St. Pius X

Project Advance 2023

The theme of Project Advance 2023 in the Archdiocese of Vancouver is Empowering Our Parish Vision.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is always the central power in all visions and plans for his and our Parish of St. Pius X.  He empowers us in the church building for the celebration of the sacraments in communal worship.  He empowers us in the school building for the education and formation of young children who will grow up to bring him and his love to the world.  He empowers us in our homes and communities where the natural human desire to be with each other reflects the loving communion of the Holy Trinity.

As in years past, the Lord empowers us again in our united annual endeavour to support the Archdiocese and its ministries and programs through Project Advance.  This year, our parish has been assessed the contribution amount of $29,400 (the same as last year) for the needs and works of the Archdiocese.  Whatever funds we raise in excess of this assessment stay in the parish for our own needs and works.  In years past, we have joined together to try to raise at least the same amount for ourselves as we did for the Archdiocese.  Let us be bold and aim to raise a total of $60,000 this year.  Why?

From year to year, our parish needs are represented by our Building Fund, which ensures adequate reserves for ongoing maintenance and repairs to parish buildings, as well as prudent preparation for unforeseen and unplanned capital emergencies, like a leak in the church roof, or a suddenly obsolete hot water tank, or burst pipes in an overly cold winter, or the replacement of the decrepit gymnasium roof, all of which have happened since my arrival in 2021.  These practical considerations, important and necessary as they are, cannot but envy the bright and hope-filled faces of young students from the North Shore at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School who also, by virtue of their preparation for everything that is to come, commend themselves to our prayers and support.  Our parish continues to contribute to our assessment for the magnificent STA Catholic high school facility that is a living and thriving home for praying, learning, and growing.  Our parish assessment currently stands at $138,800, a hefty figure that our Project Advance collections significantly reduce every year.

Because the Lord Jesus Christ is our foundation, our liturgical worship in the church is central to everything that we do in our parish.  And we do have a beautiful church building in the woods.  When I arrived here, I was immediately struck by the sheer beauty of the sanctuary, shining primarily through its exquisite simplicity.  Upon entering the church, the magnificent altar commands the focus of our vision because it is the focal point of all our celebrations of faith and worship.  But we know that every Mass begins with the Liturgy of the Word and then moves to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  The latter has its table of the Eucharist, the altar, but the former has no ambo to serve as the table of the Word.  Our beautiful altar lacks a matching ambo.  Our Project Advance 2023 collection will help greatly to complete our sanctuary with the commission of a marble ambo that will complement our marble altar in design, detail, and proportion.  The total estimate for all the components of this project – materials, construction, installation, and labour – is $27,000, which is just shy of our Archdiocesan assessment; see sketch below.

Many parishioners have generously donated to Project Advance in the past.  Our heartfelt gratitude continues to abide with you as you keep this tradition alive.  If you have not taken the opportunity to contribute to Project Advance in previous years, please consider beginning to do so this year.  No donation is too small.  Every pledge counts.  Every gift matters.  Every gift is important.  Your gift is vitally important.

If you made a pledge to Project Advance last year, your preprinted pledge forms and a letter from Archbishop Miller have been mailed to your home.  If this year is your first time to pledge, blank forms are available in the church vestibule.  There are various ways of making a pledge: credit card, lump sum, postdated cheques, and online at rcav.org (click on Donate to Project Advance).  Our parish is designated as # 63.  Please choose the method that is most convenient for you.  All donations are tax receiptable for 2023.

On behalf of the Archdiocese of Vancouver and our Parish of St. Pius X, thank you very much for generously supporting the Project Advance 2023 campaign and for being an essential and important part of its success.

Blessings,

Fr. Jeff Thompson, CSB

Pastor