St. Columba ParishSt. Columba Parish is a Roman Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Toronto, rooted at the corner of Columba Avenue and Pape in East York. About 1,200 households call this their parish home. Some have been here since the church was dedicated in 1961; others arrived last month. Whether you are a lifelong Catholic, someone returning after years away, or simply curious, this page will tell you who we are and how to find your place among us.
A welcome from our pastor
Dear friends,
Thank you for visiting St. Columba, whether in person or through this website. A parish is not a building or a schedule of services. It is a family of people who gather around the altar every week, carry one another through sickness and loss, celebrate births and weddings together, and try, in an ordinary Toronto neighbourhood, to live as Jesus asked us to.
You will hear Mass here in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Italian, and you will meet families from Portugal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ireland and dozens of other places. What unites us is far greater than what distinguishes us. If you are new, please introduce yourself after Mass. I would very much like to meet you.
In Christ,
Rev. Daniel Moreau
Pastor
The parish at a glance
We celebrate seven Masses every weekend and one every weekday, hear confessions twice a week, and keep the church open for Adoration on Thursday mornings. The parish hall seats 220 people and hosts everything from First Communion breakfasts to the Knights' pasta dinner. See the full Mass and confession schedule or browse the ministry directory.
Our mission
St. Columba Parish exists to worship God, to form missionary disciples, and to serve our neighbours in East York with the love of Christ. We do this by celebrating the sacraments well, teaching the faith at every age, welcoming every person who walks through our doors, and sharing what we have with those who have less.
In practice, that mission takes the shape of a Sunday choir that has sung together for thirty years, a St. Vincent de Paul conference that visits about forty households a month, a youth group that fills the hall on Friday nights, and a catechetical program that prepares roughly ninety children a year for First Communion and Confirmation. Our 2025–2028 pastoral plan sets out where we hope to be in three years.
Our patron
Columba (521–597) was an Irish monk who founded the monastery of Iona and brought the Gospel to Scotland. The Irish families who built this parish chose him as a patron for a community of immigrants: a saint who left home to carry the faith somewhere new.
— St. Columba, pray for us. Feast day June 9
Our neighbourhood
East York was its own borough until amalgamation in 1998, and it still feels like a small town inside the city: brick semis, corner bakeries, the Danforth a short walk south. The parish sits a few blocks from Pape Station, with the parking lot behind the hall and a TTC stop at the door.
Our boundaries run roughly from the Don Valley east to Coxwell Avenue and from the Danforth north to O'Connor Drive, but you are welcome here wherever you live. Many parishioners drive in from Scarborough, Leaside and downtown because their family has always come, or because they found a community here.
Two Toronto Catholic District School Board schools sit within the parish, and we share a chaplaincy relationship with both. See our parish school page.
Find us
St. Columba Parish, 1240 Columba Avenue, Toronto, ON M4K 2R6
Office Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (closed 12–1) · 416-555-0142 · office@stcolumbatoronto.ca
Accessible entrance on the east side, elevator to the hall, hearing loop in the church. Details on our accessibility page.
Where to go next
If this is your first visit, start with our guide for newcomers. If you already know your way around, check the Mass schedule or find a group to join. Questions of any kind are welcome at the parish office, or ask any usher on Sunday.