Launched Dec. 1, the portal took about two-and-a-half years to get up and running, said Schesnuik. Some of the Catholic charities listed in the portal include ShareLife, St. Augustine's Seminary and St. Michael's Choir School.

There is also a tribute giving section, where people can donate money to a parish or an archdiocesan charity to celebrate milestones such as sacraments or a birthday or to honour the memory of a deceased loved one.

Another category is humanitarian relief. “Humanitarian relief is being separated from ShareLife,” said Schesnuik. “It always fell within ShareLife but it’s now going to fall within the archdiocese of Toronto” effective Jan. 1. Once someone donates online, they are automatically e-mailed a tax receipt, said Schesnuik.

Online giving is all part of the normal development of supporting the Church, he said. "In the early days, parishioners used to give their wine, their bread and even their livestock to the pastor," said Schesnuik. "Then as time went on, that became coins, coins became paper money, paper money became cheques… and that eventually became electronic giving."

Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins said the Internet allows us to extend our parish communities in creative new ways. "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,” he said in a press release.

To view the portal, visit http://community.archtoronto.org.