Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver (left) shaking hands with Adrian Dix, BC Minister of Health. With them is Eric Harris, chair, Providence Health Care Board of Directors. Photo: Government of BC / Flickr
The provincial government announced March 22 that it plans to build St. Vincent’s Heather, a $207-million, 240-bed long-term care home, on the former site of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Vancouver.
The Daily Scan – a “journalism-focused website” run by Providence, posted an article the same day, adapted from a Government of BC news release.
Here is a portion:
“As people age, they want to know they will have access to the right care services that will allow them to stay healthy, active and safe in their community,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. . . .
The 13-storey facility will include 20 ‘households’ that will accommodate 12 residents each in single-bed rooms and include the social and recreational spaces found in a typical home, such as a living room, dining room and activity space. Every room will have a wheelchair accessible ensuite, and some specially designed suites with connecting doors will allow couples and families to remain together.
The care home will include community spaces on the main floor allowing residents, families, visitors and staff to access recreational, social and health services. This includes a community hall; café; nondenominational sacred space for worship, reflection and spiritual practice including Indigenous ceremonial practices; creative, exercise and therapy space; hairdressing services; 37-space child care centre; and dental and primary care services.
A rendering of Saint Vincent’s Heather.
The project is expected to be completed in 2028.
Providence Health Care has been delivering “compassionate care for over a century.” From its Fact Sheet:
Providence Health Care’s commitment to serving those most in need began 125 years ago when the Sisters of Providence came to Vancouver and opened St. Paul’s Hospital, a 25-bed ‘cottage’ on the path to English Bay.
Now operating 17 sites, Providence Health Care is a health and wellness resource for families, patients and residents from all parts of British Columbia.
Providence Health Care was formed in 2000 through the consolidation of CHARA Health Care Society, Holy Family Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital, and is now one of the largest Catholic health care organizations in Canada.
Providence sites include two acute care hospitals, five residential care homes, an assisted living residence, a rehabilitation centre, seven community dialysis units, a hospice, an addictions clinic and a youth health clinic.
Archbishop Miller is part of the Governance Team of Providence Health Care Society.
Go here for a more detailed story about St. Vincent’s Heather by Kenneth Chan on Daily Hive.
Lloyd Mackey fonds
Lloyd Mackey at the TWU launch. Photo: Winnie Lui
Many people in this area know Lloyd Mackey, or at least know of his pioneering work with Christian Info Society / BC Christian News.
But he has taken on a number of roles over the years, and some of them – during his time in Ottawa and as the author of several books – figured more prominently in a March 16 celebration of his legacy at Trinity Western University.
The TWU report noted:
Journalist, author and educator Dr. Lloyd Mackey has close to half a century of experience in community, faith-based and leadership journalism, including 15 years working out of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa.
In honour of Dr. Mackey’s lifetime of service to Canada and to Canadian Christian communities, Trinity Western University is pleased to unveil a new digital collection of his works in the TWU Archives, the Lloyd Mackey fonds. . . .
Dr. Mackey was present to give remarks at the launch event. He introduced his work and perspective on journalism. “My approach throughout my career and in Ottawa, has been community-based and, hopefully, collaborative,” he remarked.
“There is much room for collaboration in a democratic setting where goodwill prevails.”
Thinking of the legacy he is sharing, he expressed, “The hope of collaboration has been part of my DNA for 60 years. That hope provides clues for future faith-based politicians, philosophers, theologians, mediation lawyers, psychologists, journalists, labour and business leaders and ordinary thinking people to consider.”
Among those present at the launch of the Lloyd Mackey fonds were (from left): Paul Rowe, Janet Epp Buckingham, Cal Netterfield, Dave Hayer, Edna and Lloyd Mackey, Paul Allen, Flyn Ritchie, Matthew Etherington and Todd Martin. Photo: Winnie Lui
Go here to explore the Lloyd Mackey fonds.
Father Richard and Brother Nelson of the Melanesian Brotherhood (centre) being welcomed to the Synod Office of the Diocese of New Westminster by local Anglican leaders. From left: Rev. Jessica Schaap, Kerry Baisley, Ven. Philippa Pride and Rev. Tellison Glover.
When Rev. John Blyth died late last month, his passing was mourned by the Melanesian Brotherhood, a religious community of men he was part of for years.
A post on the Diocese of New Westminster site by Kerry Baisley ODNW described a March 14 – 15 visit by two members of the Melanesian Brotherhood:
Father Richard Nokia (Chaplain) and Brother Nelson Bako were in the middle of a 10 day visit. The principal purpose of their visit was to attend and participate in the liturgies for the late, the Reverend John Blyth . . .
They shared many things about their life and work. We were told Br. John Blyth was a very good speaker of Solomon Islands pidgin. We learned about the work of the Brotherhood in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Did you know that over 800 languages are spoken within these islands?
We heard of the peace-making work of the Brotherhood during the 1999 – 2000 conflict where two military groups competed for land and jobs. The Brotherhood took a leading role in the disarmament process when they physically gathered up the guns of the opposing sides and disposed of them and their ammunition in the sea so they could not be used again.
We learned of the 2003 killing of Brother Nathaniel Sado when he went to convince a rebel leader to surrender. Six other members of the Brotherhood went to ask for Brother Nathaniel’s body and all of them were also killed by the rebels.
Their work is not easy and yet it also brought us smiles and surprises. We were told that if they are about to start a Eucharist and they “only have three priests, we go looking for two more.”
When we looked a little confused, we were told, “the priests will get a sore back administering Communion.” So of course we asked, how many people would be at a service. They smiled and responded, “up to 20,000.”
This image of Brother John Blyth was posted with a tribute on the Anglican Church of Melanesia Facebook page February 27.
The brothers will take Br. John’s ashes back to the Solomon Islands.
Fr Richard Carter, a priest now at St Martin-in-the Fields in London, England, wrote about Blyth for his requiem, which was hosted at St James Anglican Church:
Brother John and I were members of the Melanesian Brotherhood together. When I was chaplain of the Melanesian Brotherhood I asked him to become a mobile chaplain travelling from household to household. He did it with his usual care, consideration and dedication. It was a tough call with no creature comforts.
He became a Brother in October 1999 and I a Brother in April 2000, inspired by his example and courage. He found in the Melanesian Brotherhood a family and a community who loved and respected him. . . .
I will always remember John sitting with me each day on the polished wooden floor of the meditation chapel at Tabalia the motherhouse of the Melanesian Brotherhood in Solomon Islands. The wind chimes he gave would be softly ringing in the wind, his long legs and stiff knee stretched out before him.
It was the time of the martyrdom of the seven Melanesian Brothers. No words could express our sorrow but together we prayed through the troubles – united in silence, united in God. Longing for peace beyond the violence – yet finding Christ’s peace, as I look back, astonishingly, even in the midst of it. He was a man of deep prayerfulness. Prayer was so much part of him.
Go here for Carter’s full statement. Blyth led a rich and varied life; apart from his time with the Melanesian Brotherhood, he was a priest at several churches in western Canada and was Nisga’a by adoption. Go here for his obituary.
Jobs & Events
Go here for 200 – 300 job listings in the Metro Vancouver / Fraser Valley area and here to find several pages of local events.
Mar 2023
DEI, CRT & Anti-racism: Common Sense, Campaigning & Courtesy – March 23, 2023 at 1:30 pm - 2:30 pmSoulStream presents: Coming Home Lenten Retreat – March 24, 2023 - March 26, 2023 at 5:00 pm - 12:00 pm
Raise Your Spoon Fundraiser, Starring Leland Klassen – March 24, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Heart Conference – March 24, 2023 - March 25, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Presentation on MAiD – March 24, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
How to Understand the Days of Creation with Dan Kreft – March 24, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Tax Clinic – March 25, 2023 at 12:00 am
Canadian Disaster Relief Volunteer Training – March 25, 2023 at 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wherefore Art the Begats? with Dan Kreft – March 25, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Handel's Messiah – March 25, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Jazz Vespers in the Valley with the Kayden Gorden Quartet – March 26, 2023 at 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Jazz Vespers with Bonnie Northgraves – March 26, 2023 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Buoyancy – March 26, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Book Launch: Criminal Law – March 28, 2023 at 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Cambodia Justice Journey Info Session – March 28, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm
Living Fruitfully: A Biblical Theology of Work – March 29, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
The Man of the Shroud Exhibition – March 29, 2023 - April 2, 2023 at 6:30 pm - 1:30 pm
St. John Paul II and the Human Person – March 29, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Kayden Garden & Friends – March 29, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Book Conversation on Faith Formation in a Secular Age by Andrew Root – March 30, 2023 at 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Belonging: How has racism affected your sense of belonging within Christian churches? – March 30, 2023 at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
You Can't Take it With You – March 30, 2023 - April 1, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Evangelical Missiological Society Canadian Regional Conference – March 31, 2023 at All Day
Learning How to Grow Restorative Churches – March 31, 2023 - April 1, 2023 at 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
The Seven Last Words of Christ – March 31, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Valdy – March 31, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Apr 2023
Lectures on Distinguishing Heresy (two events) – April 1, 2023 - April 2, 2023 at All DayIron Sharpens Iron Men’s Conference – April 1, 2023 at 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Garage Sale & Thrift Shop – April 1, 2023 at 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Rheinberger’s Mass in C major (op. 169), and Cherubini’s Requiem in C minor – April 1, 2023 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
St. John Passion – April 1, 2023 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Leeroy Stagger – April 1, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Palm Sunday Service – April 2, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:15 am
Watoto Children's Choir – April 2, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Watoto Children's Choir – April 2, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Rheinberger’s Mass in C major (op. 169), and Cherubini’s Requiem in C minor – April 2, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
TWU's Sustainability Week – April 3, 2023 - April 6, 2023 at All Day
Planetary Health Lecture: Plastic Pollution & the Microbiome Menace – April 4, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Climate Change 'Smart' or 15 Minute Cities – April 5, 2023 at 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Fire From Heaven: Michael Faraday and the Dawn of the Electrical Age – April 5, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Kinbrace Virtual Open House – April 5, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
The Way College Info Night – April 5, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 7:45 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Dan Reynolds – The Sower Suite – April 5, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sarah Kurbjuweit: Rhythms & Roots – April 6, 2023 - April 12, 2023 at All Day
At the Still Point of the Turning World: Music & Poetry for Holy Week – April 6, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
How to Talk to Your Kids About Doubt – April 6, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Black and Rural – April 6, 2023 - April 15, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fort Langley's Stations of the Cross – April 7, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Good Friday City-wide Gathering – April 7, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Good Friday Combined Service – April 7, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:15 am
Good Friday / DTES Joint Gathering – April 7, 2023 at 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Good Friday Joint Service – April 7, 2023 at 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Good Friday Service (First Baptist, Westside, Coastal) – April 7, 2023 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Good Friday Service with Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ – April 7, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Easter Bash – April 8, 2023 at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Easter Bash – April 8, 2023 at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Resurrection Egg Hunt – April 8, 2023 at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Family Easter Carnival – April 8, 2023 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Easter Sunday Service – April 9, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:15 am
Gardening Course: Grow Your Own Food! (every second Tuesday) – April 11, 2023 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Book talk by Naoko Kato on Kaleidoscope: The Uchiyama Bookstore and its Sino-Japanese Visionaries – April 12, 2023 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
David Moffitt: What Happened After Easter? – April 12, 2023 at 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Laura Crema & Bill Coon – April 12, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
SIMinar: Explore South Asia – April 13, 2023 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Book Launch: Amazing Grace – the Life of John Newton & the Surprising Story Behind His Song – April 13, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Martyn Joseph – April 13, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Five Days of Prayer for Sikhs – April 14, 2023 - April 19, 2023 at All Day
49th Annual Delta Leadership Prayer Breakfast – April 15, 2023 at 8:15 am - 10:00 am
A Rocha Volunteer Day – April 15, 2023 at 9:30 am - 2:00 pm
Bible Saturday: Dr. Iain Provan: All Creatures Great & Small – the Psalms' Global Perspective – April 15, 2023 at 9:30 am - 11:45 am
Easter Pipe Organ Concert with audience singing – April 15, 2023 at 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Elvis Easter Extravaganza: Elvis Tribute Artist Ben Klein – April 15, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Gardens: A Sacred Oratorio by David Owen Squires – April 15, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Barney Bentall – April 15, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Jazz Vespers in the Valley with the Bonnie Northgraves Band – April 16, 2023 at 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Indigenous Voices of Faith – April 17, 2023 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Caught in the Current: British and Canadian Evangelicals in an Age of Self-Spirituality – April 18, 2023 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Let the Healing Begin – April 18, 2023 at 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm
New Survey Results: Young Christians Want Church Engagement on Creation Care – April 19, 2023 at 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Daniel Du: A Beauty Eclipsed – Opening Reception- – April 19, 2023 at 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Linda Szentes & JazzLinks – April 19, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Discipleship in Our Complex Age: A Digital Gathering with Mark Sayers – April 20, 2023 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Innovating Failure: Ethical Issues on the Path to Health Care Advancement – April 21, 2023 at 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Boy Who Preferred to be Angry – April 22, 2023 - April 23, 2023 at All Day
Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth & Lies About Being Human – Seminar with Iain Provan – April 22, 2023 at 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Eternity Club presents Jesus Revival & Healing Ministry – April 22, 2023 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Catholic Social Teaching & Development and Peace – April 22, 2023 at 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Community Coffee House – April 22, 2023 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Good Seed Sunday – April 23, 2023 at All Day
Marcus Mosely: Safe in the Everlasting Arms – April 23, 2023 at 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Metro Vancouver Alliance: Solidarity Action Assembly – April 23, 2023 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
[ACLE] Cleaning Up the Mess of the Sexual Revolution – April 23, 2023 at 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Canadian Association for Spiritual Care: Reconnect, Renew, Recreate – April 23, 2023 - April 25, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Raising Kids in a Hyper-Sexualized Culture – April 23, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Conversations on Hopeful Citizenship in a Divided World – April 23, 2023 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: The Brentwood Katz – April 26, 2023 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Kinbrace Educational Award – April 27, 2023 - April 30, 2023 at All Day
The 51st Greater Vancouver Bible Study and Recreation Conference – April 27, 2023 - April 30, 2023 at All Day
Jesus Collective Regional Gathering – April 27, 2023 - April 28, 2023 at 6:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Better Workplace: Corporate Chaplains Canada – April 27, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm