St. Basil’s Catholic Church Celebrates 160 Years of Ministry

For 160 years, St. Basil’s Catholic Church at the University of St. Michael’s College, has served as a meeting place between its neighbours of Toronto’s financial district and the Catholic university. On Wednesday, September 14, the anniversary date and the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the parish celebrated 160 years of ministry with a special Mass of Thanksgiving.

In his homily, Father George Smith, CSB, superior general of the Congregation, noted that the church’s unique geography represents how parishioners come to face realities of the world and to think about their place in it. “This is a sacred meeting place between the Church and the world, between the University and the neighbourhood we serve. We Basilians take very seriously the collaborative dimension of this mission,” he said. Basilians, including the parish’s pastor, Father Chris Valka, CSB, gathered to concelebrate the occasion. The Basilian Fathers have continuously administered the parish since its founding in 1856.

The Mass marked the beginning of a nine-day Novena, which will be celebrated at St. Basil’s 12:10 p.m. Mass.