We welcome you to the webpage of Mary, Cause of Our Joy Chapter of Magnificat in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These are exciting times that we live in and Magnificat was begun in 1981 for such a time as this. There are now over 100 chapters throughout the United States and its territories and in many foreign countries.
Magnificat Prayer Breakfast
Hosted by Magnificat Mary Cause of Our Joy Chapter
Saturday, May 30, 2026
9:30am – 12:30pm
Doors open at 9:00 am
St. Benedict Church Hall
2194 Kipling Avenue
Etobicoke, ON
SEATS NOT SOLD AT THE DOOR
Our Guest Speaker: Rachel Martinez
Rachel Martinez is a devoted parish leader who serves as Catechist and Coordinator for Sacramental
Preparation and Children’s Liturgy at St. Justin Martyr Parish. With a deep love for the Eucharist and a passion for evangelization, she accompanies children and families as they encounter Christ through the sacraments.
Amid seasons of joy and trial, Rachel has learned to trust in God’s faithful providence. As a child, she experienced firsthand the hardships of an immigrant family. As a young adult, she assisted both her parents through illness and death. Rachel is currently navigating her own serious illness. She shares her testimony with warmth and honesty, inviting women to see their own lives as part of a beautiful story written by a loving and merciful God
Prayer Ministry available.
Priests will be available at the end of the testimony for anyone wishing to partake in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Tickets & Reservations
To purchase your ticket: $35 plus service fee for online registration. CREDIT and DEBIT cards accepted until May 19, 2026
Contact: Kathy via email at magnificat.toronto.chapter@gmail.com
*For registrations by mail, send cheque, payable to Magnificat to:
Magnificat, c/o 11 Watercliffe Road, Etobicoke, ON M9W 4E5.
Include with your cheque, your: name, address, phone number, email and full name of other guests you are registering.
Register Online: https://www.stbenedicts.ca/magnificat-breakfast
Registration is paperless. When you arrive at the hall, simply give your name at the registration table.
Upcoming Events for Our Chapter – 2026
Magnificat Meal – Saturday, October 2026
Rosary Blanket of Prayer
Magnificat sponsors a Rosary Blanket of Prayer where, in response to our Holy Father, each chapter takes one day of the month for concentrated prayer, fasting, Eucharistic Adoration, rosary, etc. Our Chapter’s commitment is the 11th of Every Month. Of course, we are called to pray daily, but this day should be especially designated. It can be done individually and collectively, as possible. The intentions are for the Church, the sanctity of life, marriage & family, world peace, a New Pentecost and Magnificat.
“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there; if you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky” (St. John Vianney).
Magnificat Internet Prayer Ministry (MIPM)
Our Magnificat, Toronto, Mary, Cause of our Joy, Chapter is a participant in our
Magnificat Region INTERNET PRAYER MINISTRY. This apostolic undertaking
invites us to offer ourselves for prayer petitioning our God on behalf of our
brothers and sisters in need. It is our hope that many will receive healing, hope,
strength, consolation and blessings through the prayers of the women of
Magnificat.
To Request Prayer
To offer a prayer of intercession or thanks, send a brief email to:
torontomaginternetprayer@gmail.com. Your request will be sent to all
participating Magnificat chapters for prayer. Kindly keep your prayer request
brief. A sample prayer appears here: “From Jane Doe – Toronto, Canada:
Healing for John Jones who was admitted to the hospital for surgery.”
To Offer Prayer
To offer prayer, simply include the Magnificat internet prayer intentions in your
regular personal prayers. To receive the published MIPM intentions, send a
simple message to torontomaginternetprayer@gmail.com indicating your
interest. For example: “I would like to include the prayer intentions of MIPM in
my regular personal prayers. Kindly email me the published prayer requests.”
Service Team Members
Antoniette Pace – Coordinator
Maddalena Volpe – Assistant Coordinator
Feiona Persaud – Treasurer
Noemi Ameri – Communications/Historian
Spiritual Advisor – TBD
If you would like to help with a Ministry of Magnificat, or if you have a question or comment for Our Service Team, or if you would like to be on our Mailing list for future events, please contact: magnificat@magnificat-toronto.com
History of Mary, Cause of our Joy Chapter
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
In June 1994, Fr. Frank Kelly S.D.B. of St. Benedict Church Toronto, was in California preaching
a retreat. While at the retreat house, he came across Magnificat literature.
The spirit of Magnificat as outlined in the brochure struck a chord with Fr. Kelly who, at the time,
was interested in developing at his home parish a ministry of women for women. Experience
through his priesthood showed him time and again the incredible healing that is available when
women come together, as they often do so naturally, to share faith, to pray, to share their story.
Returning to Toronto, excited about the possibility of Magnificat for the women of his large
metropolitan parish, Fr. Kelly shared news of this with his Lay Pastoral Assistant, Antoniette Pace
who, in turn met over a period of time with a representative group of women from the parish to
discern the feasibility of Magnificat.
That simple brochure picked up in a distant retreat house would be the Magnificat seed that grew
and continues to flourish today, more than two decades later. Following are some key events
leading to the development and birth of the Mary, Cause of our Joy Chapter in Toronto.
March 21, 1995 – March 28, 1995: Information & Prayer – Women representing various parish ministries gather for a presentation of Magnificat and to pray about the possibility of Magnificat for the Toronto archdiocese with a team based at St. Benedict Church. One week later, women regather and express support of this possibility.
April 1995 – June 1999: Feasibility Study is done in collaboration with the bishop’s liaison to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Fr. Bill Comerford and Fr. Frank Kelly, Spiritual Advisor
June 10, 1996: Fr. Harold Cohen, addressed the group of women who were present at the first and second meetings. Decision made at this meeting to enter the Discernment Process.
January 13, 1997: Fr. Harold Cohen and Marilyn Quirk, address the ladies. The group decides to enter into a process to select five women to form the Service Team.
January – March 1997: Selection Process. Service Team is formed. The process included a time of prayer- the novena to the Holy Spirit followed by a time to select five names of women who had been
involved in the early stages of Magnificat.
Spiritual Advisor: Fr. Frank Kelly Secretary: Shari Kastelic
Co-ordinator: Antoniette Pace Treasurer: Jean Carberry
Assistant Co-ordinator: Susan Furlan Historian: Sandra Umbrio
May 16, 1997 – present Service Team meets for the first time. Team meets every other week for prayer and work. The primary work consists in laying groundwork and foundation to begin a chapter in Toronto:
Chapter registration and affiliation (initial copyright/trademark license agreement granted to use
name and logo) and chapter accountability (extended copyright/trademark license agreement-
normally one year after registration)
May 31, 1997: Magnificat Meal at Buffalo Chapter- Eleven ladies from the parish attended this Meal.
August 15, 1997: Bishop’s Blessing – Bishop Prendergast sends blessings on this spiritual enterprise.
May 30, 1998: First Magnificat Breakfast – St. Benedict parish hall. Guest speaker Saidie Johnson.
December 15, 2000: Registered as a charitable organization Business Number issued.
Last Updated on April 23, 2026.
