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Our Lady Of Good Hope Catholic Church Our Parish Priest Pastor: Fr. John Tritschler
SUNDAY JULY 10, 2005
INTRODUCING YOUR NEW PASTOR: FR.
JOHN TRITSCHLER Herein is a brief
introduction of myself for parishioners of Our Lady of Good Hope: I was born on April
3, 1940 in Calgary, Alberta to Laurie and Norah Tritschler my now deceased
parents, my father having died in 1982 and my mother in 2003. My father worked some 45 years with
the Bank of Montreal, beginning as a teller in Manitoba, then being sent to
learn further banking experience as a young man to Mexico and Paris. My father retired in 1963 as the
superintendent of B.C. During
those banking years my father’s advancements took my two sisters and brother
and me to Montreal twice, Calgary twice, Edmonton, Chicago and finally in
1958 to Vancouver, all of that over my first 18 years. In the fall of 1958
I entered the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission and studied there until
I was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1966. My assignments over the last 39 years as a priest of the
Archdiocese of Vancouver have been as follows: Holy Rosary Cathedral, Vancouver
(1966-69); St. Anthony’s, West Vancouver (1969-70); St, Anthony’s Agassiz (1970); St. Francis de Sales, Burnaby (1970-73); St. Mary’s Indian Residence School,
Mission (1973-74); St. Jude’s,
Vancouver (1974); St. Ann’s,
Aldergrove (1974-76); St. Joseph’s,
Mission (1976-88); Guardian
Angels, Vancouver (1988-90); Holy
Cross, Burnaby (1990); Immaculate
Conception, Vancouver (1990); Holy
Trinity, North Vancouver (1990-93); The five Sahtu Missions of the North West
Territories (1993-96); Precious
Blood Parish, Surrey (1996-2005); and now Our Lady of Good Hope, Hope (2005……). Archbishop Roussin
has assigned me as pastor of Our Lady of Good Hope and also the 8 native
reserves between Seabird Island and Boston Bar. Fr. Gerry Guillet, O.M.I. who is so well known and
respected by many of you from his days of working in this region with the
native people and with Fr. Hennessy has been assigned to be the priest for
Seabird Island, Chehalis and Scowlitz reserves. Fr. Gerry was with us this last Friday for the funeral
Mass for Mabel Ross, whom we commend to the goodness of God. I have a number of
enthusiasms as a priest, amongst them are the following: to bring myself and
the people I work with to a deeper union with God, to see the action of God
in the lives of others - Catholics, non Catholics and non Christians, to
uphold the discipline of the Church, working with native people, observing
the new Catholic communities of young people who have a keen obedience to the
Holy Father, the official teaching of the church, devotion to the Holy
Eucharist and Mary, and to help parishioners develop their role as stewards
of parish life. While I have just arrived
in the parish I will be leaving on holidays this Monday July 11 and returning
to Hope on July 28. The good people
of Precious Blood parish, my previous parish bought me a plane ticket to
return to the 5 missions of the N.W.T., where I served as volunteer
missionary at the request of Archbishop Exner. I will be flying out of
Abbotsford this Monday. Visiting the missions and then coming back to Hope by
way of the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage which in the third week of July. While I am away Fr. Larry McLellan,
O.M.I. from Vancouver will be replacing me here. He will reside in the rectory but drive to Vancouver
occasionally. I thank all who have
welcomed me and have assisted me in settling in. See you on July 28. …. |
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