St. Agnes Kouying Tsao Parish, Markham
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First Pastoral Letter to Archdiocese of Toronto, 1842Below is the text of the first pastoral letter written in 1842 to the faithful of the newly established Diocese of Toronto from its first bishop, Michael Power. The Archdiocese of Toronto kicks off its 175th anniversary year on December...Posted: Dec-12-2016 -
Come to Christ this AdventAdvent marks the beginning of the liturgical year. While it expresses the deep longing of all humanity for God, it celebrates the three-fold coming of the Lord: remembering the events that surrounded the Lord’s coming long ago...Posted: Nov-25-2016 -
St. Michael's Cathedral: Visible Sign of the FaithPosted: Sep-27-2016"…the Cathedral Church belongs properly to no particular parish, but that it is the Mother Church of the whole Diocese, such a temple should be built in a manner and style suitable to the Greatness and Majesty of Our...
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World Youth Day's Local Impact"When Jesus touches a young person's heart, he or she becomes capable of truly great things." These words of Pope Francis at the welcome ceremony of World Youth Day in Krakow on July 28, 2016 are evident locally. The...Posted: Jul-29-2016
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Childlike Faith: Totus Tuus Week 1Totus Tuus is a multi-tiered program for Catholic youth in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The program offers a one-week summer camp to parishes looking for youth programming during the summer. It also offers a three-month missionary program...Posted: Jul-19-2016
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World Refugee DayMonday, June 20 is World Refugee Day. As the Office for Refugees, Archdiocese of Toronto continues its important work of resettling those seeking to escape war and persecution, we invite you to pray for all those involved in resettlement efforts...Posted: Jun-20-2016
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Nine Men Ordained to the Permanent DiaconateOn Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m., nine men will be ordained permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Toronto. Their ministry begins in Toronto’s St. Paul’s Basilica, but will extend far beyond church walls. The...Posted: May-27-2016
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Gates of Mercy: Holy Doors in the Archdiocese of TorontoIndulgences, Holy Doors and jubilees: these are among the Catholic traditions we sometimes dismiss as quirky vestiges of outdated piety, unworthy of much attention. Didn't the Church abandon indulgences? Isn't it superstitious to believe one could receive graces...Posted: May-26-2016
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Taking It to the Streets: Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual HelpThe following post is written by Fr. Santo Arrigo, CSsR, Pastor of St. Patrick's Parish, Toronto. The 150th Jubilee of the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been a year of celebration and inspiration. The faithful have...Posted: May-05-2016
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Update on St. Michael’s Cathedral Restoration"How do you eat an elephant?" goes the old adage. "One bite at a time." According to the head architect of the St. Michael's Cathedral restoration project, this expresses how they've tackled a seemingly insurmountable task of restoring...Posted: Apr-18-2016
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Autism Awareness Month: Animating HopeThe following reflection is by Joseph Trozzo, parishioner at St. Padre Pio Parish in Kleinburg. In 2014, he and his wife Nancy attended the 29th Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers on the theme, "The Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders...Posted: Mar-31-2016
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Fasting for Fasting's SakeThere’s fasting and then there’s fasting! If fasting is going to be effective (and we should want to fast effectively) then we have to be motivated in the right way and know why we fast; we...Posted: Feb-12-2016
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The Year of Mercy: An Invitation toI have never gotten used to the streets in the American city where my parents moved when I was an adult. The constant development in the area makes me feel like each visit is to a new place. Whenever I...Posted: Jan-28-2016
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Celebrating the EpiphanyThe priest in my elementary school religion class was not impressed when I announced confidently to him and the class that Epiphany was "when you take down your Christmas tree." In those days, the Feast of Epiphany marked the end...Posted: Dec-31-2015
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Celebrating the Feast of the Holy FamilyThe Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord – usually, the first Sunday after Christmas – is the Feast of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This Family of Nazareth serves as a model for all...Posted: Dec-25-2015
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The Manger: Cradle of God's MercyThe following is modified from a homily written for the 4th Sunday of Advent by Fr. Michael McGourty, Pastor of St. Peter's Parish, Toronto. The Nativity Scene is one of the most beloved symbols in Christianity. Before the celebration...Posted: Dec-18-2015
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Marriage & Families: The Bedrock of All Religious VocationsThe following is written by Fr. Chris Lemieux, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Toronto. In any homily I preach on vocations, I am mindful that it would be an oversight to speak of any religious vocation without speaking...Posted: Oct-23-2015
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Brother Branden Gordon Professes Vows as Salesian of Don BoscoBrother Branden Gordon, SDB, 28, comes from the Salesian parish of St. Benedict in Etobicoke where his parents are also members. Branden entered the Salesian formation program at St. Benedict's in April 2013 and did his prenovitiate at Holy...Posted: Aug-31-2015
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The Miracle of SharingPope Francis in one of his Angelus addresses last year spoke of the multiplication of the loaves and really gave me something to think about. His message and reflection was from the perspective of sharing, that in fact the miracle...Posted: Jul-27-2015
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We Have Been Fed, Now We Go to WorkThe following post is by Fr. Chris Lemieux, Vocations Director, Archdiocese of Toronto. That we are called to be disciples is without question; how we go about it is the difficult part. When I think about the real purpose of...Posted: Jul-17-2015
