As need grows, so does ShareLife’s reach

While a few of the organizations supported by ShareLife have histories stretching back into the early years of the Toronto archdiocese, others have arisen in response to current needs. 

When ShareLife launched in 1976, it supported seven agencies within the Archdiocese of Toronto. That number has grown over the past half century to where 40 agencies are within the ShareLife family.

It shows that ShareLife is a living entity, one that responds to increased need.

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The Office of Refugees Archdiocese of Toronto (ORAT) is among the newer agencies, created by Cardinal Thomas Collins at the height of the Iraqi refugee crisis in 2009. And ShareLife has been there ever since to help. 

Deacon Rudy Ovcjak, director of ORAT, said Collins took “decisive action” after a group of Iraqi Christians “made an appeal to him to help because the Christian refugees were greatly suffering.” 

Collins elevated ORAT from what was formerly a small corner of a larger department to a full-time, independent office.

 “He elevated it, resourced it, and ORAT has become what it has become because of his leadership,” said Ovcjak.

What ORAT has become, in less than 20 years, is one of the largest Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH) in Canada, and its combination of competence at the administrative level and collaboration at the parish level makes ORAT a natural fit for the task of welcoming the stranger.

“When you deal with the ORAT,” said Collins, “you can be sure that the work has been done honestly and in the right way.

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“That’s partly because of the excellence of our staff, but also because of the generosity of our parishioners. They journey with the people. When you are received by ORAT, you are entering into a community effort of Catholics in the different parishes who will journey with them, help them get to language classes and medical appointments, help those refugees to become at home as soon as possible.”

Not unlike how ShareLife and its agencies have been operating for 50 years, in some cases longer.

Ovcjak said ShareLife “undergirds” the work of ORAT. When ORAT raises money, it can be put towards funding mission trips to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Ghana, Thailand where ORAT can select the refugees that have no family link in Canada. 

“Those individuals were then matched with our parishes who welcome them and journey with them as they integrate into Canadian life. ShareLife is fundamental in really providing the funding for the administrative support of this office. All the funds that we collect can go to sponsoring the refugees and taking care of them,” said Ovcjak.

Though the origin story of ORAT is one that seems very modern, Collins is quick to point out that the origin story of the Toronto archdiocese is inextricable from that of refugees.

“I remember thinking that our diocese really began with refugees from Ireland in 1847,” said Collins. “Our first bishop, Michael Power, died in October 1847 from typhus that he caught while caring for the refugees from Ireland.”

Referring to the words of St. Paul to the Galatians, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith,” ORAT is particularly concerned with the plight of persecuted Christians.

“Sad to say, Christians are being persecuted more now than they were in the days of the Roman Empire. Many, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are facing that. They’re forced to seek refuge in foreign lands,” Collins said.

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Ovcjak said ORAT’s success relies on three fundamental planks — the archbishops, ShareLife and the parishes.

“One is the vision, leadership and responsiveness to the global refugee crisis by our archbishops — Cardinal Collins and now Cardinal (Frank) Leo. We couldn’t do this work without their support and their blessing. The second is the instrumental financial support of both the Archdiocese of Toronto and ShareLife. The third leg on our work is the parishes. We could not do the work that we do without the help of, and the collaboration with the Eastern rite churches, Orthodox churches, and with our own Latin rite churches. It’s been just a beautiful collaboration.”

A version of this article appeared in the September 27, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "As need grows, so does ShareLife’s reach".