Church of The Holy Spirit Toronto ON

Church of The Holy Spirit is serving the Toronto community and engaging and encouraging others through a life-changing journey in Toronto, Ontario.

Our mission is to nurture a diverse and welcoming community, committed to following fearlessly wherever God is leading us and make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of Toronto and the world!

 

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Parish History

The late James Charles Cardinal McGuigan , at that time Archbishop of Toronto, founded a new parish in Agincourt on Sept. 19, 1956, placing it under the protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He appointed Rev.Thomas Harding, a tall, young, redhead to minister to an estimated 400 Catholic families living in Agincourt and the surrounding communities of Milliken, Todmorden, Lamoureux, Malvern and O’Sullivan.

Father Harding’s first duty in this area of wide fields and new homes was to find a place to celebrate mass. His problem was temporarily solved when W.C. Sparkhall, owner of the Tam O’Shanter Golf Club, graciously offered the use of that organization’s clubhouse rent free.

Every Sunday there were more visitors. Soon three masses were required to care for the parish needs. Father Harding sought and gained the assistance of an old friend, Rev. Bernard Mahoney a professor at St. Augustine’s Seminary.

The need for larger quarters became increasingly apparent. The parish home was moved to the Agincourt Community Hall. The location was larger, but as one parishioner recalls, “The chairs were really hard, had steel legs and the floor was concrete – every time someone moved on their chair it made a loud screech! But it was warm and we started to feel we belonged – that it was our parish.”

A real church was still the goal and Father Harding started a fund-raising campaign in March 1957. The initial target was $75,000 with the final building’s cost expected to be $200,000.

The months that followed were filled with activity – the names of parishioners were obtained by door-to-door canvassing. Groups from more than 100 volunteers travelled from house to house obtaining money and pledges. In addition, an elaborate phone campaign was conducted to solicit more money.

When the first financial target was met only weeks later, the next step was hiring an architect. Jean M. Petrucci was chosen and structural planning got under way. The church was to be modern Gothic in design and would seat approximately 600.

Construction of Holy Spirit Church, at its present location on Sheppard Avenue between Warden Avenue and Birchmount Road, began on July 4, 1956 and was completed in December 1957 when Father Harding moved into the rectory.

On a personal note, Rev. Harding's father was named Dave. According to the story, Tom so resembled his parent, that he was nicknamed Dave and his parishioners often referred to him as Father Dave. Father Harding died peacefully in hospital Feb. 26, 2005 in his 87th year.

Wooden plaques listing Donors of Pews and Memorial Donors were placed on the church’s entry hall walls.

An addition in the late 1980s, was a program initiated by the pastor at the time, the late Rev. Joseph D. Driscoll, to position stained glass windows under each of the Stations of The Cross in the body of the church. Donors names are on the installations.

The Construction Days of the 1950s

Rev. William Harding and his brother, Holy Spirit's first pastor, Rev. Thomas Harding, are shown (left to right) turning the first ceremonial sod with Rev. Bernard Mahoney of St. Augustine's Seminary and Rev. J. M. Murphy of neighbouring Precious Blood parish, Wexford.

Current History 2003

Creation of Holy Spirit’s new web site began in mid - November.

The fact that the church building was aging became apparent as Advent 2003 approached. The carpet on the altar floor had deteriorated. Its deep red material was faded beyond repair and the under pad had crumbled. The deep red was replaced with a lighter earth tone resulting in a brighter, more spacious appearance. Walls were cleaned and repainted to complete the job.

2004

The Church Improvement collection has been of great assistance in what has been accomplished thus far in repairs and upgrades to our church and its adjoining priest's residence.

By Easter Sunday, parishioners could see, the Timothy Schmalz sculpture "Holy Family" in its new and final position on a gracious wooden pedestal in the vestibule.

A special fence was erected to prevent accidental touching or damaging of the piece in this busy area.

In the same region, the hidden beauty of the church's inner doors has come to light. Stripping and refinishing revealed gorgeous cedar was nestled beneath all those paint jobs.

Inside the church proper, there were other changes: the new "Water of Life" fountain appeared during the Lenten season, a new Sanctuary Lamp was moved over the re-positioned Tabernacle, new railings were added to the altar and repairs were made to the choir loft's stairs and railings to meet the requirements of our expanding community.

The "Maternal Bond," statue, on loan, was placed on another gracefully designed wooden pedestal to the right of the altar.

The generosity of the parish community has made possible many other necessary electrical, plumbing and mechanical repairs in an aging structure. Changes to the confessional area are also in the works.

An article on the installation of the "Whatsoever You Do" statue in our church appeared in the Catholic New Times, April 11, 2004.

2005

As the new year began, there were more problems for the aging church – roof leaks, flooding in the basement, cracks in the foundation. Repairs were made, but more permanent work was required on the foundation. Excavation around the structure in the fall.

When Lent arrived, the "Whatsoever You Do" sculpture was returned to a place of prominence – front and centre at the altar. The water of life fountain was situated in front of the "Maternal Bond" statue to the right of the altar. The fountain is used only during Lent.

New Stations of the Cross made their appearance in time for Lent – though unfortunately round-shaped ones – not square, as ordered, to match their surroundings. They are to be replaced later by square-shaped stonework.

Rev. Thomas R. "Dave" Harding 1918 - 2005

The parish was saddened to learn that Holy Spirit Parish's founding pastor, Rev. Thomas R. "Dave" Harding B.A., M.A., M.Ed., Ph.D. had died at Scarborough General Hospital on Saturday, Feb. 26 . Funeral Mass was held at St. Monica's Parish on March 1 with interment at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Father Harding was a professor at St. Augustine's Seminary from 1946-54. He served as associate pastor in many churches and was pastor at several more before he founded Holy Spirit church where he served from 1956 to 1970. He became director of the Centre for Human and Spiritual Development from 1976 until 1979. He retired in 1988 and was in residence at St. Monica's parish at the time of his death.

Development of the interior of Holy Spirit Church continued throughout the summer.

The Timothy Schmalz statue "Our Lady of Guadalupe" was placed on the right-hand altar pedestal replacing "Maternal Bond."

The popular Schmalz statue"Whatsoever you do" remained at the front of the altar.

Another new Schmalz statue "John the Baptist" was placed on a wooden pedestal on the left-hand side of the altar near the baptismal font. The pedestal matches the one on the right-hand side of the altar where "Our Lady of Quadalupe" is situated.

Changes were made to the plot of land to the right of the main doors at the front of the church on Sheppard Avenue. The old cross and the deteriorated statue "Spouse of the Holy Spirit" was removed and the land graded.

A new exterior bronze sculpture called "Stone Corpus" was created by Schmalz.

The cross was installed on a round, two-tiered, stone pedestal.

Landscaping on that area and necessary construction both on the foundation and roof continued at the front and sides of the church.

A successful Christmas Concert was held on the evening of Dec. 3 in the Church as the first step toward purchasing a new organ.

The outstanding talent of our own gifted musicians: Adam Bernardini, Lisa Di Maria and Andrew Kwong with the addition of their talented friends Mia Bach, Vincent Cheng and Erin Crooks, made it an event to be fondly remembered.

Included in the program were classic favourites from Beethoven, Chopin, Puccini and Rossini as well as treasured carols and a delightful Christmas medley. The acoustics of the church were especially pleasing and re-enforced the organ replacement decision.

Father Tom expressed his thanks and that of the congregation for this generous support for the fund-raising effort. No one who attended this musical celebration doubted the project could have had a better initiation.

2006

As the old year came to a close and the New Year arrived, a problem surfaced that made day-to-day operations of the church difficult. The aging office telephone system began acting erratically – messages were lost and at times the whole system failed – no one could phone in or out.

It was obvious that the old system needed replacing. Technicians installed the new equipment and everything was working well as Epiphany approached.

As a safety measure, the entry stairs on the east side of the church were resurfaced.

In addition, tiles have been installed on some sections of the roof of the church. Water damage has occurred in the storage room on the right side of the altar.

In late February, Father Tom announced: "It is with great pleasure that I welcome Father Brian Shea into residence at Holy Spirit. Father Shea will be living in the rectory for several months and has kindly agreed to preside at Eucharist when he is needed."

APRIL – The fund drive for a new church organ, came to a successful conclusion, the goal of $22,000 reached. Delivery and installation of the instrument in the church including its necessary electrical sound equipment changes, went according to plan and the parishioners heard our talented Andrew Kwong at the keyboard with its first notes on Easter Sunday, April 16.

MAY – Problems with the aging building itself continue — a section of the roof's soffit was damaged a fell during a storm and required immediate replacement. More leaks in exterior walls at the rectory added to the list of repairs. Happily, parishioners continued to respond to the Church Improvement fund.

JUNE – Father Tom said the parish ShareLife drive had once again matched the previous year's totals – a testament to the generosity of the community.

He also said plans for the 50th anniversary celebration for Holy Spirit church were going ahead and that a special mass was to be celebrated.

Father Tom said that the memorial plaque containing the names of special donors to the new organ would also be unveiled at the 50th celebration mass.

Father Brian Shea, who has been in residence at Holy Spirit church and assisting Father Tom at mass for the past few months has received a new posting. In the Archdiocese of Toronto's annual list of clergy appointments, Father Shea has been named associate pastor at St. Patrick's parish in Markham as of June 28.

Father Brian made many friends during his stay at Holy Spirit and. the parish wishes him well in his new posting.

JULY-AUGUST – Re-tiling all of the church roof has become a necessity and work has been scheduled for late August. Concrete repairs to the southeast entry area, to prevent further damage through the winter, have also been scheduled.

SEPT. – On Sunday, the 24th, Holy Spirit celebrated its 50th anniversary with Most Rev. Richard J. Grecco, auxiliary bishop of Toronto, presiding at the 10 o'clock mass. Holy cards marking the event were distributed to each family following all masses.

The plaque commemorating the new electric organ – our 50th anniversary gift to each other – was installed and on display.

Landscape gardeners planted a large bed of beautiful red salvia at the foot of the new bronze crucifix at the front of the church building, which was created and donated by the sculptor Timothy Schmalz.

He said, some weeks after the piece was erected that: "I really like the way it is displayed, the foundation and pillar."

The Knights of Columbus, Council 3296, generously purchased new Catholic Book of Worship III hymnals to replace the older ones that served us for some time – a much appreciated gesture.

OCT. – Re-tiling of the church roof was begun and replacement of cement sidewalks at the base of the front steps and at the east side's front entrance was completed.

NOV. – The resurfacing of the church roof was finished and as was the first stage of installation of a new sound system. Plans for a second Christmas concert in December to help defray the cost of that system were begun. Recent troubling incidents near the church have necessitated plans for enhancing security including upgrading outdoor lighting.

DEC. - The plan for a second Christmas concert came to successful fruition on Saturday, Dec. 9. The appreciative audience enjoyed singing Joy to the World accompanied by Andrew Kwong on the organ as it thundered over the new sound system.

Among the highlights were mezzo Katarzyna Sadej with pianist Joy Lee, soprano Lisa Damara, tenor Adam Bernardino, Elizabeth Loewen on violin, Mark Andrews on piano and Andrew Kwong taking a turn as baritone. Their talent created a delightful evening of music that captured the enthusiasm of everyone and provided the ticket proceeds needed for completing the sound system.

Work was begun on enlarging the reception area at the rear of the church proper where a statue of St. Therese will be installed.

2007

Father Tom re-iterated his praise for the parish community's efforts and generosity in responding to the needs of the aging church building – "We have achieved so many of our common goals in making our worship space safe and sound.

"There has been a great deal of work done . . . we maintained a clear understanding of what needed to be done, we have been successful so far . . . it is true we are now in debt, an unavoidable circumstance due to the roof replacement . . . but with your continued support, I know we can continue to maintain this church and retire our debt. . . Thanks to all who contribute so generously . . ."

JAN. - FEB. – Work on the exterior as a result of the dig last year was completed – a new roof has been installed – new fascia has been installed on the exterior front face of the church – repairs to the front steps, railings and side entrance have been completed. The cement blocks have been shaved along the front entrance to prevent tripping and other injuries – leaks in the rectory have been sealed and walls repaired.

Office equipment has been upgraded and serviced properly to maximize efficiency. Negotiations with our suppliers resulted in an upgrade to a faster and better photocopier.

MARCH - APRIL – On the 18th and 19th of March, Father Ron Mercier led an outstanding series of well-attended Prayer Reflection sessions. Besides being a regular visitor to our parish, Father Ron is a world-renowned leader of retreats and has served for many years as dean of Regis College at the University of Toronto. As Father Tom said: "We are most fortunate to benefit from his presiding skills here at Holy Spirit."

A new sound system and microphones were, of necessity, also purchased and installed. Their arrival was obvious in the four new and larger speakers, but the hugely improved sound of the organ, the singers, the musicians and the liturgists was also very apparent and appreciated.

Sculptor Tim Schmalz delivered the square-shaped Stations of the Cross to replace the round ones. These pieces deserve close inspection – the scenes are very graphic – they bring the Way of the Cross to emotional life. If you look very closely you can distinguish Schmalz's initial "TZ"or even his signature on some of the stations.

Schmalz also made a visit to the church on April 21 and 22 to speak about the many pieces of his work which decorate our church.

He described how the art was made, the materials used, the time and effort. He pointed to the "Whatsoever" piece on the altar and said that "of all my liturgical pieces this is my favourite."

At the rear of the church, where a confessional was removed, an enclosed fenced-in area was created with a specially lighted platform for Schmalz's new statue called "Little Flower" – Saint Therese of Lisieux.

He said: "it was an image of the teenage saint writing her poems to the Lord . . . the words take flight as angels rising in an arc to heaven . . . their wings take shape as petals to form a rose, the symbol of love, and beauty . . . ."

After the masses on that weekend he answered questions and signed miniatures for those who purchased miniatures of his art.

New hymnals were made available to the parish for use during mass. New vestments have been purchased and the church and office areas have been made more secure with an alarm system.

SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER – The skylights have been replaced and are now leak free.

Father Tom presided over the popular Reflections book club during Advent and has scheduled sessions for next spring during Lent. Odilie Gaudet also offered to return in September for Good News sessions.

On Dec. 12. the congregation was, as was the case last year, able once again to enjoy their musicians take part in a Christmas concert. Lisa DiMaria ,Andrew Kwong, Adam Bernardini, Victor Cheng and Emi Hegedus sang and played in solos, duets, two quartets and joined with the audience in some carols for a truly joyful experience.

2008

JANUARY – MARCH – In March, Father Tom presented the parish financial statement for 2007. It showed charitable contributions increased by more than 8%, which he noted: "showed that the parish community of Holy Spirit takes your responsibilities to support the life of both the community and the faith community of our universal church very seriously."

He also said that the problem of upgrading the church continues – perimeter building leaks need repair and the church's main electrical system has been deemed obsolete and needs to be replaced – but requires a complete assessment "wiring must be tracked and labelled" before that work can start.

Despite all this he reported "we have significantly reduced our loan and will be able to report complete payment in the Archdiocesan report in 2008."

APRIL – JUNE – On Saturday May 31, Bill Radigan of this parish, along with eight other men, were ordained as deacons in the Archdiocese of Toronto by Auxiliary Bishop John Boissonneau before a near-capacity crowd at St. Michael's Cathedral.

"The mission of service is what the Father asks of Jesus and what is now asked of these men," said Boissonneau. The new deacons have been preparing for their call for the past four years at St. Augustine's Seminary.

Bill, with the dedication and support of his wife, Sally, has been appointed by the Archbishop to serve at Holy Spirit Parish. He will also likely work within the criminal justice system. Bill said he would also like to work with the families of offenders, as well as the offenders. Prior to this calling, he was very active in our parish's chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Bill is himself, a Secular Franciscan.

While some deacons are single, the vast majority are married and share their ministry with their wives. Deacons are ordained to spend considerable time in places such as hospitals, prisons and seniors' centres, serving those in need. In addition to their service in the community, deacons have a strong presence at their local parish – from preaching and teaching to baptizing children, witnessing marriages and presiding at funerals.

All parishioners join in offering their sincere congratulations to Bill and Sally for a ministry filled with joy, peace, hope and love.

In June, Father Tom announced that he will preside at another four-week session of his popular Reflections book club group starting in November. The discussion gathering is open to all parishioners, but you must first, of course, register with the office.

English writer Evelyn Waugh's novel "Brideshead Revisited" is this fall's selected work. First published in 1945, the book, which has a secondary title – "The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder" has been chosen by Time Magazine for its list of All-time 100 Novels.

Waugh wrote that the plot: "deals with what is theologically termed 'the operation of Grace', that is to say, the unmerited and unilateral act of love by which God continually calls souls to Himself." This is achieved by an examination of the aristocratic Flyte family, as seen by the narrator, Charles Ryder.

These will be the only Reflection sessions offered in fall 2008 and spring 2009.