring Anthony Quinn, Oskar Werner, Laurence Olivier, and John Gielgud, The Shoes of the Fisherman provides a message of hope that speaks
to our present global moment.
Thursday, Nov 30, 5:30pm in Plato’s Cave
Join us for an evening of film, food and community.
Annual Gold Mass for Scientists at UBC
Celebrant: Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB
Friday November 24, 2023, 12:10pm
St. Mark’s Parish, UBC – 5935 Iona Drive, Vancouver
This mass is dedicated to Science students, faculty and staff from UBC, SFU and other post-secondary institutions as well as scientists and science educators.
All are invited to join us!
A reception will follow in Plato’s Cave adjacent to the church, hosted by St. Mark’s at UBC, SFU Catholic Chaplaincy and the Society
of Catholic Scientists, with funding from the John Templeton Foundation.
Pay parking is available at the North Parkade (6115 Student Union Blvd) & the Rose Garden Parkade (6278 NW Marine Dr)
For more information, please visit catholicscientistsvan.org
Dinner is served!
We welcome you to St. Mark’s as your “home away from home”
Join us for a hot meal after the 4:30pm mass in Plato’s Cave (5:30pm) after mass on:
Nov 5 (Chili and pies)
Nov 12 (Menu TBD)
Advent “4n4n4” Retreat 2023
4 Prayer Periods in 4 Weeks and 4 Sessions of Spiritual Direction (an easy Intro to Prayer, Discernment, & Spirituality)
- An Online Retreat
- A Basic Practicum of Prayer
- Introduction to Interiority, & Spirituality
- Discerning God’s Voice in your heart & soul.
- Focusing on your personal Experience
- Tailored to your personal Life
The Retreat focuses on your actually Experiencing God:
Opening Session: Tuesday – 7:00 pm, 2023 November 14th
• Weekly: meet (online) with your Retreat Director
• Space Limited
• Cost: Free, + Processing Fee: $30 (bursaries available)
• Registration Deadline: 2023 November 01
• Info or Registration: http://jsav.ca/upcoming-events.html
• Contact: coordinator@jsav.ca
October 2023
Moms and Tots at St. Mark’s
First Moms & Tots Event – October 23 at St. Mark’s Chapel 12:50pm
We are excited to announce the first Moms & Tots event of this year!
We are gathering to pray the rosary together to celebrate this month of the Holy Rosary. Please join us after the 12:10pm weekday mass on Monday, October 23. We will meet at the church entrance around 12:50pm after mass ends. Prayer guide handouts will be provided as well as extra rosaries for those who would like to borrow them. You may bring your young children, and all mothers are welcome to join us. Snacks will be provided.
The Newman Association of Vancouver invites you to celebrate
MASS FOR THE FEAST DAY OF ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN & FRIENDSGIVING SOCIAL
Saturday, October 7, 11am
St. Mark’s Parish (UBC Campus)
Reception follows at Plato’s Cave after Mass https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/newman-mass-2023-feast-day-of-st-john-henry-newm-tickets-719614695927
Super, Natural Vancouver – Christian Witness and Mission in a Secular Age
What is the role of traditional Christianity in a region noted for its lack of traditional religious belief or attendance at church?
The City of Vancouver in British Columbia statistically reports “no religion” as the number one “religious identity.” Scholars have argued that part of the reason Christianity struggles on the West Coast is that Christendom was never fully established here. And yet, Christian communities continue to worship, work and witness in the midst of this increasingly secular context, where residents express their spirituality through what one scholar calls “reverential naturalism.”
Over the last five years, missiologist Ross Lockhart has conducted an ethnographic research project on Christianity in the city focusing on fourteen different sites. The study asks, “How are Christians in Vancouver today, as a minority expression of the majority secular population, organizing their communities, shaping their beliefs and expressing themselves in mission?” This includes exploring how Christians are interacting in their secular environment, and how Christian communities are equipping their members for witness and practice in the broader community.
Could it be that rather than simply declining, Christianity in the city is changing in response to such factors as immigration, decolonization, and pluralism?
The Annual Carr Lecture at St. Mark’s College, Vancouver, will be presented on Wednesday, October 11, at 7:00pm in St. Mark’s Chapel by Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart, Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall and Professor of Mission Studies
at Vancouver School of Theology. Learn more and register for free at beholdvancouver.org/events
First Communion Class Schedule 2023-2024
2023 Class meetings, Sundays, 10:40 -11:20 am, Room 308.
Oct 29 – while children are in class, Fr. Rob meets 1st communion parents for “Book group.”
Nov 12. – Regular class
Nov 26. – Regular class
Dec 3 — while children are in class, Fr. Rob meets 1st communion parents for “Book group.”
Dec 17 — last class before Christmas break
2024 Class meetings, Sundays, 10:40 -11:20 am, Room 308.
Jan 14 – Class restarts. Winter sessions begin
Jan 28. – Regular class
Feb 11 — while children are in class, Fr. Rob meets 1st communion parents for “Book group.”
Feb 25. – Regular class
Mar 10 — Easter lesson. Fr Rob joins class
April 7 — while children are in class, Fr. Rob meets 1st communion parents for “Book group.”
April 21. – Regular class
May 12 – Fr Rob reviews Reconciliation with children.
May 26 – 1st Communion rehearsal in chapel. 12:45 pm.
June 2 — CONFIRMED. 1st Communion graduation, 11:30 am Mass.
Harvesting the Graces Ignatian weekend retreat
Starts: Friday, Oct 27 at 3:30 PM
Completes: Sunday, Oct, 29, at 1:30 PM
Location: Bethlehem Centre, Nanaimo
Explore one of the foundational aspects of the spirituality of Ignatius of Loyola and a key to discernment – looking back with gratitude to see God’s activity, love and abundant blessing in our lives – so that we can look forward in hope to how God is calling us now and into the future.
One this silent weekend retreat, engage in scripture, poetry, music, time for personal prayer, silence and small group spiritual conversation. Enjoy fresh food and plenty of time to rest and explore the lake, gardens, and grounds of the retreat center.
September 2023
September (2023) at a Glance!
Sept 3, 2023: 4:30pm mass resumes
Sept 6, 2023: 12:10pm Wednesday Music Ministry and daily Liturgy
(11:30am rehearsal) every Wednesday.
Sept 7, 2023: Mass of the Holy Spirit: (Weekday celebration) 12:10pm Chapel
Sept 8, 2023: TGIFF Mass and Chili lunch (12:10pm Mass in Chapel) and chili lunch (12:45pm Plato’s Cave)
Sept 10, 2023: Mass of the Holy Spirit Sunday Celebration – All masses 9:30am, 11:30am, 4:30pm
Sept 10, 2023: Children’s Liturgy at both the 9:30am & 11:30am Masses, every other Sunday
Sept 12, 2023: Science and Faith Reflection Group: 7:00pm Chapel, continuing 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month
Sept 17, 2023: First Communion classes begin; 10:40 -11:20am, Room 308 (College building)
Sept 17, 2023: RCIA Sessions: Sundays, 1:00pm Chapel (location may vary between sessions)
Sept 17, 2023: Student CLC Faith Sharing: 5:45pm in room 308 and via Zoom
Sept 17, 2023: Confirmation Preparation: 12:45 — 2:00pm, Room 103 in the college building
Sept 19, 2023: Bible Study: 1:00pm via. Zoom. Continuing 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month.
Sept 23, 2023: Student hike: 8:00am-4:00pm. Location TBD
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
aturday, September 30, 2023
A Commemoration Gathering (funeral and memorial) is being hosted by the Stó꞉lō Nation on the weekend of Sept 30. All Indigenous groups throughout BC have been invited. It is a closed event.
Let’s pray for those who are attending as they grieve.
Our thoughts for continued healing will be greatly appreciated.
Prayer to St. Kateri Tekakwitha:
“Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, our elder sister in the Lord, discreetly, you watch over us; May your love for Jesus and Mary inspire in us words and deeds of friendship, of forgiveness, and of reconciliation. Pray that God will give us the courage, the boldness,
and the strength to build a world of justice and peace among ourselves and among all nations.
Help us, as you did, to encounter the Creator God, present in the very depths of nature, and so become witnesses of Life.
With you, we praise the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Amen. Holy founders of the Church in North America. Pray for us.”
Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be declared a Saint.
She is the patroness of the environment and ecology, as is St. Francis of Assisi.
Mass of the Holy Spirit -Weekday Celebration – September 7
Celebrate the opening of the academic year for Corpus Christi College and St. Mark’s College at St. Mark’s Parish Vancouver, UBC on September 7, Thursday at 12:10pm
Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB will be the main celebrant. More info at https://corpuschristi.ca/events/mass-of-the-holy-spirit-2023/
Mass of the Holy Spirit – Sunday Celebration – September 10
All masses 9:30am, 11:30am, 4:30pm
Student Hike – Sat, Sept 23, 2023
Meet in the Chapel Parking Lot 8:00am
We will return to the Parking Lot by 4:00pm
Hike location: Cypress Mountain
Please register with the Parish Office so that we can arrange tranportation.
Appropriate dress will include comfortable hiking boots or shoes with good support for rough hiking. Please bring a light sweater or jacket. You should bring a backpack to carry rain gear, your lunch, some water or tea/coffee in a thermos.
St. Mark’s Parish Film Series
Jesus of Montreal
Thursday, Sept 21, 5:30pm
in Plato’s Cave
Join us for an evening of film, food and community.
a 1989 Canadian drama film directed by Denys Arcand
A group of actors hired to modernize the Passion story of Jesus begin experience the events of the biblical story in a transformative way.
TGIFF – Thank Goodness it’s First Friday
Come and meet us!
On the first (or sometimes second) Friday of each month during the Academic year) we will meet for
Mass at 12:10pm in the Chapel
Chili lunch at 12:45pm in Plato’s Cave
Next date: Sept 8, 2023,
Future Chili lunch dates:
Baking Donors — Hospitality Volunteers
are needed forthe parish 9:30am, 11:30am and 4:30pm AFTER -MASS SOCIALS on Sundays.
Please sign-up in the hospitality binder at Plato’s Cave
Create Hope: Development and Peace – Caritas Canada Regional Assembly and Retreat
This weekend retreat aims to raise awareness in different social issues impacting our world, accompanied by meaningful spiritual reflection & opportunities to socialize. Open to everyone & all Development & Peace Councils in BC & Yukon.
From Friday, September 22, at 5:30pm to Sunday, September 24, at Carmel Hill, Little Flower Monastery in Deroche, BC. Cost is $60.
You can learn more or register here. Registration deadline: Monday, August 28
Listening to Indigenous Voices reflection group is back!
We will meet on:
Sunday, September 17, 11:00am-12:30pm in Room 300 (college building)
for a Welcome Back gathering where we will review the sessions from last spring and our process and discuss Session 6 – Early Encounters
The schedule for the rest of the series is below. Please mark your calendars!
October 15 – Session 7
October 29 – Session 8
November 12 – Session 9
November 26 – Session 10
December 10 – Session 11
If you are interested in attending, please contact the Parish to register.
August 2023
Let’s celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Come, join us this Tuesday,
August 15 – 12:10pm Mass at St. Mark’s Parish
Let’s celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Simply put, the dogma of the Assumption states that at the end of her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken, body and soul, into Heaven.
Aug 27, 2023: Religious olive wood carvings will be available for sale after the 9:30am and 11:30am Masses
These articles are hand crafted by the Christians of the Holy Land who are seeking your support to assist them in staying rooted in the land of Christ. A way to help preserve the local cultural heritage in danger of being lost, as more Christians feel pressured to leave their homeland for economic & political reasons.
70 years ago, the Christian population was 20 %, now it’s only 1.0%.
These special wood carvings can be used as gifts for first communions, Christmas and other occasions. In addition, some of these articles can be used as a means of praying and providing comfort, strength, and even hope for people who are suffering.
Yes, olive wood rosaries are available, ranging from $10 to $35 each!
Please note: ONLY CASH, E-TRANSFER, or CHEQUES are accepted as payment.
Blessings and thanks so much for your support… ~ The Holy Land Group ~
A Summer Picnic & BBQ Get-Together with the Newman Association of Vancouver!
Location: Rocky Point Park 2800 Murray St, Port Moody Time: Sat. Aug. 26 at 11am.
We’ll have hotdogs, burgers, skewers & other good mid-summer picnic meals. We have games, ice-breakers & opportunities to hang out & socialize with folks from the Newman and Catholic community. Kayak rentals available too!
Please RSVP by Wednesday, August 23 so we can account for how much food to prep!
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bbq-picnic-at-rocky-point-with-newman-tickets-687711883757?aff=oddtdtcreator
To cover prep costs, we ask attendees to come with a contribution of $5.00. Please bring cash, or transfer via Square (with a minimal transaction charge of 25 cents). Feel free to bring snacks and drinks to share!
Transportation: Please note that parking may be limited.
Rocky Point Park is 10 minutes away from Moody Centre Station if you decide to transit!
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