ST. Edmund's Catholic Church is marking a century of service to the faithful in North Vancouver.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m., the church at the end of Ottawa Gardens will welcome worshippers old and new to mark 100 years in the community. Archbishop Michael Miller of the Vancouver archdiocese will help lead the centennial mass.
The oldest Catholic church on the North Shore, St. Edmund's was named after a medieval archbishop of Canterbury, a man who was canonized only seven years after his death in 1240. His name was chosen for the church and school due to his reputation as both a scholar and a man of great faith.
"I've been at St. Edmund's since 1960," said parishioner Douglas McDonald. "It's a place where everyone is together for a common purpose, to hear God's word and to act out what God wants for people. Myself, I teach religion at the school. I help the different priests and the young children who come up to the altar."
McDonald has seen a lot of people and priests come and go over the past 50 years. Old photos of the church, he says, reveal the streetcar tracks running beside it. He has also seen a demographic shift from a predominantly European group to a more ethnically diverse one.
The current pastor at St. Edmund's is Reverend Jerald D'Souza. He has tended to his flock in North Vancouver for two years now, and says the church's congregation is holding steady at about 800 people.
"We help people, especially those who come to the door. We help the youth in our parish and the poor families. People are very loving and they help the neighbourhood. People in our parish are good Christians," he said.
Opened by the Sisters of Child Jesus in 1991, the school originally had 57 students in grades 1 through 12. Today, St. Edmund's has focused on the elementary end of the system, and sees almost 200 students from kindergarten to Grade 7.
Among those who have passed through the church's school is current City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto.
"It's a good education and good values, I would say," said D'Souza. "The school and church are complementary."
