SMIRH Weekly Bulletin - PDF of all events and news each week

Archdiocese of Toronto - stmaryimmaculateri.archtoronto.org website

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Monday to Friday from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.

Closed daily 12:00 pm–1:00 pm.

FEAST OF DIVINE MERCY

Join us Sunday, April 12 at 3:00 pm for Divine Mercy devotion with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Pray the Divine Mercy Novena privately which begins on Good Friday in preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday.

click here for the Novena

CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES

CONGRATULATIONS AND PRAYERS

Congratulations and prayers to the Confirmation candidates on reaching this significant milestone in their faith journey, as they are going to be sealed with the Holy Spirit.

This year we are proud to have 202 candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation. Prayers are offered for strength, wisdom, and courage as they become disciples of Christ. May the Holy Spirit guide their steps and fill their hearts with love and joy.

GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR

BAPTISM,

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION,

CONFIRMATION,

WEDDING

AND MANY OTHER OCCASIONS

2^nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

April 12, 2026

Through ShareLife, you provide safety to those in need

Your kindness makes it possible for refugees to create a sanctuary here in Canada, providing hope and new beginnings to our brothers and sisters in need. Like Hetvi, who came to Canada seeking refuge but found her hope shattered by her husband’s control and abuse. Isolated and desperate, her cries for help initially went unheard. Because you care, she found solace through Catholic Crosscultural Services (CCS), a Catholic Charities agency you support through ShareLife. Here, she received housing support and counselling in her native language, as well as financial and legal assistance, food banks, childcare, and healthcare.

The Office for Refugees of the Archdiocese of Toronto is another agency you support through ShareLife, facilitating critical care for refugees. Director Deacon Rudy Ovcjak says: “On behalf of the thousands of refugees who have been forced to flee their homes and native lands, and who now find refuge in Canada—a land of freedom and peace—I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your incredible kindness and generosity. Your unwavering support allows our office to sponsor hundreds of refugees each year, the majority of whom are Christians fleeing persecution for their faith in Christ.”

The second ShareLife Sunday of the year is April 26. Thus far we have raised $51,149.45 (12.6%) toward our goal of $405,000.00. Please give at the parish using a ShareLife envelope, online through our parish website, or at sharelife.org/donate.

click to donate online

Fr. Daniel Lee - ShareLife - You may never fully know how many lives you have touched, but I am one of them. Click image below for his video

Frank Cardinal Leo Thanks You for Participating in the 2025 ShareLife Parish Campaign

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

I write to you with a grateful heart to thank you for your outstanding response to the 2025 ShareLife Parish Campaign.

Together, our Catholic community raised $15.6 million to care for those who are struggling across our archdiocese. Never before has our Parish Campaign reached this level, and it is a beautiful testament to the faith, care, and commitment of our community.

I am deeply aware that this generosity was offered in a time of real economic strain. Many families are carrying heavier burdens, feeling the rising cost of daily life, and making careful choices about what they can give. And despite these challenges, you understood the needs around you, including the growing reality of hunger in our communities, and you chose to respond with compassion. That choice matters. It speaks volumes about the kind of Church we are, and the kind of people you are.

Because of you, ShareLife has been able to strengthen its response to food insecurity through our Food Security Grants, helping parishes and social agencies provide groceries, meals, and essential support to individuals and families who are struggling to put food on the table. In neighbourhoods across the archdiocese, your care is reaching people with faithfulness and love, right where it is needed most.

This year is also a meaningful moment in our shared story. In 1976, my esteemed predecessor Archbishop Philip Pocock made a courageous and principled decision to establish ShareLife so that the Church could respond faithfully to an array of human needs in a way that is rooted in our Catholic values and our respect for the dignity of every person. That moment of conscience gave birth to a mission that continues to bear fruit today.

As we mark the 50th anniversary of ShareLife, we give thanks for the faith that has sustained this mission for five decades, and we entrust its future once again to God’s grace and to the loving care of our community members.

Thank you for your generous hearts, for your witness, and for your continued participation in the ShareLife Parish Campaign. Through you, the Church continues to be present where it is most needed and a beacon of hope and magnanimity. May God’s blessings be abundant and powerful in your lives and your loved ones.

You are invited to visit HelpNotHarmCanada.ca to quickly and respectfully contact your federal Member of Parliament, urging them to support Bill C-218 (The Right to Recover Act). This legislation would amend the Criminal Code to ensure that Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is not extended to individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. Without this amendment, MAiD will be available for mental illness alone beginning in March 2027. A vote is expected to take place mid-April 2026.

Our Catholic faith teaches that every human life is a sacred gift from God. We are called to accompany those who suffer, to uphold their dignity, and to ensure they receive authentic care, compassion, and hope. Mental illness requires treatment, support and love — never abandonment or the offer of death. Many of us know someone living with mental illness — a family member, friend, neighbour, or colleague. At this critical moment, let us raise our voices in faithful witness to the Gospel of life.

Visit HelpNotHarmCanada.ca today and ask your MP to support Bill C-218.