2025.05.04 3rd Sunday of Easter

Dear Parishioners,

Our Catholic School communities in Ontario celebrate this week as Catholic Education Week. This week provides an opportunity for the inclusion of all the partners in the Catholic education triad – home, parish, school – to celebrate our publicly-funded Catholic schools. The theme for this year’s Catholic Education Week is “Pilgrims of Hope,” which of course, is drawn from the Holy Jubilee Year proclaimed by our beloved Pope Francis, called home to the Lord just a couple of weeks ago.

Reflecting on the theme, His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo writes, “The vital partnership between parish, home, and school reflects our shared calling to be pilgrims of hope, journeying alongside one another. In this Holy Year, we are reminded that hope is not passive; it is not simply an optimistic outlook; rather, it is an active trust in God’s mercy and a bold witness to his love. Our Catholic schools stand as beacons of this hope, imparting not only knowledge but also the virtues that shape us into saints. Here, students encounter Jesus - in daily prayer, the sacraments, and acts of mercy and charity toward the marginalized, the most vulnerable, and the forgotten.”

We are in need of the support and prayers of the entire Catholic community to counteract the increasingly strident demand that the funding of Catholic schools be terminated. As you may know, there are only a couple of Provinces in Canada that are blessed with publicly-funded Catholic schools, one of those being Ontario. Each time there is an election in Ontario, the voices to stop the public finding of our Catholic schools are becoming louder. Therefore, in our prayer this week, we give thanks for the enduring gift of Catholic education and pray for its continuation.

Fr. Vijai, C.S.C. ~ Pastor