The Lord's Distant Vineyard: A History of the Oblates and the Catholic Community in British Columbia

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

In 1999, the new Bishop of Victoria, Raymond Roussin, S.M., discovered
that his predecessor, Remi de Roo (who had earned the nickname “Red
Remi” for his controversial pronouncements on economic theory) had
left the Vancouver Island diocese and its 37 parishes a staggering
$17-million debt incurred through many years of land speculation. Almost
immediately, the former Bishop became known as “Red-Ink Remi.”

To those not familiar with the history of the Roman Catholic Church in
British Columbia, such a scandal might have seemed unprecedented. In
fact, as this compelling book makes abundantly clear, scandals bedeviled
the church almost from the beginning. The author, a Roman Catholic
priest and theology professor, traces the history of the church,
focusing first on its relations with Natives, and second, on its
dealings with European immigrants. The story continues almost to the
present, although the de Roo debacle broke too late for inclusion. The
book is well written, meticulously researched, and profusely
illustrated.

Even to non-Catholics, The Lord’s Distant Vineyard may seem a tad
one-sided (it appears as if the Church hardly ever did anything right).
On the other hand, McNally’s book can be seen as a useful corrective
to earlier, syrupy accounts of Church history; as even Bishop de Roo
might acknowledge, it underscores George Santayana’s maxim: “Those
who forget history are doomed to repeat it.”