Sisters and Brothers,
As we come to the end of Holy Week and prepare to celebrate the Sunday of the Resurrection, I send you my love and blessing. Thank you all for your continued faithfulness to the Gospel and your witness to Jesus Christ in your lives.
It is a great joy for me to spend time with you in the communities in which you serve. I have had the joy, during this Holy Week, of being at St. Philip (Cedar), St. Mark (Qualicum Beach), St. Mary (Nanoose Bay), St. Philip-by-the-Sea (Lantzville) and will finish in the Cowichan-Malaspina region at St. Paul (Nanaimo) with the Great Vigil of Easter and Sunday of the Resurrection.
As I travel through the diocese, I am greatly encouraged by the faith and energy of our clergy and laity. I write to thank you for your ministry and mission. I see a people who have a strong faith and wish to share that faith in acts of love and service. Thank you for all you do.
As Christians, we are called to live intentionally during the next fifty days as people of the Resurrection. We continue to reach out beyond ourselves to advocate for those who suffer, for those who are persecuted and for those who are excluded, and to bring the hope of new life into every situation.
God was in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world, and has committed us to this same message. Through this season of Easter, let us live this truth in our lives, praying God will continue to shape us on the journey to become a Renewed People, with Renewed Hearts and Spirits.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Christ Has Risen!