Community comes together to honour Lapu Lapu Day victims at 40-day memorial mass
The number 40 makes frequent appearances in the Bible.
It rained on Noah's Ark for 40 days and nights; Israelis wandered the wilderness for 40 years, eating manna; Moses spent 40 days on a mountain with God and descended with the 10 Commandments, Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days.
And for devout Filipinos, it's custom and tradition that when somebody dies, they pray for them for 40 days.
On Thursday evening, a couple hundred people attended a 40-day memorial mass to honour and pray for the 11 people who lost their lives at the Lapu Lapu Day festival on April 26.
'In Filipino Catholic tradition, it's believed by many people that for 40 days the souls of our loved ones still walk the Earth, they still remain really close to us,' Crystal Laderas said outside St. Andrew's Parish in east Vancouver, before the mass began. 'So on the 40th day, (the souls) transition to the afterlife and they find peace.
'For a lot of people, this is not about moving on, but parting with love.'
It helps people transition to the next phase, she said.
'The mourning will continue, and past the 40 days there will be other events that are needed for collective healing.'
The tragedy, which also injured dozens more people, occurred as Lapu Lapu Day was winding down and families were heading back to their homes.
The driver of a black SVU sped past food trucks on East 43rd street, which had been blocked off for pedestrians-only around 8:15 p.m., plowing into the crowded street and sending bodies flying.
Kai-ji Adam Lo, 30, who was under the care of a mental health team and on leave from hospital, faces eight counts of second-degree murder.
He appeared briefly by video in Vancouver provincial court on Friday, May 30, for his second court appearance.
He has been sent for a psychiatric assessment, and is scheduled to return to court next week to set a date for his next appearance, which will be for legal arguments on whether he's mentally fit to stand trial.
Forty is also the number of days Jesus stayed on Earth after his resurrection before ascending to heaven.
'In an event like this,' said Fr. Francis Galvan, pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Delta, speaking outside the church before the service, 'as violent, as tragic and as painful as it is, we believers continue to remember (the victims).
'We remember the pain, because all of us are affected by it. But when we remember, we no longer remember just human beings.
'We remember God and how God enters into this, because 40 days is a time of change and transformation.'
The tragedy of Lapu Lapu Day was noted around the world.
Among those who reached out with condolences and sympathy were King Charles, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Galvan, the seventh of 10 children born to farmer parents in a remote village in the Philippines, said he was supposed to be at the festival, but the death of Pope Francis required his attention elsewhere.
'Sometimes we get broken, we don't know the reason, but something happened in our lives and so for us, we're not just praying for those who have died, we also pray for the one who caused this pain,' Galvan said. 'He's a human being also like us.
'We pray for him as well, because there are things that we do not understand as human beings … this is very important because when we pray, we raise our minds and hearts.'
Galvan was in attendance at Thursday's mass in support of St. Andrew's pastor Fr. Salvador Reyes Jr., who began the service with the hymn Christ Be Our Light: 'Shine in our hearts, shine through the darkness.'
That was followed with a passage from Isiah that, Reyes said, emphasizes God's mercy and compassion, even toward sinners: 'I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry.'
Eight volunteers with the Provincial Psychosocial Services were on hand to help anyone needing assistance coping with the trauma, with their pamphlets on a table inside the church near doors with posters reading Hope Lives Here.
After the service, Reyes led a precession the four blocks to 43rd Avenue, where the tragedy took place.
They were accompanied by a police escort, six officers in three police cars, which cordoned off the street for the vigil.
White-robed children followed close behind, then the congregation, and 11 candles were lit — one for each fatality — at the memorials that have popped up on the fence bordering John Oliver Secondary.
On the fence was another sign: 'This is too much to hold, so we hold it together.'
Mirikit Santos, who was not at the festival and did not know anyone who was hurt, said she was there because she couldn't bear the burden of her emotions by herself.
'Here I can express my emotions and I'm not alone,' she said.
gordmcintyre@postmedia.com
x.com/gordmcintyre
B.C. Filipino community group upset with Vancouver city council's sudden Lapu Lapu Day memorial event decision
Suspect in Lapu Lapu festival killings makes second appearance in Vancouver court
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
20 hours ago
- Fox News
Army's historic horse-drawn funeral tradition returns from two-year hiatus after $28M overhaul
The U.S. Army's Caisson Detachment returned to Arlington National Cemetery this week for the first time in two years. In Section 62, the ceremonial horse unit that transports veterans and service members to their final resting place, escorted the remains of Private Bernard Curran, who was killed in World War II. Curran died in 1942 after being captured by the Japanese. He was buried alongside other prisoners of war in Common Grave 723 in the Philippines. He was brought back home to the United States after his remains were identified by the U.S. military last year. The hallowed grounds of Arlington were decided to be his final resting place. The ceremony marked the return of the Caisson Detachment after a two-year suspension. The program faced a massive overhaul after two horses died within 96-hours of each other due to poor living conditions. The US Army's Caisson platoon is part of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as the Old Guard, famously responsible for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Caisson horses have pulled the flag-draped coffins of America's war heroes to their final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery for more than 70 years. This is a military tradition that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who served in an Armored Infantry unit in Iraq, explained dates back hundreds of years. "The Caisson units in the military go back hundreds and hundreds of years, when militaries and armies want to show respect and love for their soldiers, soldiers who have served honorably and the soldiers who died in war," Driscoll said in an exclusive interview with Fox News. The Caisson program was halted in May 2023 while the Army investigated concerns that the horses used to pull the caisson were suffering from dangerous living conditions and neglect. "We had two horses die within four days of each other," Driscoll said. "And so we did a pause to all the operations and the Army took a hard look at what was causing that. What they found is these horses and their care had kind of fallen through the cracks." In February 2022, two Caisson horses, Mickey and Tony, died within 96 hours of each other. Both were euthanized due to poor conditions and feeding. Tony was found to have ingested 44 pounds of gravel and sand while Mickey had a gastrointestinal illness that went untreated. Another two horses died within the year, raising concerns within the Army and denying families this ceremonial tradition. "We hadn't done a particularly good job as an Army in all instances of making sure the training was good and that the horses were taken care of, so we took a pause. It was originally meant to be a 45-day pause that then as the government and sometimes the Army, it stretched on and on," Driscoll said. The Caisson unit was living in stables at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia at the time. A U.S. Army report found that conditions among the aging horses at decrepit stables located at Fort Meyer, that had been built in 1908, were inadequate to house the ceremonial horses. The horses were fed low quality hay, and routinely suffered from parasites from standing in their own excrement. They ate their feed off the ground in mud lots covered in gravel and construction waste, according to the report. Major General Trevor Bredenkamp, who serves as Commanding General of Joint Task Force National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington, took command shortly after the Caisson program was suspended. "We had to rehabilitate many of our horses and what we found is years of underinvestment. They were injured beyond the point where they could still continue the mission, and so we had to retire them, and then we had to procure new horses… we found we lacked a degree of expertise to care for these horses," Bredenkamp said. He oversaw the complete overhaul of the unit. "It wasn't a problem that manifested itself overnight. This was decades of under-investment. We understood that gravel impaction was a significant problem because there was feed that was on the ground. We didn't have the appropriate matting in the stalls and so gravel could easily become mixed in with hay or with ground cover, and so we have raised all of the feed off of the ground, we've got feed bags hanging on the inside of the stalls. We have also put rubber matting on there again to prevent the possibility of gravel being ingested by the horses," Bredenkamp explained. The Army set out to find the best horse trainers in the country. "We brought in these outside experts. We created a plan. We invested $28 million in it over the last two years," Driscoll said. Lt. Col. Jason Crawford is a trained Army veterinarian who has been riding horses his whole life. Crawford was promoted to become the new caisson detachment commander earlier this year. "We've now had civilian trainers on our squads, on each individual squad, as well as within our leadership," Crawford explained. It was dental day when Crawford showed the Fox News crew around the newly renovated stable. "We've been doing dental procedures on all these horses, and we got them on a good routine now, and that's one of the other big changes, is really being persistent about their care," Crawford said. The Caisson unit has to choose their horses carefully. The unit will be doing up to two funerals a day, up 10 per week on the hard pavement of Arlington National Cemetery. "Unlike some of the other smaller breed horses, they're going to be on the concrete and the pavement. So really having strong feet for them to actually move through the cemetery is very vital. The biggest thing we look at is just being tall, wide, and have a good strong back and a solid hindquarters and solid legs," Crawford said. It takes a special horse to complete the mission of escorting America's heroes to their final resting place. "The way I look at anything with the horses, especially at military animals, is they're an extension of us. And it's that extension of what our abilities that we can do. Anything, you know, whether it's a working dog in the battlefield or if it's a horse we're using in Arlington Cemetery," Crawford said. The Army has returned the Caisson unit to its storied role after renovating the stables, and overhauling the care of the caisson horses using the best practices learned from the nation's top equine experts and equestrians. "I would say, though this horse cannot speak, I think it would say that it is living one of the best lives of any horse in our country," Driscoll said. Bredenkamp, who led the overhaul of the unit, explained, "As a 33-year veteran of the United States military, it is a visible reminder of the solemnity of service. When we carry our honored dead to our final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery, it is a visible symbol of American resolve and honor."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested after vehicle driven into Vancouver Cirque du Soleil arena, no one hurt
VANCOUVER — Vancouver police say a man has been arrested after a vehicle was driven into the Pacific Coliseum arena while a Cirque du Soleil show was taking place. They said no one was injured and the crash does not appear to be an act of terrorism, or related to the Lapu Lapu Day attack that took place in April. Police said on social media that the incident happened just after 8 p.m. Thursday. They said the 30-year-old man from Vancouver was apprehended under the Mental Health Act. Photographs shared on social media show a dark-coloured sedan with its front end crumpled at what appears to be the entrance of the arena in East Vancouver. The crash comes 40 days after a ramming attack on the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people and injured dozens. Sgt. Steve Addison told Global News outside the arena that Thursday's incident did not appear to be related to the Lapu Lapu attack. He said it was "a miracle" that nobody was killed or seriously hurt, given that so many people were inside and around the arena at the time. "We do believe that this person was in the midst of some sort of mental health break or episode when this happened," Addison said. He said that the investigation was only hours old, "but what I can tell you is that we don't believe this is a copycat episode." He acknowledged that the incident was alarming, occurring in the wake of the April attack. "It's definitely going to bring back those emotions and that level of anxiety that our entire community has been experiencing for over a month now," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Community comes together to honour Lapu Lapu Day victims at 40-day memorial mass
The number 40 makes frequent appearances in the Bible. It rained on Noah's Ark for 40 days and nights; Israelis wandered the wilderness for 40 years, eating manna; Moses spent 40 days on a mountain with God and descended with the 10 Commandments, Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days. And for devout Filipinos, it's custom and tradition that when somebody dies, they pray for them for 40 days. On Thursday evening, a couple hundred people attended a 40-day memorial mass to honour and pray for the 11 people who lost their lives at the Lapu Lapu Day festival on April 26. 'In Filipino Catholic tradition, it's believed by many people that for 40 days the souls of our loved ones still walk the Earth, they still remain really close to us,' Crystal Laderas said outside St. Andrew's Parish in east Vancouver, before the mass began. 'So on the 40th day, (the souls) transition to the afterlife and they find peace. 'For a lot of people, this is not about moving on, but parting with love.' It helps people transition to the next phase, she said. 'The mourning will continue, and past the 40 days there will be other events that are needed for collective healing.' The tragedy, which also injured dozens more people, occurred as Lapu Lapu Day was winding down and families were heading back to their homes. The driver of a black SVU sped past food trucks on East 43rd street, which had been blocked off for pedestrians-only around 8:15 p.m., plowing into the crowded street and sending bodies flying. Kai-ji Adam Lo, 30, who was under the care of a mental health team and on leave from hospital, faces eight counts of second-degree murder. He appeared briefly by video in Vancouver provincial court on Friday, May 30, for his second court appearance. He has been sent for a psychiatric assessment, and is scheduled to return to court next week to set a date for his next appearance, which will be for legal arguments on whether he's mentally fit to stand trial. Forty is also the number of days Jesus stayed on Earth after his resurrection before ascending to heaven. 'In an event like this,' said Fr. Francis Galvan, pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Delta, speaking outside the church before the service, 'as violent, as tragic and as painful as it is, we believers continue to remember (the victims). 'We remember the pain, because all of us are affected by it. But when we remember, we no longer remember just human beings. 'We remember God and how God enters into this, because 40 days is a time of change and transformation.' The tragedy of Lapu Lapu Day was noted around the world. Among those who reached out with condolences and sympathy were King Charles, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron. Galvan, the seventh of 10 children born to farmer parents in a remote village in the Philippines, said he was supposed to be at the festival, but the death of Pope Francis required his attention elsewhere. 'Sometimes we get broken, we don't know the reason, but something happened in our lives and so for us, we're not just praying for those who have died, we also pray for the one who caused this pain,' Galvan said. 'He's a human being also like us. 'We pray for him as well, because there are things that we do not understand as human beings … this is very important because when we pray, we raise our minds and hearts.' Galvan was in attendance at Thursday's mass in support of St. Andrew's pastor Fr. Salvador Reyes Jr., who began the service with the hymn Christ Be Our Light: 'Shine in our hearts, shine through the darkness.' That was followed with a passage from Isiah that, Reyes said, emphasizes God's mercy and compassion, even toward sinners: 'I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry.' Eight volunteers with the Provincial Psychosocial Services were on hand to help anyone needing assistance coping with the trauma, with their pamphlets on a table inside the church near doors with posters reading Hope Lives Here. After the service, Reyes led a precession the four blocks to 43rd Avenue, where the tragedy took place. They were accompanied by a police escort, six officers in three police cars, which cordoned off the street for the vigil. White-robed children followed close behind, then the congregation, and 11 candles were lit — one for each fatality — at the memorials that have popped up on the fence bordering John Oliver Secondary. On the fence was another sign: 'This is too much to hold, so we hold it together.' Mirikit Santos, who was not at the festival and did not know anyone who was hurt, said she was there because she couldn't bear the burden of her emotions by herself. 'Here I can express my emotions and I'm not alone,' she said. gordmcintyre@ B.C. Filipino community group upset with Vancouver city council's sudden Lapu Lapu Day memorial event decision Suspect in Lapu Lapu festival killings makes second appearance in Vancouver court
