St. Columba ParishUnder Church law the pastor is responsible for the parish, but no pastor should carry that responsibility alone. Two councils and two committees, made up of parishioners who give their evenings for free, help Fr. Moreau read the needs of the community, spend its money wisely, keep the roof sound, and make sure people know what is going on. Their meetings are not secret. Minutes are posted on the bulletin board by the east entrance and summarized in the bulletin, and any parishioner can bring an item forward.
Parish Pastoral Council
The Pastoral Council is a consultative body that helps the pastor discern the direction of the parish. It does not run ministries or manage money; it listens, reflects and advises. Its main work over the past two years was the consultation that produced the 2025–2028 pastoral plan, and its main work now is helping the pastor keep that plan on track.
Members serve a three-year term, renewable once. Half are elected by parishioners at the annual parish meeting each May; half are appointed by the pastor so that every language community and age group has a voice.
Members by role
- Chair — Grace Okafor, elected 2024
- Vice-chair — Roberto Mendes, Portuguese community
- Secretary — Jennifer Tan
- Ex officio — Rev. Daniel Moreau (pastor), Rev. Joseph Nguyen, Deacon Paul Ferreira, Sr. Agnes Ibeh
- Elected members — one representative each for liturgy, faith formation, outreach and social justice, youth and young adults
- Appointed members — one representative each for the Spanish, Tagalog, Italian and Tamil communities, plus one for seniors
Meetings and raising an item
The council meets on the second Tuesday of the month, 7:30–9:00 PM, in the rectory meeting room, September through June. To raise an item, email the secretary at office@stcolumbatoronto.ca with "Pastoral Council" in the subject line at least one week before the meeting, or put a note in the suggestion box at the back of the church. You will get a written reply after the meeting, usually within two weeks.
Finance Council
Every parish in the Archdiocese of Toronto is required to have a Finance Council. Ours reviews the monthly accounts, prepares the annual budget, approves any spending over $5,000, oversees the annual review by the Archdiocese, and reports to parishioners each February. Members are appointed by the pastor for three-year terms and bring accounting, banking, legal and property experience. The current chair is Anthony Carvalho, CPA; the council meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM.
2025 financial summary
These figures are from the report presented at the February 2026 parish meeting. The full report, with notes, is available from the office.
| Income | 2025 | Expenses | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday offertory (envelopes, loose, e-transfer) | $612,400 | Salaries and benefits | $386,200 |
| Pre-Authorized Giving | $188,900 | Building operations (heat, hydro, insurance, cleaning) | $174,800 |
| Christmas and Easter collections | $74,300 | Liturgy and music | $41,600 |
| Hall rentals and events | $38,600 | Faith formation and youth | $32,900 |
| Bequests and special gifts | $45,000 | Repairs and maintenance | $88,300 |
| Other (candles, certificates, interest) | $19,200 | Archdiocesan assessment | $97,500 |
| Office, communications, other | $46,700 | ||
| Total income | $978,400 | Total expenses | $868,000 |
| Surplus (transferred to the capital reserve for the roof) | $110,400 | ||
Separately, parishioners gave $96,800 to ShareLife in 2025, exceeding our parish goal of $90,000. ShareLife funds are collected by the parish but passed entirely to the Archdiocese's charitable agencies and are not part of parish income. To support the parish, see ways to give.
Building & Maintenance Committee
A subcommittee of the Finance Council, this group of six parishioners with trades and engineering backgrounds walks the buildings twice a year, keeps a ten-year capital plan, gets quotes for major work and supervises contractors. Current priorities are the church roof (replacement scheduled for summer 2027), the hall kitchen, and converting the remaining lighting to LED. Chair: Frank Petrucci. Meets quarterly, or as projects require. Parishioners who notice a problem with the buildings should tell the office; the committee reviews every report.
Communications Committee
Formed in 2023, the Communications Committee looks after the weekly bulletin, this website, the parish email list, the livestream and the sign on Columba Avenue. It also helps ministries publicize their events and makes sure notices reach every language community. Members include a retired journalist, a graphic designer, two high-school students who run the livestream and the parish secretary. Chair: Priya Raman. Meets on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 PM. To submit a bulletin notice, email office@stcolumbatoronto.ca by Tuesday noon for the following weekend.
Serving on a council
Vacancies are announced in the bulletin each spring. Any registered parishioner over eighteen may stand for the Pastoral Council; the Finance Council seeks people with relevant professional experience. All members complete the Archdiocese's volunteer screening. If you would like to know more, speak with any council member after Mass or contact the office.