Accidental death in Telegraph Creek, B.C.

With a major highway—Highway #37—closed because of forest fires, some of the communities in the Diocese of Whitehorse have been cut off from outsiders recently.

However, when the call came in last week about the accidental death of parishioner Dan Pakula in Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, it meant going to the air with the help of Marcel Dulac

(Sifton Air) so I could get to Telegraph Creek to be with the family to celebrate the Rites of Christian Burial and the Mass for Dan.

Much of the Stikine river is only accessible by travel on the river so the river became the highway to get to the graveyard downriver from Telegraph Creek.

The whole graveside service was held under the watchful gaze of the Lord and a large black bear perched up a tree right above the grave.

There is no priest or pastoral worker at St. Theresa mission in Telegraph Creek, but with a little ingenuity and determination, I and Father Terry Brock from Terrace, B.C., are able to get there every month. Of course, we are on call 24/7 to help the people in difficult times. God always provides the way.

P.S.: I was not able to get a photo of the bear I was a little busy taking care of the prayers and the grieving family.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Meanwhile, contruction of Mary Our Morning Star Retreat Centre and the Bishop's House continues. Above, carpenters work on the roof.

Keeping warm without costing a fortune

The power poles are finally in place, and soon electrical
access to the property for Mary Our Morning Star retreat house

and the new rectory will be switched on.

 Construction in the North is complex and expensive.

Thus, construction for our retreat house and rectory is focused on three essentials:

1) Sustainability

2) Conservation of energy

3) KEEPING WARM without COSTING a FORTUNE!!!

So, what looks like a giant Lego block is really

a Styrofoam block 8 feet x 20 feet, which is the

wall and insulation and vapour barrier all in one.

Once the blocks are all stacked up, they are filled with concrete. The most important aspect of this construction is, it is built to last! And even better, has a working "R" value of +50, which, in construction-speak, means the value of the insulation in the wall.

The heating/ventilation contractor said: "You will probably be able to heat this building with a candle."

This is very good because the church has lots of candles!

Dana Sellinger gunning nails onto insulated concrete wall.

Here I am sitting on the floor joists with Dan Sellinger.

Above, I am using the screwdriver gun to put the floor down. Everything is in a bishop’s job description!

For now, this may be a lot of science and technical data. However, it is very important as we try to be good stewards of
God’s creation.

Nothing like a rainbow over Takhini valley to remind us

 to be mindful of caring for and being respectful of all

the wondrous beauty that God has created for us.

May not be Mount Carmel, but getting there

On the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I thought of posting a few photos of the developments at the site where the Bishop’s house is being constructed.

The proposed Mary Our Morning Star property on the banks of the Takhini River may not be Mount Carmel; however, it will be a place of encounter with the Lord through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother.

Next week, the property will have electric power with the building of the power line.

The Bishop’s house building project has been a great way of working out the bugs and complications of building in the North. The challenges of a sustainable energy-efficient building that minimizes impact on the environment are many and not that simple.

But, as people would say, “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

God bless!

Bishop Gary

'Planting seeds of faith': Salt + Light TV Perspectives Interview, July 8, 2010

Here’s a video link to Salt + Light TV’s Perspectives program on July 8, 2010, featuring footage of my interview, ‘Planting seeds of faith,’ with Pedro Guevarra-Mann.

http://www.cmic.info/Bishop-Gary-Gordons-video-on-Salt-and-Light-TV

Architectural drawing of our future

Mary Our Morning Star Retreat Centre.

For the MacKinnons, a first visit to the Canadian mission in Atlin, B.C.

Our first week of July visitors, the MacKinnons from Toronto:

Hugh and wife Laura and their youngest son Peter.

July 1st weekend provided a wonderful time to welcome Hugh and Laura MacKinnon and their youngest son Peter to the diocese, for a five-day experience at St. Joseph’s mission in Atlin, British Columbia.

Boat mascot and guide: Celty, my Golden Retriever.

The MacKinnons travelled more than 5528 km from Toronto to live in our Northern mission diocese for a few days to see and encounter in a brief way the Catholic community in this small village. They saw firsthand the dedication of Catholic Missions In Canada and our many supporters to keep these isolated small Catholic communities and their churches open and vibrant.

St. Joseph's mission church in Atlin, British Columbia.

Good folks like the MacKinnons who support Catholic Missions make the life of our faith and celebration of the Mass and sacraments possible for the far-flung northern missions. Though we were unable to catch a lake trout in Alton Lake, we experienced together the work of the Lord being fishers of men and women in the kingdom of God.

On the boat to fish for lake trout in Alton Lake.

Checking out Peter's fishing tackle.

The trout, the Mackinnons discovered, were also out on another

mission: to stay scarce when they came to fish.

 
The bald eagle and the sheer beauty of this corner of God’s kingdom were a sign of welcome, and the gracious love of God experienced through the tiny Catholic community will, I hope, leave a lasting impression in their hearts.

Clearing trees, welcoming new parish administrators in Ross River, Yukon

Next step: Clearing the trees for the hydro-electric poles to service Mary Our Morning Star Retreat Centre in Yukon.

While I was doing the cutting, Michelle Lefebre and Frank Quinn began clearing and stacking the cut trees to be used either for a cabin or for firewood.

After a long day in the bush, I drove to Ross River to install our new missionaries at St. Michael’s mission.

John and Irene Morin standing on the front steps of the church are overjoyed at being called by God and installed as pastoral administrators of this community of 350 people.

The flock is small and after two years with no permanent pastoral presence, they are filled with joy at the prospect of rebuilding the church community and repairing the buildings.

The garden is already planted, and the Lord will do the watering and growing.

John and Irene have been discerning this mission call for two years with the Holy Family Apostolate.

First week of June 2010: Digging the ground for the Bishop’s House

Well, the ground is getting dug up in a big way as Dan and Dana Sellinger, the contractors for the Bishop’s House project, begin work on the job site.

Contractor Dan Sellinger surveys the area to be dug. 

Morning bite: The grizzly bear, below, was munching some fresh wild flowers as I drove by the road to St. Joseph’s mission in Atlin, British Columbia. I was at the mission to celebrate Mass last Sunday, June 13th.

Dan Sellinger takes another scan of the construction site.

Thought for the day:

Remember that the person

who plants few seeds
will have a small crop;

the one who plants many seeds

will have a large crop.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6

Sod-turning: Yukon style

Whitehorse, Yukon—This is a sod-turning ceremony, Yukon-style.

On the Saturday before Pentecost (May 22), eight good folks joined me in planting 500 pounds of seed potatoes on property the Diocese of Whitehorse has purchased for the building of a retreat centre for the church and a house for the bishop.

It was a glorious day and the fine soil God had provided was incentive for the joyful crew.

A little rain early Pentecost morning was a perfect gift to get our little crop settled in for some good summer growing.

The road work is being completed this week, as well as some excavation for the bishop’s house, which will replace the very drafty and very old house I am in now.

The grace of God and the generosity of Catholic Missions In Canada is making things happen.

Happy Pentecost!

Bishop Gary Gordon, Diocese of Whitehorse, Yukon


Sowing the seeds for our future retreat centre and Bishop’s House.

The excavators making the road for the future Mary Our Morning Star Retreat Centre, and putting in the septic system for the Bishop’s House.


Father Greg Kennedy, S.J., works on the rail fence using pine trees that were cleared for the road.

Hard to beat: The beauty of the wild crocus blooms that cover the property of Mary our Morning Star Retreat Centre.

For real digging beyond just a potato field, the excavators are just the thing.