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The school was started in 1924, when
five sisters of Sisters
of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, headed by Sister Maria Rosaria
Gorman, arrived from Halifax at the invitation of Father MacKinnon.
The sisters were given the house (now the rectory) at 3271 Fleming,
just south of the church. The school was set up in the church hall,
and the first year the sisters taught 3 classes, from Grades 1 to
7. In 1925 the house was connected both to the school and to the local
sewer. By 1927, there were 5 classes, up to Grade 10, and the “school”
had enlarged to occupy the entire hall of the church and part of the
basement. Crowding both parish activities and school into the small
basement space was difficult, so in 1928 the high school classes moved
to the convent, and continued there until Grades 9 and 10 were phased
out in 1946.
The first chapter of St. Joseph’s history closed
in 1942 when Father MacKinnon was replaced by Father William Blackburne.
Father Blackburne (1891-1978) brought love, warmth and joviality.
His compassion and sense of humour drew people to the church and
to the sacraments, and during his 16 years, the parish came together
as a family.
In 1955, disaster struck the 44 year old parish
– or perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. The original church
building, by then old and dilapidated, caught fire and the church
roof and choir loft were badly damaged. A quick patch-up and cleaning
allowed school and church to resume, but the building was condemned.
Parishioners decided the needs of the children were paramount, and
elected to build a new school rather than a church. The school had
6 classrooms and a gymnasium which was converted to a church for
Mass. In September 1957 the first 4 classes (double grades) were
held in the new school. The gym served as church until 1965.
In 1958 Father Blackburne resigned because of
heart problems, and a succession of pastors was appointed, each
for a relatively short term. Father Stewart, pastor from 1959-1963
organized the parish Bingo, and by the end of his 4 year term, revenues
from the game had eliminated the debt incurred in building the school.
It fell to his successor, Father Campbell, to acquire land (1612
East 18th) and build the new church, which opened April 4, 1965.
The church was built in the style laid out by Vatican II, and its
opening heralded the beginning of a difficult time of transition.
Under Father Gallo, pastor from 1967-1970, the new liturgy was fully
adopted, the congregation began to participate more in spoken responses
and singing, a choir was started, and attendance at Mass and sacraments
improved. The congregation embraced their new responsibility in
the liturgy and in parish life in general, with enthusiasm.
Father Peedle, pastor from 1970-1971, introduced
parishioners to ecumenism, arranging for them to participate in
Anglican and Jewish liturgies. Father Joncas, more traditional than
his immediate predecessors, brought them to a deeper spiritual life,
particularly through monthly all-night vigils to Mary, Queen of
Peace. In his 6 years (1971-1977) he also substantially decreased
the debt, thrugh an expanded Bingo and annual raffle.
From its inception, St. Joseph’s was a parish
of immigrants, reflecting the changing face of Vancouver and the
active growth of the area. Even in its early years, 60% of children
baptized under age 3, were born outside of Canada, and many of the
Canadians were born in eastern Canada.
In 1977, Archbishop James Carney recognized the
need for priests to serve the growing Filipino community, and invited
the Archbishop of Manila, His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, to send
two priests. Father Antero Sarmiento was appointed pastor at St.
Joseph’s parish, with Father Isnardo Jovellanos as his assistant.
Under their able leadership and with the generous help of parishioners,
the parish underwent a real spiritual renewal. Mass attendance more
than doubled in less than a year, and more people became involved
in various community projects. Filipinos from as far as Burnaby,
Surrey, Richmond, New Westminster and Coquitlam moved to attend
Mass and seek religious guidance at St. Joseph’s. In recognition
of his services to the church, Father Sarmiento was made Monsignor
on November 16, 1978.
In 1980, somewhat surprisingly for the Filipino
community, the Archbishop appointed Father Terry Larkin as the next
pastor. Father Larkin tried to counter the disappointment at not
having a Filpino parish, by retaining traditions such as weekly
devotion to the Holy Child, by travelling to the Philippines to
study Tagalog and by offering weekday Masses once a week in Tagalog
and Visayan. St. Joseph’s remained a home for most of the Filipinos,
as well as the non-Filipino community.
A new disaster brought the parish close together
again in 1981. Before dawn on Ash Wednesday, March 4, a fire set
by an arsonist destroyed the church. Once again the gymnasium at
St. Joseph’s school became a temporary church. Eight months later,
on November 14, 1982, the fourth and last St. Joseph’s church of
the century was blessed by Archbishop Carney. The cross inside the
new church provides a reminder of the difficulties the parish has
faced through the years: it was made by Mr. Nelson-Smith from a
beam of the church that was destroyed by fire.
Father Larkin continued his tenure as pastor until
1993. He was well-loved, especially by the children. For a brief
time Father Joseph, from India, stayed in the parish while he was
doing a program with the University of British Columbia to teach
the deaf and blind in his home country. While he was in the parish
he assisted Father Larkin and the parish community and he was a
friend to many parishioners.
Father Patrick Chisholm succeeded Father Larkin
from 1993-1999. Although he was appointed as pastor only a few years
after his ordination as priest, he faced the difficult tasks of
reducing the parish debt and beginning the amalgamation of the parish
with the Vietnamese community.
Father Nghi Dinh, a Dominican priest, came to
St. Joseph’s as assistant pastor to care for the needs of the Vietnamese
community and to help Father Patrick. When Father Patrick moved
on to St. Bernadette’s in Surrey, Father Nghi became pastor and
we welcomed Father Peter Tran as assistant pastor. Together they
continued to guide the transition from two separate communities
to a blended parish that offers spiritual care and a variety of
programs and services to meet the needs of the community in the
two languages. In 2003 Fr. Peter was called back to the Dominican
Order in Calgary, to take on greater responsibilities. He was exchanged
for Fr. Joseph An Dang, who quickly took on the assistant role,
and was submersed in work. From 2003-2004, Brother Minh Nguyen lived
in the parish and was involved in many parish activities, under
Fr. Nghi, as part of his study for priesthood.
St. Joseph’s has been truly blessed through the
years with dedicated priests and the committed support of its parishioners,
who have built not only church buildings, but a community that should
shine as a spiritual lighthouse for all. |
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The
story of St. Joseph’s Parish is that of her pastors, parishioners
and the sisters and teachers who kept the school alive, and their
work together through years of change and challenge, to build a community
of faith that would survive and grow for future generations.
