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SPIRIT and GRACE
Bishop Gary Gordon is the new spiritual leader of over 94,000 Roman Catholics on Vancouver Island believes was an affirmation from above. “It was like I heard this big ‘yes,’ and I’ve said yes ever since: yes to becoming a priest and yes to becoming a bishop,” he said. Bishop Gordon was ordained as a priest in 1982 after studying at Seminary of Christ the King in Mission; at St. Jerome College at the University of Waterloo in Ontario; and at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont. He served several parishes throughout B.C., including Vancouver, Chilliwack and Mission. He was named Bishop of Whitehorse in Kevin laird 2006. Reporting With his new role in Victoria, he’ll be the spiritual leader of more than 94,000 Roman Catholics on Vancouver Island and the Gulf foreign to him. Islands – 10,000 of whom attend church “I think being a priest was a little beyond regularly, and while that will be a much larger me,” the bishop, 57, told the News during workload than in the North, a recent interview at the “The idea of letting Bishop Gordon maintains the diocese offices in Saanich. approach is the same. “I didn’t really want to be people know the good “It’s kind of a universal a priest. I did want to be a ministry,” he said. missionary. The idea of letting news, I thought this was “The approach gets people know the good news, I a really good idea.” directed by listening to the thought this was a really good – Bishop Gary Gordon people. The ministry, in a idea.” sense, is the same anywhere, Bishop Gordon believes but when you listen to the people in the every Catholic boy thinks about the different (cities) then you kind of get the priesthood at some point, but in his case he culture of the place which gives (you) the thought it was asking too much of him and language to use to communicate the good he wasn’t exactly enamoured with school. “Priests go to school a long time,” he chuckled. news.” His life changed in his early 20s when he was walking down a dark road, looking up PlEASE SEE: at the stars one night, and he heard what he Bishop’s job, Page A15 Bishop Gary Gordon, who was installed as the new head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria last Thursday, didn’t think he would ever become a priest, never mind a bishop. Growing up in Burnaby, Bishop Gordon and his family attended church regularly. He was even enrolled in Catholic schools. But the thought of being a priest seemed
Kevin Laird/News staff
Roman Catholic Bishop Gary Gordon: “My responsibility is to be there and bring the message.”