As Catholics, every time that we pray, we begin by invoking the names of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, whose feast we celebrate this Sunday. This custom can be so habitual that at times we may do it without realizing how profound the words are that we are saying. Each time we name the three persons of the Holy Trinity, we are articulating a great mystery about God and his proximity to us that has been revealed to us by God Himself. The only way that we know about the Trinity and the names of the persons contained within God is because Jesus Himself has told us about Them. As the Son of God sent from the Father, Jesus has told us to call God “Our Father” and has repeatedly spoken to us about the Father. During His life Jesus promised His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit after He had returned to the Father. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Church by Jesus and His Father in Heaven. That the three cannot be separated is witnessed to in the Gospel passage from Matthew where Jesus commissions His disciples to baptize all people “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  Everything that we know about God as the Trinity has been revealed to us by the Trinity Himself. We can learn so much about God’s love for us in reflecting upon this great mystery of our faith. Continue reading →

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, the Parishioners of St. Peter’s Parish:

I hope and pray that this letter finds you and your family well and safe.

At the Pastoral Council meeting at the beginning of May, it was suggested by the members of the Council that I should reach out to you again with another update. I thought that I would wait until the Solemnity of Pentecost, which is celebrated this year on Sunday, May 23^rd.

The reason that I wanted to write to you on Pentecost is because this is the day that the Church was founded. On that day, the Holy Spirit came down on the believers and they were changed. Although they had hidden away in fear after Jesus was arrested and died, His many appearances to them throughout the forty days after His resurrection had convinced them that He was alive. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on them at Pentecost, they were transformed into the living Church, the Body of Christ, and they left their homes to continue His mission. Pentecost marks the day that the Church was founded and began its mission. Continue reading →

The reading from the Gospel of John for this Pentecost Sunday, the last day of the Easter Season, takes us back to Easter Sunday, the day on which this Season began. It begins with the words: “It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week.” These words situate this scene, like so many of the Gospel stories that we have heard on the Sundays throughout the Easter Season on Sunday, on the day Jesus rose from the dead. Whether it was the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, or the story of Doubting Thomas, so many of the stories of Christ’s appearing to His disciples in the Easter Season, have focused our attention on the fact that Christ appeared to his disciples after His resurrection as they were gathered together on a Sunday. One of my favorite reminders of the importance of Sunday is actually that which we read in the story from the Gospel of Luke, with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Here, like today’s Gospel story, Jesus appears to His disciples on a Sunday and celebrates with them that memorial supper that He asked them to celebrate in memory of Him. This emphasis that we hear over and over again throughout the Easter Season on the importance of Sunday, is a powerful reminder to all of us that this is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. It is the day He invites us to celebrate together and be reminded of who we are as His people. Continue reading →

In the days following Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples of Jesus locked themselves away in self-isolation for fear that the Romans and Jews might arrest them for being followers of Jesus. This self-isolation was very similar to that which many people today have had to experience on account of the COVID 19 restrictions that are in place. Throughout the entire time of the disciples’ isolation, Jesus appeared to His disciples and strengthened them with assurances of His resurrection, peace, and the gift of the Holy Spirit by which He would always be present in their lives. Continue reading →

St. Peter’s First Communion Class 2019

Normally, at this time of year, in our parish, and in the parishes around the Archdiocese of Toronto, many young people would be celebrating their First Communion. Sadly, this year, due to the restrictions of COVID 19, these celebrations are being delayed until it is safe to have such gatherings in our Church.

Recently, because of parish based catechesis and preparation, the focus at First Communion has been taken off of the school class and put where it belongs; on the family of the child who is preparing to receive the Eucharist. This has brought about a change in our First Communion celebrations that I just love. In the parishes that I have served in, we have taken to inviting the entire family of the young person making his or her First Communion to come up and receive the sacrament with the young person. I think it is so beautiful to see these young people coming forward, to receive Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, while he or she is also surrounded by the family that loves and cares for this young person so much. Each family is filled with such joy as they witness the reception of First Communion for the young candidate. The experience of witnessing so many different families coming up with their young person to receive his or her First Communion has really emphasized something that all of us share in common, no matter what our backgrounds, and that is love and the desire for happiness for our friends and families. Continue reading →

Many of the movies that come out these days are based upon sequels of previous movies. Throughout the fifty days of the Easter Season, the Church has been focusing its attention on one of the greatest sequels in human history—The Acts of the Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles is the second part of a two part series known as Luke—Acts. The first part of this series is the Gospel of Luke. In his Gospel, Luke, like the other three evangelists, presents the life of Christ and speaks of the way in which Christ revealed God’s love and salvation for all people who place their faith in Him. In the Gospels, we see how Jesus made God present to humanity, saved them and touched them through His divine person. Continue reading →

In the last century, one of the great developments in the history of the Church was the development of many “lay movements.” These lay movements often developed as a result of a rediscovery of the importance of baptism and the call that is given to all Christians to understand that they have been saved by Christ and that they are to live their lives as His disciples. One of these lay groups has the name the “Neo- Catechumenal Way.” The members of this community are convinced that their Baptism is one of the most significant moments of their lives and they spend their entire lives trying to respond to their baptismal call. Here in Toronto, we have several parishes that are devoted to this way of living and at St. Augustine’s Seminary there are about 20 candidates for the priesthood studying to serve this community and the Archdiocese. They are an important reminder to all of us of the importance of taking our Baptisms seriously and attempting to respond to God’s love for us. Continue reading →