Welcome from Toronto, Canada!
We welcome you to the webpage of Toronto, Canada Mary, Cause of Our Joy Chapter. These are exciting times that we live in and Magnificat was begun in 1981 for such as time as this. There are now over 100 chapters throughout the United States and its territories and in many foreign countries.
Magnificat Breakfast
Hosted by the Mary, Cause of Our Joy Chapter of Magnificat
Saturday, TBA
9:30am – 12:30pm
Doors open at 9
New Location:
Julius Banquet Centre
2201 Finch Ave W. (Finch and Arrow Rd.)
AMPLE PARKING AVAILABLE
Our Guest Speaker: Sr. Helena Raphael Burns, F.S.P.
Sr. Helena Raphael Burns, F.S.P. is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul. Originally from Boston, she is a Blackhawks fan. She is of Irish and French-Canadian descent and both sides of her family still live mostly in the Boston area, Sr. Helena grew up Catholic but rejected the Catholic Faith as a teen and considered radical feminism her creed until she met Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
However, her journey to the fullness of the Catholic Faith was a long one, and it was only in 2006 when she discovered John Paul II’s Theology of the Body that the lights went on and everything began to make sense. She calls it her “ongoing Theology of the Body conversion.” TOB corrected her radical feminism and she is now a “Theology of the Body feminist” which means she believes in the protection and promotion of women, women finding their identity in Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the complementarity of the sexes: we are not called to the battle of the sexes, but to love and help one another. It is her joy to present Theology of the Body workshops, retreats and courses all over the USA and Canada. Her Certificate Course is through Sacred Heart College in Peterborough: www.tinyurl.com/TOBcertificate. Sr. Helena is thrilled to have the opportunity to give her testimony at the Magnificat Breakfast!
COME, BRING FRIENDS OR MAKE NEW ONES!
Women are welcome to come to the breakfast and learn more about how the Lord has been leading them in their journey.
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Pope Paul VI, “On Evangelization in the Modern World”
“Glorify the Lord with me. Let us together extol His name.” Psalm 34:4
Prayer Ministry available.
Priests will be available at the end of the testimony for anyone wishing to partake in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
TICKETS
Register Now!
To purchase your ticket: $30 each or $300 for a table of 10 PAYMENT REQUIRED WITH REGISTRATION
Contact: Feiona: 416-846-4068 or email magnificat.toronto.chapter@gmail.com
*For registrations by mail, include with your cheque your name, address, phone number, email and names of other guests you are registering.
Pay Online with PayPal: https://www.stbenedicts.ca/magnificatbreakfast
Registration is paperless. When you arrive at the hall, simply give your name at the registration table.
Registration closes:
MAIL-IN RESERVATIONS
Click on, print and complete the form below (include the names and phone numbers of other ticket holders in your group). Reservations CANNOT be accepted after Date.
Please Mail Reservation Form and cheque payable to “Magnificat” to:
Magnificat
c/o 111 Jeffcoat Dr.
Etobicoke, ON M9W 3B9
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR OUR CHAPTER
TBA
11th of Every Month – 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. 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
Angie Galka – Assistant Coordinator
Clara Wu – Treasurer
Catharine Khushaba – Communications/Historian
Spiritual Advisor – Deacon Diego Marata
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.toronto.chapter@gmail.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.
