Bishop's Greeting
Welcome to the Diocese of Whitehorse.
Our cathedral parish and twenty-two other parishes and missions in northern British Columbia and the Yukon live the life of Christ in the Roman Catholic tradition.
The Northern Light of Christ shines to illumine with faith the hearts of all in our small Catholic communities. We invite you to come and enjoy the wonders of God's creation in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
Bishop Gary M. Gordon
Read my Pastoral Easter Letter for 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
Advent 2011 begins the new Church year, and this Advent the Church in our Country will implement the liturgical norms of the third “typical edition” of the Roman Missal, as well as the revised Liturgical Calendar for Dioceses of Canada. On the first Sunday of Advent November 27, English-speaking Roman Catholics in Canada and many other countries will celebrate the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist using the revised translation.
For all the details and resources to prepare and understand this wonderful gift for the Church please see the web-site www.romanmissal.ca
Mary Our Morning Star Retreat
With generous donations from all over, the dream of a retreat house in
The Yukon is taking shape.
To learn more about how you might be able to participate in this great
project, please click here.
Latest Blog Updates
- May 1: The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker - May 9, 2012 Eight young adults from the University of Victoria Catholic ministry team came to the diocese for a mission tour...
- A Glorious Spring day for listening to God's praises - May 8, 2012 May 6th was a bright and glorious day at Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Fort Nelson, BC...
- The joy and glory of Easter in the North - April 12, 2012 The joy of spring in the North pales in comparison to the joy of Easter...
- Lent is here, full of God's graces - February 21, 2012 Lent is here, and with it, the power of spring, transforming and making all things new.
- The roads less traveled - February 7th, 2012 The roads less travelled by people means more room for all the other creatures that roam the Northern expanse of our rural mission territories.
- The gift of family - January 24th, 2012 The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, January 9, is a wonderful time to rejoice in the gift of family.
- The joys of Christmas! - December 29th, 2011 The birth of Jesus our Saviour, is truly the light of the nations
- Like Mary and Joseph - December 20th, 2011 Like Mary and Joseph on the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem that first Christmas...
Map of the Diocese
click on the map for a larger version.
The diocese of Whitehorse is vast! It comprises the top northern quarter of the province of British Columbia and the entire Yukon Territory. In this 723,515 square-kilometer area, the total population is approximately 40,000.
Our Catholic population is 7,500, which is served in 23 parishes and missions. Presently four priests, six religious sisters, one Bishop and some very dedicated lay faithful keep the light of Catholic faith shining in our little mission churches.
The seat of the diocese is Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon Territory. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Our Lady of Victory Parish, and three Roman Catholic schools serve the Whitehorse area.
The vastness of the diocese is matched by the grandeur and beauty of God's creation. The St. Elias mountains with the highest peaks in Canada and massive glaciers, are something to behold. The diocese is geographically situated in the great river watersheds of both the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The Yukon, Liard, Dease, Fort Nelson, Stikine, Nass and Skeena rivers and their tributaries are the historical highways of this land.
The all-season Alaska, Klondike, and Cassiar Highways connect the diocesan missions year round; and provide connections to our neighboring dioceses of Prince George (BC), Mackenzie-Fort Smith (NWT), Grouard-McLennan (Alberta), Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks (Alaska). Air travel connects the people up here nationally and internationally.
To live up here and travel to the small Catholic communities is to experience why "God so loved the World that He gave His only Son" Jn.3:16
It is something beautiful!