January 20, 2023

The colour of charity

A colouring book of famous religious paintings shows the beauty of Christian faith both in art and charity.

Published in Features

In the suburbs north of Toronto, faith communities are still banding together to provide emergency shelter to the homeless this winter.

Published in Canada

Out of the Cold still isn’t out of the woods as the global pandemic meanders through its fourth wave in Ontario.

Published in Canada

Outside the St. Brigid’s Out of the Cold shelter on the last official day of summer, as trees in the park are threatening to burst into red and gold, 28-year-old Harley was wondering whether this church basement might be a place where he could stay.

Published in Canada

Society’s most vulnerable are often lost in the shuffle at the best of times, but with the world being blindsided by COVID-19 those operating programs for the homeless and marginalized are working to ensure these people are not forgotten.

Published in Canada

As another Out of the Cold season gets underway volunteers are worried about increased violence they face as they offer hot meals and a bed to people living on the street.

Published in Canada

For the first time in its 30-year history, researchers have taken a serious look at who uses Toronto’s volunteer, informal, faithbased system of overnight shelters known as Out of the Cold.

Published in Canada

In 2006, after 20 years of stellar work with the Out of the Cold program to shelter the homeless, its co-founder was not impressed.

Published in Features

It may be time to consider closing Out of the Cold, said the man responsible for managing the 30-year-old church-based shelter program.

Published in Canada

As much of the country contended with an environmental explosion of extreme cold temperatures in early January, Out of the Cold centres were crying out for a better solution.

Published in Canada

A nine per cent jump in overnight guests has pushed Toronto’s Out of the Cold system dangerously close to turning people away, according to a new report from Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services.

Published in Canada: Toronto-GTA

Toronto’s ad-hoc, volunteer-run, unofficial, floating shelter system for the homeless begins its 30th year without its co-founder and guiding spirit.

Published in Canada: Toronto-GTA

The woman who demanded Toronto meet its homeless citizens face-to-face and heart-to-heart has died. Sr. Sue Moran, co-founder of Out of the Cold, died of a sudden heart attack Sunday night, Dec. 19. She was 78 years old.

Published in Canada: Toronto-GTA

Editor’s note: Launched almost 30 years ago as a project at Toronto’s St. Michael’s College School, the Out of the Cold program is a remarkable story of Christian outreach that last winter provided food and shelter to more than 12,000 homeless men and women. That success is celebrated in a just-released book by Catholic Register associate editor Michael Swan. In this excerpt from Out of the Cold: A history of caring, Swan recounts how the program found a home in one downtown Toronto church.

Published in Book News

Out Of The ColdOut of the Cold: A history of caring
By Michael Swan

From a modest storefront that opened 28 years ago to serve hot meals to a handful of homeless people, Out of the Cold has developed into an acclaimed winter program that last year provided food and overnight shelter to more than 12,000 homeless people.

Catholic Register associate editor Michael Swan tells the remarkable story of how Out of the Cold evolved from modest beginnings as a weekend project at a Toronto Catholic high school into an extraordinary example of Christian love and caring. It’s a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Canadian orders: 126 pages / Paperback / 5.5"x8.5" / $14.99 + $3.00 shipping / ISBN 978-0-9948716-0-2 / © 2015 Catholic Register Books

US orders: 126 pages / Paperback / 5.5"x8.5" / $14.99 + $5.00 shipping / ISBN 978-0-9948716-0-2 / © 2015 Catholic Register Books

International orders: 126 pages / Paperback / 5.5"x8.5" / $14.99 + $10.00 shipping / ISBN 978-0-9948716-0-2 / © 2015 Catholic Register Books

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