News from the Chancery is published each week to share information and upcoming events with the people of the Diocese of Victoria.
We have 5 items to share with you this week:
1) All people of the Diocese of Victoria are invited to join in the celebration of the Chrism Mass on Thursday, March 21 at 7:00 pm. At this yearly liturgy, sacred oils are blessed and given to representatives from each parish in the diocese. These will be presented in each church on Holy Thursday and used during the coming year for Baptisms, Confirmations, and Anointings of the Sick. This year’s Chrism Mass will be celebrated at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria (740 View Street), and also livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMGHYEro3bg
2) Sacred Heart Parish in Victoria (4040 Nelthorpe Street) will be holding a Lenten Retreat on Forgiveness and Reconciliation from March 23-27. It will be led by Fr. David Reilander, the president of Catholic Missions in Canada, and all are welcome. For more information, please contact the parish at sacredheart@rcdvictoria.orgor 250-479-1611.
3) The Diocese of Victoria is participating in an international research project about how religious communities experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. All parishioners are invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire about your experiences during the pandemic. For more information and to access the questionnaire, please visit https://www.research.net/r/covidandreligion. The questionnaire will be available until mid-April.
4) St. Mark’s College at the University of British Columbia is offering scholarships to Catholic educators from the Diocese of Victoria who wish to complete online graduate-level courses from their Catholic Core program. The deadline to apply is April 30; for more information, please visit https://stmarkscollege.ca/admissions/scholarships-financial-aid/graduate/#bceducator
In addition, St. Mark’s College is offering intensive courses this July on the topics of “Catholic Bioethics” and “Themes in Catholicism and Interreligious Studies”. The courses can be taken in person or online, and can be used towards a graduate certificate or Master’s degree, or can be audited. For more information, please visit https://stmarkscollege.ca/channels/graduate-programs/summer-institute/.
5) The Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute have shared a recording of their presentation “Reclaiming Redemptive Suffering: A Spiritual Approach to the Meaning of Suffering”. Many of us have lost any sense of 'meaning' in suffering. Some want to avoid it at all costs, even choosing early death. Our Catholic faith talks about 'redemptive' suffering, but what does that mean? Presenter Erin Kinsella will discuss this through the lens of her experience of chronic illness and developing spirituality of suffering. To view the presentation, please visit https://youtu.be/5iwV87jPynA
