Mourning the Weekend Tragedy

Dear Star of the Sea Families,

We mourn with sadness the tragic event that took place at the Lapu Lapu Day celebrations in south Vancouver on Saturday night. A beautiful and vibrant day of cultural celebration ended with the senseless loss of at least 11 lives and many more people impacted.

Let us hold the victims, their families, and all of those affected by this event in our prayers. We especially lift up members of the Filipino community, who are so important in our Catholic parishes and schools.

I wanted to share Archbishop Michael Miller’s statement on this tragedy with you, and ask you to join him in praying for comfort and healing.

If you or anyone you know need support, please do not hesitate to use the following resources:

• Victim services are available 24/7 for those who witnessed or experienced trauma by calling or texting 1-800-563-0808 or emailing 211-victimlinkbc@uwbc.ca

• Crisis response centre: Douglas Park Community Centre, 801 West 22nd Avenue, Vancouver

• Vancouver Police Department direct victim liaison line: 604-717-3321

• Filipino BC: for community support and resources, visit filipinobc.org

• Vancouver Crisis Centre 24/7 support at 1-800-784-2433 or visit crisiscentre.bc.ca

• Vancouver Coastal Health Mental Health Support Line: available 24 hours at 310-6789 (no area code needed)

• Youth in BC Distress Line: for youth-specific response, call 604-872-3311 or chat online at youthinbc.com

• To reach out to a local Catholic counsellor, go to rcav.org/personal-counselling

I will share more information and resources with you as they become available.

Let us support each other and find hope in our strong community and our faith during this time.

Sincerely,

Mr. Jason Borkowski

Principal