Faith. Hospitality. Service. Compassion.
FROM THE PASTOR
The Basilica of Saint Mary is an amazing community of faith, hospitality, compassion and service. As we reflect on this past year, we take a moment of gratitude to acknowledge our parish community.
This fiscal year we started new traditions and revitalized old ones. Our Sips and Noshes gatherings have now become known for good food, conversation, and connections. The whole parish was invited to these special gatherings on the feast days of our blessed patron for the Assumption of Mary and Immaculate Conception.
We welcomed many renowned speakers for our Source and Summit series of lectures on different aspects of the Eucharist. This series included presentations from Dr. Daniel Philpott, Dr. Martin Connell, Dr. Hansol Goo, Fr. Michael Joncas, Dr. Kim Vrudny, and our own Dr. Johan van Parys. These presentations examined grounding elements of our faith and encouraged a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist.
The heart of our parish continues to be service – service to each other and service to those in need. Our care and support ministries reached out to those who are suffering from sickness, grief, or mental health challenges. Investing in these ministries is crucial for the needs of our community. We have also remained committed to our St. Vincent de Paul ministry to serve those struggling with basic needs.
We said a fond farewell to several staff members and welcomed many new staff to our team. We offer a big thank you to Janet Grove whose work impacted The Basilica for 47 years. We are excited to bring on our new staff in liturgy, music, security and administration roles to serve our parish community.
We look forward with excitement and energy to the restoration of our sacred Basilica and the many lives that will be impacted by the presence of our community in the city. I’m incredibly thankful for our amazing team of staff and volunteer leaders working to bring this next chapter to our historic building.
We are committed to fostering greater health and wholeness and continue to strengthen our parish culture of inclusivity and accompaniment – where all are truly welcomed and supported on their journey of faith.
Fr. Daniel Griffith
Pastor and Rector, The Basilica of Saint Mary