Obituary for Rev. Rufin Nicholas Mika
Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 7:30pm - Our Lady of Assumption Prayers Livestream Recording
https://www.youtube.com/live/Vkg_695s_bI?feature=share
Fr. Mika was born in the small village of Przyszowice, Poland on November 25, 1937. He passed away peacefully on January 31, 2023 at SunCreek Village in Surrey, BC where he was a resident since December 24, 2021.
He was the 4th born, to parents Aloyze and Maria Mika. He has 9 siblings. He is predeceased by his parents, his older sister; Pauline Piecha, older brothers, Frank and Stephan Mika, younger sister; Aniela Mika and nieces; Donna Turco, Margaret Piecha and Tanya Mika. He will be greatly missed by his younger siblings; Monika Kawa, Maniek Mika, Elizabeth Bernasiewicz, Agnes Mika and Vera Tomaszewski as well as his many nieces and nephews.
October 22, 1957, Rufin’s oldest brother, Frank, sponsored him to come to Toronto where he worked for his brother’s business and completed his studies at the seminary. June 5, 1965 Rufin was ordained a priest and became, Fr. Mika. He did not like the cold in Toronto and made his way west, a brief stop at the seminary in St. Albert, Alberta and then onto the Archdiocese of Vancouver (1969).
Fr. Mika had a great love and devotion to Jesus, the Catholic Church, the Eucharist and the sacraments. He said Mass daily regardless of where he was. He had a great love and sense of loyalty to his family, ensuring he called his family members a few times each week. He was a truly gifted priest; he had the ability to make everyone he met feel welcome and was able to cultivate a deep sense of community, faith and love for Jesus in his many parishes. Many have said that Fr. Mika had a gift for “getting things done”; he founded St. Bernadette’s parish in 1972, fundraised for the building of Archbishop Carney high school and built up the funds for the building of the new Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
In Fr. Mika’s 43 years of active priesthood in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, he cultivated life long friendships, built up the congregations of parishes, helped parishioners through difficult times, helped parishioners immigrate to Canada for a better life and always wanted to help people. He was a genuine “people person”.
He served as Assistant Pastor at Corpus Christi, St. Francis de Sales, Holy Rosary Cathedral and St. Peter and Paul parishes. He was assigned pastor at St. Joseph’s (Mission), St. Bernadette’s (Surrey), Holy Trinity (North Vancouver), Guardian Angels (Vancouver), Our Lady of the Assumption (Pt. Coquitlam) and St. Joachim and St. Anne (Aldergrove) where he retired in 2012.
Fr. Mika enjoyed coffee, cigarettes, socializing, CFL football (especially the BC Lions), the NHL (the Canucks) and golf. He enjoyed many CISVA golf tournaments. Fr. Mika enjoyed good Polish food, desserts, good company, lots of laughter and had a generous spirit. Whenever his schedule allowed, he enjoyed travel to his hometown in Poland, where he would say Mass in his “home” parish. He enjoyed visiting friends in Germany and visiting his family in Toronto. He especially enjoyed performing the sacrament of marriage for his nieces and nephews.
Special thanks must be given to Mr. John vander Pauw, for his many years of dedication, outreach, friendship and service to Fr. Mika. John was like a brother to Fr. Mika. Great thanks to the nurses and staff at SunCreek Village in Surrey, for their exceptional care, kindness and patience for Fr. Mika. Also, special thanks to Bishop Gary Franken and George Pinto for their support of Fr. Mika over the past year since his move to Suncreek Village.Thank you as well to the many former parishioners and friends that gave Fr. Mika their loyal friendship over the many years in his retirement.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Joseph Society, 4885 St. John Paul II Way, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 0G3 (this is a fund to help retired priests in the Archdiocese of Vancouver).
Prayers and Viewing will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at Our Lady of the Assumption church, 3141 Shaughnessy St., Pt. Coquitlam, BC
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at Holy Rosary Cathedral, 646 Richards St. Vancouver, BC
In lieu of flowers all donations in Fr. Mika’s name to the St. Joseph Society (address is the John Paul II Pastoral centre)
https://www.youtube.com/live/Vkg_695s_bI?feature=share
Fr. Mika was born in the small village of Przyszowice, Poland on November 25, 1937. He passed away peacefully on January 31, 2023 at SunCreek Village in Surrey, BC where he was a resident since December 24, 2021.
He was the 4th born, to parents Aloyze and Maria Mika. He has 9 siblings. He is predeceased by his parents, his older sister; Pauline Piecha, older brothers, Frank and Stephan Mika, younger sister; Aniela Mika and nieces; Donna Turco, Margaret Piecha and Tanya Mika. He will be greatly missed by his younger siblings; Monika Kawa, Maniek Mika, Elizabeth Bernasiewicz, Agnes Mika and Vera Tomaszewski as well as his many nieces and nephews.
October 22, 1957, Rufin’s oldest brother, Frank, sponsored him to come to Toronto where he worked for his brother’s business and completed his studies at the seminary. June 5, 1965 Rufin was ordained a priest and became, Fr. Mika. He did not like the cold in Toronto and made his way west, a brief stop at the seminary in St. Albert, Alberta and then onto the Archdiocese of Vancouver (1969).
Fr. Mika had a great love and devotion to Jesus, the Catholic Church, the Eucharist and the sacraments. He said Mass daily regardless of where he was. He had a great love and sense of loyalty to his family, ensuring he called his family members a few times each week. He was a truly gifted priest; he had the ability to make everyone he met feel welcome and was able to cultivate a deep sense of community, faith and love for Jesus in his many parishes. Many have said that Fr. Mika had a gift for “getting things done”; he founded St. Bernadette’s parish in 1972, fundraised for the building of Archbishop Carney high school and built up the funds for the building of the new Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
In Fr. Mika’s 43 years of active priesthood in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, he cultivated life long friendships, built up the congregations of parishes, helped parishioners through difficult times, helped parishioners immigrate to Canada for a better life and always wanted to help people. He was a genuine “people person”.
He served as Assistant Pastor at Corpus Christi, St. Francis de Sales, Holy Rosary Cathedral and St. Peter and Paul parishes. He was assigned pastor at St. Joseph’s (Mission), St. Bernadette’s (Surrey), Holy Trinity (North Vancouver), Guardian Angels (Vancouver), Our Lady of the Assumption (Pt. Coquitlam) and St. Joachim and St. Anne (Aldergrove) where he retired in 2012.
Fr. Mika enjoyed coffee, cigarettes, socializing, CFL football (especially the BC Lions), the NHL (the Canucks) and golf. He enjoyed many CISVA golf tournaments. Fr. Mika enjoyed good Polish food, desserts, good company, lots of laughter and had a generous spirit. Whenever his schedule allowed, he enjoyed travel to his hometown in Poland, where he would say Mass in his “home” parish. He enjoyed visiting friends in Germany and visiting his family in Toronto. He especially enjoyed performing the sacrament of marriage for his nieces and nephews.
Special thanks must be given to Mr. John vander Pauw, for his many years of dedication, outreach, friendship and service to Fr. Mika. John was like a brother to Fr. Mika. Great thanks to the nurses and staff at SunCreek Village in Surrey, for their exceptional care, kindness and patience for Fr. Mika. Also, special thanks to Bishop Gary Franken and George Pinto for their support of Fr. Mika over the past year since his move to Suncreek Village.Thank you as well to the many former parishioners and friends that gave Fr. Mika their loyal friendship over the many years in his retirement.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Joseph Society, 4885 St. John Paul II Way, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 0G3 (this is a fund to help retired priests in the Archdiocese of Vancouver).
Prayers and Viewing will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at Our Lady of the Assumption church, 3141 Shaughnessy St., Pt. Coquitlam, BC
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at Holy Rosary Cathedral, 646 Richards St. Vancouver, BC
In lieu of flowers all donations in Fr. Mika’s name to the St. Joseph Society (address is the John Paul II Pastoral centre)