I was on Saint Patrick’s Parish Council at that time. Our priest was Father Gary Hartman. He was a small person, with a giant heart. The church kept a supply of food and necessities downstairs in the rectory for poor people, and transients in need.
One evening a man came by asking for money to help support his needs. Father Gary went into his wallet to give him some money, and the man grabbed Father’s wallet as well as his hand, which resulted in a very painful fractured thumb.
After recovering from treatment and the shock of the incident, Father Gary asked me if we could get a Saint Vincent de Paul conference started here, at the parish. I told him we would try.
A call was made to Claude Bedard, a friend in the Cursillo Movement and president of Christ the King Conference in Courtenay. Claude was invited to attend our first meeting in Campbell River. He was thrilled at the opportunity, and brought with him Kathy Weswick, a leader with SSVP in Victoria.
An enthusiastic bunch of folks from St. Patrick’s Parish showed up for this meeting, including Scotty McClaren (then a non-Catholic) and his Catholic wife Sheran, who was praying for his conversion. Scotty was a natural-born salesman all his life, and a very personable guy, as well as an insurance agent. He had just finished reading my book “Sailing Beyond the Sea”, which was a life changing experience for myself and family. Scotty was curious about the changes in my life, and my deepened faith. He asked, “So Jim, what do I do now?” Scotty’s seeking and desire to be involved in the church became stronger.
It became clear to me that Scotty’s enthusiastic attitude and compassion for our less fortunate made him an ideal candidate for leadership. We “latched” onto Scotty and made him President of our new “Our Lady of Guadalupe Conference”. Around that time, his Catholic faith journey started, to the great joy of wife Sheran.
Scotty went on to serve as President for six years, his wife Sheran for six years after that. The torch was passed to future presidents Paul Bertrand and to current president Sheila Keats. The conference grew, and so did the work of OLOG conference members, with the establishment of new programs, both locally and on north of Campbell River”
Story told by Jim Proctor, (founding and oldest member)
Submitted by Sheila Keats, President – OLOG Conference
