Anticipating the Feast of St. Francis, we reflect upon the main tenets of the Saint’s Universal message and appeal. An evening of sharing with DVD on “Francis of the Poor and Outcast” on Wednesday, September 26, 7:00 – 9:00 PM in the Church Hall.

In preparation for the October canonization of Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero, two input sessions with related DVD’s will be given on Wednesdays September 12 and 19 at 7:00 pm. in the Church Hall. Learn more about these apostles to the poor.

This summer has been a sad and tragic summer for our Church. Since I first heard of the Grand Jury Report about the abuse of over 1000 young children in Pennsylvania by over 300 priests between the 1940’s and 1990’s, I have been sick, saddened, ashamed and angry that this was allowed to have happened to so many young people. I have struggled to understand how this could happen on such a large scale, and how it could have been covered up; and I have struggled with what I would say about it to you the parishioners of St. Peter’s Parish whom I serve as pastor. I have to confess that my words fail me. I am at such a loss about what to say to those of you who struggle to live good and holy lives, that I have decided to do something that I rarely do. This week I would like to read the letter that Pope Francis has written to all of the faithful on this matter—It is about 13 minutes in length. While the letter is a little long, I think it is important to read it so that our Churches will never be silent on these matters again. As Cardinal Collins has written in his letter on this matter, it is so important that this matter be brought out of the dark, and that a bright light be shone on it, so that it may never happen again. Pope Francis’ letter is as follows: Continue reading →

The parish invites parishioners to consider getting involved in different ministries. The parish needs Ushers and Ministers of Hospitality, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and Altar Servers.

Please consider attending workshops in the Church for:

• Eucharistic Ministers -Saturday, September 8 at 10 AM
• Lectors – Saturday, September 22, at 2 PM
• Altar Servers – Saturday, September 29, at 2 PM
• Ushers and Ministers of Hospitality – Saturday, October 13,  at 2 PM

 Please call the parish office at 416-534-4219 to register.

Papal response to clerical abuse

Following a recent grand jury report about systematic clerical abuse and cover-up in Pennsylvania, Pope Francis issued the following statement to Catholics around the world.

Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the People of God

We keep those affected by clerical abuse in our prayers and encourage any victims to contact the appropriate authorities or diocese at anytime.

Canadian Bishops’ Statement

The Executive Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has published the following statement on the findings of the Pennsylvania Investigating Grand Jury.

Catholics across our country are rightly ashamed and saddened regarding the findings of the Pennsylvania Investigating Grand Jury. With Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we reiterate the profound sadness that we as Bishops feel each time we learn about the harm caused as a result of abuse by Church leaders of any rank.  More

If  you are an organized person and have about five hours a week to volunteer, the parish needs a Coordinator for Volunteer Screening. Training is available and you can work with the person who has done it for many years. Please call Fr. Michael if you are interested  at 416-534-4219 ext.211

Starting Tuesday evening, September 11, 2018 from 7:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. in the Parish Hall. The R.C.I.A. program here at St. Peter’s invites all non-Catholics who are interested in learning about our Catholic faith.  The program will meet weekly on Tuesday evening at 7:15 p.m.  The participants in the R.C.I.A. program are called Catechumens, or Candidates.  A Catechumen is one who has never been baptized and is considering becoming a Catholic. A Candidate is someone who has been previously baptized in a Christian denomination other than Catholic. Please pray for the success of this year’s R.C.I.A. program.  Please call to register with Fr. Michael at 416-534-4219 ext. 211

For the last four years a group has met regularly at 830 Bathurst street (The Parish Centre) to discuss our lives in the light of Scripture Readings. We wrote about aspects of our lives and shared our stories. This came to a culmination when a book containing some of these stories was published recently. Sr. Mary Rose has decided to retire from this ministry. Some of us would like to continue. If you would be interested in joining this group please contact the parish office at 416-534-4219.