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,…
“Believe whatever you want, but don’t impose those beliefs on me!” It’s a commonly held position, and summarizes the way that many people in our society think about the intersection of religious faith and public life. A possible solution to…
Trinity Western has become a dominant force in Canadian university volleyball. The women’s team won the national championship Sunday (March 1), while the men took home the silver medal. Province sports writer Howard Tsumura says the team has come a…
Organizers of a Vancouver conference set for March 22 – 24 are hoping it will do something significant about reconciling secularism, religion and the common good. The gathering, dubbed Our Whole Society will take place at the downtown Vancouver campus…
“What does it mean to build a ‘whole society?’ What is the purpose of secularism, and what are its limits? How can we re-conceptualize the role of religion in Canadian public life? What is the role of religion and spirituality…
This is a very welcome move. John Hall, executive director of Missions Fest Vancouver, recently sent out this message: I want to express my thanks to Mary Charles from the Musqueam First Nation who welcomed Missions Fest to the traditional…
There are 25,500 people working in that little ‘island’ called YVR, or in less technical language, the Vancouver Airport. And the airport’s chapel and accompanying Vancouver Airport Chaplaincy (VAC) are well positioned to provide ‘spiritual and emotional care’ to that…
Every year Missions Fest offers pleasant surprises. This year, Sam Rocha was near the top of my list. I’d heard of him – something about a philosopher/Catholic musician/UBC education prof. People I respect seemed to like his music. So, though…
Renowned glass artist Sarah Hall has been chosen to create a 30-metre tower of steel, the top 18 metres of which will be clad with stained glass, on the property of Christ Church Cathedral at the corner of Burrard and…
Union Gospel Mission (UGM) is 75 years old. Much celebrating was under way this week to mark the anniversary of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) landmark at 601 East Hastings Street – and two other nearby locations. (The Mission has operations…