St. Francis de Sales Parish Burnaby

10/20/2026

Archbishop Smith has called our archdiocesan family to unite in prayer for an increase in vocations to the priesthood & consecrated life. Our RCAV Vocations Office is relaunching the 40 Hours Devotion-Eucharistic Adoration.

Every parish has been invited to take part between November 2026 & November 2027. Our parish will have Eucharistic Adoration every first Wednesday of the month, beginning Nov 4, from 5pm to 8:30pm, together with our Melkite brethren: two communities, one in prayer for vocations!

For more information about our work in Vocations, please...

https://vocationsvancouver.ca/

10/18/2026

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Francis de Sales, Burnaby,

There's a special kind of gladness in hearing a beloved voice again after days of worry. Today in Rome, just a few hours ago, Pope Leo XIV returned to lead the Angelus, and the whole Church breathed a prayer of thanks.

It has been quite a week. Last Sunday, the Holy Father told us that doctors had found a small nodule in his lung. On Tuesday, surgeons at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital removed the lower lobe of his right lung, which confirmed an early-stage cancer. The operation went well, with no complications, and within days he left the hospital.

Today he told us: “I would like to thank all those who have prayed for me in recent days. I have truly sensed your support.” He added that this experience “has made me feel particularly close to all those who are living with illness or infirmity,” and that he will “gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers.”
Those prayers matter, so let’s keep them going: for our Holy Father’s full recovery, and for everyone among us who is living with illness. To see Pope Leo in action this morning, please click below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sELfe_Rta34

I hope you are all having a blessed October, the month dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, and soaking in all this glorious autumn weather. Please click the yellow button below for this weekend’s bulletin and keep scrolling for the events and happenings here at St. Francis de Sales'. God bless you all.
https://sfds.ca/bulletins

Keep inviting those whom you know back to church, dear friends. And, if you happen to be home bound, please join us online by accessing our live-stream Mass link below for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 9:00am Mass - Oct. 18, 2026:
https://www.youtube.com/live/JbXtYr3Q3Yc

God bless you,
Father Mark

And come on down to the hall after Mass to help us consume the best pancakes in town...

10/13/2026

Join us in celebrating as Jerome Robles is ordained to the diaconate! All are welcome at the Ordination Mass on Friday, October 16 at 7:00pm at Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Please keep Jerome in your prayers as he takes this next step toward, God willing, the priesthood. To read more about Jerome and his journey, please visit:

https://tr.ee/DngboL

10/11/2026

10/11/2026

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Francis de Sales', Burnaby,

Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend many of us will gather around tables full of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie (and maybe some lechon too!)... with family and friends of every quirk and personality. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of a king who throws a wedding feast for his son. When the invited guests turn away, he sends his servants into the streets to gather “both good and bad.” That is the guest list of the Kingdom, and it looks a lot like our own family tables. Praise God!

Reflecting on this same Gospel over in Rome, just a few hours ago, Pope Leo reminds us that “goodness, by its very nature, tends to spread,” and that “the banquet hall is our churches and homes… where the King’s Son, Jesus Christ, continues to declare his love for us and await our ‘yes.’” And how about that 'yes' to take part in the most powerful public prayer we call 'Holy Mass'?

The word Eucharist itself means thanksgiving, so every Mass is the original Thanksgiving dinner. As we give thanks this weekend, let’s put on the wedding robe of charity and continue to invite the real Jesus, alive and present, to our tables, messy guest lists and all.
From all of us at St. Francis de Sales', a blessed and happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.

Keep inviting those whom you know back to church, dear friends. And, if you happen to be home bound, please join us online by accessing our live-stream Mass link below for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 9:00am Mass - Sun., Oct. 11

https://www.youtube.com/live/ws4GbVpksjU

Friends, our holy father, Pope Leo XIV will soon undergo surgery to remove a small, early-stage nodule from his lung. “I thank you for your spiritual closeness,” he said, “and entrust myself to your prayers.” ... This Thanksgiving, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, let’s lift Pope Leo up for a full recovery.

God bless you,
Father Mark

10/06/2026

Dear Parishioners of St. Francis de Sales,

Thank you to everyone who participates in our Parish Automatic Donation (PAD) Program. Your faithful support sustains our parish’s mission, ministries, and facilities throughout the year.

Beginning January 1, 2027, our second collections will be updated to reflect changes to Archdiocesan special collections and priorities. If you are already enrolled in PAD, your donations will automatically continue under the new schedule. No action is required unless you wish to adjust your contribution or second-collection amounts.

To update your giving, simply complete a new PAD Form and return it to the parish office. You can click the link below to download the form.
https://tr.ee/itEdtU

If you are not yet enrolled, I warmly encourage you to join. PAD is a secure and convenient way to support the parish consistently, even when you are away.

Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our parish family. Your stewardship truly makes a difference.

10/04/2026

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Francis de Sales, Burnaby,

You know… when you think about it… No matter how young or old… the strongest people are often the ones who know how to let go, eh? … This weekend, as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, on this 8th Centenary of his passing, our Gospel presents a striking contrast... The tenants in the vineyard cling, grasp, and try to possess what was never theirs. St. Francis does the opposite. He releases his grip on wealth, comfort, status, and even his own plans, making room for Jesus to become the centre of everything.

Our world often remembers St. Francis as the patron of animals and nature. Yet his greatness came from something much deeper: a life radically centered on Christ. Jesus was his first love, his greatest treasure, and the source from which everything else flowed. Because of Jesus, Francis embraced the poor, pursued peace, cared for creation, and transformed the Church.

The same invitation is before us today. When Jesus occupies first place, everything else begins to find its proper place… our worries diminish, our priorities become clearer, and our lives start to bear the kind of fruit that endures… together with Him.

I hope you're all having a blessed start to this Month dedicated to Our Lady, brothers and sisters.
https://sfds.ca/bulletins

Keep inviting those whom you know back to church, dear friends. And, if you happen to be home bound, please join us online by accessing our live-stream Mass link below for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 9:00am Mass - Sun., Oct. 4:
https://www.youtube.com/live/BarksxxCVtU

God bless you,
Father Mark

09/28/2026

Root Down, Step Up! 🌳 👟 ... Our SFDS Elementary Walkathon is almost here! This year's theme grows out of our school-wide theme, "Rooted in Faith." Like a tree, we draw strength from our faith in Jesus Christ and this blessed communion that we call 'Church' that connects us all. This strong rootedness help us grow.

For this year's walkathon our SFDS School is also taking inspiration from bugs and insects. ... They're tiny, but they keep our world healthy and growing. The same goes for us: one step may seem small, but taken together, our steps make a big impact.

Every walker, every family and every gift helps our school community flourish. Lace up and step up with us!

Support our students today:

https://my.charitableimpact.com/campaigns/sfds-walkathon-2026

09/27/2026

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Francis de Sales Burnaby,

You like pizza? …. Ever tried to get the whole family to nail down a consensus on pizza toppings? Pepperoni! Mushrooms! Pineapples infused in artichoke hearts?! … These kinds of delicious debates may never be fully settled… The squabbles in Philippi back in St. Paul’s day were a little more heavy… To the lively little Church at Philippi, in our second reading for this Sunday, he writes, "Make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love." Here, Paul isn't asking everyone to like the same things. He's asking them to love the same way Christ does, with compassion and a heart big enough for everyone at the table.

Friends, our parish has been practising that kind of love for more than 93 years and this week we've dusted off a treasure from our parish archives. Did you know our very first Mass wasn't celebrated in a church at all? Or that our roof once held a Lower Mainland record? Or who the ‘hands that built our church’ really were? The whole story is in the attachment below. Give it a click. You'll never look at those beams overhead the same way again!
https://tr.ee/gbzyvv

This Sunday is also the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. St. Paul urges us to "look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others." Many who built this parish, and many who fill our pews today, came from far away and found a home here. Let's keep that gift going with lavish hospitality, so every newcomer knows that here, they too are known and loved

I hope you're all having a blessed tail-end of September, brothers and sisters. Please scroll down for parish events and be sure to click the yellow button above to access our parish bulletin. https://sfds.ca/bulletins

Keep inviting those whom you know back to church, dear friends. And, if you happen to be home bound, please join us online by accessing our live-stream Mass link below for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 9:00am Mass - Sun., Sept. 27:
https://www.youtube.com/live/58sjbKhiT10

God bless you,
Father Mark

09/20/2026

In this Sunday’s Gospel, reflecting God’s Kingdom in which we live, the vineyard gate seems to swing open all day long. This weekend we hear one of Our Lord's most surprising parables… describing workers arriving at different hours, yet all receiving the same generosity. Jesus, here, really challenging our instinct to measure, to compare, and to keep score. And Our Blessed Lord’s invitation here is truly less about earning a reward and more about accepting a place in His vineyard, His family, and His work. Whether we arrived at dawn or only moments ago, His welcome remains remarkably generous.

That same invitation continues in parish and archdiocesan life. One particularly timely opportunity is Upper Room 2026, taking place on Sat., Oct. 3, at Pacific Academy in Surrey. Come on, let’s go, eh??
Please consider joining hundreds of Catholics from across the Lower Mainland for a powerful day of renewal in the Holy Spirit, featuring inspiring keynote speakers, practical workshops, prayer, and encouragement for everyday discipleship.

As a parish, we hope to send a strong SFDS delegation. To encourage participation, St. Francis de Sales is covering 50% of the registration cost for parishioners. Friends, there is still room in the vineyard and, perhaps, a seat waiting for you at Upper Room as well.

To register:

https://tr.ee/fegg6G