Your Grace on behalf of each parishioner I want to officially thank you for your efforts last year in helping us receive another Slovak priest after we have lost the services of Father Kadlec and the Slovak Jesuit Fathers. Your help has enabled our parish to continue the Slovak Tradition and we all thank you very much.

The program started with a group of our youngest parishioners singing: "Po nabrezi konik bezi - A little horse runs along the shore."

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Later on our friend Maros played the fujara and sang a song from Detva region.

As a memento of this occasion from the members of our parish the Most Reverend Archbishop Adam Exner received a book entitled: Tatranske Stity- The Peaks of the Tatra's. A book about High Tatra’s mountain range forming a natural boundary between Poland and Slovakia.

The first priest at the St. Cyril and Methodius parish was Father Lacko who guided us for 25 years. Father Lacko was an extraordinary man. A man who always had a twinkle in his eye and amazing ability to organize in cooperative spirit and make things happens. His accomplishment and especially his sense of humor are legendary. He once described Slovaks as people who like to sing, who like short prayers and like long good sausages. Father Lacko and the other Slovak Jesuit Fathers who served us here with such dignity were all dedicated men whose work and service will never be forgotten. As the Archbishop mentioned at the beginning of the mass today time moves on and for the last ten months we have been blessed with a new priest. A young man, who has presented us with new ideas, challenged our ways and provided vibrant leadership for going forward. As a parish we are truly fortunate that he a young priest who can speak both Slovak and English chose to serve among us.

Once again I am bringing you my own congratulation but also a congratulation of all the priests and the people of archdiocese of Vancouver. Vancouver is an interesting part of the world. Part of the world, where the whole world as if were present. You know we have some parishes as for example the St. Mary's parish in Vancouver with parishioners from 78 different countries. 78 countries all represented in the same parish. It is kind of a microcosm, the whole world is here in miniature. And that is a tremendous richness but it also presents some challenges. And I keep saying to people, when you come to this country do not throw away your culture, your background. Because when people come here and all of a sudden they say well: I am going to become a Canadian. What does it mean, you know we have people from all over the world here, what does it mean to be a Canadian in Vancouver? Don't throw away your culture, don’t throw away What's good and What's true and What's beautiful. Keep it. Secondly don’t only keep is. Share it also with your neighbors. So if you make good sausage, let the other people know. Share the good things with others. First I think that it is important that we keep What's true, good and beautiful and that we share it with others and that thirdly we must also be open to sharing What's good true, and beautiful for other cultures. And if we do that with time, having people here from all over the world, we can built a beautiful culture for the future which takes the best from each group of people. We have that opportunity. We talk a lot about globalization in the world. We are globalized here in Vancouver, and it is a beautiful and rich experience. You know I love to go to some of our parishes to potluck suppers. Each one brings something unplanned. My, you can get everything from Polish Kolbasa to Italian spaghetti and East Indian curry chicken and Japanese sushi. Whatever you want it’s all there. I find this is a tremendous richness and tremendous beauty. It always is a problem for people that come to this country, shall we hang on to our culture of our country or shell we give it up? No don’t give up What's true, good and beautiful. Keep it, share it with others and take What's true, good and beautiful from other people. In that way we never be assimilated, but integrated into something good, true and beautiful for the future. Ant that is a hopeful sign to be. I lived through this myself. My parents were not born in Canada. My parents were born in Austria. When I was a little boy I couldn't speak any English. I was one of those kids that learned English in school. I lived through this. It is a wonderful experience, sometimes a hard experience, but it can be a beautiful experience and I pray that as you keep your culture and share it and receive from with the others you may both be faithful to your past and be faithful to the future as well. God Bless you all.

Ed Starick then thanked the long time members of our church for all their work during the past 40 years. He also thanked the Knights of Columbus for helping with today's celebrations.

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Ed also said: When I knew everyone who came to this church not just to Sunday mass but now I can't say that, because the church is changing. New faces continuously show themselves and I think that is good, for new faces means that our parish is growing. I am sure our Lord must be pleased. If our Slovak parents and their friends who developed this parish could speak to us today, I am sure they would say that they are proud of this parish but I think they would also say that they are proud of you. A church that is overflowing with older and younger people, one in which you can hear children voices is very special. Let’s be proud, but let us also be grateful that we have the Slovak Church and the Slovak priest. I hope that today as we celebrate the past that each of you, and I especially ask our young people, to reflect on the future and that you will renew your energies and work hard with father Jozef and the other parishioners so that this little Slovak parish with its Slovak tradition will continue to flourish and grow for years to come. I thank you all.

Currently our Church has over 120 registered members' families.

Color video of the Holy Divine service is available for US$ 44.45

Published in the Slovak Heritage Live newsletter Volume 8, No. 2, Summer 2000
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2000
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied, reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic, without the express written permission of Vladimir Linder. All rights reserved.