DONOR WALL: With great gratitude to the donors for their contribution and support to our church!

 

Our Donor Wall

This donor wall acknowledges the over 900 contributors to our Capital Campaign who provided the initial funds for the construction of our new church.

It is with great gratitude that we applaud their generosity and support, for without them, none of this would be possible.

The knapsack and sandals capture our motif of pilgrims on a journey - and we journey to the Eucharist.

For the most part, the contributors are listed in alphabetical order. As was one of our guiding principles when we began the Campaign, we accepted each donation with equal appreciation, so there are no distinct levels of individual contributions evident on the wall.

The concept matches our noble simplicity and is a wonderful testimony to the founding supporters of the new St. Francis de Sales.

 

Inside Our Church

Inside our new church...below are images and descriptions simulating a guided tour of our church. Also included are notes on the Tapestries that adorn the interior of our church.

 
INSIDE THE NEW CHURCH: A closer look at our  church!

 

THE FONT: In discussions about the font, we decided on a couple of principles. First, the documents remind us that 'living water' should be used in the ritual action of baptism. To us, that meant flowing water. So we needed to incorporate flowing water. We also wanted to have the option of celebrating the fullest expression with infants, children, and adults. Finally, since it is through baptism that we enter into the Church, it should be prominently visible as a reminder that we have been immersed into the very triune life of God. Therefore, the water flows through a trinity of rocks. 'From the wellspring of life giving waters.'

The granite used in the font, the altar, ambo, and the pedestal of the Tabernacle, come from a quarry north of Quebec City, from the Canadian Shield, some of the most ancient rock on the face of the earth. It is called 'Tadoussac Granite'. The largest rock in the font weighs 6,000 pounds, the second, 5,000 pounds, and the smallest, 4,000 pounds.

 

THE PORTALS: Our two main doors are portals. They are places of transitions. They stand before all of our possibility and potential, and always promise new adventure and hope. Our main doors serve such a function. They stand on the threshold of entry into the reality of God. They are larger than life, to tell us that we are entering something unique, special, and privileged. They dwarf us to remind us of our rightful place and order in creation. It is God who invites us. It is God who hosts us. It is God who nourishes us. Here we are at home in the house of God. Each door weighs 400 pounds. The hinge mechanisms cost more than the doors themselves and had to be specially ordered from California.

 

THE ENTRANCE: Our entrance way is adorned with the national flags of our Parishioners. Each year we take a survey to determine our universality as a Parish. These flags represent our origins.

To date, we have 86 countries represented in our community, truly a catholic community. Here is a list of the flags we have suspended as of 2008: Acadia, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, (St. Andrew), Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Viet Nam, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wales and Zimbabwe.

 

CHAPEL OF RESERVATION: The Church documents suggest that the Reserved Sacrament should be in a place separate from the venue of prayer. It should be a place conducive to prayer and adoration, and easily accessible from the church. We have used an axis in line with the Altar, yet distinctly apart from where the community gathers to pray.

OUR SANCTUARY: The Sanctuary continues the theme of Christian Paradox. It is a circle in a square, containing the square altar on its circle. It was an unique part of the project. From the design workshops, there was a desire to make as little a distinction from the prayer assembly as possible, to remind people that the whole church is sacred and sanctuary. One of our mandates was to ensure that the sanctuary was fully accessible, and that the access point was not hidden, but rather a natural part of the church to allow those who need it to feel fully welcome and embraced as a full member of the community.

A PILGRIM PEOPLE: The first motif that people encounter as they enter our church, is the concept of Pilgrimage. The first image of the Church that emerged from the Second Vatican Council was that of a 'pilgrim People', on a life-long journey together, to the kingdom of God. From the moment one sets foot on the property, one notices a lack of shortcuts and quick routes to the entry way. There is also a traditional spiritual walk, referred to as a poor man's pilgrimage or 'labyrinth'. The labyrinth has always been an occasion for spiritual reflection and growth. It is imbued with a deep spirituality and opportunity for encounter. St. Augustine said, 'Salvitur ambulando' or 'It is solved by walking.' We decided it was important to include this aspect of journey, recognizing that we have journeyed to arrive at these doors, but also that we are on a sacred journey to God.

THE ALTAR: This granite is Canadian Shield rock quarried north of Quebec City. The altar weighs in at 10,000 pounds. The original intent was to leave it rough hewn to tie in with our organic authenticity, to be a statement that God's creation has an innate sacredness, and is worthy of mediating the mystery of God's presence. Unfortunately that wasn't quite communicated to the manufacturer. When the altar and ambo arrived, they had this limited mountain design on it. The reading for the first funeral we celebrated after the dedication, spoke that on God's holy mountain, God will provide a rich feast of the finest food. All in all, not a bad mistake, and certainly we can live with the adornment. It is a square altar which symbolizes both a sense of equality and hospitality. There is no side which is more important than another, so all people from all the corners of the world are equally welcome. We often refer to it as the "Altar of Sacrifice" of Christ the victim, whose Death and Resurrection forgave us our sins, and also as the table of the Wedding Banquet, which is the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9).

 

THE AMBO: The Church teaches us that Christ is made present in the Eucharist, and in the Proclamation of Gospels. Jesus not only feeds us with His Body and Blood but also through the Good News of our salvation. (We do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God! [Matthew 5:4])

THE CRUCIFIX: Our crucifix was taken from the old St. Francis de Sales Church. At the last Mass celebrated in the venerable old building, this crucifix was processed out and used as the processional cross at the Mass of Dedication where it was planted at floor level in the new Worship Space. Many cultures are very tactile and like to touch artwork as part of their prayer. Our Crucifix is accessible for that purpose. The corpus or body of Christ was handcrafted specifically for the old church and given as a gift to the Parish in honour of the 50th Anniversary of one of the founding families of the original parish dating back to 1860, the O'Connor clan, which also provided the Archdiocese with Archbishop Denis O'Connor, who was installed as the bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1899. One of the local high schools is also named in his honour.

TAPESTRIES: St. Francis de Sales (left). St. Francis de Sales School was opened as a three room school in 1953. St. Patrick (middle). St. Patrick's School was opened in 1991. Brother Andre (right). Brother Andre School was opened in 2004.

TAPESTRIES: St. Jude The Apostle (left). St. Jude School opened in 1989. St. Catherine of Siena (middle). St. Catherine of Siena School opened in 1989. St. Wilfrid (right). St. Wilfrid School opened in 1994. The School was named after the original patron of the parish in Pickering, St. Wilfrid.

TAPESTRIES: The 125th Anniversary Quilt.This quilt was created to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the old St. Francis de Sales Church in 1996. The depiction of the church on the quilt is a scaled replica.