Enthusiastic reception for Bishop-elect Gordon

By LAUREEN McMAHON

Bishop-elect Garry Gordon will be ordained and installed for the Whitehorse Diocese at Whitehorse’s Vanier Catholic Secondary School on March 22 at 7 p.m.

It took just a few short hours into the bishop-elect’s Jan. 11 flying visit to the Yukon for diocesan staff to become convinced that the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Chilliwack was the perfect choice to be their new prelate, said Whitehorse Vicar General Father Jim Bleackley, OMI.

“He’s really the right man for the job. Clearly evident among his many gifts are his love for the aboriginal peoples, his enthusiasm, tempered with humility, and his affinity for the outdoors and the diocese’s rugged terrain,” Father Bleackley told The B.C. Catholic.

“The Fraser Valley’s loss is our gain, and in thanksgiving, I have added St. Mary’s Parish to my nightly prayers!”

Vanier Catholic Secondary has been chosen as the locale for the episcopal ordination and installation as Sacred Heart Cathedral cannot accommodate the expected crowds, explained Father Bleackley. However, on the next morning, the new bishop will offer his first episcopal Mass at the cathedral at 10:30 and a reception will follow.

“He met with some of our Oblates at the Oblate Centre shortly after arriving last week and the next day was introduced to diocesan staff. It’s been a long six years for us without a bishop, but I believe Bishop-elect Gordon will prove to be worth the wait!” said Father Bleackley.

The last bishop of the diocese, Bishop Thomas Lobsinger, OMI, died in a plane crash in early 2000, an accident which also took the life of diocesan financial administrator Brother Hoby Spruyt, OMI.

Father Bleackley administered the diocese until Bishop Denis Croteau, OMI, of Mackenzie – Fort Smith was appointed apostolic administrator of Whitehorse in 2003. Bishop Croteau has been having to travel back and forth from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

The shocking deaths of Bishop Lobsinger and Brother Spruyt, as well as those of Oblate Fathers Brian Ballard and Ivan McCormack just a year and a half later in another plane crash, remain fresh in everyone’s mind, said Father Bleackley. Fathers Ballard and McCormack were flying to an Oblate convocation in August of 2001 when their plane crashed.

“We’ve just about told everyone to stay out of small planes. Fortunately, the roads are much better and you can get almost everywhere by car these days,” he added.

On the Thursday of his Whitehorse visit, Bishop-elect Gordon offered the Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral after dining with diocesan staff in the cathedral hall, said Father Bleackley.

“The church was packed, and you could feel the excitement in the air. I had the great privilege of introducing him, and the applause went on for a pretty long time. He spoke from the heart, and then attended a reception for people to say hello.”

On Friday, Bishop-elect Gordon attended a morning briefing with Catholic school administrators, then decided to strap on boots for a spot of cross-country skiing “to help clear his head,” said Father Bleackley.

“We have some of the best cross-country ski trails to be found anywhere. When I mentioned it to him, you could see his eyes light up!”

On Friday evening, Bishop-elect Gordon offered the Mass for a special post-Christmas gathering. The next day he talked to local newspaper reporters before flying back to the Lower Mainland. He has promised to drive to Whitehorse in early March to finalize the many details of the ordination, Father Bleackley confirmed.

Meanwhile, although the bishop-elect tried to insist that no special going-away festivities take place before he leaves for Whitehorse, a parish spokesman said that a Farewell Father Gordon Open House will take place at St. Mary’s on Feb. 12 from 1-4 p.m, after the 11:15 Sunday Mass.

Everyone is welcome to come to offer congratulations and say goodbye to the priest, whose tenure at St. Mary’s dates back to 1983, when he was appointed assistant pastor. Five years later, he became pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Mission, and then, in 1992, he returned to St. Mary’s as pastor.