Ghosted by the Gospel: How St. Anthony’s West Van Discriminates Against Men

A Catholic man wanted to join a Bible study and was ignored for weeks. A fake female profile got a reply in hours. What is going on with Elizabeth Holmen and the Alpha Program?

We are often told that the Church’s doors are open to everyone. We are told that programs like Alpha are about “exploring life, faith, and meaning.” Apparently, at St. Anthony’s Parish, that invitation has an invisible asterisk: Terms and conditions apply.

The Story For weeks, a Middle Eastern man named John—a good citizen looking to deepen his faith—sent emails to Elizabeth Holmen, the coordinator for the Alpha course at St. Anthony’s. He sent inquiries on Dec 6 and Dec 15. The response? Absolute silence. He was ghosted by the very people claiming to spread the Good News.

The Sting Suspecting that this wasn’t just an “email error” but profiling, we set up a sting. We created a persona named “Faye” and sent an email asking to bring a teenage girl to the exact same course.

The Result While John waited weeks for a reply that never came, “Faye” received a warm, enthusiastic response from Elizabeth Holmen (“You absolutely can! Looking forward to seeing you both!”) less than 5 hours later.

The Question Why is a Middle Eastern man treated as a threat or a nuisance to be ignored, while a woman is welcomed with open arms? Is this the “Catholic spirituality” being taught at St. Anthony’s? This creates a chilling effect for men trying to find their way back to the Church.

Call to Action We are demanding a formal apology from the Parish Pastor, Fr. Arsene Dutunge, and the St. Anthony’s School Principal, Mrs. Calamo. Discrimination has no home in the House of God.

If you believe the Church should be open to all, please contact St. Anthony’s Parish and School and politely ask them why they are gatekeeping the Bible.

Mrs. Calamo. principal@saswv.ca

Pastor: Arsene Dutunge adutunge@rcav.org

Also contact the Superintendent’s Office Contact Info
4885 Saint John Paul II Way,
Vancouver, BC V5Z 0G3
T: 604-683-9331 | F: 604-687-6692

General Email: info@cisva.bc.ca
Human Resources: hr@cisva.bc.ca
Superintendent’s Office: superintendent@cisva.bc.ca

As you can see, the good citizen contacted her weeks ago,
trying to connect with a Bible study.

However, he decided to go undercover and see how she will treat white women.
You will notice that she replied within a few hours. And this is supposed to be a teacher in a Catholic school? Will the principal take action or conceal and mislead because it’s another woman protecting another woman? Can white women in Canada treat Middle Eastern people like this?