May 1: The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

A good day to roll up our sleeves for a work bee!

Eight young adults from the University of Victoria Catholic ministry team came to the diocese for a mission tour and experience of the North, thanks to Father Dean Henderson, UVIC chaplain, who is on sabbatical in Whitehorse diocese for six months.

After a three-day bus trip from Victoria, the group arrived, and after three days in the Yukon missions of Teslin and Atlin hearing the stories of our Tlingit Elders, set to work on a service project: painting the diocesan pastoral centre building.

Inspired by St. Joseph the Worker, Canada’s patron saint, this fine group of young adult Catholics and bishop were able to scrape, clean and paint the whole building in two and a half days! Wow! What a crew!

Geared and ready to paint.

Happy workers putting on first coat of paint.

And into the eaves we go...

Let's see if this paint will stick...

Brush of approval.

Oops, this here is a little harder to paint.

Green goes the window.

St. Joseph's happy workers: Carl, Nadia, Andrew, Nathan, Katherine, Tessy, Eric, Anna and Bishop Gary.

Of course, it was not all work. After dinner with the bishop, it was time for a hike along the Takhini River with Merlin in the lead.