Advent and Christmas in Toronto

The Toronto Anglican Use Sodality (soon to be an Ordinariate mission with a patron saint) celebrates its first Advent and Christmas season having maintained the weekly Sunday celebration of Sung Mass since May with thanks to the efforts of AU chaplain Fr. Eric Rodrigues and other priests.

Due to his many responsibilities as the Cardinal's assistant, Fr. Eric was unable to be present for every weekly Mass and so four other priests helped from time to time.

What a wonderful blessing for them and for us. Each priest appreciated the opportunity to celebrate Mass using the sacral English of the traditional AU rite and to enjoy the marvellous music of the sodality choir led by Peter Mahon.

The Toronto AU schedule insures that at 1:45 pm each Sunday a priest is at Sacré-Coeur Church (corner of Sherbourne and Carlton streets) in downtown Toronto to celebrate the Anglican Use Mass.

Many visitors and inquirers as well as regular attendees have maintained this weekly witness to the unity of the Church as increasing numbers of people become aware of the Ordinariate and seek to explore possibilities as we enter the Year of Faith and seek to serve the New Evangelization.

A significant contribution to the new evangelization is the Anglican choral tradition presented in its highest expression weekly by the AU sodality.

Offertory motet for Advent III - Gaudete Sunday at  Sacré-Coeur

During the Twelve Days of Christmas the Toronto AU choir will offer Sung Mass at 5:00 pm on Monday, Dec. 31 at Sacré-Coeur for the Vigil of Mary Mother of God (a day of obligation for all Catholics).

On Epiphany Sunday in addition to Sunday Sung Mass at 1:45 pm (Sunday, Jan. 6) the choir will offer music for  Evensong, Benediction and Carols at 7:00 pm. 

All are welcome and, of course, Catholics of all rites may fulfill their Mass obligation at any AU Mass. 

Sunday AU Sung Mass continues every week at 1:45 pm at Sacré-Coeur.

Laudate Dominum

A Warm Welcome to Father Lee Kenyon, Dean of the Deanery of St. John the Baptist of the Personal Ordinariate in Canada

We are very fortunate to have Father Lee Kenyon appointed to lead those Canadian Anglicans and others who are responding to our Lord's call to Christian unity by means of the Personal Ordinariate for North America.

Fr. Lee is a thoughtful, well educated, prayerful and pastoral priest with youth and a great sense of humour to complement his other qualities. A husband and father of three he embodies the Anglican patrimony in so many ways.

Fr. Lee through prayer and hard work has a thriving parish which grows weekly (it has doubled in size since the parish was received into full communion less than a year ago).

Fr Kenyon (left) talks with theologian and papal advisor Fr. Aidan Nichols OP while both were in Toronto for the Anglican Use Conference in 2011.

One of only three Ordinariate priests in Canada to date, he will work well with those who join Fr. Wilkinson (just ordained in BC) in parish ministry. Fr. Lee has expressed his keen desire to visit the Toronto Sodality and celebrate Mass with our congregation and great choir. He will facilitate the transfer into the Ordinariate and the choice of a name for our sodality as he assists in the formation of the three Toronto area sodalities into parishes over time.

We give thanks to Our Lady of Walsingham for her prayers and for the many blessings that St. John's, Calgary has been granted and now for the sharing of their fine priest with the rest of us across this vast land.

God bless you Father and may the prayers of OLW, St. Peter, St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist sustain and strengthen you and your family.