Join us for a spirit filled thanksgiving, praise and worship, and fellowship every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish hall. There will also be sharing of the Word, time for intercessions, testimonies and individual prayer ministry.
For details, contact: Arthur and Sheela Taylor @ (416-528-5953) or stmprgrp@gmail.com
Our Rosary in honour of St. Joseph, Patron Saint of Canada, will take place this year on Saturday, March 18th at 12 noon in the church. Please come in large numbers to offer this short time of prayer for the needs of our country and for our own needs under the patronage of St. Joseph.
We would like to invite all to come and join us to St. Thomas More parish Lenten Retreat 2023.
“Walking with Christ”
Mass I Talk I Eucharist Adoration
On Sat, March 4th, 9 am to 2:30pm
At St Thomas More Parish
Speakers:
Fr. Peter McKenna (SCJ)
Fr. Martin Kadamattu Antony (SCJ)
Fr. Aegidius Warsito (SCJ)
Coffee, tea and refreshments will be served
Free Admission
Please bring your own Lunch
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of holiness in everyday lay life. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his virtue and piety as we live out our own vocations.
St. Thomas, your love of God was so strong that you desired to live a life devoted to Him. You found a way devote your life to Him even while you lived in the world as a lawyer. Even though you lived among worldly people, you did not become worldly. You remained holy in your everyday life and prepared yourself for your ultimate test of faith.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of submission to Your will. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his submission to Your will as we live our daily lives.
St. Thomas, you longed for the peace of a monastic life devoted to prayer, but you discerned that God willed for you to remain serving Him in the world on a much different path. As a layman and a lawyer, a husband and a father, you carried out your duties faithfully and served God through them.
Pray for me, that I may be open to the path of holiness that God wills for me, even if it is different from my expectations. And pray that I may carry out God’s will as faithfully as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of virtue and holiness in professional life. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his diligence and integrity in our work throughout our daily lives.
St. Thomas, you worked diligently in your professional life as a lawyer and Member of Parliament, recognizing the importance of holy work. You rose to great prominence in the government because of your diligence and your hard work. But even though others bestowed honorable positions upon you, you did not let that prominence lead you to vanity or to corruption.
Pray for me, that I may remain on the path to holiness as you did, despite any gifts of influential position that God may see fit to grant me in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of holiness in family life. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his love and his devotion to his family, as we live out our own vocations.
St. Thomas, you were a loving and holy husband and father in your personal life. You carried out the duties of your vocation faithfully, even while you pursued a worldly profession. You did not let the demands or stresses of your professional life as the king’s high chancellor keep you from being all that a holy spouse and parent should be.
Pray for me, that I may faithfully carry out the duties of my primary vocation every day, no matter what other worldly professions I may work toward in my daily life.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of integrity and honesty amidst corruption. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his honesty and his devotion to You, as we live our daily lives.
St. Thomas, you gained such a reputation for honesty that the king was unable to convince anyone that you had been dishonest or corrupt when he wished to get rid of you. Your integrity and virtuousness were so apparent to others that they did not believe the falsehoods that the king was speaking against you.
Pray for me, that I may be honest and upright in every aspect of my life, even if others around me are straying from the truth. Pray that I may be above reproach as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of devotion to the sanctity of marriage. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his commitment to the sanctity of marriage when it is being attacked, as we live out our own vocations.
St. Thomas, you refused to support the king’s immoral actions. You knew that marriage is holy and indissoluble, and you refused to pretend that it was acceptable for the king to abandon his lawful wife. Even though nearly everyone else around you supported the king’s actions, you refused to compromise on the truth.
Pray for me, that I may be as fearless as you were in refusing to support the immoral actions of others. Pray that, like you, I may stand up for the sanctity of marriage at all times.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of fortitude. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his commitment to doing what is right even when we must suffer because of it.
St. Thomas, you refused to support the king’s decisions to marry another woman unlawfully and to start his own church. You knew that you would lose your prominent position of high chancellor by this refusal. But you did not waver from doing what was right, even when your adherence to the truth made you lose the king’s favor, your high office and ultimately your life.
Pray for me, that I may resist the temptation to conform to evil or to support evil, when it seems easier and more attractive than doing what is right.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of courage and strength. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his commitment to Your Church and her teachings, no matter what opposition we might face, as we live out our day to day lives.
St. Thomas, you refused to support the king as he took the Church in England into schism. You knew that the Pope was the Church’s supreme head, and you refused to pretend otherwise despite enormous pressure. You refused to compromise on the teachings of the Church, even though you knew that refusal would mean your death.
Pray for me, that I may hold fast to what is right and true, even to the point of death if necessary.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, we thank You for giving us St. Thomas More as an example of joy in the face of suffering and persecution. Help us to follow his holy example. May we model his joyful acceptance of sufferings and his submission to Your will, as we encounter trials in our daily lives.
St. Thomas, you remained in good spirits despite your imprisonment and impending death. You did not let your unjust sufferings bring you to complaints or self-pity. You did not give in to feelings of anger or resentment. Instead, you kept a joyful attitude to the very end. It is said that you even made a joke about to you executioner before he beheaded you.
Pray for me, that I may resist the temptation to gloom or self-pity when I face suffering and misfortune. Pray that I may remain joyful no matter how I may suffer.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Saint Padre Pio recited this novena every day for all those who requested his prayers.
This novena can be prayed any time of year or, as did Padre Pio, perpetually throughout the year. However, it is traditionally prayed for nine days prior to the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart.
Pray all prayers below every day during the novena.
Prayer One:
O my Jesus, you have said:
“Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”
Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of…
(name your request here)
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Amen.
Prayer Two:
O my Jesus, you have said:
“Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of…
(name your request here)
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be To the Father…
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Amen.
Prayer Three:
O my Jesus, you have said:
“Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.”
Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of…
(name your request here)
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be to the Father…
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Amen.
Concluding Prayer:
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted,
have pity on us miserable sinners
and grant us the grace which we ask of you,
through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary,
your tender Mother and ours.
The Hail Holy Queen (The Salve Regina)
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us O most holy Mother of God,
That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Amen.
Optional Litany to the Sacred Heart
By St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Hail, Heart of Jesus, save me!
Hail, Heart of my Creator, perfect me!
Hail, Heart of my Savior, deliver me!
Hail, Heart of my Judge, grant me pardon!
Hail, Heart of my Father, govern me!
Hail, Heart of my Spouse, grant me love!
Hail, Heart of my Master, teach me!
Hail, Heart of my King, be my crown!
Hail, Heart of my Benefactor, enrich me!
Hail, Heart of my Shepherd, guard me!
Hail, Heart of my Friend, comfort me!
Hail, Heart of my Brother, stay with me!
Hail, Heart of the Child Jesus, draw me to yourself!
Hail, Heart of Jesus dying on the Cross, redeem me!
Hail, Heart of Jesus in all your states, give yourself to me!
Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness, have mercy on me!
Hail, Heart of splendor, shine within me!
Hail, most loving Heart, inflame me!
Hail, most merciful Heart, work within me!
Hail, most humble Heart, dwell within me!
Hail, most patient Heart, support me!
Hail, most faithful Heart, be my reward!
Hail, most admirable and most worthy Heart, bless me!
Lord Jesus,
let my heart never rest until it finds You,
who are its center, its love, and its happiness.
By the wound in Your heart,
pardon the sins that I have committed
whether out of malice or out of evil desires.
Place my weak heart in Your own divine Heart,
continually under Your protection and guidance,
so that I may persevere in doing good
and in fleeing evil until my last breath.
Amen.
mycatholic.life
On Friday, March 25, the Archdiocese of Toronto will answer the call of Pope Francis for dioceses around the world to pray for peace to help bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.
During a ceremony of prayer for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
Locally, Cardinal Thomas Collins will celebrate the 12:10 p.m. (noon) Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica and pray the consecratory prayer. To watch the livestream, please visit https://www.stmichaelscathedral.com/live/.
Across the archdiocese, many parishes will celebrate a noon Mass aligning with the Holy Father’s consecration at 5 p.m. Rome time. Please contact your parish to see if they are participating.
Speaking at a recent summit, Pope Francis said we all are called to pray so that those who “hold the fate of nations will leave no stone unturned to stop the war and open a constructive dialogue.”
Our Lady asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart in the Fatima apparition of July 1917. Fittingly, March 25 marks the 38th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s consecration of the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
If you would like to help Ukrainians in need, the Archdiocese of Toronto is currently accepting donations, which will be used both to relocate refugees to Canada via the Office of Refugees Archdiocese of Toronto (ORAT) and to help Ukrainians fleeing violence in Europe via the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). You can learn more here and donate here.
The Vatican text of the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, sent to bishops throughout the world. Pope Francis has invited bishops and the rest of the world to join him when he recites the prayer on March 25 in St. Peter’s Basilica.
O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!
Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.
We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.
That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!
Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.
Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.
Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.
O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.
Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.
Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.
Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. Amen.
Most glorious Mother,
Queen of Heaven and Earth,
To you do we turn in our time of need.
Your Heart is most pure,
Your virtues overflow in superabundance,
You are the Immaculate Conception,
You are our Mother and Queen.
In the face of grave evil,
In this time of war,
In this time of devastation and chaos,
We entrust all to you.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Please pray for us,
Cover us with your mantle of protection,
Free us from violence,
Free us from war.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Call us to repentance,
Open the eyes of sinners,
Pour down your Son’s mercy,
Pour down His abundant grace.
We consecrate to your Immaculate Heart this day,
Ourselves and our loved ones,
Our families and churches,
Our communities and countries.
Most Immaculate Heart of Mary,
In union with the Holy Father in Rome,
With the bishops throughout the world,
With all the faithful at prayer,
We consecrate Russia and Ukraine to you.
Receive them into your Immaculate Heart,
Bring healing and peace,
Strength and wisdom,
Love and compassion,
Mercy and forgiveness,
Reconciliation to all.
Through the powerful mediation of your Immaculate Heart,
Bind satan and all demons,
Thwart their evil plots.
St. Michael the Archangel,
All angels and saints,
Pray for Ukraine,
Pray for Russia,
Pray for peace in the world,
Pray for peace in every heart.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Pray for us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Amen.
A Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the true King of peace.
In You alone is found freedom.
Please free our world from conflict.
Bring unity to troubled nations.
Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart.
Dispel all darkness and evil.
Protect the dignity of every human life.
Replace hatred with Your love.
Give wisdom to world leaders.
Free them from selfish ambition.
Eliminate all violence and war.
Glorious Virgin Mary,
Saint Michael the Archangel,
Every angel and saint:
Please pray for peace.
Pray for unity amongst nations.
Pray for unity amongst all people.
Pray for the most vulnerable.
Pray for those suffering.
Pray for the fearful.
Pray for those most in need.
Pray for us all.
Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear our prayers.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Amen
Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace, who are Yourself our peace and reconciliation, who so often said, “Peace to you” – please grant us peace.
Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice and brotherly love. Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.
Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace.
May all peoples on the earth become as brothers and sisters.
May longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all. Amen.