Beauty of a church

In Fr. Justin’s homily this past Sunday, he preaches that we find the best place to pray by looking at what is subjectively best for us and what is objectively best. I’ve been going to Mass at St. Anthony of Padua parish for just over a year and half now. The church is nestled in a residential neighbourhood, but very close to major thoroughfares in all significant directions; in clear traffic conditions, it’s about a 10 minute drive from my home. It’s not a large church, nor new, nor excessively ornate, but there’s something about the simple beauty that I Continue Reading

COVID-19: Thoughts from working from home for 6 weeks

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way many around the world live their lives over the recent months. For us in the Vancouver/British Columbia area, it has been about a month and half since we have had significant measures in place to reduce the spread of the virus.

In this post I will go over the changes that have affected me, and things that I have found worked well.

Why we Pray and How to Pray

“Prayer.” In youth ministry, it’s one of the most common responses youth give when they can’t think of anything else. Catholics who were raised in the faith from childhood may have been taught reciting prayers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and other “standard” prayers. Is “prayer” just saying the same words over and over again? Why do we as Catholics pray? And how do we pray to make the most out of it? In the past two weeks, Fr. Justin Huang, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua parish in Vancouver, preached in his homilies the answers Continue Reading

Relic of Saint Francis Xavier

Part of the forearm of Saint Francis Xavier has been making its way across Canada this past month and this past Wednesday it made an appearance at my home parish, St. Francis Xavier Parish in Vancouver.  Normally it’s displayed in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Who was Saint Francis Xavier? Francis Xavier was a Spanish missionary who traveled to numerous countries including India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan, spreading the Gospel and converting hundreds of thousands to Christianity.  He was on his way to China in 1552 when he became ill with a fever and subsequently died. Xavier was Continue Reading