A 122-year-old church in downtown Vancouver was the site of an unusual service on Thursday (May 18).

Christ Chuch Cathedral hosted an interfaith commnity vigil for all those affected by the illicit-drug overdose crisis.

The church's motto is "Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds" and the vigil was intended, in part, to reduce the stigma against those who are addicted to opioids.

Last month, the B.C. coroners service reported there were 120 suspected illicit-drug overdose deaths across the province in March.

That was a 51.9 percent rise over the number recorded in the same month of 2016.