{mosimage}Editor’s note: Today we begin our annual series that profiles the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

{mosimage}TORONTO - The journey to possible sainthood for Sr. Carmelina Tarantino has begun.

A panel of theologians and historians, under the auspices of  the archdiocese of Toronto, has officially started an examination of the life of the Toronto nun to ascertain her candidacy for sainthood. The inquiry was to be opened at a Mass celebrated at St. Paschal Baylon Church March 16 by Archbishop Thomas Collins.

{mosimage}TORONTO — The streets of the city will be filled with Christians marking the last days of Jesus on Good Friday, April 10.

A number of re-enactments of the Stations of the Cross will take place around Toronto, including the biggest of them all which will take to the streets of Little Italy in the downtown core.

The annual Stations of the Cross originates at St. Francis of Assisi Church on Manning Avenue and makes its way around the Bathurst and College Streets area.

Also in the downtown will be the annual Good Friday Walk for Justice which starts at 2 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Trinity next to the Eaton Centre. The annual walk uses mime, prayer and meditation while walking several modern-day Stations of the Cross.

{mosimage}TORONTO — The Lift Jesus Higher Rally will be returning to Toronto April 18.

The rally will take over the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Toronto’s Archbishop Thomas Collins is among the guests.

For information, call (416) 251-4255 or see www.lift-jesus-higher-rally.org .

{mosimage}TORONTO - More than 20 charities have been given a boost from the proceeds of the annual Cardinal’s Dinner.

The dinner, held last Oct. 30 and hosted by Archbishop Thomas Collins, helped raise $125,000 for 27 organizations in the archdiocese of Toronto.

The dinner was begun in 1979 by the late Cardinal Gerald Emmett Carter and has been run in recent years by Carter’s successors, Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic and Collins, with proceeds going to their favourite charities. Since its inception, the dinner has raised more than $5 million for local charities.

{mosimage}TORONTO - The Knights of Columbus Toronto Council 1388 will celebrate 100 years of service by making a gift of $100,000.

At a gala dinner April 25 to mark its 100th anniversary, the Toronto Council will donate $100,000 to create an endowment to support Toronto’s seminarians. It is the largest gift in the history of Council 1388.

The following clergy appointments have been made for the archdiocese of Toronto. They take place July 1-2 unless otherwise noted.

{mosimage}TORONTO - While many Catholics continue to struggle with the uncertainty of job security and financial stability, ShareLife continues to see parishioners in the archdiocese generously giving to its campaign this year.

Arthur Peters, executive director for ShareLife, is hopeful of reaching his team’s parish fundraising campaign goal of $12 million, although donations were short of the goal at The Catholic Register’s publication deadline. Peters reported a total of $9.7 million raised after the final campaign weekend June 6-7.

{mosimage}TORONTO - In response to controversy over the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace partners in Mexico, the archdiocese of Toronto is putting D&P on a funding leash and calling for a comprehensive review of the Catholic aid organization.

Archbishop Thomas Collins announced in a July 23 statement that the archdiocese will “set aside” $1.125 million this year from ShareLife to be available to D&P on a case-by-case basis solely for projects run by organizations that are endorsed by local bishops. That is the same amount as 2008, but last year’s funds were allocated directly to D&P’s general revenues to be dispersed as they saw fit.  

{mosimage}TORONTO - The Canadian economy has tumbled this year but it hasn’t taken ShareLife down with it.

Heading into the final week of the annual campaign to raise essential funding for a host of charitable agencies, ShareLife organizers are heartened that parish donations are on par with last year.  There were fears the recession might cut into donations.