Wishing you love, joy and peace as
another year begins.
May health, happiness and good times
greet you each day of the New Year.
A Very Happy New Year to All of You!!
Father Joyson, Father Gijo and Deacon
Peter
The Christmas Story
The Christmas story is a love story
about a God absolutely in love with us!
The book of this love story we call the Bible. It involves a loving Mother and her husband –
shepherds, kings, stars and angels. The
story sparkles with love because it is about a Divine Child – the greatest
expression of God’s love for us.
Isn’t Christmas wonderful!
That innocent Child, with outstretched
arms, is God who loves us so deeply that He becomes one of us! Christmas is God making us holy as He becomes
one of us and dwells within and among us.
And He reminds us to love each other in
the same warm, wonderful and reassuring way.
At this time of remembering and
celebrating we wish each and every one of you the peace and joy of Christmas.
4th Sunday of Advent
v JOIN US!!! Parishioners are welcome to assist
with the decorating of our Church for Christmas on Wednesday, December
21st. We’ll be starting at 9:30am.
v In Appreciation The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul helps people replace a sense of despair with a sense of dignity. Thanks to your generous donations for the
annual Christmas collection, the St.
Vincent de Paul raised $5,800 to help the less fortunate in our parish. God
bless you!
v Gifts of Flowers At this time of giving, we offer
parishioners the opportunity to donate funds towards our Christmas Altar
Flowers. Please drop off your gift at
the Parish Office. Thank you.
GTA Catholics have new one-stop spot for church gifts
New online donation site provides more than 800 options for
charitable giving
 |
| Picture courtesy Archdiocese of Toronto Blog |
TORONTO (14 December 2011) - At a time of year when the
joy of giving is top of mind, Catholics in the GTA now have more ways to make a
charitable gift than ever before.
The Archdiocese of Toronto has launched a centralized
online donation portal for Catholics in its region, the first service of its
kind in North America. Through the donation portal (www.archtoronto.org),
donors at 225 parishes can make a gift to their parish weekly collection, to
building funds or to their church capital campaign. Gifts can also be made
through the website to a number of other Catholic charities.
"With more and more people making charitable
contributions online, we are happy to offer this opportunity to Catholics
throughout our archdiocese, whether their parish is large or small, urban or
rural," said His Grace, Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. "The
Internet allows us to extend our parish communities in creative new ways -
including this option to make an offertory or other charitable gift
online."
Churches throughout North America of all denominations
have been accepting online donations for years but this is the first time
centralized giving has been offered for all parishes in a diocese. Visitors to
the online portal have upwards of 800 donation options.
"Donors are becoming more comfortable in the online
environment and it is important that we strive to interact with them in that
space," said Arthur Peters, director of development for the Archdiocese of
Toronto. "Though the rate of online giving continues to rise in Canada,
not all of our parishes have the resources or technical support required to
offer online giving options. By undertaking this initiative on their behalf, we
hope everyone will benefit."
At present, the new online giving portal is set to accept
credit card gifts for the following charitable options: gifts to a parish
(offertory, building fund, capital campaign); ShareLife, the annual charitable
appeal of the diocese; St. Augustine's Seminary; the Archdiocese of Toronto;
St. Michael's Choir School; tribute gifts (living gifts, in memoriam gifts);
humanitarian relief (as of January 1, 2012); Sunday TV Mass; and the Our Faith
Our Future planned giving and estate planning options.
As one of the most diverse dioceses in the world, the
Archdiocese of Toronto is home to 1.9 million Catholics who celebrate Mass each
week in over 30 different languages. More than 800 diocesan and religious
priests serve the Catholic community in 225 parishes.
-30-
Media Contact
Bill Steinburg
Communications Manager
Archdiocese of Toronto
Phone: (416) 934-3400 x 558
Cell: (416) 708-9655
bills@archtoronto.org
www.archtoronto.org
Bill Steinburg
Communications Manager
Archdiocese of Toronto
Phone: (416) 934-3400 x 558
Cell: (416) 708-9655
bills@archtoronto.org
www.archtoronto.org
BIRTHRIGHT
NEWBORN BABY NEEDS
(Unwrapped New
Items ONLY Please)
Sleepers: Preemie, Newborn 0-3m.
Undershirts: Preemie, Newborn - 6m
Diapers: Newborn
Heavy/warm blankets
Diaper bags
Bunting Bags: smallest size
Baby wash, wipes, Vaseline and Zincofax (No powder)
Gift Certificates ($25) for supermarkets or discount stores
(Wal-mart/Zellers)
Advent Message
Dear Parishioners:
Advent is waiting in joyful
hope. Joy and hope – two virtues very
much needed in the church and in the world today and two gifts very much at the
core of the Advent and Christmas drama.
Advent is about reopening our relationship with God. That relationship is one of friendship. We are invited into an intimate, mutual,
loving fellowship with the Lord. The
season is all about how faithful God is in his love for us in Jesus. During Advent, we respond to God’s initiative
and by so doing come to know that peace and joy that are beyond all
understanding. Wishing you all the grace
filled season of waiting in joyful hope.
Father Joyson
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