Dear Parishioners of St. Peter’s Parish:

A Year of Transition

This year, our parish community will experience many changes and transitions – some challenging, and others very exciting.   I believe it is important that all of us, as a parish community, understand the changes and the reasons for them.  So, your parish Pastoral Council decided it was an appropriate time to provide you with an update.

The two biggest changes we face this year involve the parish offices moving out of the Paulist Ministry Centre and the renovations to the Rectory.

The Rectory

Thanks to a very generous loan and financial support from the Archdiocese, we can renovate our parish Rectory.   In the past, this building was used solely as a residence for priests.   It will now serve three separate purposes:  space for our parish offices, accommodation for our parish priests, and outreach offices for the Sisters of Life.  

The half of the building attached to the church through the archway will contain our parish offices, with priests’ quarters above.   In the separate, other half of the building, the Sisters of Life will operate.  

This is a far better use of the building.  Our parish no longer requires as much space for offices or for priest accommodation.   Further, the Sisters of Life will bring new life and mission to our community through their activities.

And, we may even save a little on operating costs in years to come.

Once the work on the Rectory has been completed later this year, and we are ready to move the offices into the new facilities, I will invite you all to an open house to visit your new parish offices and Rectory.

The Paulist Ministry Centre

You may recall, when the Paulist Fathers left St. Peter’s in 2015, they sold the Paulist Ministry Centre to the Archdiocese of Toronto.  While our parish offices have been housed in this building for many years, the building itself never belonged to the parish.

Nonetheless, the Archdiocese has very generously allowed the parish to keep offices in the Centre temporarily, until we could move to the new Rectory. 

At first, the Archdiocese hoped to use this building as a retirement home for priests.  Zoning laws and construction issues made this plan unfeasible, and it now appears that the Centre will be used to house some of the Archdiocesan offices and staff.

These changes will have significant impact on parish life. As we move out of the Centre in the Fall, our parish Mass will be celebrated daily in the parish church.  We will no longer have the same access to the space in the Centre that we have enjoyed over the years.

Most of our parish events will take place in rooms in the church basement of the auditorium.  We will need significant renovation and repair to these rooms, for easier access and use.

The Archdiocese, the Family of Faith, and You

Our community has been fortunate to receive generous support from the Archdiocese throughout this process.  For over two years, since the Archdiocese purchased the Centre from the Paulist Fathers, the Archdiocese has allowed us to use the Centre space for our offices and meetings – rent free.

The Archdiocese also provided generous financing for massive renovations, both to our parish Rectory and to our church building over these past few years.

We could never have done all this work without Archdiocesan support.

Further, much of the funding has come from the Family of Faith campaign, through donations from you and others across the Archdiocese. 

For this reason, I would ask that you please continue to fulfill the generous pledges that you made to the Family of Faith campaign.

Inconvenient, but Exciting

The transitions and adjustments we face this year will be difficult and sometimes inconvenient.  There will be growing pains.   I ask for your patience and understanding.

These transitions will also be exciting.  We have an opportunity to grow, and to build an even stronger and healthier community. 

Over the years, I have tried to keep you well informed about these changes and the reasons for them. I hope that this letter sustains that spirit of open communication. If you have any further questions or concerns about these matters, please do not hesitate to be in touch with me.

I am very grateful for your understanding in these matters and for your patience throughout the coming year of change and transition.

Let us continue to pray for one another.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Michael McGourty
Pastor