Worth Remembering in 2011

As we prepare to turn the page on 2011, it's worth taking a look back at some highlights from the past year. While it's never easy to encapsulate all that's gone on in the Catholic world, it's fun to highlight a few key activities and give praise to those who have worked so hard to make it happen.

So while, our little list is not exhaustive by any means, it's an opportunity to reflect on some key moments in the life of the church (both local and global) this past year. Here's a few thoughts (in no particular order):

Pope Benedict XVI - it's safe to say that Pope Benedict has once again presided over an extremely active year in the life of the church. At 84, he has arguably one of the most high profile jobs on the planet. While most 80 somethings find a trip to the store for groceries a major outing, the Pontiff continues to meet with curial officials, bishops and diplomats from around the world daily. Yes, he's scaled back some of his meetings but that's understandable.

He's also surrounded himself with capable, trusted officials (including Quebec's Cardinal Ouellet). Apostolic voyages outside of Rome this past year included Croatia, Madrid (for World Youth Day), Germany and Benin, Africa. The man who once planned on retiring to his native Bavaria to write in "peace and quiet" has led a life that's been anything but private. We must remind ourselves that, at almost 85, he was the 5th oldest pope ever elected. Thank you Holy Father for all that you continue to give to the Church!

Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic - the 9th Archbishop of Toronto was called home to God in August of 2011. Plagued by health issues in the final years of his time as Archbishop and throughout his retirement, the late Cardinal will be remembered for his no nonsense approach to the faith. If you had a meeting with Cardinal Ambrozic, you walked out knowing where you stood. Those who worked closely with him also had a chance to see the lighter side, his humour and passion for books, history and culture.

Bishops from across Canada and priests throughout the Archdiocese came to St. Mike's Cathedral in Toronto to bid him adieu. One who never relished the media spotlight, he likely was smiling in heaven as a high profile political funeral the same week took away much of the media attention from His Eminence. More likely to show up unannounced at a soup kitchen or anonymously fund a struggling student with a scholarship, it was never about fanfare for the late bishop. His faith was woven in all that he did, never apologizing for proclaiming the truth and embracing his priesthood to the end. He will be missed. Your Eminence, we thank you.

Third Edition of the Roman Missal - with "and also with you" officially retired to the rafters, "and with your spirit" became the new lingo in parishes everywhere throughout North America the first weekend of Advent. Still in its infancy, the new translation has definitely accomplished one goal for both clergy and laity - everyone is paying more attention to the words we proclaim at Mass. That's not a bad thing at all.

Likely the most awkward Christmas in recent history with a few jumbled responses, the New Year will bring with it a new familiarity of the text and hopefully, a new appreciation for the summit of our faith journey. Most agree that adult catechesis is something we could all benefit from and this is one of the best ways to start. As the New Evangelization and a Year of Faith to begin in the latter half of 2012, no doubt this is only the beginning of our catechism classes.

Beatification of Pope John Paul II. For Canadians watching from afar, this was sandwiched between a Royal Wedding, death of Osama Bin Laden and a Federal Election. If you were in Rome, you might as well have been in Poland with all the red and white flags on display. An opportunity to once again honour one the most beloved popes in history, "JPII we love you" chants were resurrected in St. Peter's Square with a multi-day celebration that clearly brought back fond memories for Catholics everywhere including Pope Benedict XVI.

Once again, a "teachable" moment for Catholics and people of any faith, the opportunity to learn more about the road to sainthood, miracles attributed to the process and a look back at the life of man who introduced World Youth Days to the church, making it cool to be catholic. The late days of 2011 also saw the canonization announced for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha who will be North America's first aboriginal saint. We can always use more Catholic heroes from which to draw inspiration. This year was especially inspiring in that regard.

World Youth Day 2011 Madrid - an event that clearly invigorated Pope Benedict even if he had to cut short an evening prayer service due to a violent storm. These gatherings still demonstrate the tremendous passion of young Catholics ready to proclaim their faith and energized by a global gathering that is part catechesis, part youth festival and completely marinated with faith. Organizers in Brazil are scrambling to pull together WYD 2013 in two years rather than the requisite three over the last decade. With WYD, the World Cup and Olympics on tap over the next five years, it's clear that Brazil is flexing its collective muscle on the world stage - whether or not the Mardi Gras influence will seap into WYD celebrations remains to be seen.

Refugee Sponsorship - Archdiocese of Toronto - this one is from the local perspective but it could easily be at the top of the list. Close to 150 parishes across the Archdiocese have been engaged in refugee sponsorship over the last year, a tremendous response. Most communities have supported families fleeing the Middle East, in large part Christian, as a response to increasingly unsafe conditions there, ongoing violence (often in the midst of worship services) and continued instability.

Parishes never cease to amaze at their generosity, taking in the stranger and offering shelter, clothing and monetary support, in addition to assistance with finding employment and helping families learn the ropes of a new community, new language, new country. Our Archdiocese is truly a United Nations of countries, immigrants who've come worldwide to a city that has welcomed them with open arms.

To the Archdiocese of Toronto's Office for Refugees, every parish, priest, committee member and volunteer who's helped make the dream of a new home a reality for hundreds of families this year, we thank you. One can only imagine what Christmas in 2011 is like for someone who lived in fear of even attending Mass just a year ago.

So while there are literally dozens of other stories or personalities that could be highlighted in this space, we'll leave it at that for now. To all who have made a difference in 2011, for those who quietly serve without fanfare, to those who fill the first 12 rows faithfully day to day, week to week, we're forever grateful.

May the New Year bring with it God's blessings in abundance, health, happiness and the chance to walk hand in hand with our God once again in 2012! Or to sum it up in shorthand - and with your spirit in 2012!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Catholics Invited to "Come Home For Christmas"

As we move into the home stretch of Advent, making our way to Christmas later this week, you can bet that hundreds of thousands will pack into churches throughout the Archdiocese to celebrate the birth of Christ. Among the congregation, there will be the faithful who are regulars week in and week out.

We can also expect to see some less regular attendees, those that many refer to as the C & E Catholics (Christmas and Easter). That said, the welcome they receive may determine whether they become more than just twice a year churchgoers.

One way to reach out to those who may have fallen away from the church is through the use of social media, advertising and the media. Over the last couple of years, the Archdiocese of Toronto has extended its outreach efforts to do our best to pastorally respond to those who have been away from the church. We're on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and our website is seen by many as a hub for GTA Catholic info on the web.

A website, www.wearecatholic.ca has been established to provide basic information to those who may have been away from their local parish, to help them reconnect and ultimately, to welcome them back home. In addition, this week, we will also be running ads on Toronto radio station Newstalk 1010 featuring Archbishop Collins inviting those who have been away from the church to "Come Home For Christmas". The 30 second reflection, also available in video form through YouTube (also see below), will hopefully resonate with those who may use Christmas as an occasion to rediscover their faith.



With an unlimited budget, it would be wonderful to run these ads on all radio stations in the city but it's just not realistic. That said, this modest effort is meant to go hand in hand with our own evangelization efforts, which actually cost nothing at all. We've literally got a marketing department of hundreds of thousands - they just need to be activated.

It's safe to say that most of us know someone who's fallen away from the church for any number of reasons. Perhaps this is the year that you invite them to join you for Christmas Mass. Even better, if they tend to pick up a bulletin only once or twice a year, in the New Year, consider an invitation for them to join you at Sunday Eucharist followed by a coffee or brunch where you can chat about the experience.

For those of us in the pews on a regular basis, it's also a great time for a personal hospitality tune-up. How do we welcome those who aren't familiar to us in our parish? Do we extend a smile, word of welcome, handshake or other kind gesture when we see a new face in our faith community?

When I tell people I work for the church, they usually have a couple of reactions: a) they mention their parish, personal involvement and how it's interesting to meet someone working on the "business" side of the church or b) they recount a negative experience associated with the church and take a moment to let me know that's why they no longer attend.

Well it's up to all of us to erase perceptions or a negative experience from decades ago and replace it with a positive, pastoral and welcoming home. So the next time we get in the bah-humbug mode and complain that our pews are so full at Christmas and Easter with care-free Catholics maybe we need to quietly pray that this would be the case every Sunday and shuffle to make room for another beside us in the pew.

So when a whole new gang of folks respond "and also with you" this Christmas Eve, instead of taking time to gloat, offer them a pew card with the new translation responses, a smile and afte Mass, a "Merry Christmas" and "Hope to see you again."

If we can all work together to evangelize and extend a hand in hospitality, you'd be amazed at what might just happen.

Marketing budget required? $0. Churches overflowing with prayer, hospitality, outreach and attendance week in and out? Priceless.

Toronto Archdiocese Breaking New Ground with 800 Online Giving Options

With online giving becoming a more natural option for countless donors, the Archdiocese is happy to report that a major project on streamlining online donations has wrapped up. The result? A new web portal that provides more than 800 giving options. Below you'll find the official press release highlighting the project - as this is certainly the season for giving, take a moment to visit the online portal and consider a gift to your favourite Catholic charity. And above you'll find Archbishop Collins surfing the new site.

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At a time of year when the joy of giving is top of mind, Catholics in the GTA now have more ways to make a charitable gift than ever before.

The Archdiocese of Toronto has launched a centralized online donation portal for Catholics in its region, the first service of its kind in North America. Through the donation portal (www.archtoronto.org) donors at 225 parishes can make a gift to their parish weekly collection, to building funds or to their church capital campaign. Gifts can also be made through the website to a number of other Catholic charities.

“With more and more people making charitable contributions online, we are happy to offer this opportunity to Catholics throughout our archdiocese, whether their parish is large or small, urban or rural,” said His Grace, Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. “The Internet allows us to extend our parish communities in creative new ways – including this option to make an offertory or other charitable gift online.”

Churches throughout North America of all denominations have been accepting online donations for years but this is the first time centralized giving has been offered for all parishes in a diocese. Visitors to the online portal have upwards of 800 donation options.

“Donors are becoming more comfortable in the online environment and it is important that we strive to interact with them in that space,” said Arthur Peters, director of development for the Archdiocese of Toronto. “Though the rate of online giving continues to rise in Canada, not all of our parishes have the resources or technical support required to offer online giving options. By undertaking this initiative on their behalf, we hope everyone will benefit.”

At present, the new online giving portal is set to accept credit card gifts for the following charitable options: gifts to a parish (offertory, building fund, capital campaign); ShareLife, the annual charitable appeal of the diocese; St. Augustine’s Seminary; the Archdiocese of Toronto; St. Michael’s Choir School; tribute gifts (living gifts, in memoriam gifts); humanitarian relief (as of January 1, 2012); Sunday TV Mass; and the Our Faith Our Future planned giving and estate planning options.

As one of the most diverse dioceses in the world, the Archdiocese of Toronto is home to 1.9 million Catholics who celebrate Mass each week in over 30 different languages. More than 800 diocesan and religious priests serve the Catholic community in 225 parishes.

Catholic Priest's Invention Streamlines Candy Cane Production

Chances are, this Christmas season, you'll be digging into at least one candy cane as part of the festivities. Well the next time you do, consider the origin of this treat and know that you can thank a Catholic priest for his important role in how candy canes are produced today.

Legend has it that the candy cane was first introduced by a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral around the time of about 1670 when a less than patient choral leader was getting frustrated by the distracted children, who had trouble sitting through the lengthy church services. To help keep them at bay during nativity celebrations, candy canes were distributed to the kids -at the time they were all white and simple candy was bent to resemble a shepherds' staff.

Fast forward to the mid 1800's when a German immigrant tothe USA started to decorate his Christmas trees using candy canes. Somewhere around the early 1900's the stripes were introduced to the confection. Now depending on who you ask, some feel that all along there was a Christian connection to the treats with the shepherds' staff used as a symbol that we still see today (bishop's crozier) and the red stripes representing Christ's blood and purity, the stiff candy representing the rock of the church and even the peppermint flavour resembling hyssop, often referenced in the Old Testament. Truth be told, these connections can't be traced to any one group in particular and may just be a pleasant interpretation that some have come up with over time.

That said, we can confirm the Catholic connection to the massproduction of candy canes that began, on a larger scale somewhere between 1930 and 1940. Bob McCormack, owner of Bobs Candies, was looking for a way to produce the Christmas treat without complications. Having introduced cellophane wrap to keep the candy canes fresh, the family business continued to look for new ways to innovate.

Up until 1950, 22% of the candy canes produced were broken as they were produced and had to be discarded. Bob asked his brother in law, Catholic priest and part-time inventor, Father Harding Keller to help invent a machine that wouldn't break the treats. Within six months, Fr. Harding had created the "Keller Machine", a device that twisted the soft candy into spiral striping and then cut the canes. Prior to the invention, most of the candy was made by hand and those that were made in machines were often the wrong size or broken.

By 1956, Bobs Candies was the world's largest peppermint candy cane producer and the invention created by a Catholic priest as a favour to his brother in law launched the family business into a multi-million dollar success. By the late 1950's the company was producing half a million candy canes every day.

So the next time you enjoy a candy cane, you can thank a Catholic priest for making the process less sticky and more enjoyable. Thanks Fr. Keller, for your divine intervention in helping pave the way for a Christmas treat that will be enjoyed by millions for years to come! And you thought your local pastor was only a sacramental specialist...

Advent Wreaths, Scrabble & Straw

Does your family have any Advent traditions? It may include setting up the Advent wreath this time of year. In many homes, the kids take turns lighting the candles and saying a little prayer. I can still recall as a child, being the youngest of four siblings, I was usually given the honour of lighting the first candle and maintaining that tradition through the years.

Many families also set up manger scenes to prepare for the birth of Christ. They come in all shapes and sizes and Christians young and old take great care in placing only some of the characters out at strategic times, leaving the arrival of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus until Christmas.

I know of one family with a special manger scene tradition with the parents picking up some pieces of straw at a local farm to give to the kids. Whenever a "good deed" is done in the household, a piece of straw is given to the child to place in the manger so that Baby Jesus will be more comfortable during his stay. These kind of traditions are a great way to catechize in the home.

Last year, I had the chance to attend a parish "live" nativity scene, complete with -10 temps, animals, kids in full shepherd garb and carols led by the pastor. It was a wonderful Advent celebration.

To this day, in our family, we still have a birthday cake for Baby Jesus on Christmas Day and sing Happy Birthday together so that every generation remembers the reason for the season.

One Christmas past also ended in near disaster when two elderly grandmothers in our home didn't notice the candle wax on the Advent wreath had dripped down and set fire to the evergreens. In the midst of an intense scrabble game, it was only once the flames got to shall we say more significant proportions that things were extinguished and the "all clear" was given for play to resume.

For those interested in a little more formal history of the Advent wreath, from our website resources on Advent:

The Advent wreath is a prominent symbol of the Advent season and is used in our churches and our homes as a way to prayerfully count the four weeks of the liturgical season. It consists of a wreath made of evergreens into which four candles have been placed.

Beginning on the eve of the First Sunday of Advent, the wreath is blessed and one candle is lit to mark the start of the first week of the Advent season. As each week begins, another candle is lit until all four candles are burning brightly by the Fourth Sunday of Advent. According to tradition, three of the candles are purple and one candle is pink, although all four candles may be purple.

The pink candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin word which means “Rejoice!”), as the focus of the season shifts from the Second Coming of Christ to the First Coming of Christ.

In the northern hemisphere, the days grow shorter at this time of the year, and the trees and plants drop their leaves as they “die back” in preparation for the long winter ahead. The evergreens on the Advent wreath remind us of the everlasting life promised to us by the gift of Jesus Christ, who came among us to save us from sin and death. The lighting of candles banishes the darkness as a reminder of Jesus Christ, the Light who has come into the world through his birth, and who continues to shine brightly through his Church.

So whether it's gathering as a family around the Advent wreath, placing the "characters" of the Christmas story lovingly around a manger or preparing that special birthday cake for Christmas, family traditions help bring new meaning to the season, they allow us to reflect as a family of faith and who knows? They may even be passed down from one generation to the next, living on for decades to come.

So maybe there are a couple of "takeaways" for us all in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season.

We need to take time to remind ourselves that without Christ there would be no Christmas. So let's keep Him front and centre in the season. The other lesson to learn? Grandmas playing scrabble don't like to be interrupted!

Reaching out in Advent...Comfort & Light

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we are aware that many among us may be experiencing personal hardship, struggle or loss. Our invitation is to gather into the warmth and light of Christ, taking solace in Him with support from our family of faith.

Just a month after organizing the Mass Against Women Abuse, Catholic Family Services of Toronto (CFSTO) is back once again, with their foundation bringing together those who feel alone or have experienced loss for a Mass to be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 4 at Holy Rosary Parish in Toronto.

While the holidays can be a time of joy and anticipation for many, there are plenty of people who dread this time of year. For them, it's a reminder of the loss they've experienced in their own lives or a reminder that family is no longer with them, relatives are far away and joy quickly turns to pain. To those who may feel alone, CFSTO has created this wonderful Mass of Comfort and Light as part of their dedication to promoting and strengthening healthy families, marriages and individuals.

Bishop Vincent Nguyen, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, will preside at the celebration, on Sunday, December 4, at Holy Rosary Church at 5:00 p.m.

According to Lucia Furgiuele, Executive Director of Catholic Family Services of Toronto: “Christmas may bring an abundance of family and spiritual blessings for many. But for some, it may represent a time of separation from family and friends or community. Our celebration will offer support, reflection, a chance to connect with our agency and to learn more about the help we can provide.”

Catholic Family Services of Toronto also operates the New Beginnings initiative, a peer support program to meet the needs of those who are separated, divorced or widowed as they search for meaningful ways to address their loss.

“Some of the folks who are turning to our New Beginnings program are also experiencing other kinds of profound loss—for example, the loss of a child, family member or dear friend—and this can be a particularly difficult time of year,” noted James Shaughnessy, the Coordinator of the New Beginnings program.

If you're looking for more information on the Mass of Comfort and Light, you can find full details online.

On the topic of reaching out to our sisters and brothers, a belated thank you to St. Patrick's Parish in downtown Toronto for another unique initiative that took place November 27. The community held a memorial Mass for all those living on the street who lost their lives over the past year. This "Out of the Cold" memorial reminds us of the dignity of every individual and the responsibility we have to ensure that dignity is acknowledged, even in death.

Both St. Pat's and Catholic Family Services demonstrate to us the true call of the Catholic community: to love tenderly, to act justly, to serve, to pray and to welcome the stranger among us.

Not a bad way to remember the reason for the season...