Around Town: Holy Days / Project Hail Mary, David Hayward, TWU beat UBC …

A couple of faith-friendly movies are playing in town, and the first one even has a strong Vancouver connection.

• Holy Days

Writing in the Vancouver Sun March 24, Dana Gee said:

In a world where bad news seems to make up much of the headlines, the movie Holy Days is a welcome distraction from the daily doom and gloom.

From Vancouver director/writer Nat [Nathalie] Boltt, Holy Days, out in theatres March 27, is a delightful comedy/drama set in 1970s New Zealand that focuses on a grieving 10-year-old Māori boy named Brian (Elijah Tamati) and his close pals, who happen to be a trio of eccentric, elderly nuns played by acting greats Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes and Jacki Weaver.

A charming, picturesque road trip film, Holy Days follows the unlikely foursome on a quest to save the old convent the nuns call home from the grip of a greedy developer and take Brian to Mt. Cook (Aoraki) for a life-changing experience.

Three nuns have to go on a road trip to save their convent in the new film Holy Days.

Gee notes that Boltt will be doing a Q&A after the film’s 6:45 pm premier screening at The Park Theatre this Friday (March 27). It will also be shown in Cineplex theatres around Metro Vancouver.

Go here for the full article.

During a March 17 interview on BC Creates, Boltt doesn’t give any indication that she is a Christian – but she certainly does appreciate the Catholic friend who wrote the book on which the movie is based:

I’d say that the film reflects my deep connection with the author, Dame Joy Cowley. Joy is a bit of an angel!

She has an otherworldly quality, based on her own beliefs and her near-death experience, where she ‘met her maker’ and was assured that all would be well and that she should return to her life and live it with joy. She really has lived up to her name!

I think I’m the irreverent one. People who know me and have seen the film have told me how they can see the ‘Nat Boltt’ in Holy Days. A little crazy, quite wild, a touch silly, but also serious and heart-broken at times.

Many of the comments on the official trailer site for Holy Days are along these lines: “It’s been while we have a movie featuring nuns that aren’t horror, thriller or somewhere in between. Just a heartfelt and enjoyable movie for families.”

• Project Hail Mary

Another movie receiving widespread acclaim – though it has no local connections as far as I know (lead actor Ryan Gosling is from Ontario) – is Project Hail Mary. A wide range of Christian voices are adding positive reviews.

For example, Brett McCracken, writing on the TGC (The Gospel Coalition) site, says:

It’s an instant sci-fi classic. Funny, moving, awe-inspiring, thrilling. And for Christian audiences, it’s the rare PG-13 movie that’s clean and wholesome without being cheesy (apart from one sexual innuendo only adults will get, the movie could be rated PG).

It’s a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster that families can enjoy together without fear. How refreshing.

But the film is edifying not only for what it doesn’t depict but for what it does. This is a redemptive story, beautifully told. As the title and the main character’s name (Ryland Grace) might suggest, Christian ideas infuse this film’s worldview, even if they’re not explicitly invoked. . . .

Project Hail Mary doesn’t preach the gospel. But it makes virtue look good. It makes selflessness, sacrifice and duty attractive. If the movie is a huge hit – and I expect it will be – perhaps Hollywood will take the hint. We’re not in postmodernism anymore. Goodness, truth and beauty are attributes we want in art again. Really, they’re what we’ve always wanted.

And Project Hail Mary is indeed doing well at the box office. As BBC News noted March 22:

Ryan Gosling’s sci-fi space adventure Project Hail Mary has rocketed to $140.9m (US) at the global box office, making it the biggest debut of the year so far.

Bishop Robert Barron, founder of the influential Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, has also given the movie an enthusiastic boost:

I just saw the much talked about film Project Hail Mary. It’s very entertaining and uplifting and features a fine performance from Ryan Gosling. But what most intrigued me were the powerful Christian themes at play in it. . . .

I know lots of people say that Christianity is in irreversible decline and that we are inhabiting, at least in the West, a post-Christian society. I’m not so sure. Like it or not, we remain a Christ-haunted culture – and a film like Project Hail Mary makes this clear.

Adam Kline wrote another positive review for Faith Today, concluding:

So, as the Season of Lent comes to a close, and followers of Jesus prepare for the highest of holidays (or holy days), why not welcome a story that suggests a deeper meaning. Why not congregate together and acknowledge the fact that we all crave connection, and are invited to participate in a mission that can save us all.

Both these movies will be around town for the next while.

David Hayward

David Hayward (1922 – 2026)

Last week I wrote about a widely admired Christian leader who died earlier this month – James Houston, founding Principal of Regent College. It turns out that I missed the fact that another impressive leader passed away the same week (March 12) – also at the age of 103.

He was clearly a man of many talents who chose who made some wise and compassionate choices over the years.

Here is the online obituary:

David, an only child, was born December 24,1922, and grew up in Kitsilano. After a few years at UBC, he joined the RCAF during the Second World War and trained as a rear gunner.

He returned to UBC and graduated from the first UBC law class in 1948. While at UBC he met Ruby and they were married June 3, 1949.

Shortly after, they moved to Kelowna where David practiced law, and their first two children, David and Stephen were born.

Four years later, they felt God was calling them to go to India as missionaries. They sailed to India in 1954, had two more children while there, Janet and Timothy, and worked side by side, faithfully encouraging and mentoring the Soura church for 12 years.

In 1968 the family moved back to Vancouver and were refused permission to return to India. David and Ruby became ‘houseparents’ at Carey Hall, a men’s dorm at UBC. During that time, David returned to UBC to get a degree in Special Education, the first class of its kind, and began volunteering with the Vancouver Association for the Mentally Handicapped, where he made many friends.

In 1974 David and Ruby began Joy Fellowship, a Christian ministry for people with disabilities, built on a foundation of faith and love, which celebrated its 50th anniversary a few years ago.

During the years pastoring Joy Fellowship, David and Ruby worked on translating the old testament into the Soura language, They received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Carey Theological College, for their work.

David was an educated, intelligent man with a deep well of diverse life experience, unyielding faith and extraordinary accomplishment.

The past few years were challenging ones for him but, he was able to stay in his suite until a week before his death.

In lieu of flowers we request that any donation be made to Joy Fellowship in memory of David.

David was predeceased by Ruby, his wife of 75 years, and his parents, Franklin and Madeleine Hayward. He will be missed by his children, David, Stephen (Sherri), Janet (Doug) and Timothy, his 10 grandchildren, Keyo, Tayu, Sean, Mikael, Rachael, Danielle, Brock, Kyle Derrick, and Lucas, and 11 great grandchildren: Lilikoi, Timber, Alfred, Edith, Poppy, Jolene, Logan, Leo, Maxine, Ruby and Madison.

A memorial service will be held April 18, 1:20, at Trinity Baptist Church (49th & Granville). Associate Pastor Lee Boehm of Trinity Baptist prayed for the family and friends of Dave Hayward, who was a member there, during the March 15 service (at the 41 minute mark).

I posted an article in 2018 about Dave and Ruby Hayward’s missionary work: ‘Local couple played a part in dramatic growth of Soura church in India.’

TWU beat UBC

Trinity Western University has a really impressive record on the Canadian university volleyball scene – and they proved it again March 15 against cross-town rival University of British Columbia.

A report on the U Sports site (‘Trinity Western outlasts UBC in five sets to capture eighth Tantramar Trophy’):

The Trinity Western Spartans are back on top of Canadian university men’s volleyball.

Trinity Western captured its eighth national championship on Sunday night, defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 3-2 (25-22, 15-25, 26-24, 11-25, 15-8) in the gold-medal match at the 2026 BioSteel U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship at the Toldo Lancer Centre [in Windsor, Ontario].

The Spartans finish the season with a 24-3 record (17-3 Canada West) and reclaim the Tantramar Trophy after a thrilling five-set battle between two of the nation’s perennial powers.

UBC, which entered the match with an identical 24-2 record and a Canada West-best 19-1 mark, settles for silver – the program’s third national runner-up finish and ninth medal overall. . . .

[Kaden] Schmidt led the Spartans with 24 kills, while [Piers] De Greeff added 21 as Trinity Western recorded 61 team kills in the victory. Setter Anselm Rein orchestrated the offence with 47 assists and was named tournament MVP. . . .

For Trinity Western, Schmidt was named the Spartans’ player of the match after a dominant offensive performance in the title-clinching victory.

With the win, the Spartans add another chapter to one of the most decorated programs in U SPORTS men’s volleyball history, while UBC leaves Windsor with another national medal following a season that saw the Thunderbirds dominate much of the Canada West campaign.

U Sports coordinates and oversees competitions and meets for university students across Canada in 10 sports each for men and women.

Another local school celebrated a big win not long before. The Vancouver College Fighting Irish beat Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Dolphins for the senior boys basketball provincial title earlier this month – the first time they had won since 1967 – despite having a very strong program over the years.

The Vancouver Sun noted:

It’s the program’s sixth title at B.C.’s top hoops tier, setting a record. The Richmond Colts, Burnaby South Rebels and Oak Bay Bays all have five provincial banners. Saturday marked Vancouver College’s 11th trip to the finals as well, establishing another standard for the tournament, which dates back to 1945.

Events are listed below, but there is also an Events page and a Jobs page on the Church for Vancouver site.