For the past six months, we have had the honour of hosting Fr. Bernard Cotter of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Ireland in our diocese. He was hosted by Fr. Dean at St. Andrew's Cathedral, but travelled throughout the diocese, bringing his warm heart and humour to our community. Below are his reflections:
I recently completed a six-month sabbatical from parish ministry, which brought me to Victoria Diocese in British Columbia from mid-January to mid-July 2026. I left the parishes where I act as pastor in my home diocese of Cork & Ross on the south coast of Ireland and moved to the south coast of Vancouver Island. These six months were spent in the Cathedral rectory in Victoria, participating in the cathedral liturgies and travelling from there all over the diocese.
This sabbatical was my first such break in 41 years Was it providence, or a stroke of luck? You decide. In June 2025, I was to have been on a pilgrimage to Poland. This fell through and instead, I decided instead to visit Canada. Vancouver had been on my bucket list and having seen a nice image of Victoria, I decided to take in a brief visit here. I spent just two nights here, including Sunday Mass in the cathedral, which blew me away - for its solemnity, its involvement and its enormous and youthful attendance - and afterwards, the Rector, Fr Dean Henderson, invited me to come for a sabbatical.
Much that happened that summer could be coincidence - or Providence? The trip to Poland might have taken place, in which case I would never have seen Canada. Or I might have omitted a visit to Vancouver. Or I might have spent two weeknights in Victoria and never gone to Mass. Or I might have attended a different church. Or I might not have received the invitation to sabbatical. It sounds like Providence to me. I am so grateful to God for the opportunity for rest and reflection I received.
Some have asked me what a sabbatical means. I explain that after six working years, a sabbath year should follow. It’s not the same as study leave, though it can contain some updating (I took an online course on the gospels, and spent three weeks in an institute near Toronto on a renewal course also). Other components include exercise, cultural events, thinking, praying, resting.
Bishop Gary has been welcoming and supportive. He understood that I would help out from time to time in the cathedral which has accommodated me, but he wanted me to experience other parishes and liturgies too: ‘an immersive experience of this diocese”, he called it. So I have gone to masses in different churches all over the city and its hinterland. I have also travelled to up-island communities where lay pastoral administrators care for the people and lead the Sunday gathering; these parishes sometimes have Mass once a month and really treasure that experience. All in all, Victoria has been an exciting experience for me.
What, you may wonder, did I do all day? I prayed like I do at home in Ireland, covering a lot of the Divine Office and including quiet prayer too. I concelebrated daily Mass many days, and not being tied to Mass intentions, I could offer Mass for people I wanted to remember, living and dead (including some I managed to fall out with the seven parishes in which I served in my home diocese).
I slept well during my sabbatical, eight hours every night, 10 pm to 6 am. I listened to podcasts instead of wasting time with television, and went through novels at quite a rate. I had time to study, but also to walk around the lovely downtown of Victoria. I found the city perfectly safe by day or night, not something I would say about cities in Ireland like Dublin, or even my home city of Cork.
As well as all these aspects of sabbatical, I immersed myself the civic life of this city, the Chinese New Year parade, the Caribbean festival in Black History Month, the Film Festival.
I learned about Vancouver Island’s history, and about the First Nations whose land it was first.
When I was leaving my parish in Union Hall, a parishioner had a prophecy for me. “You will fall in love with Victoria”, she warned, “they will seduce you - and we’ll never see you again!” Unfortunately my six-month Visitors visa made that impossible. Though I can always return .....
• Fr Bernard Cotter may be contacted at Union Hall, Skibbereen, Co Cork, IRELAND or via email at: frbernard1984@gmail.com
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