Holy Trinity Parish

2725 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, BC

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Historical Account

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A Brief History

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On February 13, 1948, the Archdiocese obtained the title to six lots on the corner of Lonsdale and 27th Street. Forty families formed the nucleus of the parish. At first they met for Mass and other church services in the basement of the home of Captain and Mrs. John Marron who lived at 3361 Lonsdale Ave. By December of 1948 the rectory was completed and Midnight Mass was held in the temporary chapel in the basement. For the next two years as many as 100 people squeezed into the tiny chapel. In the spring of 1950 construction began on the new church. And it was dedicated by Archbishop William Mark Duke on Trinity Sunday, May 20, 1951. In 1954 additional land was acquired for parish growth and the construction of a new elementary school. Expansions of the church, hall and kitchen have occurred in 1958, 1962, 1992, and 1997 increasing the capacity of the church to accommodate 425 people and church hall to 176. The parish now has 1,303 households registered and ministers to 3,600 people.

Father John Kilty
Founding Pastor 1948 to 1982

More than any other person, Father John Kilty has left his mark on the development of Holy Trinity Parish and School. He was born and raised in Vancouver and educated at St. Patrick's School and the Seminaries of Christ the King in Ladner at the time and St. Joseph's in Edmonton. He was ordained on March 17, 1945. He was an assistant priest at Holy Rosary Cathedral for one year and then appointed to St. Edmund's parish as the assistant to Father Bernard Corcoran for two years. In June, 1948, Archbishop Duke asked him to establish a new parish in the upper Lonsdale area. Surrounded by a committed group of forty families he assembled a parcel of land at the corner of Lonsdale Avenue and 27th Street. Within ten years a new rectory, church, convent and school were established. Father John was a natural athlete and excelled in baseball, basketball and golf. He was a great coach of baseball and basketball for groups within the parish and in the North Vancouver community. In 1952 he was honoured with the North Vancouver's Outstanding Citizen Award. Father was a dynamic leader and had the ability to involve others in the organization and leadership of the parish. He died on June 15, 1983 after one year as pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Vancouver.

Fr. Rufin Mika
Pastor from 1982 to 1990

Fr. Mika was ordained on June 5, 1965. Apart from overseeing significant improvements in the school building, Fr. Mika emphasized the involvement of young people in the liturgy and the development of the Friendship Club for senior parishioners. The CWL was established from the Women's Auxiliary.

Fr. John Tritschler
Pastor from 1990 to 1993

Fr. John was ordained on May 28, 1966. Fr. Tritschler placed much importance on the liturgy, and he instituted the public procession of the Cross on Good Friday. During Fr. Tritschler's time at Holy Trinity the interior of the church was renovated and the kitchen facilities modernized. Fr. Tritschler taught religion on a weekly basis to classes at Holy Trinity School. A vigorous hiker, Father frequently led hikes of parishioners up the North Shore mountains.

Fr. Terry Larkin
Pastor from 1993 to 2005

On June 4, 1966 Fr. Larkin was ordained. Under Fr. Larkin a small chapel was consecrated for the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the first of its kind in the diocese. Each summer Fr. Larkin led a group of young people from the parish and diocese to Mexico to better the housing conditions of the poor. Under Fr. Larkin, a meeting room was built next to the hall and the washroom facilities were modernized. In addition, the parish purchased land across from the school on Western Avenue to accommodate future expansion of the parish and school. From its modest beginnings in 1948 the parish has continued to thrive, growing from the original group of forty families to a community of about 2,500 people.

   

New Holy Trinity Chapel 2007

Father James Comey
Pastor from 2005 to the present

Fr. Jim was born and raised in St. Edmund's Parish. As a young boy he remembers Fr. Kilty and the beginnings of Holy Trinity Parish. He feels a personal affiliation with the parish since his mother's cousin Pat Grant was the contractor who built the Rectory and the Church. Father was educated in St. Edmund's School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School before pursuing studies for the priesthood at the Seminary of Christ the King at Mission. He was ordained at St. Edmund's May 9, 1970 and has served in parishes in Burnaby, Langley, Richmond and Vancouver. For fifteen years he ministered at Holy Rosary Cathedral, for eight years as an assistant and Director of Youth for the Archdiocese and seven as the Rector. During his tenure to this date, he has been privileged to share his ministry with Fr. George Edattukaran and Fr. Thomas Smith. Together they minister to the people of Holy Trinity Parish as well as St. Gerard's Mission on Bowen Island. Fr. Jim's gift is that of a builder of community and of restoring and constructing new buildings. His mandate at present is to build a new elementary school to replace the present one which was constructed in 1957.

St. Gerard's Mission, Bowen Island
History

When Bowen Island was a holiday resort, priests from Holy Rosary Cathedral came to Bowen Island each summer Sunday to say Mass. The venues included the school, a dance hall, and Union Steamships' Evergreen Hall. Around 1960, Bowen Island Catholics acquired a piece of land and set out to build a church. In the early 1960s, Father Gerard Beauregard began serving the Bowen community. Father Beauregard was devout, ebullient, brilliant, eccentric, and deeply good. He loved the island and the islanders, and he was inspired by the project. After reaching Bowen by bus and ferry, he would hike to Evergreen Hall with his backpack and black bag, engaging in animated conversation with whomever he met.

Fr. Beauregard approaches Evergreen Hall, ready to say Mass in the morning and then start clearing the lot on the corner of Miller and Melmore in the afternoon.

After the Bowen Catholics had saved up the building costs, the wooden cedar church rose like a fitting part of the landscape. The people name their new spiritual home in honour of St. Gerard Majella, Fr. Beauregard's baptismal patron. On Sept. 5, 1971, the first Mass was celebrated at St. Gerard's.

On June 18, 1972, Archbishop James Carney consecrated St. Gerard's church. During the construction, Fr. Beauregard crafted the sturdy tabernacle from his hand-laminated wood. Meanwhile, Harry Wright spent hundreds of hours carving the crucifix entirely in one piece from a yellow cedar driftwood log from the shore of Deep Bay, Bowen Island. From another cedar log, Mr. Wright carved the original "St. Gerard's Catholic Church" sign, which is still there, nestled among the ferns near the church entrance and completing its cycle of life.

St. Gerard's member, Camilla Roberts, noticed something that was missing: a Way of the Cross. Mrs. Roberts, who combined a mobility disability with artistic ability and commitment, began painting the 14 Stations from her wheelchair. In June 1977, she presented St. Gerard's with a unique Stations of the Cross. Others contributed other talents. Years before the construction began, Alex Rankin, Sam Dumaresq, and John Mayberry had persuaded the Union Steamships' realty arm to "sell" them their corner lot for one dollar.

Today

St. Gerard's remains a welcoming, vibrant Christian faith community of Bowen Islanders, seasonal residents, and visitors, plus relatives and friends.

Almost every Sunday, coffee is served after Mass, along with juice and cookies in the gathering area at the back of the church. Everyone, especially visitors and newcomers, is most welcome.