Connecting with the Clergy, Awards, Green Initiatives & Prayers for India

A few thoughts as we wrap up the month of November and move into the Advent season...

This past week, I had a chance to spend some time with the priests of our Archdiocese ordained less than five years. It's always great to get to know the clergy better and have some time with them to reflect on the important role they play as communicators, evangelizing to our family of faith.

Our presentation touched on working with the media and key messaging for parish ministry. In many ways, homilies and other parish communication (bulletins, pulpit announcements, etc.) are like media interviews. You want to have key messages, clarity, get the facts right and ensure that people understand your core message. We looked at examples of the church in the media and how the media can be on our doorstep at a moment's notice.

The priests were very receptive to the messages presented and hopefully they have a better understanding of how our office can assist them should they need to communicate with the media, their parishioners or the broader community on a variety of subjects. Thanks to Msgr. Marco Laurencic, director of the Office of Priests' Personnel for allowing us the opportunity to spend some quality time with these fine shepherds.

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Congratulations to Paul Nazareth, Manager of Planned Giving & Personal Gifts for the Archdiocese on receiving recognition from his peers. The Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Greater Toronto Area RoundTable, awarded Paul the 2008 Sweatman Award for his outstanding commitment to the profession of gift planning. Full info on the award available here. It's important to remember that there are a tremendous number of lay people who give of their time and talents to the church. We are grateful for Paul's contributions and pleased to see the gift planning community recognize his efforts.

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You may have heard this past week about the Vatican's efforts to reduce their "carbon footprint", activating a new solar energy system that will heat, light and cool Nervi Hall, where countless audiences and concerts take place.

Inspired by the Vatican's ongoing plans to be more energy efficient, one of our local schools is set to turn on the "solar switch" in mere days to help do their part. If you can't tell by the photo, the entire cross is a series of solar panels being used to "power" the school community at St. Jean de Brebeuf SS in Vaughan. Kudos to this community for their green initiatives.

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Finally, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the horrific terrorist attacks this past week in Mumbai, India. While we're literally oceans apart, there is an extremely faithful and active Indian community in the GTA, with many locals calling home and spending anxious moments on the phone over the last several days. Pope Benedict XVI sent his thoughts and prayers on Thursday with a telegram sent via Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State to Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India:

"Deeply concerned about the outbreak of violence in Mumbai, the Holy Father asks you kindly to convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in these brutal attacks, and to assure the public authorities, citizens, and all those affected of his spiritual closeness. His Holiness urgently appeals for an end to all acts of terrorism, which gravely offend the human family and severely destabilise the peace and solidarity needed to build a civilisation worthy of mankind's noble vocation to love God and neighbour. The Holy Father prays for the repose of the souls of the victims and implores God's gift of strength and comfort for those who are injured and in mourning".

Photos: Archdiocese of Toronto, St. Jean de Brebeuf, The Guardian

Archdiocese of Toronto Launches "Office for Refugees" January 1, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY:

Archdiocese of Toronto Launches “Office for Refugees” January 1, 2009

TORONTO (November 21, 2008) Responding to the increasing number of refugees looking to call Canada and, specifically, the Greater Toronto Area home, the Archdiocese of Toronto is pleased to announce the launch of a new pastoral ministry, the “Office for Refugees”, effective January 1, 2009.

This diocesan office will be located at Catholic Crosscultural Services (CCS), a Catholic Charities agency with more than 50 years experience reaching out to immigrants and refugees, serving all those in need regardless of religious or political affiliation. The initiative will be led by Dr. Martin Mark, assisted by Yosief Araya and Nicole Desmarais, all of whom have worked extensively with CCS on issues related to uprooted people.

Archbishop Thomas Collins commented on the announcement of the new diocesan office:

“One of the greatest gifts of our Archdiocese is the unique blend of cultures and diversity of those who call our community home. We are called to extend the hand of friendship and care to those who need our assistance in their early days as our neighbours. This tangible sign of outreach will help our parish communities to mobilize and assist those who look to Canada for peace and prosperity.”

The “Office for Refugees” will allow the Catholic community to:

• Strengthen its ability to link more than 220 Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto with refugee sponsorship through the Canadian Private Sponsorship Program.

• Focus efforts to assist the displaced as well as network and advocate on global social justice issues both regionally and internationally.

• Allow for an increase in capacity and resources to be used to respond better to refugee crises such as the one now being faced by Iraqi Christians. The crisis in Iraq has forced millions from their homes, leaving many in the small community of Iraqi Christians persecuted and targeted on the basis of their faith.

Over the past year, the Archdiocesan Refugee Sponsorship Program has tripled the number of sponsorships initiated by parishes and religious orders. Across the country, the Canadian Private Sponsorship Program has given faith and ethnic communities the opportunity to assist some 200,000 uprooted people in need of safe haven.

In addition to providing spiritual services in more than 30 languages each week for 1.7 million Catholics, the Archdiocese supports initiatives which benefit and strengthen the whole community. Churches serve a geographic area that stretch from Toronto to Midland and Oshawa to Mississauga.

For more information contact:

Neil MacCarthy, Director, Public Relations & Communications,
Archdiocese of Toronto
neilm@archtoronto.org www.archtoronto.org

Photo: Canadian Press

Pastoral Support for a Family...Media Relations as Ministry

As a church communicator, I'm often asked "What do you do all day?" While I'm sure many people could fill in the blank with their own descriptions, a day in the Office of Public Relations & Communications for the Archdiocese of Toronto really does not fall into a regular cycle. While our department coordinates communications vehicles between "head office" and our parishes, we spend much of our time working on issues that come up day to day.

Whether it be a news story, task directed by the Archbishop, responding to media inquiries or calls from the general public, every day really is uniquely different.

One of the areas we offer parish support is when the media end up on the doorstep for a church due to a high profile event. This past week, the funeral of Brandon Crisp was about as high profile as you can get. No doubt you followed the story of his disappearance and the sad news of his body being found after a frantic search with hundreds from his community. A tragic story, a family grieving, classmates broken and many people left asking questions.

The funeral took place on November 14 at St. Mary's Parish in Barrie. In this case, one of our staff (Bill Steinburg) was a parishioner there and felt a personal connection as this tragedy hit close to home. I can't say enough about the excellent work Bill did on this difficult situation. He connected with the Pastor, Father Frank McDevitt, and as is the case in these situations, offered our assistance in helping with media relations, allowing Father Frank to focus on the pastoral needs of the family and the subsequent funeral preparations.

A number of meetings followed, we liaised with the school board communications director, Diane Legg as well as local police to ensure we were all on the same page in terms of media relations and logistics. Our office also sent out a media advisory asking the press to let us know if they planned on sending journalists to cover the event.

Needless to say, the media were there in full force. 5 satellite trucks (the first arriving at 5 a.m.) 17 cameras and close to 30 journalists present for the funeral. Without any media relations staff, this would quickly become a free for all, details would be inaccurately reported and essentially things would go from bad to worse with the media not knowing the parameters and church staff becoming increasingly frustrated with what the intrusive media throng.

We should be clear that in these situations, while it may not always seem like it, the media don't want to be there any more than we don't want them there. They've been assigned the story by an editor in a newsroom and are obligated to come back with something. Our job is to ensure they are respectful, accurate and speak to the right people. In this particular case, the media were also instrumental in keeping Brandon's search alive for so many days and it was clear they were personally touched by this tragedy.

Outside the church, we distributed copies of the eulogy that was delivered before mass began, copies of Fr. Frank's sensitive and pastoral homily along with a fact sheet that provided the correct spelling of pallbearers, celebrant, readings and other important information on the burial, seating capacity of the church, etc. We also spelled out proper positioning for cameras and still photographers so that they were a respectful distance but were still able to ge the pictures they needed for their assignments.

The stories you read, hear or see contain much of this information and it doesn't just "appear". Instead of journalists having to approach family members at a sensitive time or not asking anyone at all and getting the facts wrong, we did our best to provide accurate information so that they got the story right.

Finally, we provided assistance and worked with the school board to conduct an ad hoc press conference outside the church after the funeral where friends of Brandon and his high school principal were able to speak to the media and offer their own reflections in a controlled environment. Without this, you would find reporters trolling the parking lot looking for people to talk to, individuals who may be well meaning but would are often far from knowledgeable in offering informed comment about the situation.

You won't see us quoted in any article or our staff appearing before the camera - that's not our role in this situation. Instead we do what we can to ensure that this tragedy is covered respectfully without needlessly bothering a grieving family. While the pastoral needs are addressed inside the church, our ministry with the media takes place outside.

This is what we talk about when we speak of nurturing relationships with the media. It's also an excellent example of partnership between parish and diocesan staff doing all that we can to ensure the family's needs are addressed and we are a church that is both pastoral, compassionate and present during a family's most difficult days.

May God bless Brandon Crisp and his family.

Photos: CP24, Archdiocese of Toronto

Supporting our Retired Clergy, The Visiting Nurses Turn 100!

The weekend of November 15/16, the Archdiocese will hold a special collection for our retired priests. It's known as the Shepherds' Trust campaign. We recognize there are many appeals for funds going on out there, especially within our own Catholic community. Yet this is one that should be near and dear to all of our hearts.

Supporting the priests who have given of themselves to help shepherd us in our faith is something that we should make a priority. While most of us enjoy the possibility of retiring at 65 or even earlier, most diocesan priests celebrate what they jokingly refer to as "Freedom 75", ably working until their 75th birthdays and in many cases, well beyond that.

The Shepherds' Trust provides assistance to those priests who need support - from helping with medical bills to proper housing in their golden years. Our gift is a simple way to say thank you for the selfless dedication these men have shown through their ministry. When the collection plate comes around, be generous or better yet, make an online donation or consider gifts of securities, stocks, etc. (see article below re: Paul Nazareth). For more info on the Shepherds' Trust, visit them online.

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Congratulations to Saint Elizabeth Health Care who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. Many readers will be familiar with the visiting nurses of Saint Elizabeth. Starting with four nurses 100 years ago at the request of Archbishop F.P. McEvay, in the early years the nurses provided pre-natal and paediatric care throughout Ontario, usually traveling on foot or by streetcar.

Within two decades the nurses were making more than 10,000 visits a year. The nurses were also active during World War II, contributing to the war effort by providing maternity care, assisting in the wartime day nurseries and offering food and shelter to those in need.

While the role of community visiting nurses changed with the growth of hospitals in the post-war period, the need for their work did not decline. On the contrary, as the population's health care needs became more complex, the demand for quality care in the community increased and continues to do so today.

The nurses are named after Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a 13th century aristocrat, married at 13, widowed at 21 and relinquishing her wealth to build hospitals and serve the poor before her death at the young age of 25. The story goes that after serving the poor one day and on her way home, Elizabeth was carrying a bundle of leftover loaves of bread under her cloak. Encountering a family member who asked what she was carrying, she opened her cloak and the loaves had been transformed into masses of red roses. She was canonized by Pope Gregory IX four years after her death in 1235.

Parishioners in the Archdiocese of Toronto may notice a commemorative brochure celebrating 100 years of care to those in need that will be distributed in parishes later this month. This ShareLife agency has been quietly making a difference in the lives of thousands - it's not very often we hear of home based health care and this is a good news story worth sharing. You can learn more about their work online. Thanks to all the visiting nurses who continue to make a profound impact - as they say at Saint Elizabeth, care to be amazed!

Photos: Shepherds' Trust, St. Elizabeth Health Care

Taking Stock & Helping our Faith Community - An Economic Reflection...

There likely isn't an individual out there that hasn't been impacted by the current economic downturn. While most of us may just want to brace ourselves and not look at our investments, it's important to be educated and understand just exactly what our options are.

In the Archdiocese of Toronto, we're blessed with an excellent Manager of Planned Giving & Personal Gifts, Paul Nazareth. Paul assists Catholics who are considering gifts of securities, bonds, annuities and other financial holdings to their favorite parish or Catholic charity. You'd be surprised at just how effective these gifts can be in realizing significant tax benefits while supporting extremely worthy causes.

For those reading with shares in Bell Canada, the article below by Paul is a must read! If you have any questions on this or other financial matters as they relate to our faith community, don't hesitate to contact Paul - you'll find he's very hands on and can deal with inquiries from the simple to most complex both practically and pastorally. Together, we can all leave a lasting legacy that will impact our faith community for years to come!!

Archdiocese of Toronto Manager of Planned Giving & Personal Gifts, Paul Nazareth

Bell Canada shares keep the phone ringing!

Parishioners who own Bell Canada (BCE) shares may be required to sell their shares this December and face large taxable gains. This is certainly the case for people who purchased shares several years ago and for those who have inherited shares.

Information has been published in parish bulletins, the Catholic Register and on our website, promoting the donation of those shares rather than cashing them in. By doing so, stockholders can avoid all tax on their gains. As a result, our phones have been ringing off the hook! Our staff members are connecting via phone and in person every day with parishioners who have questions and are generously making gifts.

Since the initial announcement last year about the BCE shares buyout, we have been contacted by dozens of parishioners from across the Archdiocese wanting to make gifts to their parish, ShareLife, The Shepherds’ Trust, St. Augustine’s Seminary, St. Michael’s Choir School and other specific church programs. Since the tax savings of a donation of securities can be applied five years forward, several people are planning to cover their parish and Catholic giving for the next few years. Others are spending time to have their gift cover all their Catholic giving to several charities in one gift.

Some shareholders are waiting for the deadline in December in the hope that the maximum value per share is realized. However, an extremely large number of shareholders are expected to sell BCE shares or donate them to charities at that time. It’s important to know that waiting may result in the loss of this opportunity and the payment of significant taxes on the shares.

Contact your financial advisor right away, if you have one, to plan for the sale or transfer of your BCE shares. If you are considering joining your fellow parishioners in donating BCE shares, or any listed security, to a favourite Catholic charity, please call us today! All calls are confidential.

For more information, call Paul Nazareth, Manager of Planned Giving and Personal Gifts at the Archdiocese of Toronto (416-934-3400, ext. 561).

Please share this message with other Catholics you know!

This information can be found at www.bce.ca/en/investors/shareholderinfo/privatization. It does not constitute legal or financial advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for personal professional advice. We strongly encourage you to seek professional advice from your investment manager before deciding upon any course of action.

Photos: Guelph Mercury, Catholic Register, Bell Canada

Homework! Parishes & Schools Working and Walking Together...

In the Archdiocese of Toronto we often speak of the ministry "triangle" - parish, home, school with each side of the triangle playing a critical role.

I had the opportunity to meet first hand with some important communicators at the educational side of things last week, connecting with the province's school board communications directors in a networking and sharing day hosted by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA).

I was asked to present a workshop on "Strengthening Parish Relationships: Accomplishments & Opportunities." When speaking to school board contacts, I often hear about the desire to strengthen the relationship with their local parish - a similar conversation comes in dialogue with parish priests. For a short time last week, we did our best to build a bridge of understanding, working to strengthen these important relationships.

There are tremendous opportunities for evangelization when our Catholic schools and parishes work together in partnership. I can think of communities in our diocese where joint letters go home from both Pastor and School Principal, ongoing dialogue takes place daily and staff from both parish and school are intimately involved in the day to day life of the spiritual and educational community hubs.

Sadly, we also hear about the challenges - where little or no relationship exists between parish and school for a variety of reasons - it's not about taking sides or assigning blame. In many ways, parishes and schools have many similarities in that they take on the leadership style of the pastor or principal, they are responsible for the development (spiritual or educational) of a larger group of individuals and they are primarily responsible for transmitting communication to their constituencies.

Did we solve all the challenges that exist in our brief workshop? Absolutely not. But hopefully the school board communicators walked away with a better appreciation of all that goes on at the local parish, the demands on the time and attention of the pastor and how schools can support the parish and vice versa. Let's face it - we're stronger together and when we partner on projects, the sky is the limit.

I also reminded the communicators of an important piece of advice I often give myself - although we'd like to think that every piece of communication that goes to parishes should be their #1 priority, the reality is it likely settles at #12 or #13 on the list (if we're lucky). Not because parishes aren't interested, it's just that many priests need to be spiritual counsellors, hospital chaplains, business managers and spiritual shepherds most days before noon.

It's important to note that in the Archdiocese of Toronto, there are five english Catholic school boards along with one french board. Our office has been working hard over the last 18 months to develop close ties with our colleagues in communication on the educational side of things. As I often say, an ongoing relationship that is nurtured and developed is much preferable to a crisis driven relationship where you first establish contact in the midst of an accident, tragic event or other "crisis".

We need to remember this as we move forward, thinking creatively and strategically at how our communciation can lift the other up.

One final reality - while almost every Catholic school board in the province has a communications department and staff, there are only a handful of dioceses with full time communications resources.

All in all, plenty of challenges and opportunities - the important thing is that there is a healthy dialogue with these partners in faith. Even though we're long past our time as students, you might say we're all still learning how to grow together. An exercise worth repeating with lots of homework along the way...

Photos: OCSTA, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board