September 20th Pastor's Message
Dear Parishioners,
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a renewed and more attractive parish site? A well-designed gymnasium for the school, the parish and the local community. A cafe and social gathering spaces where people can get together and build friendships. Better traffic flow that is safer for both children and parishioners. A greener more park-like parish site. My friends, if we all work together we can make this happen.
Working together since the early 1960s, All Saints parishioners have been able to build, first the gym, (originally, the parish hall), then the rectory, church, school and finally the Parish Centre. These facilities have allowed All Saints to grow tremendously over the past 60 years, and provided great benefits to three generations of Catholics, including all of us.
NOW IT IS OUR TURN to build the facilities we need for effective ministry over the coming decades.
The world has changed a lot since the early days of the parish. Sharing the Christian Good News with others has become a key priority. Engaging with young families, as well. More exacting building standards and safety standards must now be met and well-designed public spaces that look “natural” are deeply appreciated by our contemporaries. All of these factors have shaped our proposed building project.
Now that we have a proposed design, what is the next step? Firstly, I will meet with the Campus Masterplan Team to review the design and consider ways to reduce the cost of the project. At the same time, we must begin serious fundraising. As I am sure you know, construction costs in Vancouver are very high and so significant fundraising will be required before we can begin construction.
Our fundraising will be undertaken through Project Advance, the highly-successful annual fundraising campaign of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Project Advance raises funds for both the diocese and the parishes. I hope to raise $160,000 through our 2026 Project Advance campaign, the same amount as last year. The first $60,000 will go to diocesan projects while whatever we raise beyond that will go toward our building project.
Every year I make a significant donation to Project Advance and I encourage all of you to do the same. The easiest way to donate is online at PROJECTADVANCE.CA. Alternatively, you can make a donation at the parish office.
Let’s work together to renew our parish and our parish facilities. All of us will benefit greatly from the new buildings and future generations of Catholics will thank us for our foresight and selfless generosity.
Love,
Fr. Don
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