Today is Sunday, the lord’s day for Christians. That’s why you can hear bells ringing in the distance. Here in Vancouver, the majority of the English population is Protestant, mostly Anglican or Presbyterian. They have built churches where the faithful can meet.

My name is Katsuo. I’m Japanese and a Buddhist. Japanese Canadians like me were the first to bring Buddhism to Canada. So I do not attend church. However, Sunday is the day I devote to practicing my religion since getting together is easier on this day because most people are not working.

I hope that one day I will also have a place to pray. The Buddhist community will surely build a pagoda soon where we can go to pray to Buddha.

In the city of Vancouver, people practice all sorts of religions because they have come from all around the world. There are people who practice Russian Orthodoxy, Hinduism, etc. Those who are not of British origin are sometimes discriminated against. But because many of these people have just arrived in British Columbia, it will take some time for us to get to know one another. One day, the landscape of the city will be transformed by the construction of places of worship for people of different religions.

 

Author: Service national du Récit de l’univers social

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