“And there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all.” 1 Corinthians 12:6 

When we look through a book of saints, we see a beautiful mosaic of different personalities, cultures and stories. The saints were all called to holiness, but their circumstances meant that they followed God in different ways. The martyrs possessed a courage that was both similar and distinct to the religious who died daily to themselves for the kingdom of God. God works in different ways: “there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh in all.” 1 Corinthians 12:6 

God has been working through many of us in Proclaim, and He has been working through those in various Lay Ecclesial Movements and Associations throughout the Archdiocese. Their stories remind us of the zeal of the first call, the wisdom of perseverance and the fruit of trust in the Lord. Check out Edward and Cecile Aparte’s story from Couples for Christ, as they detail their own transformation from tepid or lukewarm to a missionary disciple on fire with the love of God. 

As we write this, we are 43 days* short of being 19 years married.  Our journey in Christ started off as both of us  were born and raised in Catholic families and educated in Catholic schools. We were typical Cradle Catholics -- regular Sunday mass attendees  who viewed the sacraments as part of a Catholic to-do list.   We each had our occasional service in the church: once-in-a-while, Edward served at the altar, and once-in-a-blue-moon, Cecile served as a Mass reader.   All that, however, slowly faded as we started our family and became preoccupied with moving and settling in a new country and raising children. 

*written on May 6, 2021; we were married July 13, 2002  

It was April in 2014 when our adventure with the Lord took off.  Initially, we joined the faith-based community, Couples for Christ (CFC) because we ran out of excuses not to.  It was there that we were reintroduced to who Jesus really is and who He is in our lives. We started listening to talks, attending teaching nights and paying more attention to Sunday liturgy and reading Scripture.  We realized that to know Jesus more, the short readings of Sunday liturgy were simply not enough.  We learned that to get closer to Him, we must do more to really know about Him. We must continually and actively seek Him for Him to enter our lives and be the centre of it. 

In the years that followed, our active participation in our CFC community naturally encouraged us to be more engaged in parish activities.  We are fortunate to belong to All Saints Parish in Coquitlam, BC where our pastor, Father Don Larson, and permanent Deacon Greg Barcelon tirelessly promote programs to guide the parish on our spiritual journey.   

As we continued to seek a deeper relationship with God, our yearning to put into action the seed that the Lord planted in our hearts also continued to grow.  We joined both CFC- and parish-sponsored charity activities as well as evangelization pursuits by publicly sharing our experiences. 

When the pandemic was declared and everyone was practically locked down, we were unprepared to maneuver this seemingly ‘new normal’.   All our beloved church and community activities had to be shifted virtually.  Viewing life as a glass half full made us realize that in spite of the circumstances, we are blessed to live in a generation in which technology brings us together in new ways; relationships and interactions can still be made from the comfort of our homes.   This global crisis revealed new avenues and opportunities: we were able to witness liturgies from all over the world (even from the Vatican, no less), hear from international speakers and witness the goodness of God to a wider audience. God is good! 

Our transformation is far from complete.  Our lives -- as a couple, as parents, as a brother and sister to others – is not perfect. But we have progressed.  It might be slow but it is progress nonetheless. The immense joy in knowing and serving the Lord has made us wish that we should have started all this earlier in our lives.  But we realized it is not too late.  Everyday we are given the opportunity to do good for others, to be better versions of ourselves, and to boldly proclaim that our God is a great and loving God. 

We believe that everything happening right now will turn out to be a blessing in disguise because when this pandemic is over and we slowly go back to our old normal, we will emerge in a new resurrection.  We will bring with us new realizations, some new priorities, new-found zeal and greater wisdom that will set our spiritual journey into even greater heights.  

It is coming and we can’t wait for that day to come.