St. Columba ParishWhen someone is in hospital, in a care home, in prison or living away from home at university, the Church goes to them. The Archdiocese of Toronto assigns priests, deacons and trained lay chaplains to institutions across the city, and every parish, including ours, shares in that care through its own pastoral visitors. This page explains what each chaplaincy does and, most importantly, how to reach one when you need it.
Hospital chaplaincy
Every major Toronto hospital has a spiritual care department, and Catholic chaplains, some of them priests, most of them trained lay ministers, deacons or religious sisters, work within it. A Catholic chaplain can bring Holy Communion, pray with you, arrange for a priest to hear your confession or anoint you, and sit with your family in difficult moments. Toronto also has a network of on-call priests so that anointing is available at any hour.
How to request a Catholic chaplain
Tell the hospital you are Catholic
Privacy law means the hospital will not tell any church who has been admitted. When you or your family member is registered, ask that "Roman Catholic" be recorded and that you would like a visit from the Catholic chaplain.
Ask the nurse or the switchboard for Spiritual Care
Any nurse can page the spiritual care department. Tell them what you need: Communion, a conversation, or a priest for anointing. Outside office hours the on-call priest is reached the same way.
Let the parish know too
Call the office at 416-555-0142 ext. 20. We will add the name to the sick list if you wish, and one of our priests or Lay Pastoral Visitors will visit if the hospital is nearby.
Anointing of the Sick is not only for the dying
The sacrament is for anyone seriously ill, facing surgery or weakened by age, and it can be received more than once. Do not wait for the last hours. If you are going into hospital for a planned procedure, ask for anointing at St. Columba before you go. See Anointing of the Sick for details.
Long-term-care and home visits
Residents of nursing homes and retirement residences in our neighbourhood are visited by our clergy and Lay Pastoral Visitors on a monthly rotation, with a Communion service or Mass in the residence's common room. If your parent or spouse has moved into a care home anywhere in the Archdiocese, the parish that covers that address will take over visits; our office can make the introduction so no one falls through the cracks.
Parishioners who are housebound can receive Communion at home every week. Ask the office to arrange a Lay Pastoral Visitor, or speak to Deacon Ferreira after Mass.
University and college chaplaincy
The Archdiocese supports Catholic chaplaincies at the universities and colleges in Toronto, best known through the Newman Centre near the downtown campus, and through campus ministry teams at the other universities and colleges across the region. Chaplaincies offer Sunday and weekday Mass on or near campus, confession, retreats, faith-sharing groups, meals and a place to belong far from home. If a young person from our parish is heading to school this fall, encourage them to find the Catholic chaplaincy in the first week; students who connect early are far more likely to keep their faith through their studies.
Students home for the summer and Christmas are always welcome at our 5:00 PM Sunday youth and young adult Mass and at Young Adults events. Marcus Lee (youth@stcolumbatoronto.ca) can also connect students with campus ministers he knows.
Prison chaplaincy
Catholic chaplains serve the detention centres and correctional institutions in and around Toronto, celebrating Mass, leading Bible study and offering one-to-one support to inmates and, often, to their families. If a family member is incarcerated, they can ask to see the Catholic chaplain through the institution's chaplaincy office. Our St. Vincent de Paul conference also quietly supports families affected by incarceration; contact them through the office.
Our Lay Pastoral Visitors
St. Columba's Lay Pastoral Visitors are parishioners commissioned by the pastor to bring Holy Communion and the prayers of the parish to the sick, the housebound and residents of local care homes. There are currently fourteen visitors, and they serve about sixty people a month. Each has completed archdiocesan training, volunteer screening with a police vulnerable-sector check, and an annual refresher on privacy and boundaries.
- What they do: a weekly or bi-weekly visit of 20 to 40 minutes, a short rite of Communion, prayer, and news from the parish, including the bulletin.
- What they do not do: give medical or financial advice, handle money, or hear confessions; they will happily arrange a priest for those needs.
- Who coordinates: Margaret Ferreira-Silva, pastoralcare@stcolumbatoronto.ca, through the parish office.
Would you like to become a visitor? We look for people who are steady, discreet and comfortable with silence. Training runs each October and February. See Volunteer and Volunteer Screening for what is involved.
Frequently asked
My mother is in hospital tonight. Who do I call for a priest?
Ask the nurse to page Spiritual Care and request the Catholic on-call priest; every Toronto hospital has one. Then call our office; if it is after hours, the voicemail gives the emergency number for our clergy.
Can a Lay Pastoral Visitor come to a retirement residence outside the parish?
Our visitors cover the residences within our parish boundaries. For others, we will contact that parish's pastoral care team on your behalf.
Is there a cost?
No. Chaplaincy and pastoral visiting are free. Families sometimes wish to make a donation to the parish afterwards, and that is welcome but never expected.
Questions? Contact the parish office at 416-555-0142 ext. 20 or office@stcolumbatoronto.ca.