Se THE NORTH & WEST VOICE - December 1996 INTERVIEW WITH REVEREND CRAIG SCOTT Recently, on a November afternoon, I had the oppor- tunity to speak with Reverend Craig Scott about the history of the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima. We met in the basement of the Presbytery, which set the background of my interview amongst the echo of the pouring rain. Manon Pouliot - How many years have you been serving the Parish? Father Scott - J arrived in the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima on July Ist 1987. So I will be celebrating my 10th anniver- sary this coming July. M.P. - Can you explain the difference between a secular pas- tor and an Oblate of Mary Immaculate? FES. - The Oblates belong to a community. They are a mem- ber of the missionary congregation in which their duties are to develop a parish and offer their services to the people of that parish. Usually they are appointed to isolated areas, as was the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in the beginning. The secular father and priest are independent and do not belong to a congregation. M.P. - How did the Parishioners reacted when they found out that a secular Pastor was going to serve the Parish? F.S. - The Parish was extremely sad when Father Hudon left. The Oblates represented the image of Our Lady of Fatima as builders and founders of a large family to the Parishioners. I don’t have to tell you, that with a last name like Scott, many people were worried about the future of French. They thought the evolution of the Parish? F.S. - There as been a lot of changes since 1987. When I moved here there were about three hundred and twenty five families in the Parish, now we have more than nine hundred and sixty eight. There are three generations that live in the parish. The first generation primarily spoke French. The second was bilin- gual in which they spoke English at work and French at home, while the third generation are more tempted to speak English only. M.P. - The Parish of Our Lady of Fatima is now multicultural, what is the origin of the parishioners? F.S. - There are some Italians, Portages, Korean, Chinese, and Filipinos. I would say that we find a lot of different cul- tures in the Parish. M.P. - How do you explain that many members of the Parish still live close to each other? FES. - It is due to the presence of a fraternal spirit. The best way to describe it, would be to say that we built on the shoul- _ders of the ones before us. There has always been a strong solidarity in the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima and it is prob- ably one of the major pillars of the foundation. M.P. - Are the Parishioners still as generous as they were in the past? FS. - All the activities in the Parish help to build the commu- nity and make it stronger, and are not merely to collect money. The Parishioners are very generous in the sense that they have devoted their time to the Parish and use their abilities and talent to serve it. During Christmas time, they purchase a lot of presents for the needy. Many people take care of the older gen- eration, baby-sit the children of a sick friend and cook their meals... it is like a big family. We are not rich but we do have enough money to hold activities and when the times come to ask for help there is always a on their own free will and want to be there. It is a place where they feel comfortable and respected by the other children. I think thai the younger generation of today is more conserva- tive than ours. I have a lot of confidence in their future. M.P. - What kind of services does the Parish offer? ES. - All kinds of services, we celebrate the masses in both language every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and on Sun- day the mass is in French only. We also have a French im- mersion school which offers classes from kindergarten to grade seven. M.P. - Do you offer any special activities? E.S. - During the year we have different kinds of activities. On Saturday night there is a rock mass in the church. It started with an organ player and a singer and now it sounds more like a small rock band. The mass is very nice and there are a lot of people who participate. M.P. - Thank you for taking the time to share your feelings and impressions concerning your Parish. FS. - It has been a great pleasure for me and I want to con- gratulate the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima which will cel- ebrate her 50th anniversary. 931-3617 (serving the tricity area for 15 years) 1052D Austin Ave. positive response from the pa- {7— rishioners. M.P. Why do people continue to go to the church and what is the average age of the Parishio- ners? ’ F.S. Most of the families go to the church because they need some time to relax and think — about their lives. We find people that we had sent them a father that could only speak English. of every age in the Parish but My French was a little rusty when I first moved here, but the there are more teenagers and TO ALL transition went very well for all of us, and as far as I know oung adults there has never been any major problems. = : MEMBERS OF : : : M.P. - Why, is it not surprising OUR LADY OF FATIMA M.P. - The preservation of the French language in the Parish that there are so many young PARISH ON YOUR Jel is a matter of record. This issue has been discussed to a great 9 extent in other provinces, do you think that the Parish will gals 50TH ANNIVERSARY = remain bilingual in the future? Fie Shee ehoneneensi act oe FES. - Inside the Parish it- fa fe els NR a eh 4 ox Hoel. CTA self I have confidence that S AHomemaker it will stay bilingual. As Congratulations on. Childcare Worker Po A , long as there are serving the Community Assistance with Personal Care ( Francophones, I will con- for 50 years Transportation of Clients Se z Y) tinue conducting mass in S: ised Visits SULCEL : French, even if there is only © one French family present in Two Hour Care the church. French may be FELLER DRYSDALE Twenty Four Hour Care?? a little more difficult to pre- ; ae nets a : Barristers & Solicitors Yi i Provide serve in British Colombia. Cad Tel (604)939-8321 e | M.P.-How do youperceive | #211-1015 Austin Ave., Coquitlam V3K 3N9 Columbia-Goswell Funeral Chapel 219-6th St New Westminster “We Congratulate you as you celebrate your 50th Anniversary” 521-4881 CONGRATULATIONS 2206 Haversly Avenue, Coquitlam, BC V3} | W4 Office: 931-9161 Pager:667-9931