Planting Seeds of Hope

As we enter the Season of Lent during this Jubilee Year, our parish seeks to plant seeds of hope and transformation through our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a community.  

What could it look like approach the celebration of Easter with hearts ready to receive God’s abundant mercy, love, peace, and joy? 

Imagine – a community of faith recommitted to prayer, solidarity, and service – being transformed ourselves so that we can transform the world through our faith in action – growing in loving relationship with Jesus, who empowers us to love our neighbour.   

The seeds that are planted through our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this season will bear fruit in our lives and in our world.  

“May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.”
— Jubilee Year Prayer

What is Lent?

Lent is a 40-day period of purification and preparation for the celebration of the mysteries of Easter. We begin the season on Ash Wednesday, and it concludes as we begin the Triduum on Holy Thursday. The period of Lent is also a special time of preparation for those who will be baptized at Easter. During Lent, Catholics around the world recall their baptism and do penance – fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Our parish has many opportunities for you to grow closer to God during the Lenten season.  

  • Special Event: 24-Hours for the Lord Friday, April 4 to Saturday, April 5

    Join St. Basil’s and USMC Campus Ministry for a special time of prayer, service, and community in celebration of the Jubilee Year. Beginning on Friday evening with Vespers, and ending with Saturday evening Mass, we will devote ourselves at St. Basil’s and at home to encountering Christ’s merciful love. Featuring Eucharistic Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours, Scripture, Zoom prayer, Praise and Worship, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we will be keeping the church open overnight for prayer as a community. Sign-up through our website to receive event updates. 

    Series During Lent: 

    Introduction to Christian Meditation for Young Adults (age 18-45) 4 Wednesdays, starting March 19, 7:30-8:45pm In-person at St. Basil's Catholic Parish (Ardèche Hall) Looking for prayer and stillness in the new year? Join a four-week introductory series on Christian Meditation for Young Adults (18-45), offered by Jose Cuervo, MPsy, MTS. Learn this contemplative way of Christian prayer, practised by the 4th century Desert Fathers and Mothers. Suggested donation $40. Registration required:   https://bit.ly/4wkIntro

    First Spiritual Exercises Lent Retreat: Inner Peace in Darkness and Light (Mondays, March 10-April 7; 7-8:30pm) Mary Ward Center (70 St. Mary Street) Over five (5) weeks during Lent, join us for an Ignatian retreat in daily life that brings us into deeper intimacy with God. Although there are times in our life we may experience periods of inner darkness we are called, like Jesus, to be the light of the world. This retreat will lead us on a journey through love and sin to mercy and wonder. Prayer is made four (4) days a week according to your own schedule, preferably Monday to Thursday, with optional exercises on Saturday and Sunday. We gather weekly for spiritual conversation and sharing in small groups. No experience with Ignatian spirituality is required.  

    Offered through the Mary Ward Center, this program costs $40, and the cost of the book is $27.  Facilitator: Sr. Sarah Rudolph, ibvm Register via email sarah.rudolph@marywardcentre.ca by March 5th.

    Music:  

    Stabat Mater: Musician-in-Residence Concert, Friday, April 11, 7:30pm

    Featuring soprano Lindsay McIntyre, countertenor Christian Masucci, with harpsichordist Adrian Ross and a string ensemble, this free voice concert will include Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s famous musical setting of the Stabat Mater - the hymn to Mary at the foot of the cross. Donations will be collected to support the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).


    Tenebræ, Wednesday, April 16, NEW TIME: 8:00pm

    All are invited to join us on Wednesday, April 16, at 8:00pm in the church for our annual Tenebræ service. Latin for shadows, Tenebræ was originally celebrated in the early morning hours of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. This contemplative evening service will feature a condensed version of the three day service, with prayers, readings, and choral music to usher in the beginning of the Triduum. For more information, please contact Dr. John Paul Farahat at johnpaul.farahat@utoronto.ca 

  • Bundle-Up Weekend, March 22-23 
    The Society of St. Vincent De Paul will host a truck on site to collect gently used clothing. Donations will be collected before and after each Mass. Check the bulletin board for items needed.  

    ShareLife (Second Collection), March 29-30 
    The second collection this weekend will benefit the Archdiocese of Toronto’s  ShareLife. ShareLife is how we, as a Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Toronto, bring the hands of Christ to those in need. Over 40 ShareLife agencies serve tens of thousands of people locally and countless more around the world, regardless of religious affiliation. Our own Outreach program has received a $5000 grant from ShareLife to serve our guests.  

    John Ford Food Drive, April 4-5 
    A special collection of monetary donations and pantry items benefiting our Outreach Ministries and guests will take place after all Masses. We will share a list of requested items for donations in our bulletin at the end of March.

  • Fasting is an ancient and meaningful tradition. It encourages spiritual discipline, reminds us of our reliance on God, and opens us up into compassionate solidarity with those who suffer. In the Catholic Church, our fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday involves refraining from meat and limiting our intake to one main meal and two smaller meals which do not add up to a regular meal portion.  

    While Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, all Fridays throughout the year are days of penance and abstinence. For health or other reasons, it may not be possible to practice fasting or abstinence from food. There are still many opportunities to engage in Lenten practices that deepen our encounter with Christ and our love of our neighbour. Especially during Lent, we encourage you to consider how you might live out, in a special way, your baptismal call to share in the priesthood of Christ, through prayer, good works, or penance. Read more about ideas for Keeping Friday from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.  

  • Lent is a season of spiritual preparation for Easter. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a wonderful way to prepare our hearts to celebrate the Paschal Mystery. Reconciliation is offered on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to noon, on Saturdays from 4:30 to 5 p.m., and by appointment.  
    Prepare for the Sacrament using this guide.