“The great reality of St. Patrick is that he was a bishop who evangelized Ireland. Sometimes the celebrations tend not to stress that,” the archbishop said. “There are all kinds of big events and parties, but there is no event more important than the Mass.”
In 1989, Toronto celebrated its first official St. Patrick’s Day Mass under the guidance of the late Fr. Paul Healy. Two decades later the annual Mass is still going strong.
In a 1990 article from Irish Canada News, Healy recalled his inspiration for beginning the yearly tradition. Standing in St. Michael’s Cemetery in midtown Toronto, Healy described how his thoughts turned toward the memory of the Irish Catholic immigrants buried in the soil beneath his feet.
“I was inspired and I was uplifted; yet I was sad. Were they in danger of being forgotten?” Healy wrote. “My mind was made up. This must never be allowed to happen.”
Michael Doyle, one of the organizers of the Mass, said it has been held at the cathedral every year, and notes it’s the perfect location.
Consecrated in 1848, the foundation for the cathedral was laid several years before the famine of 1847 that brought 37,000 Irish refugees through Toronto that summer by Bishop Michael Power, first bishop of Toronto, a native of Ireland.
Doyle said the memory of the Irish refugees who helped bring the Catholic religion to Canada is an important reason to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick the reason for celebration
By Myles Gough, The Catholic Register
{mosimage}TORONTO - Toronto’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and organizers expect to fill St. Michael’s Cathedral to capacity.
The March 17 service will be presided over by Archbishop Thomas Collins.
Collins, whose Irish ancestors settled near Guelph, Ont., in 1827, says the annual Mass has become an important part of his St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Although Collins can share a laugh about the many diverse and interesting ways people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, he said it’s important to remember the day’s religious significance.
The March 17 service will be presided over by Archbishop Thomas Collins.
Collins, whose Irish ancestors settled near Guelph, Ont., in 1827, says the annual Mass has become an important part of his St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Although Collins can share a laugh about the many diverse and interesting ways people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, he said it’s important to remember the day’s religious significance.
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