It is with great sadness, mingled with a sense of great comfort and hope, that we honour the passing of Rob Des Cotes, a dear friend of A Rocha. He passed away peacefully on the evening of April 6th after living with cancer for the past three years.
Rob and his wife Ruth began their involvement with A Rocha in its earliest days in Canada, when we operated out of a church basement in North Vancouver. He has been a mentor, friend, and spiritual guide to many in our A Rocha community over the years, helping us seek God’s presence and direction in critical moments (from starting A Rocha in the first place to launching the first environmental centre in Surrey). In more recent years Rob and Ruth resided at A Rocha’s Brooksdale Centre so she could be closer to the children’s education work she leads, and so he could have a base for his ministry of contemplative prayer and spiritual direction.
In addition to his significant pastoral, writing and speaking ministry with Imago Dei, Rob led our community into deeper ways of knowing and experiencing God and experiencing the depth and goodness of community. Rob brought a rare combination of humour, godly wisdom, and intentionality to every setting.
In his faithful pursuit of God he shaped the culture of A Rocha and Brooksdale in particular.
He was our Gandalf and we will miss him greatly.
For those interested in more information on Rob’s writing and ministry of contemplative prayer, please visit the Imago Dei website
