Catholics invited to visit Blessings

By Laureen McMahon

Blessings Christian Marketplace, a Christian bookstore in Langley, hired their first-ever Catholic service representative in September 2007. Their choice was Jayme-Dawn McKinnon, a parishioner at St. Matthew's in Surrey.

A big part of McKinnon's duties, according to Blessings former manager Paul Twyford, was to help the store increase its supply of materials for the Catholic population living in Langley, Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, and Surrey.

Blessings has outlets right across Canada selling Christian materials such as books, music, and gifts. In B.C. there is a Blessings in Chilliwack as well as the one in Langley.

The timing was perfect, said McKinnon, a 2005 graduate of Trinity Western University and Redeemer Pacific College, the Catholic college located on the Trinity Western campus.

"After leaving university I began discerning what God had in mind for me, career-wise. One day I visited Blessings and noticed an ad for part-time help. At the time I was volunteering at the Surrey-Delta Pro Life office, and I mentioned this to Paul when we struck up a conversation. I found myself telling him that I had once dreamed of opening a Catholic bookstore and then I blurted out, `I am here to help you with your Catholic materials.'"

McKinnon added with a laugh, "I turned out to be exactly the person he was looking for!"

McKinnon, who holds a degree in Christianity and Culture, a unique Bachelor of Arts program offered through Redeemer Pacific College, said attending a predominantly Protestant college gave her a unique opportunity to get to know many people in the Christian evangelical community who make up a large part of the Blessings customer base.

"It came in very handy when I joined the staff," McKinnon said. "I saw God's hand in this right away."

Soon after, a second Catholic, Andreas Psenniger, a parishioner at St. Joseph's in Langley, was also hired to work at Blessings.

"They asked us to select materials which would appeal to Catholics and would be helpful with parish education and other programs," explained McKinnon.

"For several years the Catholic population living east of Vancouver has been without easily accessible Catholic materials. Most Christian stores have a rather poor quality of Catholic materials, and even catechisms are hard to find. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a catechism at Blessings even though their Catholic section was small. There was one rosary and a few prayer cards left over from a pilgrimage the manager had attended. On the flip side, I was very happy to see that Blessings doesn't allow any anti-Catholic literature at all in their stores."

McKinnon was asked to come up with a list of the top 20 books which she considered "must-haves" for Catholics.

"I polled several friends and family members, asking them to give me their 10 best choices, then I reviewed each one and decided on my list," said McKinnon. She selected Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, books by Scott Hahn, and Catholic classics including lives of the saints.

Today, said McKinnon, Blessings stocks a good selection of books faithful to the Catholic magisterium.

"I think we have been careful to include books and other materials that are truly inspiring; customers can leave here with the right resources to become saints!"

Nathan O'Hara, current manager of Blessings, said he has been delighted to witness the growth that has occurred since bringing two Catholics on board.

"With Jayme-Dawn's leadership we have been able to double our Catholic books, enhance our Catholic Bible selection, and improve the quality and choice of our Catholic giftware, including rosaries. It has been an exciting journey as we have grown together, prayed together, and asked questions about our faith. We believe this has been the right direction for Blessings, and we will continue to strive towards this unity while serving the needs of all Christian believers."

Every day at the bookstore, McKinnon said, is different.

"This week a young gentleman came to the counter wanting to buy three books that I find personally exciting; the Catechism of the Catholic Church and two others based on Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body entitled Good News of Sex and Marriage and Holy Sex."

McKinnon said she conversed with the man for a few minutes and was surprised when, after paying for his books, he said, "Is it too late to mention that I'm an atheist?"

It turned out that he was dating a Catholic woman and cared enough about her to try and understand her spiritual beliefs.

"`Wow,' I later said to myself," said McKinnon. "An atheist just left here after buying some awesome Catholic books from an evangelical bookstore!"

Shortly after McKinnon came on staff, Blessings launched a fund-raising program to benefit local Catholic parishes under her direction. So far both Precious Blood in Cloverdale and St. Matthew's in Surrey have agreed to participate. When parishioners from either parish shop at Blessings, that fact is noted in the store's computer system. Every three months a percentage of the total sales to their parishioners is rebated to each parish, McKinnon explained.

Blessings is also, McKinnon noted, currently commissioning the design of student rosaries using school colours and patron saints for two Catholic schools in Okotoks, Alta.

"The workmanship of the rosaries is beautiful, and we use the school colours in the design," said McKinnon. "We encourage any school interested to contact us for further information."

Blessings is right on the Surrey-Langley border, at 19638 Fraser Highway, near Langley's Willowbrook Mall. The store can be contacted for information or for shopping online or by phone at www.blessings.com or 1-800-567-5918.