A little story as to why the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls are important to me.

I came to Vancouver in 1988 and began my work in this diocese as chaplain to the Anglican patients at St. Paul’s Hospital in the West End. It was a part-time position and the other half of my time was as assistant priest at nearby St. Paul’s church. It worked well. I had a regular base for Sunday worship, was involved in preaching and teaching and I recruited a team of volunteers to minister with me at the hospital.

David Crawley was the rector (before he became the Bishop of Kootenay) and he and I enjoyed an excellent collegial relationship. On All Saints’ Day, 1989 we decided to hold a mass in the evening at which I had the privilege of presiding. During the reception that followed, David said something to me that I will always remember. “As I watched you, Neil, I was aware of a great respect for you as a priest and also of deep personal affection for you as a person”. I glowed a little at this spontaneous compliment and had a feeling of deep joy in my heart as I went home and got ready for bed. I slept well, treasuring those kind words, until I was rudely awakened by the telephone at 3am! It was the ER at St. Paul’s Hospital telling me that a woman in her early sixties had been admitted following a heart attack. She was not expected to survive. I grumbled a bit to myself, but dressed quickly and headed over to say some prayers and support the family.

The following day (the Feast of All Souls) I had a phone call from the UK. It was my brother-in-law ringing to tell me that my mother had just died. She was just 63 and was out for a walk, when she felt chest pains and shortness of breath. The ambulance took her to the hospital in High Wycombe, but she died very shortly after arrival. I spoke to the other members of my family and made arrangements to fly over as soon as possible.

What do we make of this? A coincidence? Or, in some strange inexplicable way, was God allowing me to minister to my mother by attending to the needs of a woman in a similar situation locally? All I know is I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit very clearly in the next few painful days.

The juxtaposition of David’s lovely words and being jolted out of sleep to go to work have an easier lesson for us. Discipleship is about sacrifice and service not about recognition and praise. That is what the saints knew and exemplified in their lives.

Fr. Neil G

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