IMAGE: NS photo/London police handout
By Jean Ko Din
TORONTO
(CNS) — The death of a young Canadian Catholic woman during the London Bridge
attack has inspired people to help save lives in their own community.
Christine
Archibald, 30, whose family lives in British Columbia, died in the June 3
attack that also claimed seven other lives and injured 48 people.
The
Archibald family, parishioners of St. Rita Parish in Castlegar, British Columbia, released a
statement June 4 describing Christine Archibald as person who “had room in her
heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and
respected.”
“She
lived this belief working in a shelter for the homeless until she moved to
Europe to be with her fiance,” the statement continued. “She would
have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Please
honor her by making your community a better place. Volunteer your time and labor
or donate to a homeless shelter. Tell them Chrissy sent you.”
Since
the statement was released, the hashtag #Chrissysentme emerged across social
media from people who have donated to Castlegar charities in Archibald’s honor.
Covenant
House Toronto and Covenant House Vancouver, Catholic agencies for homeless
youth, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of gifts.
“We
are deeply moved by the #Chrissysentme movement and the acts of love occurring
in response to the tragic violence in the London attacks,” Kristy Hayter of Covenant House
Vancouver, told The Catholic Register in Toronto in an email.
The
terrorist attack unfolded, authorities said, when three men in a van mowed down
people on the London Bridge and then left the vehicle to go on a killing spree
in Borough Market, a popular restaurant and bar district located south of the
river.
Archibald
was said to be walking ahead of her fiance when she was struck by the van. The
three men were shot and killed by police at the scene.
Archibald,
a graduate of Mount Royal University
in Calgary, Alberta, worked at Alpha
House in Calgary for two years before she moved to the Netherlands with
her fiance. Alpha House is a nonprofit organization that provides programs for
men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.
“She
came to us as a social work student and then became a social worker,” Kathy Christiansen, executive
director of Alpha House, told CTV News. “But I think one of the things we can say about Chrissy
is that she had a natural talent and she was loved by clients and staff
alike.”
Archibald
is survived by her parents, Greg and Barbara Archibald; two sisters, Kathryn
Fairbank and Caroline Stuart; and her fiance, Tyler Ferguson.
Residents
of Castlegar were planning a Peace and Healing vigil for June 11 to commemorate
Archibald as well as two other people in the community who recently died.
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Jean Ko Din writes for The
Catholic Register, based in Toronto.
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