To express gratitude and recognition for the encouragement and support for all its endeavours and for allowing it to be one with the Holy Catholic Church, Couples for Christ (CFC) Vancouver recently hosted a Clergy Appreciation Dinner & Fellowship at the Peach Arch Provincial Park Hall. The casual dinner was set up to honour the clergy as CFC celebrates its 20th year of existence in Canada. It was and is through their untiring support to our evangelization work that CFC in Canada was born; Vancouver was the location where Couples for Christ convened its very first Christian Life Program in the country.
The Appreciation Dinner was well attended by members of both the clergy and the laity. His Grace, The Most Reverend J. Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, appeared at the function along with the pastors and priests from different parishes. CFC elders and leaders from the Lower Mainland came in numbers to signify their support and thanksgiving. It was an opportunity for CFC to pray in unity for the priesthood, to get to know more about them on a more personal level and to thank them for their dedication and service to the people of God.
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| The Reverend Father Patrick Chisholm of Our Lady of Fatima in Coquitlam, BC says grace before the meal. |
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| Members of the clergy and special guests at the buffet table. |
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| Kids for Christ perform a special number during dinner. |
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| The Most Reverend J. Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, applauds the children's performance. |
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| After individually acknowledging the presence of invited guests, the emcee, Nick Borja, CFC Pastoral Formation National Coordinator, breaks the ice by sharing out-of-the-box church signs which he encountered during his travels. His personal favourite: "Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet Him." |
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| The Most Reverend J. Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, expresses his appreciation in Couples for Christ's active participation in the Archdiocese. |
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| Henjie San Juan of the CFC Vancouver Area Governance Team leads the opening worship. He recites a prayer for the sanctification of priests and invokes that they may be strengthened and healed by the power of the Eucharist. |
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| "My Soul Magnifies the Lord" - Sector Music Ministry |
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| Jimmy Arzadon, Vancouver Area Director, speaking in behalf of CFC gives thanks to the clergy for allowing and helping Couples for Christ to thrive in the parishes. He affirms a previous statement made by The Most Reverend J. Michael Miller during the Eucharistic Congress in 2012, that the laity is no longer viewed as collaborators but rather "co-responsibles" for the churches actions and being. |
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| Rita Chua acts as game master and inside informant. She shares information gathered about our clergy and challenges everyone to a guessing game. |
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| The Reverend Father Terry Larkin raises his arms while shouting "That's me!" We learned that Fr Terry speaks Tagalog. |
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| DIFFERING OPINIONS. Everyone enjoying a good laugh during a light moment of the program. |
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| Anita Aytona speaks on behalf of Rev. Fr. Patrick Tepoorten of IC Delta Parish. She later goes on to read his thoughts during their ANCOP Mission trip to the Philippines in March 2014. Fr. Patrick who is the outgoing Archbishop's representative to Holy Cross High School, wishes to be part of the next mission trip in 2016. |
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| The Peach Arch Provincial Park Hall packed with attendees attentively listening to the exploits of the Holy Cross Mission Team as shared by Anita Aytona. |
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| Jimmy Dimaculangan of the Vancouver Area Governance Team, presents a bird's-eye-view of the organizational structure of the Couples for Christ and how everyone is related and linked to one other so that no one is by himself. |
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| Rev. Fr. Glenn Dion, Spiritual Director of CFC gives the closing remarks. After ten years serving at the Holy Rosary Cathedral, he will be moving to the parish with three churches, the Star of the Sea Parish. |
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| After distributing family prayer cards, Rev. Fr. Glenn Dion enjoins the congregation in prayer. |
Behind the Scenes
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