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It was in January 2005 that I began my role as Executive Director of ShareLife, having been hired just before Christmas 2004. At the time, I was Chair of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and was honoured to continue serving the Catholic community by leading the annual appeal of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
In my youth, I had met Archbishop Philip Pocock, who served as Chaplain of our Columbian Squires Circle, and I later had the honour of representing our Circle at his funeral in 1984. If you had asked me then what I knew about ShareLife, I would have said it was founded by Archbishop Pocock as a fundraising appeal for Catholic charitable organizations. I knew the agencies by name but could not tell you much about what they did beyond what I studied in preparation for my job interview. I do remember going door to door with my parents, inviting fellow parishioners to contribute to ShareLife. But that was about it.
Early on, I realized that if I was going to promote the work of these agencies, I needed to know them firsthand. I made the decision to visit every organization that received funds from the campaign. If I was going to invite parishioners to support the annual appeal, I had to understand what these agencies did and how their work was making an impact on the lives of those who turned to them for help.
This became, for me, a turning point in my role.
As I met with directors, staff and sometimes clients of the ShareLife-funded agencies, I left each meeting with a sense of “now I get it.” Each visit taught me that their work was more than about physical results; it was about bringing the Gospel to life and putting our faith into action. I soon realized that ShareLife was not simply a collection, but how we, as a Catholic community, bring the hands of Christ to those in need.
I learned of families dealing with difficult situations who were being helped through our network of Catholic Family Service agencies, how the deaf community was supported through the efforts of Silent Voice Canada and how people struggling with addictions were cared for through St. Michael’s Homes and the DARE program of the Good Shepherd Ministries. I also learned that ShareLife was how we supported the education of our clergy at St. Augustine’s Seminary, youth programs at the Office of Catholic Youth and provided meals for hungry children through the work of Dr. Andrew Simone and Canadian Food for Children. And so much more.
I want to share one story from my initial agency visits. At Mary Centre, which cares for developmentally challenged adults, I met Honey, a resident in one of their homes. As we toured the house, Honey showed me the list of chores she was responsible for — vacuuming, sweeping and other household tasks. As she shared them with pride, I reflected that her responsibilities, which might seem simple to some, were just as important to her as my own daily work at ShareLife was to me. They gave her dignity and a sense of purpose, knowing she was making a meaningful contribution to her home and community.
Since then, we have added support for hospital chaplaincy programs, assisted in the settlement of refugees through the Office for Refugees and more recently provided grants for food and meal programs across the archdiocese at a time when many people are struggling to afford this basic necessity of life.
Like me at the time, many of our parishioners could not name most of the agencies that were supported by ShareLife. They knew that our annual appeal was good, supported by our bishops and clergy, and was in line with their Catholic values. But they did not know much about what the agencies do to extend these values into the greater community and ultimately the world. Today, this largely remains the same — parishioners know that ShareLife is Catholic, but not a great deal more about what their contributions are supporting.
In 1976, in his Declaration on Behalf of Life, Archbishop Philip Pocock said:
“We believe that every human being is unique and priceless. We hold that human life must be respected at every stage of its development from the first mysterious moment of conception to the declining days of advanced age.”
This is what we are doing now, day after day, through the work of over 40 agencies, bringing the Gospel to life in all that they do. ShareLife is more than a collection — it is how we put our love for one another into action, it is how we follow the parable of the Good Samaritan, it is how we bring our Catholic values to life. A contribution to ShareLife helps people like Honey to live with dignity and feel capable, valued, loved and cared for. In John 15:12, Jesus says, “This is my commandment: love each other as I have loved you,” and our support for ShareLife puts this message into action every day.
In his statement, Archbishop Pocock stated, “I am prepared to take the responsibility of sustaining the services of Catholic Charities to the community.” At the time, there were seven agencies, which has grown to over 40 today, caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ not only here in Toronto, but across the world. Through our annual appeal, we are today continuing the vision that Archbishop Philip Pocock had when we established the ShareLife campaign in 1976, and in this 50th anniversary year we invite all Catholics to support the mission work of the Church by making a contribution toward the work of ShareLife agencies.
(Peters is Executive Director of ShareLife.)
A version of this story appeared in the March 15, 2026, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "ShareLife is more than a collection".
Editor’s note: the following is an excerpt from the statement by Archbishop Philip Pocock, Archbishop of Toronto, announcing that the Archdiocese of Toronto as of March 19, 1976, would no longer participate in the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto (the United Way) due to its embrace of “an organization which advocates and supports abortion counselling and referral services.” This would lead to the birth of ShareLife, which is celebrating 50 years as the charitable fundraising arm of the Archdiocese.
I want to announce today a decision of conscience which is a declaration on behalf of life because we have been asked to embrace the spectre of death…
With deep regret and genuine sadness, I inform you that … the Council of Catholic Charities has duly advised The United Community Fund of Greater Toronto that our Council and Its seven participating agencies will resign our membership from the fund by a date which can be mutually arranged to fulfil existing contractual obligations.
This decision means that the Council of Catholic Charities and its agencies shall neither be participants in, nor beneficiaries of, the 1976 United Way appeal which provides funding for the 1977 calendar year of operations.
This decision has not been reached alone. Extensive consultations were conducted and prayerful consideration was given. We have not aroused ourselves against a single social evil while ignoring all the rest.
Our indignations and energies will continue to be directed against poverty, unemployment, exploitation, discrimination and every form of injustice and human misery both in our country and in the developing nations. But, we can no longer respond to human need within a framework where human disservice has been sanctioned.
Our decision will be called divisive. I reject that charge. On the issue of abortion, Canadian society is already divided as is our own community of Toronto. There is no middle ground. There can be no half-way measure. One is either for or against abortion.
Candidates to political office are asked today where they stand on this question. Ask a Churchman — and he stands with the teaching of his Church. My reply is that I stand with the constant teaching of my Church and with my Christian and non-Christian brothers who share the same conviction.
Actually the decision was not ours to make. We were required to respond to a decision which was taken by others. Response has been made today.
I am prepared to take the responsibility of sustaining the services of Catholic Charities to the community. I am not prepared to accept the responsibility for whatever else happens from a decision that was not ours.
The Council of Catholic Charities was a founding member of The Community Fund in 1943. Since then we, as a full partner, have committed our people, contributed our resources, shared in the fund’s growth and, above all, rejoiced in the fund’s achievement as a credible service for the greater good of all humanity in this proud community of ours.
Our regret is that we have failed to communicate that value of life which is, in truth, consistent with the objectives of The United Community Fund.
Our hope is that our position will begin to remove the veil of respectability which has been awarded to human disservice.
Our task is that we shall endeavour to transmit this hope and to restore the concept of the sacredness of life, the dignity of man and the right of every individual.
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Editor’s note: the following is an excerpt from the statement by Archbishop Philip Pocock, Archbishop of Toronto, announcing that the Archdiocese of Toronto as of March 19, 1976, would no longer participate in the United Community Fund of Greater Toronto (the United Way) due to its embrace of “an organization which advocates and supports abortion counselling and referral services.” This would lead to the birth of ShareLife, which is celebrating 50 years as the charitable fundraising arm of the Archdiocese.
I want to announce today a decision of conscience which is a declaration on behalf of life because we have been asked to embrace the spectre of death…
With deep regret and genuine sadness, I inform you that … the Council of Catholic Charities has duly advised The United Community Fund of Greater Toronto that our Council and Its seven participating agencies will resign our membership from the fund by a date which can be mutually arranged to fulfil existing contractual obligations.
This decision means that the Council of Catholic Charities and its agencies shall neither be participants in, nor beneficiaries of, the 1976 United Way appeal which provides funding for the 1977 calendar year of operations.
This decision has not been reached alone. Extensive consultations were conducted and prayerful consideration was given. We have not aroused ourselves against a single social evil while ignoring all the rest.
Our indignations and energies will continue to be directed against poverty, unemployment, exploitation, discrimination and every form of injustice and human misery both in our country and in the developing nations. But, we can no longer respond to human need within a framework where human disservice has been sanctioned.
Our decision will be called divisive. I reject that charge. On the issue of abortion, Canadian society is already divided as is our own community of Toronto. There is no middle ground. There can be no half-way measure. One is either for or against abortion.
Candidates to political office are asked today where they stand on this question. Ask a Churchman — and he stands with the teaching of his Church. My reply is that I stand with the constant teaching of my Church and with my Christian and non-Christian brothers who share the same conviction.
Actually the decision was not ours to make. We were required to respond to a decision which was taken by others. Response has been made today.
I am prepared to take the responsibility of sustaining the services of Catholic Charities to the community. I am not prepared to accept the responsibility for whatever else happens from a decision that was not ours.
The Council of Catholic Charities was a founding member of The Community Fund in 1943. Since then we, as a full partner, have committed our people, contributed our resources, shared in the fund’s growth and, above all, rejoiced in the fund’s achievement as a credible service for the greater good of all humanity in this proud community of ours.
Our regret is that we have failed to communicate that value of life which is, in truth, consistent with the objectives of The United Community Fund.
Our hope is that our position will begin to remove the veil of respectability which has been awarded to human disservice.
Our task is that we shall endeavour to transmit this hope and to restore the concept of the sacredness of life, the dignity of man and the right of every individual.
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Photo courtesy Heidi Janz
