There are many ways in which we meet Jesus in the Church on the Street, often in the guise of the homeless, the suffering, and the addicted. But we must stop and listen to their stories, listen to their pain, listen to their hopes and dreams, to see hidden behind their appearance the suffering Christ.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in God so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For several years now, faithful as a trusted friend, a large box has arrived at my home when winter has thrust the streets of the city into the dark and uncompromising grip of winter.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told a parable about a fig tree planted in a vineyard which year after year bore no fruit. Finally, the owner was tired of waiting and called upon the gardener to cut it down because it was a waste of space. But the gardener knew that the tree just needed time, patience, and love to heal.

When we first met in a downtown shelter, she was only sixteen and had been sent to Toronto from northern Canada for treatment at a health clinic. Soon she was on the streets of the city with drug and emotional problems and ended up in the shelter where we met.

I have often wondered as I walk on the streets of downtown Toronto on Thursday evenings what memories the streets would leave with someone who is experiencing this area of the city for the first time as darkness descends.

Some evenings I sense there is unrest on the streets even before I get there. This was one such evening. 

By all worldly accounts much of the ministry of The Church on the Street seems like a total waste of time. However, in my more reflective moments I realize that the answer lies somewhere in the mystery that on the street I am constantly surprised by holiness in the midst of addiction, violence, and poverty.

It was a momentous day in history. May 8th 2025. My wife Ria and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary.

Students from Marshall McLuhan High school, led by their chaplain Linda Izzo and accompanied by several teachers and helpers, joined Prakash Lohale OP and me for a street retreat in downtown Toronto. They brought food to distribute to the homeless on the streets.