“Sir, We Wish to See Jesus!”  The Church’s Sacraments of Healing

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In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of some Greeks who go up to the temple in the hopes of seeing Jesus. They approach Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, with a simple, yet profound request: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” I believe that it is very common for all of us to have this desire. We all long to know the Lord’s presence in our lives and at our sides. Perhaps this longing is the strongest when we are suffering or when our sins have alienated us from God. Certainly, this past year, during the pandemic, many desired, like the Greeks in today’s Gospel, to see the face of Jesus in the midst of their fear, isolation and sorrow.

Jesus has left the Church with seven sacraments to insure that we may regularly see Him in our lives. The sacraments offer us a real and tangible experience of Christ today in our lived realities. In this Lenten season we are all preparing to renew our baptismal promises. Baptism is the first sacrament and the door by which we are established in relationship with Christ and offered eternal salvation. On Easter Sunday, we renew our baptismal promises and re-commit ourselves to living in relationship with Christ. The Sacrament of Reconciliation offers the best way to prepare to renew our baptismal promises at Easter. For this reason, the parish will be celebrating Lenten “Days of Confession” on Saturday, March 20th and Saturday, March 27th from noon until 4:00 pm in the church. If you wish to celebrate the sacrament with another priest, you may consult the website of the Archdiocese of Toronto to find the times that other churches in our area are holding their “Day of Confession” (www.archgtoronto.ca). Continue reading →

Covid 19 Update: Public Celebration of Mass to Resume at St. Peter’s on Monday, March 15th, 2021

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Beginning Monday, March 15th, 2021, parishes in the grey zone will be permitted to celebrate Mass publicly with 15% occupancy. For St. Peter’s, this means a capacity of 115.

We will return to our normal Mass schedule of celebrating weekday Mass Monday to Friday at 8:00 a.m., Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15 a.m.

Confessions will be celebrated in the side chapel Saturday from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. As Fr. Michael is alone, he will need to stop hearing confessions at 4:30 p.m. to prepare for Mass.

The parish will have two extended times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, March 20 and Saturday, March 27 from noon till 4:00 p.m.

Those who come to Mass ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. Please remain at home and watch Mass on television or our livestream if you have a fever, have been exposed to someone with COVID 19 or are sick.

We look forward to being with you again in church!

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17)

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The Sisters of Life, who have their Centre for Life in the rectory of St. Peter’s Church, run a ministry for those who have had an abortion called “Hope and Healing.” This ministry is intended to help bring Christ’s “light into the midst of darkness.” Through this ministry, the Sisters of Life invite those who have had an abortion, or helped an individual to receive one, to “step into His mercy and receive a new beginning.”

This ministry is “Hope and Healing” is so important because it is central to the kind of healing which Christ came into the world to bring to all people. Continue reading →

St. Peter’s Church is Now Livestreaming!

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Thanks to a generous grant that the parish received from the Family of Faith Campaign of the Archdiocese of Toronto, St. Peter’s Parish has been able to install equipment for livestreaming.

For as long as Mass cannot be celebrated publicly, due to the Covid pandemic, Mass will be livestreamed Monday to Friday at 6:30 a.m. and on Sundays at 7:30 a.m.

Once we are permitted to celebrate Mass publicly, the parish will return to its regular Mass schedule and these celebrations will be livestreamed to allow those who cannot come to the celebration to participate form home.

Thank you very much to the Family of Faith Campaign for this generous grant.

*UPDATE:  Beginning Monday, March 15th, 2021, parishes in the grey zone will be permitted to celebrate Mass publicly with 15% occupancy. For St. Peter’s, this means a capacity of 115.  We will return to our normal Mass schedule of celebrating weekday Mass Monday to Friday at 8:00 a.m., Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15 a.m.