When shopping for a new home, most buyers avoid the poorer areas. For the Claretian priests who recently moved into the rectory at Sacred Heart Church in Vancouver, it was almost a selling point. 

In addition to taking on diverse ministry assignments across Vancouver, the Claretians have assumed pastoral duties at Sacred Heart Church in the Downtown Eastside. 

“Our parish is in a poor area, but it has a wealth of ministries serving the homeless,” Sacred Heart’s new pastor, Fr. Ray Smith, told The B.C. Catholic.

The Claretians have found it a blessing as they reach out to local ministries to help in any way they can. For example, they celebrate Mass for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and are working to network between the various groups serving the Downtown Eastside. 

This drive to connect people is what Smith refers to as the “collaborative” element Claretians bring with them wherever they go. 

His experience with poverty is nothing new — he has served in poor Chicago and Los Angeles communities — but he sees reasons to be hopeful in Vancouver. The wealth of homeless ministries is one, but also the growing Spanish communities. 

“We added a Spanish Mass, and it nearly doubled the size of the parish,” he said. 

“There is something in our experience here — we’ve gone from zero to two youth groups, one in English, one in Spanish. I wasn’t able to get even one started at my last parish.” 

First Nations outreach is also a priority. It has been a struggle, but things are improving. 

“I know to go slow,” he said. “We are continuing to get some of those folks back, but it needs to be gentle and slow.” 

The absence of Fr. Garry LaBoucane, the Cree Oblate who used to organize much of the Indigenous ministry, left a void in the community, but the monthly Indigenous Mass (called a Drumming Mass) has the best attendance, and Smith notes that one or two Indigenous community members return every month. It is a sign of hope. 

The Claretians have had a presence in other parts of Canada, but this will be the first time they will form a community in B.C.