E-Newsletter Dec 7, 2025

From the Pastor's Desk

Updating Our Liturgical Vestments

Over the coming months, we will begin updating several of the parish’s liturgical vestments used for our most important celebrations. When I arrived at St. Ignatius Loyola, there were very few complete vestment sets available and many of the vestments currently in use are part of my own personal collection. It is now time for our parish to have beautiful, complete and matching sets for major feasts such as Christmas and Easter, including chasubles for the priests and matching dalmatics and stoles for the deacons.

We will also be updating our funeral vestments, including a new funeral pall — the cloth placed over the casket at a Funeral Mass as a powerful sign of our baptism — along with a matching chasuble and stoles for deacons and concelebrants.

In addition, we are in the process of updating our rose vestment set for Gaudete and Laetare Sundays. A very generous donation has already been made toward this set, though it is not yet fully paid for and further contributions are still welcome.

For those who may wish to make a donation toward any of these vestments in memory of a loved one, please feel free to speak with me directly. This is a meaningful way to honour someone while supporting the prayer and worship of our parish for many years to come.

PARISH NEWS/EVENTS

Advent Day of Confession – December 18, 2025

We invite you to participate in this year’s Advent Day of Confession happening at our Parish on Thursday December 18th, 2025. We will have numerous Priests available to hear your confession from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. If this date does not work for you, we encourage you to visit our neighbouring Parishes:

St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Wed December 17th, 2025

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM, 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM

Merciful Redeemer – Wed December 17th, 2025

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Visit http://www.archtoronto.org/confession to view more Parish Day of Confession dates and times.

Prepare for Advent with HOPE and LIGHT

Last call to purchase your Advent candle set ($20) from the parish office! Each purchase comes with our special 2025 Advent Prayer Book, which has been created to help families pray together each week as the candles of the Advent wreath are lit.

Let us wait in joyful hope, trusting that Christ’s light will shine ever brighter in our hearts and homes.

Advent Fair: Thank You!

On behalf of the Knitting Group, Catholic Women’s League, Knights of Columbus, Daughter’s of St. Paul, Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP), and Msgr. Shiels, we want to thank you for your support and generosity at this year’s Advent Fair. A special thank you to our Coffee Sunday Volunteers for making yet another Coffee Sunday possible!

 2026 Offertory Envelopes/Pre-Authorized Giving

Thank you for your continued support of our parish, especially through your use of offertory envelopes and/or Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG).

Offertory envelopes for 2026 are available for pick up in the Parish. Please do not use these envelopes until 2026. We kindly ask that when using the envelopes for the first time, please write your full name and current address so that we can update our records.

If you are not currently registered in the parish and wish to use Offertory envelopes, please fill out the parish registration form on the table in the foyer and return it to the parish office, or submit a completed copy electronically through our parish website.

Christmas Eve Children’s Nativity Play

All children are invited to be part of our Children’s Nativity Play which will be presented during our Christmas Eve 4 PM Mass. This is organized by the 10:30 AM & 12 Noon Children Liturgy Coordinators and Leaders.

Rehearsal: Saturday December 20 at 1:30 PM (Church)

Nativity Play: Wednesday December 24 at 3:00 PM (Hall)

Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Christmas Gifts & Annual Collection for Neighbours in Need …

Our parish Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) will be providing Christmas assistance to families-in-need within our community. Awareness of maintaining each person’s dignity is always our priority.  Food insecurities and the increase in food costs continues to be foremost in the minds of our families.  It is our aim this Christmas season to again offer a gift of assistance with a food voucher that will allow families to provide a special Christmas meal for their loved ones.

Please consider assisting our neighbouring families-in-need through a financial donation to our Christmas Campaign. Hunger never sleeps and so we also welcome your generous financial donations to the Annual Collection; your continued support of this SSVP drive provides assistance for the entire upcoming year to our neighbours-in-need. 

Donations to both the Christmas and Annual campaigns can be made by cash, cheque (payable to Society of St. Vincent de Paul) or via the on-line portal accessible through our SSVP link on the parish website under Outreach Ministries, or at http://canadahelps.org/en/dn/53987. Please ensure that envelopes (which will be provided) are clearly noted as “Christmas Gifts Collection to Families” or “Annual SSVP Collection” along with your name and address.  

Our goal this Christmas season is to be able to assist over 130 families in our community.  Donations outside of this window can always be dropped off at the church office during their hours of operation.  Please note that tax receipts will be issued for donations to SSVP greater than $25 if you have provided your name and address.

God’s blessings to each of you for your ongoing generosity and support during this challenging year through your donation box donations and most especially during this Christmas season.

ShareLife 2025 - Update

Thanks to your generosity, we have raised $266,869.48 toward our parish ShareLife goal of $274,500. Help us reach our ShareLife goal before the end of the year! If you haven’t yet made your contribution, there’s still time to make a difference. Please give with love at sharelife.org/donate or at our parish with a ShareLife envelope. Together, we can reach our goal and bring hope to those who need it most. Thank you for living the Gospel through ShareLife.

St. Ignatius Loyola Parish’s Christmas 2025 & New Year’s 2026 Mass Schedule

St. Ignatius Loyola Parish’s Christmas Parish Office Hours

ARCHDIOCESE NEWS/EVENTS

Donating Securities to the Archdiocese of Toronto

One of the most financially sound ways to support the Archdiocese of Toronto is the gift of securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds). When you donate securities to a registered charity, you pay no capital gains tax and receive a tax receipt for the full amount of the gift. It means a great tax break for you and an increased support of various archdiocesan charities such as your Parish, ShareLife, St. Augustine’s Seminary and others. For further information, contact the Development Office at development@archtoronto.org.

Advent Vespers

Sanctify the final days of Advent by joining us for Evening Prayer at St Joseph’s Parish in Mississauga (5440 Durie Rd). Hear the “O Antiphons” in their natural setting!

Every evening from December 17th to 23rd – 4 pm on the weekends, and 6 pm on weekdays. Prayer guides will be provided.

Office of Vocations

Are you being called to be a priest, deacon or religious brother or sister? Contact Fr. Matt McCarthy, Director of Vocations, Archdiocese of Toronto at 416-968-0997 or vocations@archtoronto.org. For more information visit: www.vocationstoronto.ca