Twenty years ago today, our first five sisters gathered to sing the first Vespers of Advent in the chapel of Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre in Surrey, B.C. In the early 1990’s, then-Master of the Order fr, Timothy Radcliffe O.P. had called for volunteers to help found a monastery in Western Canada. Several monasteries from America had graciously allowed their sisters to embark on this adventure up north, supported by our sponsoring monastery in Farmington Hills, MI. We lived in a small cottage at Rosemary Heights, and began to get to know our new home in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. We chose the name Queen of Peace for our new monastery, asking Our Lady’s protection and guidance to build a “house of prayer for all peoples.”

Two years later, we moved to a property on the Agricultural Land Reserve in Fort Langley. We raised sheep to maintain our farm status, and tried to support ourselves through sculpture, icon mounting, a printshop and other monastic crafts.

On October 17, 2009, our community was canonically recognized as an established monastery of the Order of Preachers. Soon, the community began to run out of space. A room in the barn and a camping trailer were converted into cells, and a tiny house became a sewing room. We began to look for a permanent home where we would have the space to grow and welcome new members. We moved north to the Upper Squamish Valley, and stayed in temporary quarters for two years during the construction of our new monastery at the base of Cloudburst Mountain. During this time one of our foundresses, Sr. Maria Dominica, entered eternal life. Just a few days after her funeral, our monastery’s new bell was blessed and named Dominica in her honour.

Finally, on August 8, 2012, our chapel was blessed and we’ve been singing God’s praises here ever since! Seeking to live the life of the holy Trinity, having “one mind and one heart in God,” we are grateful for God’s lovingkindness and guidance over the past two decades. As our community continues to grow, we continue to pray for you and all our friends, near and far. Thank-you—and here’s to the next twenty years!