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Dear friends, 
You have doubtless learned of the tragic attack on a Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver on April 26th, in which eleven people were killed and dozens more were injured. We continue to mourn this awful violence, and to pray for comfort to those who mourn, healing for those who are wounded in body or spirit, and peace for the Filipino communities in British Columbia and throughout Canada. I ask your prayers, too, for the young man who drove the car. 
Lapu-Lapu Day is a celebration I only learned of this week, in the aftermath of this news. According to Filipino BC, who organized the festival in Vancouver, Datu Lapu-Lapu was an Indigenous Filipino chieftain who resisted Portuguese colonialism and defeated Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. He is considered the first national hero of the Philippines, and “his heroic legacy is deeply etched into the hearts of every Filipino”. 
Lapu-Lapu Day was officially proclaimed in BC in 2023, to celebrate the “cultural harmony and mutual respect” that thrive, not just in BC, but throughout Canada too. You can read more here: https://lapulapuday.com/pages/what-is-lapu-lapu-day 
Every weekend, Pastor Emmanuel Velesrubio and the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) congregation worship at our church. They are a Filipino-Canadian community who, to borrow another phrase from Filipino BC, are an important part of “the rich tapestry of cultures that make up the beautiful mosaic” of Scarborough and the GTA. Their ministry and weekly celebrations here enrich our local area, and I’m pleased to call them our spiritual neighbours.  
This Sunday, and the next, a Book of Condolences will be in the Narthex for both of our congregations to sign. It will then be sent to the Mayor of Vancouver to express our solidarity with the Filipino community there. My thanks to Lethel Shand for suggesting and organizing this, and providing the book. The card-sending ministry of our parish has been a vital one, and I hope it will continue to be. 
I invite you to join your condolences and prayers with our siblings at JIL, and to keep Pastor Emmanuel and the congregation in your prayers, too. May they know our presence as good neighbours and friends, in this present difficult time and always. 
Yours in Christ,
Jake+