Welcome to our friends, after a lengthy period of silence and pilgrimage inactivity.
We have of course not been inactive in others areas of ministry. Continue reading “Catching Up”
Catching Up
50th Anniversary Party! (Oct 28)
Friday October 28, Gerald Hobbs will celebrate with friends 50 years of ordained ministry.
Drop in between 7:30 and 10:30 pm at VST Epiphany Chapel, 6030 Chancellor Blvd., Vancouver, BC.
There is limited parking; street parking is very tight, but the UBC Rose Garden parkade is nearby.
Light refreshments will be served; you may count on me for good wine.
Please, no gifts. Should you wish to do something, make a donation to a fund for Syrian refugee assistance in honour of the occasion.
RSVP: e-mail rgh@vst.edu
Gerald’s Fiftieth Anniversary of Ordination
Due to the death of Helen Hobbs on May 6th, Gerald is now postponing the celebration of his 50 years since ordination.
A new date will be set for mid-autumn.
New Italy Pictures
In the recent scouting trip by Lynne and Gerald, they took a number of pictures. See Italy Preview, a feast for the eyes. If you click on an image, you will see a description.
Italy Rediscovered
Easter Monday, Lynne and Gerald spent a week scouting for the May 2017 pilgrimage in Italy.
They revisited Ravenna, with its glorious churches whose ceilings and upper walls are covered with 6th C. mosaics, still in brilliant colour, unfaded by the passing centuries with their invasions, wars and atmospheric pollution.
They drove across the Appenine mountains into Assisi with its vibrant memories of Saints Francis and Clare; they have been able to arrange to stay again at the convent of the Franciscan tertiaries, as in 2009.
South of Rome, they drove up to the 1500-year-old monastery founded by the ascetic brother and sister Benedict and Scholastica; this will be a breath-taking addition to our 2017 pilgrimage. Despite the terrible battles fought there between Axis and Allied troups in 1944, the monastery is wonderfully evocative of the Benedictine life and spirituality.
In Rome they explored some new sites, and visited old scenes. An addition for 2017 will be the church of the Waldensians, Italy’s first Protestants, whose ancestors suffered terrible treatment as heretics in the Middle Ages and even beyond.
Hotel accommodation for all locations is being confirmed, and we expect to able to announce the May 2017 dates and full itinerary by June this year.
Update from Gerald
Gerald will be in Cambridge, England at a conference in the week after Easter. From Monday April 13 to Friday April 17, he will be visiting sites in Amsterdam and Brugges, to visit the hotels and restaurants, and clear final details on the pilgrimage programme.
Registration for the 2015 Pilgrimage is coming along well. There are still a half-dozen places available. If you are interested you should contact Linda Lee as soon as possible.
Space Available
Registrations for this summer are coming in steadily. There are still lots of places available.
Applications for 2015 Pilgrimage
Our Application Form for 2015 is now available for download, and we are accepting applications now. Because we limit our number of pilgrims, it is often advisable to check with our registrar at pilgrimage@telus.net to ensure there is still space available.
Visit the Reserve page on the website for more details.
You may wish to check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Remembering Verna Splane
Verna Huffman Splane, described on-line as ‘a giant in Canadian nursing and health care’ died peacefully early Saturday morning at the Crofton Manor seniors care facility in Vancouver, with friends and her husband Dick by her side. Verna had celebrated two months ago, in the University Hill United congregation, her 100th birthday. Verna and Dick were both members of the order of Canada, recognition given for the tremendous contributions they made separately and as a team after retirement, to Canadian health care and social policy. They came on pilgrimage with us in 2007 to Europe and England, and spoke fondly of that experience. Verna’s memorial service was Sunday, January 18th at 1:30 pm at University Hill church.
2015 Pilgrimage Preview
Join us June 30 to July 16, 2015 on the Spiritual Heritage Pilgrimage along the great Rhine River. You can find some details on the Itinerary page, which includes an outline of themes to be discovered. You will also want to see the photographs we have assembled in preparing for this trip in the preview Gallery.