P ♰ C

Connecting Catholics in parishes across Vancouver Island

recent posts

  • Turn Debt into Hope walk – Nov. 13, 2025

    Development and Peace – Caritas Canada

    We had a very successful walk with 17 people participating. One made a nice poster to lead the walk. Another took pictures. 7 parishes were represented and 3 community members.

    The script was read as we moved from St. Patrick’s School, to Eric Martin Pavilion, part of Royal Jubilee Hospital, to a branch of TD Canada Trust and back to St. Patrick’s Church. We learned about the unjust and unsustainable debt carried by the poorest of countries. Interest payments on the debt impact their ability to fund education and health care in their countries. Our petition calls on global leaders to establish a permanent, transparent, binding and comprehensive debt framework within the United Nations.

    A few signed the petition, but everyone else had signed in the Spring. The rain held off as we navigated the 1.4 km walk through Victoria drizzle.

    Our St. Patrick’s Parish collected a total of 120 signatures.

    To sign the petition go to devp.org/debt.

    ~ submitted by Nancy on behalf of Development and Peace, St. Patrick’s Church, Victoria, BC

  • Pope Leo Live

    Well, not live today: Pope Leo was recorded live in conversation with the youth at the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Friday, November 21st .

    What can youth do today to help the church today to “strengthen the church now and in the years to come?” Pope Leo says by getting involved in our parishes, by participating in youth groups, in the mass, in adoration. Wherever we are called, to whatever vocation, trust in Jesus who will lead us to true happiness; we can rely on the Church to guide us and provide the formation we need to bring us closer to God.

    Pope Leo is praying for all of us, as we pray for him. Wherever we are, we are called to be missionary disciples. Jesus seeks to guide us, to love us, to nurture us along the path.

  • Pilgrimage Friday!

    November 28, 2025 is a pilgrimage day in Victoria! The CWL at St. Joseph the Worker Parish have organized a pilgrimage to St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Come join us if you can!

    During this year of the Jubilee of Hope, pilgrimages that meet certain requirements grant the pilgrims an indulgence. A second pilgrimage grants an indulgence to a soul in purgatory, so even if you have attended a pilgrimage this year, there are multiple benefits to your faith formation, your soul and the souls of those who have passed on before us.

    Since this was all new to me, I created a Pilgrimage infographic to summarize my research — check it out, if you are interested!

    We have room on our bus; if you are interested in coming on the pilgrimage, send me a note on the form below.

    Agenda
    10am — adoration at St. Joseph the Worker Parish
    10:45am — send off and blessing by Fr. Alfredo
    11am — bus departs for St. Andrew’s Cathedral (declared a pilgrimage site by Bishop Gary)
    12pm — mass at St. Andrew’s followed by lunch (bring a bagged lunch) in
    1:15pm — bus back to St. Joseph the Worker
    Pilgrimage Agenda for November 28, 2025 in Victoria, BC. St. Joseph the Worker Parish is located at 753 Burnside Road West.

    St. Andrew’s school has kindly donated the use of their 24-seat bus; we are asking for donations to cover the driver’s wages. Please bring what you can.

    Again, if you are interested in coming on the pilgrimage, let us know by submitting the form below. We only have a few spots, so they will be given on a first come, first served. Hope you can join us! 🙂

    ← Back

    Thank you for your response. ✨

  • Giving Tuesday 2025

    From SSVP – Vancouver Island

    Let’s make a difference together on Tuesday, December 2nd

    The season of giving is upon us, and this year, we’re thrilled to once again participate in Giving Tuesday, a Global Day of Generosity taking place on December 2nd.

    The focus of our campaign this year is food security. On Vancouver Island, food insecurity has reached a record high, with one in five residents expressing concerns about food security. Additionally, food banks are seeing a 24% increase in demand over the past year, indicating a growing need for assistance.*Food Banks BC This Giving Tuesday, our goal is to raise $70,000 to help with this ever-increasing need.

    From November 26 through December 2, every dollar you donate will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $10,000. 

    This means that your gift will have twice the impact, doubling the support we can provide for those in need. 

    How to Contribute:

    Online: Use our Giving Tuesday Donation Form 

    By Phone: Call us at 250-727-0007 ext 2051.

    By Mail: Send cheques to:                                                  
    Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Vancouver Island                                      
    4353 West Saanich Rd., Victoria, BC V8Z 3E8

    In Person: Visit our Main Office (4353 West Saanich Rd.) or drop off donations at our Social Concern Office, Thrift Stores, or affiliated conferences/parishes.

    Important: Please mention “Giving Tuesday” with any phone, mail, or in-person donation so it counts toward our $70,000 goal.

    Spread the Word: Share our campaign on social media and tag us!

    With your help, we can reach this goal. Your generosity means so much to us, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support of our mission. 

    Wishing you a joyful holiday season filled with peace, love, and blessings.

    Thank you,
    Heather Jones
    Director of Communications and Fundraising
    Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Vancouver Island
    SOCIETY OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL – VANCOUVER ISLAND
    FEED | CLOTHE | HOUSE | SUPPORT | SERVE

    4353 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 3E8
    Call us: 250-727-0007

  • Christmas stamps

    This new stamp is very beautiful. What a way to invite people to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

    Here is the link to buy 12 postage stamps to mail an old fashioned Christmas card (with thanks, Pam):

    store.canadapost-postescanada.ca/store-boutique/en/114303/p/christmas-2025-booklet-of-12-permanent-stamps

  • What event type works the best to fundraise for the best return?

    A recent community dinner event was hosted by Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in the Lourdes Hall, St. Patricks Parish, in Victoria.

    Several questions that arose during the planning this event: What does one have to know to have an event set up and then run? Where do you rent the tablecloths? Yikes, we don’t have enough glasses! Where will we get those? What temperature does the Hobart machine have to be for “FoodSafe”?  Which caterer do we want to hire?

    Fortunately, thanks God, we had an amazing working group who made this happen (for example, all the table flowers that were so beautifully arranged came from a friend’s garden)! And, of course, the government strike gave us a few additional challenges but, thankfully again, we had a full house and a lovely evening.

    SSVP Conference Sacred Heart Victoria recently hosted a simple Pasta Dinner. I was told it was a hit, and the cost was – by donation! I first heard about this at the SSVP AGM, from Donalda (a Conference member in Nanaimo) who ended up raising more than a $2000 to help those in need!

    Did you go to Sacred Hearts Bazaar with Mirium, from their CWL? OLORs Broken Gold/Silver Jewelry Collection had a table there, maybe you saw it? The jewelry was first offered for sale to a goldsmith jeweller, with the remaining Vintage jewelry going for sale on consignment in Oak Bay, the remaining costume jewelry was first set up for sale on a rented table at the CWL hosted Bazaar, and any still left was donated to St Patrick’s CWL’s  upcoming “Good Used Clothing Sale event”. A good fun run for over 5K collected, so far.

    And you can see from the photo the kind of funds that can be raised by running fun events.

    Please share your event results with us with a brief blog post; I’m sure others will be happy to hear about your ideas, too.

    Pamela & Katherina

  • Food Safe Requirements for Event Planning

    In the last 2 months, a number of Parishes have organized public fundraising events. One of the aims of our unofficial community initiative, Parish Connections, is to share wisdom. In this, my first year of volunteering within the Diocese of Victoria — by serving on the OLOR Core fundraising committee (to re-build Our Lady of the Rosary Parish), as a Vincentian, and as a member of CWL — I am actively seeking knowledge about local norms and practises around events. My latest focus includes investigating policies for the safe serving of food or alcohol, for event liability and for requirements to legally offer gaming (50/50, Silent Auctions, License Raffles – using online platforms and/or in person) at events.

    Why am I doing this? Well, I have to thank Melissa, St Joseph the Worker Parish in Victoria for sending me on this path. Their CWL was hosting a League Development Day and needed information on FoodSafe requirements. Although I was one of two people who took the “in-person” course on compliance, Melissa (Admin Assistant to the Pastor) phoned directly and got valuable clarification along with a helpful document called “Planning Guide for Temporary Events (SEP) and Food Markets” (there’s a link to the document below).

    From Melissa: “I also spoke with the Environmental Public Health Office. Here are the guidelines for food service at the parish, straight from the Public Health Inspector.”

    Melissa shared her contact name with me, in case I had further questions, and helped me better understand the difference between private and public food handling requirements.

    You may already know all this, but I didn’t and promised to share.

    Here’s the planning guide:

    planning-guide-temporary-events-and-food-markets.pdfDownload

    When Melissa spoke with a Public Health Inspector from the Environmental Public Health Office, they summarized the guidelines for food service at a parish: for temporary events that are public gatherings, such as a garage sale or bazaar, if there is food vending (where food is prepared, like on a BBQ), then we do need approval from Island Health.

    However, for non-public (aka private) gatherings, we do not require approval from Island Health, nor are the food handlers required to have a FOODSAFE certificate. Certificates are only required when the food is intended for public consumption.

    Events which are for members of the community and invited guests are considered private gatherings, and they are not covered by VIHA. This includes pancake breakfasts, potlucks, bake sales, coffee fellowships, senior lunches, and receptions for funerals and baptisms, even where fees are collected.

    But note: regarding our food establishment permit, we are no longer required to have one because most of our events are private and temporary permits would be obtained for the occasional public gathering. However, in order to rent out the kitchen, it must be inspected by the Public Health Office every year.

    ….if you have any further questions about the requirements or a specific event, please feel free to contact Rachel at the Public Health Office:  Gateway_office@islandhealth.ca or 250-519-3401.

    Pamela

  • News from the Chancery

    In case you are not on their list, here’s what’s new from RC Diocese of Victoria…

    Dear friends,

    We have five items to share with you today:

    1) St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Duncan is seeking a part-time office assistant/receptionist for 16.5 hours per week. The candidate will be the welcoming face of the parish, providing reception and office administrative services in various clerical capacities. A complete job description may be found on the St. Edward’s Parish website: https://stedwardsduncan.com/news

    2) On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Bishop Gary will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance for the clergy and religious who served in our Diocese who have died in the past year. The Mass will be held at noon; all are invited to participate, either in person at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria (740 View St), or via the Diocesan livestream at: https://youtube.com/live/2CT0a1AGN1g?feature=share

    3) On November 21, the Esquimalt United Church (500 Admirals Road) will host an ecumenical prayer session in The Way of Taizé at 6:00 pm. All are invited to join in this evening of prayer and song.

    4) Pope Leo XIV has released his message to young people for the 40th World Youth Day 2025. This year’s celebration will take place on November 23, 2025, the Solemnity of Christ the King, with the theme: “You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me” (Jn 15:27). Read the Holy Father’s full message here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/youth/documents/20251007-messaggio-xl-gmg.html

    5) Mount St. Mary Hospital will host its annual Christmas Market on Saturday, November 29th, from 10:00 am–2:30 pm at 861 Fairfield Road. Browse local vendors offering handmade gifts, baked goods, plants, Christmas décor, and more—plus enjoy live entertainment and a White Elephant Sale. Admission is free—everyone is welcome!

    Many thanks,
    Marie D’Souza
    Communications Coordinator
    Diocese of Victoria

  • Parish Connections – October 2025

    Good Day,
    To share or print the related flyers, please click here: https://parishconnections.ca/bulletin-board/ (if they are not yet uploaded, please find attached).

    ·       Thu., 16 Oct 2025, 3-5pm, L’Arche Comox Valley will host an information session @I Belong Centre. Everyone is welcome to come and learn more about L’Arche Comox Valley, their work, and their impact in the community. Please RSVP to Rita at communitylifecoord@larchecomoxvalley.org.

    ·       Fri., Oct 17, opening Mass at 9am, Diocesan Permanent Pastoral Synod 2025 Fall Plenary. Together with the Bishop’s Advisory Council and the Council of Priests, they will discern the questions to be explored in the next cycle of Listening Circles. All are invited to participate, either in person at Holy Cross Parish in Victoria (4049 Gordon Head Rd), or via livestream.  https://www.rcdvictoria.org/events/october-17-dpps-2025-fall-plenary-mass

    ·       Fri., 17 Oct 25, 6pm, @St. Patrick’s Parish, Lourdes Hall, (Victoria)
    Hosted by: Our Lady of the Rosary Parish – “Harvest Blessings Dinner” Enjoy BBQ Roasted Pig (Berryman Butchers Meat Ltd.) with a dinner buffet (including Stuffed Peppers), prepared by Executive Chef, Graham from “Island Culinary Service Inc.”  Dessert hails from the “Dutch Bakery and Diner”. Add a sparkling beverage from “Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse” in 120 glasses rented from, “Victoria Party Rentals”!

    A suggested donation(s) will procure a (or more) door prize ticket(s) or step behind the Green Screen, to “Quietly Tap” and help equip their new professional kitchen supporting a new Event Hall. A few tickets may still be available ($25ea) First come, first serve. Send an email to : Pamela, Vice Chair, OLOR Core Fundraising Committee (Email: olorbuildrchurch.org) to hold via e-transfer.

    ·       Sat., 18 Oct, 2025, 9am–1pm Sacred Heart’s Catholic Women’s League is holding their Annual Community Garage Sale @Sacred Heart Church Hall (4040 Nelthorpe Street, Victoria).

    ·      Sat., Oct 25- 9am–2pm, Catholic Women’s League Old Fashioned Fall Bazaar, @ Church of the Ascension, 887 Wembley Rd, Parksville

    ·       Turn Debt into Hope, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada Fall Campaign Workshops:
    Victoria area – Sat, Oct. 18, 9:30am – 1:30pm, lunch included.
    @St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, 2060 Haultain St. Victoria

    Nanaimo area – Sunday, Oct. 19, 11:00am – 3:00pm, brunch included.
    @Holy Trinity Parish Hall, 6234 Spartan Rd. Nanaimo

    ·       Nov 15 and 22, 10am–4pm The Diocese of Victoria is offering a two-day, in-person Marriage Preparation course on at Holy Trinity Parish in Nanaimo. Open to all, this course provides essential guidance for couples preparing for marriage. A joint Certificate of Completion will be issued upon completion of both sessions. Please register by October 26 here: https://in-person-marriage-prep-nov-2025.eventbrite.ca

    ·       Sat 22 Nov 25, 1-3:30pm Carols Of Hope @Coastline Church, 845 Caledonia Ave, Victoria. Organized by Our Lady of the Rosary Church. *If you want to perform, volunteer, or buy a ticket, please click: https://carolsofhope.com.

    Send in your events for us to share….Happy Thanksgiving!

    Katherina and Pamela,
    P♰C (Parish Connections)

  • News from the Chancery

    You should all be receiving these emails, too, but just in case you don’t…

    Dear friends,

    We have seven items to share with you today:

    1) On Friday, October 17, Listening Facilitators from across the Diocese will gather for the Diocesan Permanent Pastoral Synod 2025 Fall Plenary. Together with the Bishop’s Advisory Council and the Council of Priests, they will discern the questions to be explored in the next cycle of Listening Circles. All are invited to participate in the opening Mass at 9:00 am, either in person at Holy Cross Parish in Victoria (4049 Gordon Head Rd), or via livestream. For more information and the livestream link, please visit: https://www.rcdvictoria.org/events/october-17-dpps-2025-fall-plenary-mass

    2)The Diocese of Victoria is offering a two-day, in-person marriage preparation course on November 15 and 22, from 10:00 am–4:00 pm at Holy Trinity Parish in Nanaimo. Open to all, this course provides essential guidance for couples preparing for marriage. A joint Certificate of Completion will be issued upon completion of both sessions. Please register by October 26 here: https://in-person-marriage-prep-nov-2025.eventbrite.ca

    3) The Diocese of Victoria is pleased to share that the solar panel installation at St. Joseph the Worker Parish is now complete and officially went online on September 19, 2025. The new solar system is expected to generate approximately 44,000 kWh of clean energy each year—covering nearly 90% of the parish’s electrical needs. Read more about this sustainable solar project here: https://www.rcdvictoria.org/news/completion-of-solar-panel-project-at-st.-joseph-the-worker-parish

    4) The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has released a new video series on Family Catechesis titled “Called to Witness and Proclaim.” Building on last October’s Pastoral Letter on Family Catechesis, the series offers accessible and engaging content for parish formation, family ministry, or personal reflection. Find the complete video series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=PLKPm9ivAroOMLZw5PQYsBcXXDWbARAD4N

    5) Sacred Heart’s Catholic Women’s League is holding their Annual Community Garage Sale Event on Saturday, October 18, 2025, from 9:00 am–1:00 pm at Sacred Heart Church Hall (4040 Nelthorpe Street, Victoria). Find new and used treasures, CWL baking, KofC BBQ, tea/coffee. Free admission, wheelchair accessible. Proceeds will support CWL charities.

    6) The Soup Kitchen, operating in the basement of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria, is looking for a Treasurer to join its Board of Directors. Working with the organization’s bookkeeper, the Treasurer oversees financial operations and provides monthly reports to the Board. If you’re interested in learning more, please email the Chair Teri Hustins at info@thesoupkitchen.ca. For over 44 years, as the city’s oldest volunteer-run food resource, The Soup Kitchen has been a comfort and a lifeline for the downtown community. Consider joining this dedicated team of volunteers and becoming part of this rewarding work.

    7) L’Arche Comox Valley will host an information session on October 16 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the I Belong Centre. Everyone is welcome to come and learn more about L’Arche Comox Valley, their work, and their impact in the community. Please RSVP to Rita at communitylifecoord@larchecomoxvalley.org.

    Many thanks,

    Marie D’Souza
    Communications Coordinator
    Diocese of Victoria