Around Town: Waiting for Pope Francis, UBC's Papal Bull, Neighbourhood Grants

Pope Francis has been invited to Vancouver to help change the spiritual atmosphere in the Downtown Eastside. (Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service; Jeon Han)

Pope Francis has been invited to Vancouver to help change the spiritual atmosphere in the Downtown Eastside. (Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service; Jeon Han)

A group of local citizens has invited Pope Francis to visit Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside; now it’s just a matter of waiting to see whether he will come. The interfaith group which sent the pope a letter includes Roman Catholic, United, Anglican and evangelical signatories, but was also supported by Muslim, Jewish and Aboriginal representatives.

A story by Jeff Lee in The Vancouver Sun said the effort to get Pope Francis to Vancouver “is the brainchild of Vancouver lawyer Tom Beasley,” a member of the United Church.

Beasley said:

I have travelled through the Downtown Eastside daily on a bus for 25 years, and I don’t see change. In fact, I see things worsening. It would appear that the organizations, governments of various levels and those who care about the Downtown Eastside have struggled and have not found solutions.

I have watched with great interest and amazement as a non-Catholic person the grace and humility, but focus, that the current Pope Francis gives to the marginalized.

Beasley reached out to friend and long-time homeless advocate Judy Graves, who agrees that problems in the Downtown Eastside have only gotten worse over the years:

I believe that this visit is necessary because overwhelmingly, the depths of poverty and homelessness are a spiritual problem. It is a spiritual problem of people who have wealth and power. It is caused by greed and by disdain of the poor and every time that we see a person thought less of, that person’s life is shortened.

I think it is everybody’s job to minister to the poor. I think where the pope has particular influence is being able to minister to the rich and the powerful. They need the ministry most.

Following is a portion of the letter to the pope:

Vancouver is one of the world’s most beautiful cities with much wealth – yet its urban core (the Downtown Eastside) has large growing numbers of persons who are homeless and who have mental disabilities. Many are indigenous peoples from remote reserves, often from communities of great despair. Our governments, churches and social agencies have not struggled hard enough to find solutions.

Your presence and message will bring a spotlight internationally to those concerns, and we are confident will start a dialogue towards resolution through engaged leadership from residents, governments, churches and social agencies.

Signatories for Christian groups were Tom Beasley (United Church of Canada), Judy Graves (Anglican Church of Canada), Kevin Gillese (Roman Catholic Church) and Karen Giesbrecht (Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada). (Cheryl Bear Barnetson signed for the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, but she is also ordained through the Canadian Foursquare Church.)

The other signatories were Rabbi Philip Bregman (Hillel House BC), Mufti Aasim Rashid (BC Muslim Association) and Susan Tatoosh (Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society).

The Vatican has received the letter. Now it is just a matter of waiting, and praying, to see what happens.

UBC acquires papal bull

UBC’s Katherine Kalsbeek and Richard Pollard admire the Papal bull acquired by UBC Library. The document was written in 1245. Credit: Don Erhardt

UBC’s Katherine Kalsbeek and Richard Pollard admire the papal bull acquired by UBC Library. The document was written in 1245. Photo by Don Erhardt

The University of British Columbia recently bought what is thought to be the oldest papal document in Canada, a medieval legal decree issued by Pope Innocent IV.

Here is part of the media release issued by UBC:

An extraordinary papal document that’s nearly 800 years old has become a valuable teaching and research tool at UBC, thanks to a history instructor’s passion and the university library’s restoration efforts.

The medieval gem, called a papal bull, was written in 1245. A legal decree issued in Latin by Pope Innocent IV to the Italian convent of San Michele in Trento, it features the signatures of the Pope and 13 cardinals (including future Pope Nicholas III).

While there are other papal bulls elsewhere in Canada, most are from the 15th century or later. UBC Library’s bull, which is housed in Rare Books and Special Collections and has also been digitized, is among the oldest of its kind in Canada.

For a related article about UBC’s purchase of “a manuscript whose scholarly impact stretches back to the 14^th century,” go here.

Neighbourhood Small Grants

Vancouver and several other local municipalities are paying people to reach out to their neighbourhoods and to make their cities greener. Well, not exactly, but they are giving grants of up to $1,000 to residents who come up with creative projects to strengthen their communities.

Neighbourhood Small Grants are available in 17 communities throughout Vancouver, the North Shore, Burnaby, North Surrey, New Westminster and Richmond through 12 community partners.

Here is how the purpose of the program is described:

The Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) program was created by the Vancouver Foundation in 1999. The program is based on a simple but powerful idea: when people feel a sense of connection and belonging to their neighbourhood, they are more likely to be engaged in activities that make it a better place to live.

When people are active in the life of their neighbourhood, our communities are strengthened from the ground up. The Connections and Engagement survey that Vancouver Foundation conducted in 2012 with 3,841 people from Metro Vancouver shows the power of this idea of connection and engagement.

NSG helps connect and engage residents in their community by encouraging them to come up with their own ideas for how their neighbourhood can be strengthened. Vancouver Foundation then funds those ideas. Small grants of up to $1,000 are available for projects started and completed by local residents.

Greenest City Neighbourhood Small Grants are available in six Vancouver communities.

The deadline to apply for grants is March 31; they will be awarded six to eight weeks after that, and projects must be completed before the end of November.

Mar 2015

Apr 2015

Vancouver Pastors Prayer Fellowship – April 1, 2015 at 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Business By the Book: David & Sara Robertson – April 1, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Dan Reynolds Prodigal Son Suite (Holy Week) – April 1, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Holy Week with Marty Haugen – April 2, 2015 - April 5, 2015 at All Day
Ian Sheh: Love Your Face One Hundred: Opening Reception – April 2, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Way of the Cross – April 3, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Rags for Righteousness: An Experiential United Good Friday Service – April 3, 2015 at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Perogy Night in Vancouver – April 3, 2015 at 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Seven Last Words by Franz Joseph Haydn – April 3, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
St. John Passion – April 3, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Vancouver Chamber Choir: Faure Requiem - The Good Friday Concert – April 3, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
St. John Passion – April 4, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Welcome the Light of Christ – April 4, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Greet the Easter Dawn – April 5, 2015 at 7:30 am - 8:30 am
Church Leaders Forum 2015: Heart & Soul of the City - Neighbourhood Mapping – April 7, 2015 at 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Prayer For Surrey – April 7, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Voices in Praise Quartet – April 8, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

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Around Town: Waiting for Pope Francis, UBC’s Papal Bull, Neighbourhood Grants

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