"This time of grief and of solidarity in prayer should also be for all of us an occasion to grow in holy wisdom as we reflect upon the significance of this great catastrophe and seek to discover what light it can shed in our own lives, so that we in our own situation might live more justly and with greater love," Collins said.

The service at St. Paul's Basilica, organized by the archdiocese's office for ecumenism, drew several hundred people and leaders from a handful of other Christian communities.

Collins reminded those in attendance that just a few metres from the church lay graves of Irish refugees who fled the destructive famine of 1847. In that great time of need, Canadians reached out.

"At a time when religious tensions were often destructive, Catholics and Anglicans, and people of other faiths, led by their spiritual leaders, united in a sacrificial love for the afflicted, and some gave their lives in acting on their conviction that it was the face of Jesus that they could see in each suffering victim," he said. "Our ancestors of faith set a standard of love which we should never forget and which we must emulate."

Mayor David Miller, building on Collins' words, said so many Haitians need the chance to come here, "just like the victims of the Irish famine who came here so long ago seeking refuge," and that current laws needed to be modified to make it easier for Haitian-Canadians to bring over extended family members.

Eric Pierre, honorary consul of Haiti, said the devastation in Haiti has particularly affected the Catholic Church, as Haiti is 80 per cent Catholic. But the recent earthquake was only the most visible tragedy in the world spotlight.

"In five years, we have been battered by seven natural disasters and the whole cycle of suffering culminated with this latest disaster," he said.

Even before the Jan. 12 earthquake, people were eating "dirt cake" to survive, he said, explaining they would bake and consume a mixture of dirt, butter and salt just to get their necessary minerals.

Pierre estimated that 200,000 people died in 2009 — about as many as are predicted to die due to the earthquake. Help of a greater magnitude is needed, he said, to aid a nation already battered and bruised.

"We have to consider giving until it hurts, because human beings are hurting," he said. "They are dying in Haiti."

For Cindy Joseph, a parishioner of St. Joseph parish in Scarborough, the prayer service was a chance to pray for an old co-worker, now living in Montreal, who she assumes is probably dealing with the grief of lost family members. Just seeing the images on television has tugged at her heartstrings for the people of Haiti.

"Even though it's been three weeks (since the tragedy) it's still very fresh in my mind," Joseph said.

The ecumenical service was a wonderful opportunity to share both extreme sadness but also hope, she said.

"It's wonderful to this one human connection (through the service) because human tragedy touches us all."