By Paul Schratz, The B.C. Catholic
[Vancouver- Canadian Catholic News] – In one of his last public acts before he retires later this month, an emotional Archbishop J. Michael Miller spoke to a cathedral filled with uniformed first responders, political officials, faith leaders, and grieving friends and family members of victims of the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy, reminding them “that our lives are bound together and that we cannot face tragedy” as isolated individuals.
“We need a community of solidarity to support and help us as we walk through this valley of darkness,” the Archbishop said, in reference to Psalm 23, read as the Responsorial Psalm during the liturgy May 2, 2025.
Reaching out to everyone affected by the horrors of “this grim day in Vancouver’s history, but especially to our Filipino brothers and sisters and their friends,” the Archbishop spoke of the temptation during catastrophe to forget the needs of others. “Our gathering this evening in our cathedral tells a different story about who we are in Vancouver,” he said. “Instead of surrendering to either helplessness or self-interest, we have chosen to cultivate the simple virtue of kindness” through consolation and practical assistance.
He assured those mourning “that they are not alone in their grief,” and that “we are with you in the sorrow that shakes all of us to the very core of our being,” as they remember the “innocent victims and those injured so senselessly on Saturday evening.”
He then spoke of the gratitude the city of Vancouver has for the many gifts the Filipino community brings. The “vibrant” Filipino community inspires others “with its spiritual resilience founded on faith, openness to others in difficulty, and the importance it gives to the treasure of family life.”
Although everyone at the cathedral was united in sorrow, the Archbishop spoke of how faith among believers forms an interconnectedness that is “even more profound because it engages us supernaturally” and forges “bonds of communion between the living and the dead.”
By offering one another “our thoughts and prayers,” he said, “we recognize that we can pray for one another, even for those who have preceded us in death. Our prayers for the deceased express our kindness and our confident hope in the certainty that death doesn’t have the last word.”
Authentic kindness entails not only words and prayer, he said, but also practical assistance. He noted the many civic associations and faith-based ministries offering spiritual care at their places of worship and health-care facilities.
The Archdiocese of Vancouver is providing counselling and spiritual support, he said, and a special collection this weekend will support ongoing healing and outreach services for victims and their families.
In reference to the Gospel reading from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he said the second of the Beatitudes “touches directly upon our situation: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’”
“Let us have the courage to weep on this day of suffering but also to hear this word of grace and consolation that the Lord spoke on the mountain.”
Unfortunately, he said, “many people have lost the ability to mourn,” instead trying to disregard or hide from their pain. “They expend their energy fleeing from situations of suffering. Jesus tells us otherwise.”
The Beatitude affirms those who are in pain and sorrow, he said. “May we be among such individuals who can touch life’s depths, unafraid to share in the suffering of others. May we be compassionate by coming to the aid of those who suffer, understanding their anguish and bringing them relief. And may those who are suffering feel the closeness of a community that embraces them and gives concrete help.”
The Archbishop invoked God’s blessing on all the victims and prayed for the survivors and all those “who are striving heroically to cope with this atrocious tragedy. Amid the darkness of death, so much light has also shone, a light that deserves our prayerful gratitude.”
He assured the congregation that “not a single tear falls in vain,” and that the Good Shepherd gathers them all in his heart. “In that heart are written all the names of the loved ones who have passed from time into eternity. Death cannot destroy love, a truth that the Liturgy for the Dead recalls for us: ‘Indeed, for your faithful, Lord, life is changed, not ended.’”
Acknowledging that the pain remains, Archbishop Miller said consolation comes “through our closeness, friendship and affection for one another – walking together and helping one another as brothers and sisters.”
In Psalm 23, he said, the Psalmist does not walk into the darkest valley, “but through it” and the pain, “coming to the other side with the Lord God accompanying him.”
Adapting the words of Benedict XVI at Ground Zero in New York in 2008, he concluded with a prayer “which sums up the sentiments of my heart and, I pray, yours as well.”
O God of love, compassion and healing,
look upon us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather on this Day of Remembrance and Mourning.
In your goodness,
we ask you to give eternal light and peace
to the innocent children, men and women
who were victims of this tragedy.
In your compassion,
bring healing to those
who, because of their presence there,
suffer from injuries or trauma.
Heal, too, the pain of the grieving families
and of all who lost loved ones on that fateful evening.
Give them the strength
to continue their lives with courage and hope.
Our hearts are one with theirs,
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this senseless tragedy,
we implore your light and guidance,
as we seek to understand such an horrific event.
Comfort and console us, O Lord,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where love and solidarity reign
in the hearts of all. Amen.
VIPs praise response to tragedy
Dignitaries in attendance included British Columbia Premier David Eby, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai, and John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
Following Mass, officials offered condolences and speeches.
Premier Eby said the community is “mourning an injury to the Filipino community that we love,” praising the resilience of a community that has “held us up in our hardest time, in our hospitals and our care homes and our schools. A community that we know is about love and celebration.”
There were also “moments of unimaginable courage and heroism” from first responders who arrived immediately and “stepped up without a moment’s hesitation to help people in distress,” he said.
“You care for us, you support our province, and you built our province. You put your arms around us. Now it is our turn to put our arms around you. To hold you up. To stand with you in this moment of suffering. We pray for you. We are thinking of you, and we grieve with you today.”
Sim praised Vancouver for coming together to support the Filipino community. “We come with heavy hearts, not just as individuals, but as a community,” he said.
“I don’t have words to fully express the weight of your loss … but know this. Vancouver and our province and our country, and in fact the whole world, is grieving with you right now. We see you. We love you. We hold space for your pain, and we carry your sorrow in our hearts.
“This is a loss that belongs to all of us.”
Interim Police Chief Rai told the gathering he consulted the VPD’s chaplain, Catholic Deacon Marty Cayer, before preparing his comments. He said they were drawn to the Book of Joshua and God’s response to Joshua when he is mourning Moses’ death. “After his leader has died, we might imagine that Joshua is understandably anxious and full of fear. Likely wondering how his community will ever move on following this tremendous loss.
“In response, God says these words to Joshua: ‘I hereby command you, be strong, be courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’”
Just as Joshua needed those words, “they are timely for us now,” he said.
“Having gathered here, it is my prayer for all faiths that we will come together to heed these words to Joshua. That we remain strong and courageous, knowing that God will be with us wherever we go.”
He closed with a call “for each of us to join together as one human family, especially as we remember that the late Pope Francis declared this the Jubilee Year of Hope, for not just the Catholic Church, but for people of all faiths.”
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