Gary Gordon has been Bishop of Victoria BC since 2014, having been in Whitehorse diocese (covering the Yukon territory and northern British Columbia) for eight years before that. His golden retriever brought its name Takú from a place in his first diocese. Both dog and owner were touched to hear that ‘ag tacú’ in our Irish language…
Last month, I travelled around Vancouver Island, my island home, which is the size of Ireland. Its population was 864,864 in the latest census; just 96,000 of these are Catholic, fewer than 10%. Twenty priests staff this large mission territory, with two of its 30 parishes served by (lay) pastoral administrators. I was particularly interested…
After Mass on the last Sunday before I left Union Hall for Canada, two ladies approached me. They asked how I could justify six months’ sabbatical in the light of the shortage of priests. I suggested now was the time to get away, before the shortage got even worse! I haven’t changed my mind. In…
By the time you read this, I should have arrived in Victoria, BC, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The plan was that I would fly all the way from Dublin to Vancouver, on Canada’s west coast, and then take the hour-and-a-half-long ferry ride out to the island, which is to be my home…
Readers with a subscription to Sky Atlantic or NOW may have come across Succession, a HBO television series about a big media family like the Murdochs, where an aging patriarch wonders who will succeed him. It’s popular because it portrays a real-life dilemma; — a reflection on how to plan for the future. Succession seems…
What’s the difference between a homily and a eulogy? The difference usually seems very clear-cut — until you go to a priest’s funeral (or a bishop’s). For a clergy funeral, the homilist eulogises and homilises, all at the same time. As a fictional homilist-eulogist might put it, “Fr X was a mighty priest, who was nice…
Seven is a special number for Catholics. We celebrate seven sacraments, avoid seven deadly sins, try to do the seven corporal works of mercy (or some of them at least!). Seven is a special age also. Children who reach the age of seven are said to become reasonable (though parents might not agree!). But no…
I am thinking of preparing a leaflet to help couples considering marrying in church. It would need a catchy title, to attract notice. How about: “Thinking of a Catholic Mass for your wedding? Think again!” As I see it, many couples who seek to marry in church are unfamiliar with the Mass. They’re not at…
I spent two very happy weeks in Canada in June — my longest holiday since COVID. One of my great holiday treats is to sit into the pews for Sunday Mass, while another priest does the work — and I watch, critically. On Trinity Sunday I found myself in Lindsay, Ontario, right in the middle…
Do you remember where you were when the planes hit the Twin Towers in New York? Most people do. You may also remember where you heard the news of Princess Diana’s death. I remember both. And I also remember hearing the news that Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was on fire. I was having my…