Eighteen months in the making, the 30-page pastoral plan will guide Toronto’s Catholic endeavours, encompassing everything from parishes to universities, homeless shelters to video production, youth ministry to creating a thriving presence in the downtown core. It is intended “to present us with a bold vision,” Collins told archdiocesan staff.
The plan is organized into five “core directions”: Parish Life, Vocations, Catholic Outreach in Justice and Love, Evangelization of Society and The Cathedral as Sign of Our Mission. The unifying theme is the New Evangelization — a constant demand that in every area the Toronto Church must do more, be more, risk more and love more for the sake of the very same mission Jesus gave His disciples: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
Parishes will receive a six-page summary of the plan with a letter from Collins in time for Feb. 3 Sunday Masses. Web pages that present the plan in greater detail will go live on the archdiocese web site Feb. 1 (www.archtoronto.org). A summary pamphlet has been translated into 30 languages, while the complete plan on the web will be in seven languages (English, French, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Spanish).
An exercise in what Collins calls “deep stewardship,” the plan is no passing ecclesiastical fad, said the archbishop. The process began in 2011 and has involved consultations with hundreds of priests, religious and lay people from every part of the archdiocese.
“This is permanent. We need to be thinking this way all the time,” Collins said.
Unlike pastoral plans launched across Europe and North America in recent years, Toronto’s plan never mentions closing or consolidating parishes or sacrificing ministries to accommodate reduced numbers of priests, parish congregations and funds.
“Fundamentally, our issue is to expand.”
Expansion, ambition and the demands of stewardship aren’t free.
“There are certain parts of this that do cost money,” Collins said.
A separate strategic plan is in the works and expected to be ready for public consumption in May. With the help of U.S.-based consultants Catholic Community Services, the archdiocese is developing a capital plan that envisions raising $160-$198 million to invest in critical infrastructure and other ministries, including upgrades to St. Augustine’s Seminary and associated formation work; funding for campus chaplains, young adult ministries, youth ministry and catechesis; money to properly preserve historic churches; and creating endowments to backstop key ministries such as refugee sponsorship, family life and outreach to seniors.
But what will kidnap attention will be Cathedral Square. It is an ambitious plan that fits hand in glove with ongoing renovations to St. Michael’s Cathedral. Restoring the cathedral to architectural significance and splendour is one of Collins’ most treasured ambitions.
“It could be a shining example,” he said. “It’s the prow of the ship.”
Cathedral Square will occupy most of the land north of St. Michael’s between Bond and Church Streets, right up to Dundas Street. In addition to the cathedral and St. Michael’s Choir School (which would move to a new home on the east side of Bond Street), the block will house a proposed Centre for New Evangelization. The centre will become a meeting place in the heart of downtown Toronto to showcase Christian art, concerts, lectures, films, literature and more. It will also contain offices to accommodate beefed-up Catholic communications.
The plan will require co-operation from the Toronto Catholic District School Board, which owns the Choir School, all the usual planning permissions from the city and millions of dollars.
Collins envisions a complex that will make a renovated St. Michael’s Cathedral an integral part of the beating heart of Toronto. It should be a statement, an invitation, a contribution to the city that nobody could ignore or do without.
“Spend abundantly if it’s going to advance the Gospel but don’t spend any if it doesn’t,” is Collins advice.
Collins emphasizes that the pastoral plan is different and separate from the strategic plan and any capital campaign that may flow from it.