The annual Chinese dinner in support of CRCC was a great success.  Over 250 participants enjoyed a ten course gourmet meal at the Victoria Chinese Restaurant in downtown Vancouver. Though there were so many of us, it felt just like a family gathering – lots of fun and friendship.  A lucky couple won the bid for two trips to the Holy Land. Before the auction, Mr. and Mrs. Boyd described the Holy Land in all its wonder and beauty. A special feature of this year’s dinner was that of the young people who moved from table to table to tell us of their own experiences of the practical and spiritual help and encouragement they receive from attending activities similar to those that will take place at Copper Ridge.  One of the attendees won the draw to attend a retreat when the new Conference Centre is ready to welcome us. We all left feeling grateful to be part of this legacy project. Over $35,000 was raised! We extend a big “thank you” to everyone who supported us either by attending the event, by donating items for the auction, and especially to the volunteers whose hard work to make the evening such a success added a special warmth to the event.  

The following is an interview with Peter Stocker, one of the first men in Western Canada to discover his vocation to Opus Dei.

How did you come into contact with Opus Dei?
In 1989 I was a fairly new convert to the Catholic Church and was researching the faith in a Catholic bookstore. I just happened to open a book titled In Conversation with God and found a card that had been left there for anyone who was interested in information about Opus Dei. I phoned the number on the card and met Marvi Naval, the first Philippino male supernumerary to come to Vancouver. I soon started attending Recollections with my friend Steve Pearse and shortly after that discovered my vocation as a supernumerary member of Opus Dei.

What appealed to you about Opus Dei?
I was immediately impressed that here was a group of men who had committed themselves to a structured life of pious practices such as daily Mass and prayer as well as weekly confession, and at the same time were regular guys living in the world. I found new friends, and was impressed by the happiness and joy of all these men. I loved how the knowledge of the faith could be applied to me and to my life.

What is the most important thing you have got out of your vocation to Opus Dei?
The biggest thing is that I know and experience that God is my Father. He is there in the midst of suffering and joy, in all the ordinary circumstances of my life. The Work gives me the means to live the presence of God, always a challenging and joyful undertaking.

What value do you think Copper Ridge Conference Centre will have for the Work in Western Canada?
I know that having a conference centre will intensify the value that the Work has already had for those associated with it here. Having members of the Work running our own facility will enable us to create the unique family atmosphere which is characteristic of Opus Dei. This is impossible in facilities that are operated by other organizations, even if they are very well run. People will have the experience of how transformative even one retreat at their own conference centre is. Over the years, we, our children and our grandchildren will be able to benefit from many activities in addition to retreats such as service projects, parenting classes and professional ethics seminars.

Any other things you would like to say about the formation provided by Opus Dei, the spirit of Opus Dei, etc.
The Work offers the means to live the presence of God in one’s life. One has the experience of a tremendous growth of freedom and of new horizons that are opened by the spiritual direction that Opus Dei provides.

Join us for our annual CRCC Dinner, Sunday October 21st at Victoria Chinese Restaurant. Live auction includes 2 trips to the Holy Land.  Silent auction includes Canucks tickets for 4, Dublin Crossing restaurant gift certificates, and other restaurant and event tickets. Register online at https://copperridgeconferencecentre.ca/dinner-2018/

Gray skies could not dampen the enthusiasm of the 250 people who attended the annual CRCC Thanksgiving Mass this year. With the mountains rising in the background and looking out through the trees to the waters of Howe Sound, it could not have been a more perfect setting for prayerful reflection on the dream of Copper Ridge Conference Centre.

A beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fair Love, adorned with flowers, had been placed beside the altar.  Many people took their pictures in front of the statue which has now been donated to our future Conference Centre.

We were fortunate to have Mr. Mark Donnelly and his family as the choir. Many of the prayers of the Mass were sung in Latin, along with sacred hymns that added an ethereal quality to the beauty of the liturgy.

Msgr. Fred Dolan, Vicar of Opus Dei in Canada, emphasized how much this project will help families for generations to come. He told an anecdote of a little handicapped boy who was taken to Lourdes by his parents to pray for a cure. The youngster asked Our Lord to cure him, insisting several times, and then told Jesus, “If you don’t listen to me, I will tell your Mother.” The boy was cured at that moment and everyone who was there saw him get out of his wheelchair. Fr. Fred told us that we should do the same; go to Our Lady and ask her for help to complete the CRCC project.

Those attending were awestruck by the tremendous progress made thus far. Pictures do not do justice to what is being accomplished on the site. Our sincere thanks to all those who are bringing this project to completion; together we are completing the dream.

On a warm, spring evening in Vancouver BC, thirty-two ladies gathered for a memorable evening.

The event was both a small fundraiser for Copper Ridge Conference Centre and a big “ladies’ night out.” Christina Estrada gave a heart-warming talk entitled “God’s Unique Plan for Woman.” We truly connected with Christina’s anecdotes, advice and insights. Many were very moved by her own personal journey in which she recounted that it was at an Opus Dei retreat that she really saw how God wanted her to live her life as a woman, wife, mother, sister and friend. We all felt the conviction that Copper Ridge, once built, would certainly be that place where many will get the chance to have that deep and profound encounter with Christ.

Several ladies signed up then and there for the next retreat, and others saw more fully the benefit of attending some type of formative activity like a doctrine class or a monthly recollection. The evening was a huge success, the air filled with that warmth of ladies who “know how to love and want to love more” and we all left inspired by each other’s presence and example.

For information on hosting Christina’s presentation at your own fundraising event, please contact Frances Huang at frances@dee.ca

Looking at the pictures above (more are available on the Photos Page), the progress on the conference centre is visible and exciting. Many of the rooms are taking shape and one can easily see the views we will have from the future dining room and the living room.

You can also walk on the future deck and take in the fresh air!

A part of the project we have not spoken about a lot is the gatehouse. It will serve as a home for the caretaker and for the priest. The following pictures show its location, the views it will have and the progress being made.

“I am Daisy, a sixteen year old Grade 11 student at Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary. Growing up as a Catholic, I have always struggled to find faith and trust in God, especially in my school community, where religious beliefs and modesty standards have nearly been forgotten by many students. There has been a strong separation between my spiritual life and my everyday life as long as I can remember. However, since I began coming to Westwood, the women’s Opus Dei centre, a Youth Leader named Camila has been an amazing friend and spiritual director. She became my guide to finding holiness in my daily life, no matter the strife.”

Copper Ridge Conference Centre will be another place where other young women like Daisy will be able to learn how to find faith in God in the middle of the world, unifying their spiritual and their everyday lives. CRCC will offer retreats, workshops and other activities aimed at promoting the cultural, spiritual and professional formation of high school and university students as well as young professionals and married people.

You and your family are cordially invited to a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday August 26, 2016 at 11:30 am. Confessions start at 10:45 am. Mass will be held outdoors. In case of rain, confirmation or cancellation will be posted on the website by 8 am on Sunday morning. Visit www.copperridgeconferencecentre.ca for directions and more information about the project.

The Race for Copper Ridge was a tremendous success. 160 participants ran, walked and jogged their way to raising over $10,000 for the project. The pledges, matched by a donor, have now reached over $20,000. Almost 75 children participated in races and games. Moms with their children and babies in strollers jogged around the track along with young people, the middle aged and seniors. Everyone enjoyed a variety of ethnic foods for lunch and the all-Canadian hot dog was a hit for the younger crowd. Thank you to all who participated and to all who pledged their support for our 2nd annual Walkathon. Your generosity is building CRCC!  

The feast day mass in honour of St. Josemaria Escriva was beautifully concelebrated in Vancouver’s Corpus Christi Church on June 26th, 2018.  Monsignor Gregory Smith (Christ the Redeemer, West Vancouver) was the main celebrant, assisted by Fr. Julio Lagos of Opus Dei, Fr. John Tritschler and Fr. Anthony Ho.  

The large church was filled with families and individuals from across the lower mainland. Every continent of the world was represented and one participant was reminded that each year at this feast day mass, the unity of the holy, catholic, apostolic and universal church is made palpable.  

Monsignor Smith began his homily with the humorous observation that, had he remembered the Opus Dei demographic, he might have prepared a few children’s homilies.

Having attended the Jordan Peterson/Sam Harris “debate” at the Orpheum two nights previously,   Monsignor Smith explained that the common notion that the Catholic Church is constrained by dogma and tradition was shown to be false by St. Josemaria’s life and teachings.  His life was a living example of the great gift of freedom we have been given by God. Monsignor Smith quoted many passages from the books of the founder of Opus Dei showing how every situation in one’s life can become a means to find God and bring His love to those we live and work with.

The mass was accompanied by a choir of exceptional voices which added to the beauty and reverence of the evening; a testament to the significance of St. Josemaria Escriva in the lives of so many people around the world.