Our Lady of Sorrows has indeed undergone remarkable growth from the days of its inauguration when a mere sixty families werw organized into the parish by his Excellency, Archbishop Timothy Casey. Father Luigi Giambastiani of the Servite Fathers (Order of the Servants of Mary) was invited to be the first pastor. for the first forty-one years of its life, Our Lady of Sorrows parish grew vibrantly under the loving care of the Servite Fathers, engaging in a variety of activities and establishing a strong tradition of community which happily continues unchanged.

Proof of the vigour of the young parish was the opening of the parish school in 1926 under the direction of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, during the pastorate of Father A.N. Risesenmy.

In 1954, to the deep regret of the parishioners, the years of Servite service came to an end. The last Servite priest to serve as pastor was Father Grabrian. When the Servite Fathers left the parish there was a parish population of 1200 families; the enrollment in the parish school had risen to 350.

When the new pastor, Father Donald Campbell, was appointed to the parish by Archbishop William Duke, he was able to take advantage of the heritage bequeathed to the parish as he embarked on the parish next major undertaking: The building of a new church.

A fund-raising campaign was launched in 1958, and soon the present church, a truly impressive structure, was erected, the old church being used for a period as a parish/school hall.

As the fifties advanced and Vancouver became the home of thousands of new immigrants from Europe, this ethnic mix became even more evident. More and more, however, Our Lady of Sorrows was becaming a parish in which Italians figured increasingly prominently. In response to the need to cater to this population, the Missionary Fathers of St. Charles, the Scalabrinis, were invited to assume responsability for the care of the parishioners of Our Lady of Sorrows, and in 1960 Father Adam Torresan was appointed pastor.

In 1981 the parish welomed the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence. They now occupy the convent of Our Lady of Sorrows parish, which houses too the office and classroom space for the Vanspec Program. The Sisters of the Daughters of St. Mary, as did the Sisters of Charity of Halifax for so many years, enormously enrich the parish life with their contributions to the religious instrucction programs and the celebration of the Sacraments.