Catholic Café Home Page

Catholic Café is a meeting place for the young in spirit. Anyone is eligible to join. Some of us are married, but most of us are single Catholics in our thirties, forties and fifties. We are drawn together from across Vancouver by our faith and as members of the one body of Christ, the church, to share in spiritual, social, outdoor, charitable and community activities.

Catholic Café is self-supporting. We charge no membership fees or dues, but we do cover our costs and expenses with modest fees and donations at some of our events.

Faith and Service

In Catholic Cafe we commit to parish service and provide support for other parish organizations and church groups. We organize potluck dinners and dances. We engage with the less fortunate by helping the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement feed the poor and the Social Justice group collect and distribute Christmas gifts for Covenant House and Dusk to Dawn. When funds permit we make charitable donations to the parish and other religious organizations.

Getting Together

Long weekends being an exception, we usually get together on the second Sunday of the month, after the five o'clock Mass, at St. Jude's Parish Centre at 3078 Renfrew Street in Vancouver. There's discussion and plan-ning of ongoing events among the group and usually a potluck, barbecue, or a simple soup supper. Catholic Café community is about good food, good friends and good fun. Breaking bread together is the best way to get to know each other.

Catholic Café operates in a democratic, grassroots fashion. Events are membership driven. Our executive remain largely in the background, exercising oversight and dealing with administrative matters. Specific events are organized by different members who plan, publicize, and implement their activities in suitable ways. This do-it-your-self, collaborative approach works very well and results in a large and diverse mix of activities. Many of us indulge our love of the outdoors, both winter and summer, with hikes, camping trips, ski trips, canoe trips, bike rides, and walks. Our excursions take us to a wide variety of local destinations. Other activities include pool, bowling, badminton, movies, parties and potlucks. We often follow our events with dinner or drinks at a nearby restaurant or cafe. If you'd like to see an activity organize it! We want you to contribute.

Website and Mailing List

Catholic Café runs a website and a round-table mailing list. We use the website to make information about the group and upcoming events available to the public as well as our members. It also contains our photo archive, movie reviews and other information of interest.

We use the round-table to stay in touch, pass timely announcements and reminders along to our members, organize events, and conduct open discussions. Every Catholic Café member belongs to the round-table and we encourage all members to post to the list.

Lectures and Films

At Catholic Café were interested in our faith and seek to learn more about it. We use lectures, retreats and films to enrich our spiritual lives. This year we've scheduled lectures on Sacred Art, Brother Damien, Angels and Devils and other topics. We'll also be showing the films The Song of Bernadette, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Shoes of the Fisherman, Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony, Ben Hur, and The Decalogue. We're also hoping to have a retreat in late 2007 or early 2008.