In his keynote address, the cardinal spoke about the "dramatic transition" in the papacy as Pope Francis succeeded Pope Benedict last March. Then he segued into a discussion about how, as "momentous things were happening in Rome," the Archdiocese of Toronto launched a new pastoral plan that will be its "roadmap for our path ahead."

"Someone once said that all politics is local, and that is even more true of the Church," Collins said. "The faith is lived on the ground, locally. Think globally, and act locally."

Billed as the largest annual dinner in Canada, some 1,600 guests joined the cardinal at the Metro Convention Centre for the 34th annual event that brings Church and community leaders together with leaders from the political and business worlds. Head table guests included Anglican Archbishop Colin Johnson, federal finance minister Jim Flaherty, Ontario premiere Kathleen Wynne and Toronto mayor Rob Ford.

Collins replayed the "astonishing" events last February and March, when Pope Benedict unexpectedly resigned the papacy and was replaced by Pope Francis. He said the farewell to Benedict was "intensely moving."

"This shy, humble, gentle, holy man, now so frail, had prayerfully discerned that he did not any longer have the strength needed adequately to serve the servants of God, and so he stepped aside," Collins said. "Such humility is inspiring. His example, and in a very special way his profound spiritual teachings, will continue to guide us, but he now lives in retirement serving us all through prayer."

Collins called Pope Francis a "wise and holy pastor" who is deeply concerned for the marginalized.

"His engaging approach has touched the hearts of people around the world," Collins said. "He stresses the need to begin with a personal encounter with Jesus, like that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In that way, as Bishop of Rome and Pope, he offers spiritual guidance and inspiration for us all."

The Cardinal's Dinner was founded in 1979 by Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter. The late archbishop believed business, political and religious groups shared a mutual responsibility to strengthen the communities in people work, live and worship.

The event has also raised more than $5.8 million to support local charities. Last year, 35 charities benefited from the dinner proceeds.

Below is the complete text of Cardinal Collins' speech:

34th Annual Cardinal’s Dinner – October 17, 2013

Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto

As has been the tradition in our archdiocese for the last 34 years, we come together this evening for the Cardinal’s Dinner, to break bread, to enjoy fellowship, and to raise important funds for charity.

I am grateful to Tom O’Neill for chairing this year’s dinner along with Dan Sullivan, Vice Chairman, and of course we extend our gratitude to Joe Barnicke for his tireless efforts to steward this event for the last 34 years.

This evening we also remember in prayer two men who chaired the Cardinal’s dinner in the past, Ronald Osborne and Fred de Gasperis, who died during this past year. May they rest in peace.

I would also like to thank the St. Michael’s Choir School for singing for us this evening. They are celebrating 75 years of excellence in their mission of enhancing the music of the Church. Earlier this year, they sang for Pope Francis at an audience in Rome.

I also wish to recognize our head table guests, all leaders in their own respective ways, for their extensive contributions to strengthening our community. In a particular way, I thank our elected officials who are with us this evening. Theirs is not an easy vocation, yet it is a noble one: to legislate wisely, to implement programs of care for the vulnerable, to make difficult decisions in fostering the common good, and to have to do that very publicly and under intense scrutiny. Be assured of my prayers for those who lead our municipalities, our province and our country. May the example of St Thomas More, patron saint of politicians, guide you in your mission of service to us all.

I extend a special welcome to those here this evening who represent other faith communities. There are many religious traditions in our area, and we all work and pray together, with mutual respect. In our often harsh world, people of faith are on the front lines every day, quietly reaching out through their good works to serve those who are suffering.

Many corporations faithfully support the Cardinal’s Dinner year after year. You are essential to the success of this evening. I am edified by the business men and women I meet each week who draw on their faith to guide them in the difficult decisions that come with great responsibilities. Your presence is very much appreciated.

Finally, I welcome the many clergy, religious men and women, and parishioners from across the Archdiocese of Toronto who are here this evening. Be assured of my gratitude for all that you do.

A special word of thanks to the more than 160 parishes of the archdiocese, as well as other religious institutes, that have sponsored a refugee family from the Middle East over the past year. As has been true since the days of Bishop Power, our first bishop, people fleeing violence in distant places continue to find refuge among us, and you have made that possible.

Many years ago, when I was a student in Rome, I was talking with a new diplomat who had just arrived, and who said how eager he was to observe close up the famed organizational efficiency of the Catholic Church, a neat pyramid of Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests and laity. I remarked at the time that he was indeed new on the job if he thought that was how things worked. As we see with distressing or reassuring regularity, such organizational neatness is imaginary.

The way the Catholic Church actually lives and works is best revealed, as is appropriate, in the words of our worship, for at each Mass throughout the world we pray for the Pope and for the local bishop.

As bishop I am responsible for our diocese which extends from Oshawa to Mississauga and from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. The Church exists most evidently in the daily life of the dioceses throughout the world, and especially in the parishes of the diocese. It is here that the word of God is preached, and people grow in their faith, and encounter Jesus in the sacraments, and work together as his disciples, engaged in acts of charity and justice. Everything that is involved in Christian life should flourish to the full in each diocese. The local bishop oversees the diocesan community, and is its spiritual shepherd, and so we pray for him at each mass celebrated in the diocese. His mission is to be the vicar, or representative, of Christ in the local Church.

But the local diocese does not exist for itself. It is a portion of the vineyard of the Lord, and always lives as part of a greater reality, the Church throughout the world. The diocese must not be self-absorbed. And so at every Mass we pray for the Pope, the successor of Peter, who is not only responsible for his local diocese of Rome - and Pope Francis very often stresses his mission as Bishop of Rome - but is also responsible as vicar of Christ for the whole Church.

These two dimensions, global and local, work together as inseparably as concave and convex, each essential for our life as Catholic Christians.

This evening, I will speak of both of these dimensions. First: the global reality of the election of a new Pope.

The world has been absorbed this year in the dramatic transition in the papacy from Pope Benedict to Pope Francis. On February 11th Pope Benedict became the first pope in many centuries to resign the papacy. The news caught us all off guard. It was astonishing, and as media gathered in Rome countless millions followed the ancient process of a papal conclave.

I had always dreamed of taking part in the excitement of a papal conclave, joining the expectant crowd in the square, watching for the white smoke. I finished my studies in Rome in June of 1978, and later that year there were 2 conclaves, both of which I followed from afar.

Little did I expect that I would ever actually take part in a conclave, but in February I headed to Rome as a Cardinal to say farewell to Pope Benedict and to participate in the election of his successor.

The farewell to Pope Benedict was intensely moving. This shy, humble, gentle, holy man, now so frail, had prayerfully discerned that he did not any longer have the strength needed adequately to serve the servants of God, and so he stepped aside. Such humility is inspiring. His example, and in a very special way his profound spiritual teachings, will continue to guide us, but he now lives in retirement serving us all through prayer.

The conclave process is wisely designed. It has two basic elements, the general congregations or `pre-conclave`, and the conclave itself.

The pre-conclave consists largely of long hours of listening to each cardinal who wishes to speak of the current needs of the Church. All the cardinals are invited to participate, including those who are over 80 and cannot vote. It was fascinating, and very instructive. There was a lot of experience and wisdom in the room.  A most fruitful part of the exercise were the long coffee breaks, where we could casually and candidly talk with one another; this also happened at meals in the evening, when throughout the week groups of cardinals gathered to share their insights. We were all very aware that people throughout the world were praying for us, and one of the most moving experiences of the pre- conclave was the hour in prayerful Eucharistic adoration which we spent together in St Peter`s.

Once the last voting cardinal arrived, we set the date for the conclave itself. This second phase is designed to provide a place apart for prayer, quiet discussion, and voting: the very word `conclave` means to lock the cardinals in a separate place `with a key`. The building where we stayed, Casa Santa Marta, which was specifically constructed to house the cardinals during a conclave, and which is basically like a very modern hotel with a chapel, was sealed off from any interference or communication with the outside world. We were only there for about two days, although Pope Francis has decided to stay there. 115 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel, and 114 of us got to go home.

Cardinal Bergoglio was clearly a bishop of long pastoral experience in his local diocese and its parishes in Argentina, a wise and holy pastor, with a deep concern to reach out to the marginalized. As Pope Francis, his engaging approach has touched the hearts of people around the world. He stresses the need to begin with a personal encounter with Jesus, like that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In that way, as Bishop of Rome and Pope, he offers spiritual guidance and inspiration for us all.

While momentous things were happening in Rome this past February, that same month our local Church of the Archdiocese of Toronto launched a pastoral plan to guide us in our life of Christian discipleship in this particular diocese. Someone once said that all politics is local, and that is even more true of the Church: the faith is lived on the ground, locally. Think globally, and act locally.

I love the saying `If you know where you are going, you are more likely to get there`. Whether it is in budgeting family finances or in living as a community of believers, a plan helps: it provides accountability, and it allows for a community to work together.

One of the ancient images of the bishop is the conductor of an orchestra, helping each player to contribute to the harmonious symphony; a pastoral plan for a diocese can be compared to the copies of the music shared by all the musicians in the orchestra. We depend completely on God – man proposes but God disposes – but I believe that God expects us to use our heads, to think things through and to act sensibly.

Essentially our pastoral plan is the roadmap for our path ahead as a family of faith.

We often hear that the Church is not growing. While that is a reality in some parts of the country, our experience is quite the opposite. We have opened a large  new church every year for the past decade, and we have 3 more in preparation. Consider that 10 of the 50 most populated cities in Canada are located in the geographic boundaries of the Archdiocese of Toronto. These communities grew by a collective total of more than 400,000 residents from 2006-2011. It would be akin to inserting the entire population of Halifax into the Greater Toronto Area. All in all, we are a spiritual family of approximately 1.9 million Catholics. We celebrate Mass in more than 30 languages every week, making us one of the most ethnically diverse faith communities in the world.

In such a dynamic situation, we certainly need a plan to guide us on how to proceed together as a family of faith.   

You can find our whole pastoral plan on our archdiocesan website, and I strongly encourage all Catholics to study it and to come together to discuss it. See how it affects you personally and as a parish community. But here it is in a nutshell:

Our plan begins with prayer: this is not just the obvious religious gesture expected in such documents, but is essential. We do not change the world; God does, and we must always be rooted in prayer.

Two key considerations shape our plan: caring for the gathered, and reaching out to the scattered.

First, caring for the gathered. Jesus calls us to imitate St Peter, who was given the mission of nurturing the flock. We need to care for those already engaged in their faith. Our churches are vibrant hubs of activity. They are beacons of hope for the community, and they are guided by clergy and laity who bring the church alive day to day, week to week. We want to be sure that our celebrations are prayerful and joyful, and that when you walk in the door of your local parish you are welcomed and invited to share your gifts and talents with our family of faith.

Each parish needs to be a home of prayer, love, and service.

We are also blessed in our archdiocese with publicly funded Catholic schools. The three facets of family, parish, and school are fruitfully linked in the whole educational formation of young people. Parents, priests, and educators join together in serving them.

But we also need to reach out beyond those who are gathered in the parish community. As Pope Francis so often reminds us, we must not become self-referential. We need to reach out to the scattered. There are many in our community who have known the Catholic Church at one time or another and are no longer with us. Others have just lost touch with the Church, or have left because of a bitter experience of some kind. We need to reach out to them. In addition to that, we also need to care for all who are scattered, who are marginalized in any way, who are in need of any kind.

So the simplest expression of our pastoral plan is: cared for the gathered and reach out to the scattered.
We do this in five ways:

•    We need to foster active vibrant parish communities.

•    We need to encourage vocations: to the priesthood, the diaconate, religious life, and various lay missions of discipleship.

•    We need to act effectively and practically to serve the needy in justice and love. Our many health care and social services organizations already do this, as do our voluntary initiatives in justice and charity, but we need to do more. We are called on to be the hands and face of Christ in our communities. In many ways, the 35 charities that have been recipients of the Cardinal’s Dinner proceeds over the past year have been doing just that. We think of groups like the Brothers of the Good Shepherd. This year, they celebrate 50 years of serving the poor and marginalized. This past week, the Good Shepherd Centre served more than 1,600 Thanksgiving meals to those without a place to call home. We have seen countless examples of practical service in justice and love in the Archdiocese of Toronto for decades, such as the contributions of religious women, following the example of Jesus to care for the vulnerable and poor.

We are also blessed with the generous support each year of the ShareLife appeal, this past year raising $15 million to care for those who are suffering.

•    We also need to witness to the good news of Jesus in our whole society, which is often caught up in a sterile secular vision in which people are treated as things, not as persons, and in which individualism is privileged over a loving community. We already are familiar with the tragedy of abortion, and the havoc it causes; now the dark shadow extends further, and voices call for the killing of the vulnerable at later stages of life’s journey. May we witness to loving care for all who are vulnerable. It is vital to offer alternatives: just as encouragement of adoption protects our dear little sisters and brothers at the beginning of life, so the encouragement of palliative care protects those near the end of their earthly journey.

•    A fifth element of our plan is more physical: we need to enhance our cathedral as an effective instrument to build up our community, to inspire us, and to be a welcoming sign of our faith.

Our pastoral plan reminds us that in everything we do to engage in our mission as a local family of faith, we must seek to communicate effectively, to use resources responsibly, to respect the cultural diversity of our community, and to support the family, especially our young people.

Our pastoral plan will help guide us in the days ahead and shortly, our faith community will be hearing more about plans to engage every Catholic in the Archdiocese of Toronto in a campaign to support bringing this vision to fruition more fully and completely.

A few words to conclude this special evening:

Recently Pope Francis sent out a tweet that read: “The secret of Christian living is love. Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.”

We live in world wounded by evil: violence in so many parts of the globe; in many cases citizens not even free to go to church without the threat of death; a culture that is centred on the unholy trinity of me, myself and I; social injustice far away and close at home. And so often the inner pain of personal suffering, perhaps unseen by others.

Yet through such darkness, I am filled with the hope and joy of God’s love. God, has entrusted to each one of us an abundance of gifts and talents that, when used for the greater good, can change the world. I am filled with hope because of all of you. I see it every day in my travels – people who are that beacon of hope that is found in God’s love in action.

So the challenge for us is to fill those empty spaces, whether they be among the gathered or the scattered, in our workplaces, legislatures, offices, homes or churches. Let’s fill those empty spaces with authentic love, giving without counting the cost, rooted in faith.

Perhaps then, it is fitting to conclude with the Prayer of St. Francis.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.