Seasons of the Vine
Thank you for an evening that showed what patient tending can grow — and for helping plant what comes next.
Thank you for being with us.
On September 24, friends of Catholic Pacific College gathered at The Manor in Langley for our first annual gala. Priests and parents, alumni and benefactors, longtime friends and first-time guests — you gave us your evening, and with it a clear sign that faithful Catholic formation has a future in this province.
We chose the vine as our image because growth of this kind is never sudden. Vines are planted in faith, pruned in patience, and tended season after season before they bear fruit. The same is true of a college — and of a student’s mind and heart.
This page is our thank-you, and an open door to what comes next.
“I am the vine, you are the branches.” — John 15:5
A room full of people who believe this matters.
Dinner, music, fellowship — and a shared conviction that faith and reason belong together.
There’s only one superintelligence, and we know that He loves us.”
— Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJAt the core, they have to have philosophy, theology, literature, history, the humanities… They will stand out by their wisdom, their acuity, their depth, their goodness, their virtue, their reliability.”
— Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJFormation matters most in the ordinary moments — in how we respond when work is difficult, when family life is demanding, when we have to make decisions without easy answers, and when no one is watching.”
— Clare Bolan, CPC AlumnaThe core of our work is nothing other than introducing people to Truth — who is not merely information, but a Person, Jesus Christ.”
— Scott A. Roy, PresidentThe Keynote
Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ — student of Joseph Ratzinger and founder of Ignatius Press — brought nearly fifty years of Catholic intellectual life into the room.
An Alumna’s Witness
Clare Bolan, a CPC alumna, reminded us what all of this is for: a young person formed in mind and heart, now carrying that formation into the world.
A Community of Purpose
Not an audience, but a community — gathered around the conviction that this work is necessary, and that it will not fail for lack of friends.
One hundred partners.
Through the generosity of that evening, Catholic Pacific College crossed the milestone of 100 partners — people who have committed not just to a single gift, but to the steady, season-by-season work of sustaining this mission.
To each of you: thank you. You are the roots that make the fruit possible.
The harvest is only the beginning.
Three ways to remain part of what is being built.
$50 a month. A sustainable institution, built one faithful partner at a time. Help us reach the next threshold.
Join GIVE50Whether you were in the room or with us in spirit, your gift to the gala still helps carry this season’s work forward.
Give to the GalaCouncils to Conscience with Dr. Andrew Kaethler — four Thursday evenings at St. Matthew’s Parish.
Class DetailsDec 3
St. Matthew’s Parish
Councils to Conscience
If the gala left you wanting more, this is the place to continue. CPC’s evening classes bring the Catholic intellectual tradition into the parish — open to any adult who wants to think more deeply about faith and the life of the Church.
Register for the ClassFree evening lectures on the TWU campus, open to all. The 2026/27 season opened October 1 to a wonderful turnout for Jens Zimmermann’s Guarding Our Humanity in the Digital Age — thank you to all who came. Next: Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 pm, Michael Morelli of ACTS Seminaries on Building, Gardening, and Artificial Intelligence — a case for tending gardens as an act of resistance in an age wired for AI. A fitting sequel to a season of the vine.
Until we gather again.
Our annual gala fundraiser returns next year. Date to be announced.
Until then, thank you for your friendship, your prayers, and your generosity.
Formed. Faithful. Fearless.