Serving the Church a family affair for the Tans

Geoffrey and Elizabeth Tan will officially receive the 2026 St. Michael Award Sept. 27, two of many Catholics who have embodied distinguished and faithful service within the Catholic community throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Presented annually, this year’s recipients will be honoured as part of a special celebration at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica's noon Mass, with Cardinal Frank Leo presiding. There, the Tans will join eight other honourees along with friends, family and lay faithful to celebrate decades of unique commitment and dedication to serving others. 

It is a commitment the Tans have made for 19 years at Alliston’s St. Paul the Apostle Parish, where the couple have poured themselves into nearly every aspect of parish life. From leading youth and music ministry, serving on parish council, guiding the RCIA program, preparing children for the sacraments and supporting countless events behind the scenes, the Tans have provided year after year, while raising nine children of their own who are also active in ministry themselves. 

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Speaking to The Catholic Register, the Tans shared their feelings of being honoured with the St. Michael Award.  

“ We were very honoured, of course, and then when we read through the list of this year's recipients, we found ourselves to be in pretty esteemed company, which is humbling when you see people who have been in ministry for 50 or more years,” Geoffrey said. 

Elizabeth emphasized that it is nice to be recognized, but they never served for that reason. The two first met as teenagers through involvement in a faith community. Later in life, when they began having children, their core motivation became wanting a family raised with faith as the foundation of daily life, not just as a weekend practice. In a shared belief that service helps people recognize Christ in one another, the family began serving in various capacities. 

Geoffrey would begin serving across youth and music ministry, liturgical service, the Knights of Columbus, parish council and as a leader of the parish RCIA program, while Elizabeth devoted her time to assisting youth ministry and sacramental preparation while helping in different parish operations and events behind-the-scenes. 

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All nine children, from 27, the eldest, to the youngest at 10, were involved in similar ways from an early age, whether through altar serving, youth ministry or beyond. 

“ That wasn't something that took either of us away from the family, but something that we all did together. I don't want to say it was a non-negotiable, but it was just a natural outflow of family involvement in the mystical body of Christ,” Geoffrey said, going on to share that they even deliberately bought a house in a new development behind the church when they moved to Alliston so it would be within walking distance. 

“It has been a real blessing to see how (our children) have stepped up each, in their own way and in their own time, to fill needs. To see them take ownership of their faith as they become young adults is something that matters to every Catholic parent. Having them pick up that task on their own and carry it forward is beautiful,” Elizabeth added. 

The whole family will be present for the special celebration on the Solemnity of St. Michael. They will be joined by the other reward recipients, including the Central Pastoral Region’s Bonnie Beverley of St. Bonaventure Parish and Carlos and Colette Carreiro of St. Ann’s; Andrew Ligama of St. Joseph the Worker joining the Tans from the northern region; Renato Baldari of Epiphany of Our Lord and Paul John Butka of St. Gregory the Great in the east; and Ursula Matthews, Dr. Andrew and the late Joan Simone of Our Lady of Sorrows in the west.

“It’s a great group, and we are looking forward to meeting the other recipients and just being inspired to continue on our path of service,” Elizabeth said.

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“It will be very humbling, but it's going to be a great day for sure,” her husband added. 

For more on this year’s recipients, see archtoronto.org. 

A version of this article appeared in the September 27, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Serving the Church a family affair for the Tans".