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February 28, 2016

Long forgotten altar stone a relic of Church’s past

Fr. Michael McGourty, pastor of Toronto’s St. Peter’s parish, shows where the altar stone he found would have been placed to celebrate Mass before the Second Vatican Council changed the rules.

TORONTO - Finding a portable altar stone containing first class relics among the forgotten items in the basement of the Paulist Centre for Catholic Evangelization caught Fr. Michael McGourty by surprise.

Published in Faith
September 27, 2015

Life’s too short: face up to aging

Paulist Father Thomas Ryan says when we live out of gratitude, “life becomes very sweet.”

EDMONTON - Paulist Father Thomas Ryan was turning 50 when he decided he didn’t want just another birthday cake, a scoop of ice cream and “Happy Birthday” sung to him.

Published in Retreat & Renewal Centres
June 20, 2015

Paulist presence ends, legacy lives

In 1913, Archbishop Neil McNeil (seated) invited Paulist Father Thomas Burke, second from the left, to Toronto to minister to the University of Toronto’s 250 Catholic students. Burke set up U of T’s Newman Centre. After a century in Toronto, running St. Peter’s parish, the Paulists are returning to the United States due to declining vocations.

TORONTO - The Paulist Fathers don’t want to leave Toronto, they have to. That strange uptick in vocations after the Second World War has now worked its way through the system and there aren’t enough priests left to staff the ambitious little empire of Paulist ministries that once dotted cities across North America. So, after a century in Toronto, the U.S.-based Paulists are going home.

Published in Canada
June 20, 2015

The Paulist century in Canada

The Paulists’ Catholic Information Centre in Toronto opened in 1958.

Paulist priests preached their first mission in Canada 156 years ago. Fifty-six years later they arrived in Toronto where they came to operate St. Peter’s parish and open the Newman Centre on what is now the campus of the University of Toronto. Due to declining numbers they are being forced to cease Canadian operations and return home. Here is a timeline of their years in Canada.

Published in Canada
June 20, 2015

The Paulists’ ministry of presence will be missed

The Paulists weren’t afraid to pitch the Church in the messiness of people’s lives.

TORONTO - For several years now, my office at the Paulist Ministry Centre has been flanked on either side by the office of a Paulist Father. I have appreciated the Paulist presence more each day, the priests who’ve occupied those rooms, and the spirit and community present with them. I’ve learned about their community through their actions and words, and through encountering the day-to-day life of the people at St. Peter’s parish and the Ministry Centre.

Published in Canada