Published on 11 Aug 2011

Parishioner Profile – Helen Williams

Introducing Christ Church Cathedral Parishioner Helen Williams.

1. What is your history/your story about first coming to the Cathedral? “I first came to ‘my cathedral’ as a child, for children’s festivals, Camp Artaban meetings, A.Y.P.A. functions and choral evensong. I distinctly remember where I was sitting in the nave, when as a teenager I heard George Stegan preach about the relationship of faith to the trust we place in our fellow travellers when we drive on the highway. He particularly talked about the highway up the Fraser Canyon, which in those days was a death trap. He preached about the trust that we place in each other that we’ll stay on the correct side of the middle line and how intrinsic that concept was to our Christian journey. I even remember what I was wearing!”

After retiring to Vancouver in 2000, we chose to live in the West End to be near the things we enjoy: worship in a community with good liturgy, good music and excellent preaching; close to the art gallery, playhouse, library and symphony, and with good public transportation. We were fortunate to be able to move into a co-operative close to Stanley Park so that we can continue to be active when we no longer drive. Coming from the Cathedral of our California Diocese it was a natural move to come to Christ Church. We embrace the openness of the community in both its welcome and its outreach.

2. What keeps you coming to the Cathedral? “The high standards of teaching, preaching, liturgy, music and living out of the social gospel keep me coming to the Cathedral. Being part of a community of like-minded folk nourishes me daily. The Cathedral’s commitment to children’s ministry is high on my list!”

3. How would you describe your faith? And what’s important about Christianity? Or what need does it address in your life and in the life of our society?. “Although I live in a world of doubters, mine is a ‘meat and potatoes’ faith. Solid and sustaining; a faith that supports me knowing that I am never alone.”

Helen has also just completed enough credits to earn her an Associate of Arts Degree in Canadian Studies at Langara College. What is remarkable is the journey it took to earn that credential. And at 68 years of age, Helen says she is not stopping there as she has plans to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Helen has been a real fixture at Langara College for the last 5 years. Often seen working at a table in front of Tim Horton’s, she was sometimes mistaken for an instructor. The gray hair and the briefcase on wheels might make one assume that she was a faculty member. That was not the case, and in every way Helen embodied the student experience while at Langara College.

It had been 45 years since Helen had last been in school when she chose Langara College to pursue her studies. The small classes, easy access, and a program in Canadian Studies all contributed to Helen’s decision to choose Langara.

Not many people can lay claim to the fact that they are 7th generation Canadian. Growing up in Vancouver, Helen never forgot that her parents quit school to work. Her father left school at 14 to help support his family, and her mother finished secretarial training at age 15 and went right to work. In those days, she says, women had few options and needed the hard skills to become a nurse, secretary or teacher. University was not even offered as an option to Helen, so she learned secretarial skills and began working in her field.

A trip to New York introduced her to a gentleman who would help to shape her life. She married eight months later and left the next day for the United States with her new husband, the Reverend Canon Douglas E. Williams. They settled in California, where they had four children and enjoyed a busy life.

Over the years, her husband began to realize how much Helen missed life in Canada and found it frustrating living where even a Canadian general election got only one-inch on page 14 of the newspaper. So he suggested that they might retire to Vancouver. It didn’t take much persuasion to win her over to that one. Helen arrived in Vancouver on January 30, 2000, to oversee the renovations on their new home, and he followed her in July when his duties at Trinity Cathedral in San José, California, ended.

Since the voting age in Canada when Helen left was twenty-one, and she wasn’t, she had never voted. She was now going to be a new voter in retirement. Her absence from Canada for almost four decades (except for the occasional visit), together with a feeling that grew while living in California that she was “less than” due to her lack of a university education, gave her a thirst of knowledge of Canadian history to inform her voting. Helen’s first few years back were devoted to full-time care of her mother in her last years. After her mother died, she was free to pursue her studies.

Life has not been without its challenges. Helen has fought back from heart surgery and a stroke. In addition, she was diagnosed with a severe chronic infection that left her health compromised. The support she has found at Langara College contributed to her success. She says the staff at Disability Services give 110%, and the assistance she received, such as books on tape, use of a computer, and extra time for exams, all helped her to succeed.

All of her children are living in the United States, and Helen admits to missing them; but she calls the college a “stable of young people”, which has made it easier. She is concerned that many students today are not fully engaged and therefore are not gaining as much from their educational experience as they should. She feels they should do more to prepare and be accountable. Her advice to students would be to do all this in your 20’s, as there is so much to learn.