PLEASE JOIN US THIS ADVENT SEASON AS WE PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS AND MAKE WAY FOR OUR LORD JESUS

SMI PARISH CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Message from His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins

“The Eucharist remains the source and summit of our life in Christ. For Christians, participation in the Sunday Eucharist is the central experience of the week, and that is the foundation for the obligation of every Catholic to be personally present at Mass every Sunday”.

Together with His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins we invite you “to return to physical presence at Sunday Mass, if not impeded for a legitimate reason, in keeping with our basic Sunday obligation as Catholics”.

PRAY FOR UKRAINE

Let us pray for Ukraine and for peace in the world

ARE YOU ABLE TO HOST A UKRAINIAN FAMILY?

When hearing reports of the war in Ukraine, and the millions of Ukrainians that have been forced to flee their homeland, many have asked what they can do to help. Over 80,000 Ukrainians have already arrived to Canada through a special visa program created by Immigration Canada. An additional 500,000 have applied to the program and are expected to arrive in the coming months. Many are arriving to Toronto and are without family here in Canada to help them. Among those will be some who are vulnerable to human trafficking, particularly seniors, single women, and women with children. There is an immediate need for families to host for a period of between one and six months some of those who have arrived. If you would like to learn more about hosting a Ukrainian family, please go to Archdiocese of Toronto – Ukrainian Crisis (archtoronto.org) and register for a virtual information session.

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOR UKRAINE

Donations to help Ukrainians who are suffering due to this war would be most appreciated.

The Archdiocese of Toronto will channel donations to support the Office for Refugees, Archdiocese of Toronto (ORAT) and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). CNEWA is a papal agency with a long history of humanitarian relief; it is currently working in Eastern Europe, providing Ukrainians with food, shelter, medicine and transportation to safe locations. ORAT is Canada’s largest private Sponsorship Agreement Holder, which helps bring hundreds of newcomers to our country each year; it will use donations to bring Ukrainian refugees to Canada as soon as possible.

Your donation will help Ukrainians who are beset by violence in Eastern Europe and it will help some of them find a new home in Canada.

Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways: