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The next time he is in the archdiocese of Toronto, he’ll be Cardinal Thomas Collins. Catholics in the archdiocese will be able to help Collins celebrate his new position as a Prince of the Church at a number of Masses and receptions planned around the archdiocese.
The next time he is in the archdiocese of Toronto, he’ll be Cardinal Thomas Collins. Catholics in the archdiocese will be able to help Collins celebrate his new position as a Prince of the Church at a number of Masses and receptions planned around the archdiocese. Photo courtesy of the archdiocese of Toronto

Toronto Catholics can join Cardinal Collins celebrations

By 
  • February 15, 2012

TORONTO - Catholics in the Greater Toronto Area are being invited to pray and celebrate with Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins when he returns from Rome as Canada’s newest cardinal.

Collins and 20 other bishops were to be elevated to the  College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI at a Feb. 18 ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The local celebrations will begin Feb. 29 at a High Pontifical Mass at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Cathedral to be followed by a luncheon at a nearby hotel ballroom. Due to the space limitations at the cathedral, these events are by invitation only.

But  Collins will be hitting the road in early March for regional celebrations that will be open to the public. Each will consist of Mass at 7:30 p.m. followed by a reception.

The new cardinal will be at Toronto’s Blessed Trinity parish on March 1, followed by St. Isaac Jogues parish in Pickering on March 7. The following week, he’ll be at St. Francis Xavier parish in Mississauga on March 12 and at St. Clare of Assisi in Woodbridge on March 13.

Collins will also be celebrating with his hometown of Guelph, Ont., in the diocese of Hamilton. On March 22 he will celebrate Mass at the Church of Our Lady Immaculate where he was a parishioner in his youth, and also where he was an altar boy.

Collins was accompanied to Rome by about 150 pilgrims from Canada, including 14 family members, several bishops and priests to witness the creation of only the fifth cardinal from English Canada since Confederation.

It was to be the fourth time Pope Benedict has created new cardinals to bring his total to 84 cardinals, of whom 79 are still alive. Sixty-three of his appointees in the College of Cardinals are under the age of 80, representing slightly more than half those eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope.

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The Catholic Register joined the pilgrimage to Rome and is providing ongoing coverage through the week here on the web site and through the social media outlets of Facebook and Twitter (follow the hashtag #registerinrome), The Register will provide constant updates and photographs from the Saturday morning consistory (Feb. 18) and from liturgical events and celebrations on Sunday and Monday (Feb. 19-20).

In addition, The Register is preparing extensive news and photography coverage of the consistory and all the events before and after the installation of the new cardinals for our Feb. 26 issue.

That extensive coverage follows the 44-page special section in our Feb. 12 issue that included an in-depth look at Collins, as well as comments, analysis and photos to help Canadians enjoy this special event. If you are interested in ordering a souvenir copy of this special section ($2 including postage) please get in touch.

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