Christmas 2025

Even in the Archdiocese of Toronto’s oldest parish, the spirit of Christmas brings a renewed spirit to family and strangers alike each year, thanks in large part to music remaining the soul of holiday worship over more than two centuries.

During Christmas season, as we sing joyfully of the Nativity stories, I am reminded of the Christians of Bethlehem.

Thanks to the efforts of his children, the legacy of the late acclaimed British painter and children’s book illustrator Brian Wildsmith (1930-2016) is receiving renewed appreciation this Christmas season with a new edition of The Road to Bethlehem, which he also authored.

While some may have believed last year’s record couldn’t be topped, the Ontario Knights of Columbus are on pace to surpass their own mark this winter as councils push toward 20,000 brand-new winter coats for children in need.

The single word “ours” has become the quiet heartbeat behind everything the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation is doing this Christmas through initiatives that are making sure children and families are looked after in more ways than one.

Charlotte Mescall, a Grade 11 student at Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon, was so moved by the community outreach at St. Mary’s Parish that she coordinated two Christmas concert fundraisers on behalf of the church.