$10,000 Grant Received for the Padres Fund

The Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Vancouver Commandery, has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Padre’s Fund to support Christ Church Cathedral’s Regimental ministry to the British Columbia Regiment (BCR) Reservists, with the aim of primarily funding Pastoral and Spiritual Support, Resilience and Outreach Ministries to the Troops and Veterans of the British Columbia Regiment (BCR) — Duke of Connaught’s Own. The Cathedral has been the Regimental Church of the British Columbia Regiment since the Colours were first laid up in 1919.

Over the past four years, the Dean of New Westminster has established this new ministry that engages with and supports the troops and their needs in areas that are not being met by other sources. This ministry has been funded by a line item in the Cathedral Budget, and since 2023 also by the annual Piping for the Padre fundraiser with the BCR Irish Pipes and Drums, the Pipes and Drums of the Seaforth Highlanders, and the 15th Field Artillery Regimental Band.

The Padre’s Fund provides much needed infrastructure and support in areas of spiritual and emotional resilience, spiritual care, physical resilience, and economic and emergency support for the women and men who serve Canada at home and abroad.

The fund primarily supports the active members of the BCR, a Primary Reserve Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment that is the oldest in British Columbia and also one of the most diverse in Canada. The members of the unit come from all over the Lower Mainland and parade weekly on Wednesdays in the Beatty Street Drill Hall in Vancouver from Sept to June. The members are female and male, ranging in age from 17 to 60+, and represent Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and some other religions. They are “citizen soldiers,” including students, tradespeople, teachers, longshoremen, and public servants, as well as a variety of other professions. They are parents, grandparents, children, and siblings, from large to small families, and in addition to attending Drill Nights, some have been deployed for a time in Europe. Others have served as emergency responders to the floods in the Fraser Valley, the fires in the Interior, and other natural disasters.

The project seeks to address some of the areas that do not receive adequate funding or emphasis from other sources. This funding is critical for the spiritual, mental and physical health, and well-being of the troops, while at the same time offering emergency support and preventative care to reservists. This coming year we will be focusing on physical and mental resilience and team building through the expansion of grappling and boxing training. This will require equipment (mats, gloves, pads) and coaching. The goal is to increase the wellness, confidence, and morale of the members, as well as to provide psychological benefits. The fund also offers spiritual, crisis, and mental support and seeks to purchase spiritual resilience guides, suicide prevention curriculum/training and peer support infrastructure. And, of course, it also seeks to provide instruments and equipment for the BCR Bands.

Over the past 4 years the Regimental Ministries have supported and will continue to support:

• Monthly “Pizza with the Padre Nights” on Parade Nights which provide meals, team building and unit cohesion for the BCRs.
• The creation of a resilience training program by engaging and supporting the establishment of grappling and boxing training for the regiment to build physical resilience, self-confidence and mental wellness.
• Donations of children’s Christmas gifts, food hampers, and support for members and families of the BCRs for whom the holiday budget is stretched tight.
• Ad-hoc employment opportunities for regiment members to supplement their incomes.
• Rent, repair, and emergency request funding for members. Pastoral support and spiritual counselling to members including access to professional coaching and leadership support.
• Spiritual and mental resilience building, mental wellness, as well as morale and team building.
• Subsidized wedding and funeral access for regiment members.
• Commissioning of a Regimental historical and memorial display cabinet in the Cathedral.
• Leadership support and advocacy for the Junior ranks, Sergeants and Warrants, as well as support for Officers.
• An Annual Pipe, Drum and Music Concert to support the Regimental Ministries and provide entertainment.
• Sponsorship of Remembrance Day services and other special services for members of the units and the general public.