St. Columba ParishThrough Holy Orders a baptized man is configured to Christ in a particular way — to teach, to sanctify and to shepherd the people of God. It is conferred in three degrees by the laying on of hands and the prayer of a bishop, in a line that stretches back to the apostles.
Bishop
A successor of the apostles who leads a diocese, ordains priests and deacons, and confirms. The Archbishop of Toronto shepherds about two million Catholics in 225 parishes.
Priest
Celebrates the Eucharist, forgives sins, anoints the sick, preaches and leads a parish. Diocesan priests, like ours, promise celibacy, obedience to the bishop and a life of prayer.
Deacon
Proclaims the Gospel, preaches, baptizes, witnesses marriages, presides at funerals outside Mass and serves the poor. Permanent deacons are usually married men with careers; our Deacon Paul Ferreira is a retired teacher.
Exploring a call
A vocation rarely arrives as a bolt of lightning. It is usually a quiet, persistent question — "could I?" — that grows in prayer, is tested by wise people, and is confirmed by the Church. If you are asking the question, you are already discerning. Some next steps:
Talk to a priest
Fr. Moreau and Fr. Nguyen are glad to have a conversation, without commitment. So is Deacon Paul, for men considering the diaconate.
Pray and serve
Daily Mass when you can, adoration on Thursdays, confession regularly, and a ministry — altar serving, the pantry, youth ministry — where you serve people rather than talk about serving them.
Contact the Vocations Office
The Archdiocese's Office of Vocations runs discernment evenings, "Come and See" weekends at St. Augustine's Seminary and a Quo Vadis retreat for young men. See vocationstoronto.ca and our vocations page.
Formation
Seminary formation for the priesthood takes six to eight years, including philosophy, theology and pastoral placements. Permanent deacons are formed over four years of evening and weekend study with their wives' involvement, applying through their pastor after age 35.
Sons of the parish
St. Columba has given the Church four priests and two permanent deacons since 1954: Fr. Kevin Doyle (ordained 1971), Fr. Antonio Ferraro (1988), Fr. Mark Osei (2009) and Fr. Paul Tran (2021), and Deacons Frank Costa (1999) and Paul Ferreira (2015). Their photographs hang in the parish hall. We pray for vocations at every weekend Mass, and the Serra Club sponsors a seminarian each year.
A prayer for vocations
Lord Jesus, you called the apostles to leave their nets and follow you. Call from our parish generous hearts to serve your Church as priests, deacons, sisters and brothers. Give those you call the courage to answer, and give us the faith to support them. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. Amen.
Can married men become priests?
In the Latin Church, priests are ordained from among unmarried men who promise celibacy, with rare exceptions for former ministers of other traditions. Married men may be ordained permanent deacons.
What about women?
The Church teaches that it cannot ordain women. Women lead much of the parish's life — Sr. Agnes coordinates all our faith formation — and the Church's religious sisters, lay ministers and theologians are vocations in their own right; see our vocations page.