Latest News & Articles
Latest news from Saint Francis de Sales parish and Archdiocese of Toronto
St. Philip and St. James
Philip and James were apostles of Jesus. The choice of Philip as a disciple is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John’s Gospel records several conversations between Jesus and Philip, which demonstrates he was present throughout the Lord’s public ministry. James,...
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The Annunciation of the Lord
This is the ancient title for the feast celebrating the Incarnation of the Word. This feast is a joint celebration of Christ and the Blessed Virgin: of the Word who becomes the Son of Mary and of the virgin who becomes the Mother of God. In the universal Church, this...
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St. Joseph
Joseph, according to gospel accounts, was a carpenter and a descendant of King David. Art and popular imagination have portrayed him as an old man, but this is likely false. Embarrassed by Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph was told in a dream to take Mary as his wife. Thoughts...
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Chair of St. Peter
Early Roman Christians celebrated on this day a feast in honour of their departed loved ones, including their predecessors in the faith, Peter and Paul. In the 4th-century, when the feast of these two saints was moved to June 29th, the emphasis...
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Presentation of the Lord
According to Mosaic Law, a new mother was considered unclean for 40 days after she had given birth. At the end of that period, she would enter the temple with her child, bringing an offering of either a lamb and a dove or pigeon, or two doves or pigeons, to be...
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Conversion of St. Paul
The conversion of Paul was a turning point in the history of the early Church. Saul, as Paul was first known, was a tentmaker from Tarsus who zealously persecuted the followers of Christ. While traveling on the road to Damascus, he was struck down amidst a blinding...
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St. Francis de Sales
A leader of the Catholic Reformation, Francis was born in France in 1567. His family insisted he study law rather than enter the seminary. After obtaining doctorates in both canon and civil law by the age of 24, Francis chose religious life instead. His family...
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Epiphany of the Lord
It is very clear that the Jewish people are the chosen people of God. Yet in the Old and New testaments there are indications that the message of the God of all creation is to be offered to all nations. The early Christians, after Jesus’ death, held that The Way of...
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Mary the Holy Mother of God
Of all the Marian feasts of the Church, this day dedicated to Mary, Mother of God, is the greatest. Drawing on scriptural and patristic sources, it celebrates Mary’s role in the Incarnation and in redemption. In this way, her special relationship with her son is...
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St. James the Apostle
The apostle James, son of Zebedee and brother of John the Evangelist, was a fisherman. The gospels tell us that James and John left their father and followed Jesus as soon as he called them. The brothers must have shared an impetuous temperament since Jesus refers to...
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Cardinal Collins responds to issue of clergy abuse
Cardinal Thomas Collins issued the following statement to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto regarding the issue of clergy sexual abuse. PDF Version August 23, 2018 To the faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto, “If one member suffers, all suffer together...
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Instruction Ad Resurgendum cum Christo
Instruction Ad Resurgendum cum Christo regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation The following is the full text of the Instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Ad resurgendum cum Christo”,...
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Happy Birthday, Mother Mary
For centuries, Catholics have celebrated Mother Mary's birthday on September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. September 8 marks exactly nine months after December 8—the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. December 8 is not the day on...
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Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa was born, 1910, in Skopje, capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Little is known about her early life, but at a young age she felt a calling to be a nun and serve through helping the poor. At the age of 18 she was given permission to join a group of nuns...
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Corporal Acts of Mercy
During this Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis calls us to become more merciful in our own lives and to bring God's mercy to others. Through Works of Mercy, we extend God’s compassion and love to those in need, and show compassion for, and make efforts to alleviate,...
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Spiritual Acts of Mercy
During this Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis calls us to become more merciful in our own lives and to bring God's mercy to others. Through Works of Mercy, we extend God’s compassion and love to those in need, and show compassion for, and make efforts to alleviate,...
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To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo?
Q: Hello, I have been trying to find an answer regarding what the church teaches about tattoos. But I wanted to ask a reliable source, and thought my parish church would be a good start I have been thinking about getting a tattoo, but I feel it isn't positively looked...
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The Assumption of Mary
August 15 is the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Here are 5 things to know... 1) What is the Assumption of Mary? The Assumption of Mary is the teaching that: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was...
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Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th century. They built...
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The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where...
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The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu, in Latin) is one of the most widely practiced and well-known Roman Catholic devotions, with a feast day occurring on the Friday nineteen days after Pentecost. It began in Paray-le-Monial, a small...
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Cardinal Collins about Euthanasia
Statement from Cardinal Thomas Collins concerning Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide “I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel...” The Hippocratic Oath “You shall not kill.” Exodus 20:13 “Contemplating Suicide? We Can Help!” There...
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