For over 400 years, Jesuits and their colleagues have had a presence across Canada. In this series igNation invites you to join us as we travel across Canada stopping at cities where there are Jesuit apostolates to read personal reflections about the city and the work being done there. Our first stop – Vancouver, British Columbia.
My Vancouver is not really Vancouver. I/we, the Jesuit community, live on the Endowment Lands of the University of British Columbia. We are a separate municipality and cannot vote for most Vancouver officials. We even have our own police force – the RCMP.
After a dismal 2013/14 season, the local NHL hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, have made the playoffs this year. They hope for greater things to come with a new coach, general manager, and several promising young players. Toronto take notice? Makeovers in hockey are possible.
That being said we live in a wonderful setting surrounded by Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Looking North we can view the nearest mountains with glimpses of ocean as one walks the domain.
The Society of Jesus was present in Vancouver early in the 20th century. Arriving in 1923, the Jesuits were asked by Archbishop, Timothy Casey, to open a parish, and establish a classical college. Parish ministry became our principal work as two attempts to start a classical college in the Dunbar area failed. Immaculate Conception parish, added a four room grade school by 1926. The sisters of the Sacred Heart taught 50 students in these early years.
Later, in 1954, the present school was opened and staffed by the Sisters of St. Ann. By 1980 the school was staffed entirely by lay personnel with an enrollment of 200.
Jesuits were also instrumental in starting two other parishes in the diocese – one for the Slovak community and one for Hungarian Latin rite Catholics. In addition, Fr. Bert Leahy took on native ministry at the nearby Musqueam reserve. A number of the children of the reserve attend the parish school to this day. He is still fondly remembered at Immaculate Conception. It is reported that he was a friend of chief Dan George, the native leader and actor of “Dances with Wolves” fame.
The Jesuits left Immaculate Conception, Dunbar and Vancouver in 1984.
After a hiatus of 22 years, the Jesuits returned to British Columbia to work as U.B.C. university/hospital chaplains in addition to parish ministry. Formerly St. Ignatius of Antioch parish we have been renamed St. Mark’s to harmonize with the graduate school of the same name. On the same site is Corpus Christi College, an undergraduate Catholic institution that offers the first two years of University education. CCC is hoping to soon offer a four year bachelor of education degree.
Two members of the local community reside outside the endowment lands. Fr. Richard Soo, the superior of the community, is the pastor of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish in Richmond B.C., while Fr. Bill Wilson, lives and works in the capital of the province, Victoria, doing workshops for Earth Literacy.