Rejuvenating Souls

Burlington, Ontario

The city of Burlington, Ontario is very close to the western end of Lake Ontario. Hundreds of cars and trucks pass through the city every day, driving along the Queen Elizabeth Way either to Niagara Falls and the US border or up to Toronto, Canada’s most populous city.

St. Raphael's Church in Burlington, Ontario

Burlington itself is mostly suburban in character. Tired workers from Toronto and Hamilton stream into the city every evening to rest in their homes. Their children attend excellent schools and play various types of sports in local community centers. Restaurants, cinemas, and shops are all in close proximity to the workers’ homes, ready to provide entertainment, sustenance, and other much needed goods.

Coming together as a community in St. Raphael's Church

As comfortable and well maintained as Burlington might be, it would be not be as good a city if it did not have St. Raphael’s Church, which just last year celebrated half a century of serving the city. Staffed by the Conventual Franciscan friars, the parish has a wide variety of ministries many of which focus on spiritual growth.

Pastor of St. Raphael's Parish, Friar Maurice Richard

The routine of life can unfortunately isolate our souls. As responsible adults we fulfill our daily duties taking care of our loved ones and doing the best possible job we can at our workplaces. Yet if this continues unabated, we risk switching into cruise control. That is we go through the motions of life without really feeling the greatness of what it is to live. Thankfully Sunday is a day of rest and at St. Raphael’s, Pastor Friar Maurice Richard welcomes one and all to mass. Mass is a celebration of life and faith. All parishioners come together as a community, they strengthen their bonds and at the end look onto the world with thanks; their gratefulness is rooted in remembering what a great gift from God life is. We have to try and remember that every day.