P ♰ C

Connecting Catholics in parishes across Vancouver Island

recent posts

  • Changing Your Mind

    Changing Your Mind

    by Jean Allen

    “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The Greek word, which was later translated by St. Jerome (342-420 AD) as ‘repent’, is metanoeite (meta-new-it) from which the word ‘metanoia’ comes. St Jerome translated it as paenetentia or repent but metanoeite means ‘a primal change of mind, worldview or way of processing and receiving’. Jesus was saying, “You need a change of mind; you need a change in how you perceive yourselves in relation to God.” Jesus came to change our minds and our ways of perceiving, processing and receiving God. 

    Repent means ‘change your mind’ so it’s not far off the original Greek but the most common perception of repent is to regret and be sorry for your sins. As important as this is for our spiritual growth and balance, it wasn’t Jesus’s first concern. His first concern was that the faith world-order of that time was a completely distorted understanding of the heart of God and of people’s relationship to God. 

    The encounter between Jesus and Peter and Andrew at the Sea of Galilee is very indicative of Jesus’s determination to call people to metanoeite. He doesn’t tell the men to be sorry for their sins; he simply offers them the opportunity to change their view of who they really are and to experience his new way of living the Kingdom life. He called them to transformation, to go from being fishermen to being fishers of people.

    You might protest that in another Gospel Peter said, “Go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.”  That’s definitely repentance. However, this incident took place later after this initial calling and it happened after Jesus performed the miracle of nets laden with fish. Peter was overcome with the understanding that Jesus wasn’t just a simple charismatic teacher but that his power came from God. And, yes, when we experience the fullness of Jesus, it often creates in us a sense of unworthiness. But that’s not where he calls us to stay. If we stayed there, we wouldn’t get very far. Jesus didn’t want to leave Peter in his sinfulness.

    He wanted to bring him to metanoeite. 

  • Power Point

    Power Point

    by Jean Allen

    This isn’t the point of this Gospel passage but contrast John saying, “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God,” after he had witnessed the Spirit descend and rest on Jesus, with the Gospel where, from prison, he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if Jesus was the one who was to come or should they wait for another?

    When John asked that question, he was in a dark place physically and spiritually, a place where all of us have been at times in our lives. Maybe we weren’t in actual prison but perhaps we were imprisoned and paralyzed by fear and doubt rising from difficult circumstances in our lives. John had seen Jesus, baptized him and saw the Holy Spirit descend on him. It was a mountain top moment for John and he absolutely believed that Jesus was the Messiah. But in the dark, a mountain top moment can easily dissipate and even the most spiritual of people can fall prey to wondering if their mountain top elation was just a delusion after all.

    I know you’ve been there. Everybody has. We just don’t say it out loud because of the fear of being judged spiritually inadequate and maybe making God sad. When you feel like that, remember John the Baptist, who didn’t keep his doubts hidden and festering. He asked Jesus up front, “Are you the one?” John didn’t fear that Jesus would hold a grudge against him – and Jesus didn’t. He sent back to John a most comforting message that he indeed was the one everyone was waiting for. He says it to us too.

    “Yes, I am the one you are waiting for. There is no mistake. From the darkness of your prison walls, it might not seem like it but the Spirit descended on me and anointed me to be your saviour. Fear not!”

    Maybe it is the point after all.

    Webmaster’s note: Image by Vincentian Mindwalk, https://johnfreund.net/

  • From the Chancery

    …in case you are not on their mailing list…

    Dear friends,

    We have three items to share with you today:

    1) The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer Service will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2026, during the evensong service at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria (930 Burdett Avenue). The service begins at 4:00 pm, and there will be a reception to follow. Christians from across Vancouver Island will gather to reflect on and celebrate our common faith. All are welcome to participate, either in person at Christ Church Cathedral or via livestream at: https://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/live

    2) Voices in Motion is seeking “duets” for its winter choir session—each duet is an adult experiencing memory loss together with their caregiver. No singing experience is needed; you are welcome to visit a rehearsal and give it a try. Rehearsals are 90 minutes of music and community, with choirs meeting Wednesdays at Sacred Heart Parish Hall and Fridays at the UVic MultiFaith Centre. For more information, please visit www.voicesinmotionchoirs.org

    3) We are pleased to congratulate Tony Joe on being named Chamber Member of the Year for 2026 by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. A parishioner at St. Patrick’s Parish in Victoria, Tony also serves on the Diocesan Building Commission and is the realtor for Saint Clare Villa, a 24-unit life-lease condominium building for seniors located adjacent to St. Patrick’s Parish. Read more here: https://www.rcdvictoria.org/diocesanblog/parishioner-recognition-tony-joe

    Many thanks,

    Marie D’Souza
    Communications Coordinator
    Diocese of Victoria

  • News from the Chancery

    As always, in case you are not on the RCDVictoria mailing list, here is the latest from the Chancery:

    Dear friends,

    We have two items to share with you today:

    1) Registration for Camp Homewood has been extended to January 16, 2026. This annual Diocese of Victoria Retreat takes place from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at Camp Homewood on Quadra Island. Youth in grades 7–12 are invited to register for this weekend retreat. This year’s theme is “Blessed Are You.” The cost is $195 per participant, which includes all food, accommodation, and activities. Please register at: https://camp-homewood-2025.eventbrite.ca. For more information, please contact: stpatrickhw@gmail.com

    2) The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer Service will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2026, during the evensong service at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria (930 Burdett Avenue). The service begins at 4:00 pm, and there will be a reception to follow. Christians from across Vancouver Island will gather to reflect on and celebrate our common faith. All are welcome to participate, either in person at Christ Church Cathedral or via livestream at: https://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/live

    Many thanks,

    Marie D’Souza
    Communications Coordinator
    Diocese of Victoria

  • The Equality of Love

    The Equality of Love

    – posted by Jean Allen

    As the Lord of all creation, does Jesus think he’s better than us? What if he doesn’t? Would that make a difference as to how you relate to him? It’s something to deeply ponder because at the beginning of his public ministry, he did not count himself as better than anyone else.

    Jesus is in such solidarity with us humans that he insisted that he be baptized by John ‘to fulfill all righteousness’. He didn’t deem himself better than us; he didn’t feel embarrassed to submit to a sacrament of cleansing that he didn’t need. He wanted to be one with us in all ways, as God was calling him to do. That was the righteousness he was fulfilling: willingly submitting fully to God’s plan and mission. Those of us who were baptized as infants couldn’t make a conscious decision to submit fully to God’s will, plan and mission for our lives but we have had a plethora of opportunities since to consciously submit ourselves to God. Every time we participate in a baptism, we are invited to renew our baptismal vows and we should be very aware of what we are doing and who we are consecrating ourselves to. It should also make us very aware that Jesus considers himself one of us. He never at any time acted as if he was better or deserved more than anyone else and he is very blessed when we treat each other the same way we treat him. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, that you do to me.” 

    It’s easy to just rip off the replies to the baptismal vows without much thought but it actually could be a very enlightened time for us all. A whole church full of people are re-presenting their baptisms – making their baptisms present again. A whole church full! I think that if we all listened very carefully and openly at that time, we would hear something amazing. It would be the voice of God saying,

    “These are my daughters and sons, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased!”    

  • RC Diocese of Victoria 2025 Christmas Mass Schedule

    To find the 2025 Christmas Mass schedule by location, please click here: https://www.rcdvictoria.org/events/2025-christmas-mass-times 

  • You Have Got To Be Kidding!

    You Have Got To Be Kidding!

    ~ Jean Allen

    Just like us, Mary and Joseph had their life plans. And, just like what often happens to us, their plans were disturbingly upended and they were thrown into a set of confusing circumstances that called for stark faith that God was in control. Sure, it’s great to have a name for the baby but WHAT ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE??

    Just like us, Mary and Joseph were called to walk in that stark faith by taking one day, one step and one moment at a time. As we are doing right now, they had to wait for the arrival of Jesus, knowing that at the same time Jesus was already with them. All Mary and Joseph could do in the midst of uncertainty was trust and wait day by day and moment by moment. And that’s all we can do. 

    We tend to think that Mary and Joseph didn’t have to struggle like we do with anxious thoughts about uncertain situations. We think that they never privately asked themselves if what they had heard and experienced was really true because it all seemed so bizarre. We struggle and have doubts in our secret hearts about difficult situations and feel less than holy because real holy people don’t struggle the way we do.

    I think that if you could talk to Mary and Joseph right now, they would disabuse you of the notion that holiness means being perfect, never doubting and never fearing what’s coming. Holiness doesn’t mean perfection; holiness means consecration. A cracked cup consecrated to hold the body of Christ is holy, not because of its perfection but because of its contents. Mary and Joseph were consecrated to God and assented to the contents of their lives completely changing from the contents they had always assumed would be theirs into the contents that God desired them to hold. God didn’t choose them for their perfection but for their willingness.

    So, “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in.” (Leonard Cohen)

  • Parish Connections – December 2025

    Dear Catholic friends,
    I am so happy to be able to share the list of Christmas services for the Diocese and so am sending this off to you today. https://www.rcdvictoria.org/events/2025-christmas-mass-times

    We also have permission from Jean Allen, to include her reflections often found on the front of St Joseph the Worker’s bulletin, (see “the Wilderness Way” from Dec 9, 2025 by clicking here: https://parishconnections.ca/ )

    At St Joseph the Worker, I have snipped this beautiful service I have been attending. The Geras family played the music last Friday.  (Advent Vespers are being led by a lay person):

    Note: The three Fridays in December 2025 are the 5th, the 12th and 19th of December

    As some of you cannot open attachments…see below the things we know about and you can also find them shortly here: https://parishconnections.ca/bulletin-board/

    If you hear of, know of or can snap a picture of things going on in your Parishes, Catholic schools or hospitals, Pamela will be popping round to meet people in the New Year, (after 16 Jan). Some events we realize are for Parishioners only and we want to be respectful and are not data-mining your December bulletins; these offerings we have received ourselves from you (thank you!) or are from bulletins where we attend.  News from the Chancery is also shared on our website.

    We also wish to regularize our communication to you in the New Year using our website and, you will be able to choose what, and how often you want to hear from us. More to come.

    Have a wonderful Advent Season!

    Pamela
    P♰C (Parish Connections)

    p.s. check out And, https://www.rcdvictoria.org/events/december-28-mass-for-jubilee-rite-of-closing; the official closing ceremony of the Jubilee of Hope is in Rome on January 6, 2026.

    Sacred Heart Parish – Advent Reconciliation Service
    St. Andrew’s Cathedral – Simbang Gabi 9-day mass schedule: Filipino tradition of the Novena for Christmas
    St. Andrew’s High School – Advent Carol Concert
  • The Joy of New

    The Joy of New

    ~ Jean Allen

    John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and his general perception of God was definitely Old Testament based. Therefore, he preached the wrath of God in a way that Jesus, who ushered in the New Testament, did not. John may have even been confused by Jesus’s ways of proclaiming the Kingdom because after his arrest, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one who was supposed to come or should they wait for another. “Jesus said, “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard (the blind see etc.) …and blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Jesus’s way of gentle and compassionate preaching, teaching and healing could have been a real stumbling block to anyone with an Old Testament mentality. 

    Even today we need to search our hearts to see if we are harboring any remnants of an Old Testament mentality. This is a mentality that fears the wrath and judgement of God and then turns around and feels justified in having self-righteous wrath and judging others. Jesus came to disentangle us from that way of living our spirituality, a way that is so easy and satisfying to slip into. But Jesus calls us to flatten those mountains of judgement and wrath. Don’t stumble over the idea that the wrath of God is just waiting to catch us out as if we’re all worthless reprobates. 

    Don’t miss the part in today’s Gospel where Jesus says that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist. John was born of a woman but we, the least in the Kingdom, are born of the Spirit of Christ. John was called to be John but we are called to be other Christs walking in the Spirit and bringing goodness and peace to all we meet, not walking in terror of judgement but in the joy of being loved and sharing love. 

    The Advent of our God, indeed!

  • Novena – Simbang Gabi

    St. Andrew’s Cathedral
    740 View Street, Victoria BC
    Dec 15-23, 2024 at 7 PM

    This Christmas, join us for the 9-day Filipino tradition, Simbang Gabi.

    This novena reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas — faith, hope and the joy of His coming.

    Simbang Gabi 2025 – at St. Andrew’s Cathedral
    Simbang Gabi 2025 – Mass line-up at St. Andrew’s Cathedral