Priests Gather for Jubilee Year BBQ

At the invitation of Cardinal Leo, priests from throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto gathered in mid-August to celebrate the Year of Jubilee and enjoy fellowship among one another.

To accommodate the large number of priests in the archdiocese, two August dates brought together Cardinal Leo, our Auxiliary Bishops and clergy from the various regions of the archdiocese. It was a joy filled occasion for priestly fraternity among brother priests on the beautiful grounds of St. Augustine’s Seminary.

In his June 2025 homily for the Jubilee of Priests, Pope Leo XIV spoke of the call to holiness for priests throughout the world:

“We are called to exercise pastoral charity with a generous love, like that of the Father, and to foster in our hearts the desire that no one be lost (cf. Jn 6:39) but that everyone, also through our ministry, may come to know Christ and have eternal life in him (cf. Jn 6:40). We are called to deepen our closeness to Jesus (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 14) and to be a source of harmony in the midst of our brother priests. We do so by bearing on our shoulders those who are lost, granting forgiveness to those who have erred, seeking out those who have gone astray or been left behind, and caring for those who suffer in body or spirit. And to do all this in a great exchange of love that, flowing from the pierced side of the crucified Lord, embraces all people and fills the entire world. For, in the words of Pope Francis, “the wounded side of Christ continues to pour forth that stream which is never exhausted, never passes away, but offers itself time and time again to all those who wish to love as he did. For his love alone can bring about a new humanity” (Encyclical Letter Dilexit Nos, 219).

Let us continue to pray for the priests of the Archdiocese of Toronto and give thanks for their dedicated and faithful ministry. May God bless them in their  vocation as shepherds of the flock.