Ethelyn David is from Vancouver, BC where she has lived almost her whole life. She was born in Manila, Philippines and spent her childhood in Holland and Belgium for 10 years before her family immigrated to Canada.
A wife, and mother to her son, her pride and joy, Austin, she works full time for Air Canada. The airlines has been her career since graduating from the University of British Columbia where she majored in French.
Ethelyn is a Cradle Catholic and owes her deep spirituality to her mother and maternal grandmother. Her faith went through hills and valleys especially after college as a young adult, but it was always there for her. She has always been involved with her church in one way or another. The family have been longtime parishioners of Immaculate Conception since 1976.
In high school Ethelyn was involved in the youth group, church choir, and Charismatic Prayer Groups. She even discerned a call to the Religious Life with the Daughters of St. Paul. Then in her college years and in the working world, she allowed her Faith to slide because of the glamour of what the world had to offer.
Life went on and she was still a lukewarm Sunday Catholic, but even in her darkest days Jesus was always calling her back to Him. When her son was born, she tried to do the right things as a Catholic Mother, and it worked, somewhat.
Then in 2010, she organized a personal pilgrimage for a small group of her mom's friends to visit Filipino mystic Emma de Guzman in New Jersey. She prophesied that the Lord had great plans for her. The group went to Stockbridge, MA to the Divine Mercy Shrine as one of the stops. It was there that she made a personal decision to become a true Revert to the Faith in the Chapel of St. Faustina.
Slowly after that she voraciously read and educated herself about her Faith. She started praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy regularly, she attended as many Catholic retreats and conferences as she could. Fortunately she has flying privileges and a flexible work schedule. All this travel expanded her friendship base and she connected with many speakers who became personal friends.
She became an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, coordinated the logistics of the Canadian tour of her Veil of Manoppello Apostolate, joined the Pro-Life movement, the Serra Club, and the Stewardship Committee in her parish, organized the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima's Western Canada Tour for the 100th Anniversary, started the extended First Friday/Saturday Vigil for the Alliance of Two Hearts, and with the upcoming Adoration Chapel in her parish, has organized the Seven Sisters Program to pray for her pastor. She is ready to help out in any way as her pastor asks of her in the numerous activities in her parish.
Ethelyn is also a volunteer at the annual Marian Eucharistic Conference in Winnipeg and for the Marian Day of Prayer sponsored by the Ave Maria Centre of Peace in Toronto. She was the contact person when programs sponsored by them were featured in the Vancouver area.
In June of 2017 Ethelyn attended the 50th Anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Movement in Pittsburgh. There in the Chapel of the Ark and the Dove in Duquesne University, she gave her FIAT to the Lord, asking Him to allow her to serve Him with all the gifts and talents He gave her. After that moment, it was been a non-stop ride in His service.
She was asked to coordinate an Asian Children's Group to sing the Divine Mercy, by Pat Polachek, she was appointed Director of the Ave Maria Center of Peace, and in May 2018 she organized single-handedly a Marian Conference in Vancouver with 6 International Speakers and 550 attendees.
2018 is also the year she joined a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in the spring where she was interviewed by Mary TV.
Just recently she was also interviewed for the Vigilant Hearts Show on Radio Maria. She also recently completed her year long formation with Opus Angelorum and became Consecrated to her Guardian Angel. And in November 2018 she will be invested as a Dame in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Ethelyn is still working full time, but God graciously gives her the time to do His work. She truly believes that Psalm 37:4 is for her: " Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart". She exhibits for Ave Maria Centre of Peace at various conferences, she organizes guest speakers at her parish, attends SCRC every year, is the aide to guest speakers in her Church Community, helps priests with their travel plans and even finds time to go on pilgrimages and travel around the world in her spare time.
The Joy of the Lord is her strength, and she works tirelessly with a smile on her face. Affectionately named "The Connector" by several people, she loves coordinating and connecting people in ministries. Ethelyn makes good use of social media to promote her Faith, be a Pro Life Advocate, and to evangelize. She is a strong prayer warrior and welcomes requests for prayer. She feels blessed by and cherishes the many friends she has made and prays that she will always be a good steward and servant of the Lord in return.
Ethelyn looks forward to 2019 and beyond when she will be organizing other Marian Conferences, Healing Services, Retreats, Pilgrimages, and Cruises and promoting The Foundation of Jesus the Divine Mercy by way of organizing other children's groups singing the Divine Mercy, and finding benefactors for the Foundation.