Saint Clare’s Beacon

St. Clare’s Roman Catholic Church: 1118 St. Clair Ave W, Toronto

Vol 1, No 2 - Summer 2016

A Season of CelebrationAt the Easter Vigil this year, we welcomed eight new members into the Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program. It was a joyous occasion for the RCIA candidates, who were baptized and/or received First Communion and Confirmation at the celebration.

There were also about 80 candidates for First Communion from St. Clare’s School and Stella Maris as well as private and public schools in the area. Their three preparation classes included songs, a video on Pope Francis’s Laudato ‘Si as well as taking up homework from their workbooks.

RCIA candidate Inoka De Silva (left) with sponsor Anne Hanley

Parents were vital in helping the children with their homework. “It was great to see their involvement in their children’s journey,” says coordinator Nina Virginillo. Nina worked with fellow coordinators Sarafina Filippo and Freddy Rocca, and a multitude of volunteers.

For Confirmation, in addition to attending the four classes, children participated in a retreat where, in addition to prayers, they had icebreaker games, a Test Your Faith game where tables competed with each other for a prize, and groups worked together to develop and perform a skit.

RCIA candidate Teresa Serraino (right) with sponsor Adelina Cotognini

The program ended with an Examination of Conscience in the church, where Father Xavier was available for confessions.

”I was truly moved to witness so many candidates taking the opportunity to go for Confession,” says Nina.

From our Pastor...“You will show me the path of life,

fullness of joy in your presence.”

- (Psalm 16)

Dear parishioners,

I am truly happy to have been assigned to this beautiful parish, St. Clare’s.

After four years as an associate (two years in Mississauga and two years in Brampton), I was asked to come to your home, your church. I am so honoured and humbled by this call, totally unexpected, yet already pleased by it.

I ask for your prayers, I really need them, especially at the beginning of this new epic adventure. Let us ask God His plan for us and, together, let us follow Him wherever He may want us to go and so experience joy and fulfillment.

St. Clare, pray for us.

Amen.

Father Francesco

If you would like more information about these programs, please call the rectory office at (416) 654-7087.

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Making A Joyful NoiseWhen the members of the Italian choir are asked what they like about their group, the answer is unanimous: “Luigi!” They mean Luigi Rizzo, who is their Italian choir director, as well as the organist and cantor at the 5:00 Saturday Mass and the 9:00 and 10:30 Sunday Masses. A graduate of St. Michael’s Choir School, Luigi has fine-tuned his music skills with a degree in recording arts management from the Harris Institute for the Arts.

One reason the Italian choir sounds so, well, heavenly might be that they have been together for so long. Some have been singing at St. Clare’s since 1976, when then-pastor Father Giuseppe Dal Ferro moved here from St. Matthew’s and convinced them to come along with him. Among the long-time members are Anna Tiracchia, Ennio Di Ianni, Anna Cazzola, and brothers Arturo and Aladino Galli.

Italian Choir (from right) Front row: Grazia Pupo, Nazarena Ariganello. Second row: Maria Pasta, Maria Sanita. Third row: Vincenza Di Vizio, Lucia Lista, Anna Tiracchia, Rosa Ricci, Maria Stirpe, Ennio Di Ianni, Gaetano Spinosa, Vittorio Ricci. Back row: Germano Casciato, Franco Savazzi. Missing: Anna Cazzola, Carmela D’Alessio, Arturo and Aladino Galli, Santina Granieri, Norbert Rose.

The English choir, which sings at the noon Mass, is a smaller group but no less passionate and close-knit. “Margaret [Cavosi, a long-time parishioner and former choir member] is the one who got me into the choir,” says long-time member Therese Wong. She has returned the favour, encouraging other people to join.

But you don’t have to be a long-time parishioner to be part of the choir. Donna Webster joined about three years ago, after having been in choirs at other churches. “The one thing that holds me, no matter what else happens, is the concept of praising God,” she says.

We are also blessed at St. Clare’s to have stunning soloists. At the 5 pm Mass is Sandra DeFrancesca, who has been singing here for the past 18 years. She has cultivated her music since high school, when she participated in concerts at Roy Thomson Hall; she is now

studying piano as well. But there’s more to life than music; Sandra is now studying for her Masters in nutritional science. She moved out of the area six years ago, but continues to volunteer her talent here. “I am truly blessed to be among many talented and good people at St. Clare’s over the

years,” she says. “I have learned so much from them.”

The soloist at the noon Mass is Antonella Cavallaro, a lifelong St. Clare’s parishioner who is now pursuing a career in opera. “The choral experience is one like no other,” she says. “You really get a sense of community and family. It is wonderful to see our choir coming together to create something beautiful.” And, she adds, “The view from up here is great!”

English Choir (from left) Front row: Joy St-Onge, Donna Webster, Zenaida del Mundo. Back file: Therese Wong, Sonja Samsa, Gloria Nunez. Missing: Marigen Lanterno, Isabel Mazzotta, Stella Marblestein, Lita Medrano.

The English choir director and organist at the noon Mass is Paul Emlyn Jessen, a native of New Zealand. He has three music degrees, and directs several other choirs around the city. Singing helps people who are learning English, he says, and it can even improve brain health—you need to breathe deeply to sing well and that gets more oxygen to your cells. He thinks musical

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Saint Clare: Lover of PovertyBy John Francis Carsone, OFS

Most people—Catholics, non-Catholics and non-Christians—know something about Saint Francis of Assisi. Few, if any, know Saint Clare. We who worship in a church dedicated to her should not be among the ill-informed. So let me shed a bit of light.

Clare’s family was part of the nobility in Assisi but her mother often visited the city’s poor to distribute alms. She took Clare and her sister along, and Clare was deeply affected by these visits.

When she was 18 years old, Clare heard a new preacher, Francesco Di Bernardone, speak. She was moved by his words, and arranged to speak with him briefly. His counsel to her was to forsake her wealth and position for love of Jesus Crucified. On the night of Palm Sunday in the year 1212, Clare went to Francis, accompanied by a cousin, and sacrificed her soft clothing for the rough and coarse habit of penance. This act is commemorated in the stained-glass window over the door of the church entrance.

Francis arranged for Clare to live with the Benedictine nuns until he moved her to San Damiano, where she spent the next 40 years of her life in prayer, penance and poverty. Her mother and one sister—and eventually many other women—were to join her in what was to become a new order of nuns. These were difficult times in Europe, with city-states constantly warring with each other. In one conflict, Clare saved Assisi from enemy attack by standing at the city walls

holding up a monstrance containing the Body of Christ (shown in a window above the altar).

Though Clare referred to herself as the “Plantella,” or plant of St. Francis, she was his equal in faith and is the only foundress of a religious order to have written her own Rule of Life for her followers. She refused to yield to Rome’s opposition to its austerity, and her Rule was finally approved by the Pope on the day before she died. This Friday, August 12 at 7pm, we will celebrate the Transitus of St. Clare: This commemorates not the day of her death, but her transition from mortal life on Earth to eternal life with God.

Clare is a contradiction to the world—a world that thrives on glamour and glitz. As her children, may we do likewise.

St. Clare, pray for us.--------John Francis Carsone, OFS, is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. Members of this order, both men and women, do not live in a religious community but in the everyday world. At their profession they pledge themselves to live the Gospel in the manner of St. Francis by means of a Rule of Life approved by the Church.

training should start early. “Teach the kids in school to learn some of the common hymns or sung responses, such as “Holy, Holy, Holy,” he says.

One thing all the musicians agree on: There’s always a need for more good voices to add to the joyful sound. If you’re interested, come up to the choir loft after any of the masses and speak to Luigi or Paul, or any of the singers. (The English choir takes a break for the summer, but the Italian choir sings year-round.)

- Ruth Hanley

Upcoming PilgrimageGet ready for a parish pilgrimage to the Martyr’s Shrine in Midland on Thurs. Sept. 22. leaving at 8am and returning at 7pm. The Shrine, which is consecrated to the memory of the Canadian Martyrs, is the only national shrine outside of Quebec. This trip will be a chance for us to bond and to celebrate the Year of Mercy by passing through the Holy door. Cost is $35. Call the office for more information.

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St. Clare’s Beacon will be published quarterly. Its mandate is to communicate news and events about our parish, and to help parishioners grow in faith and love of God and each other.

Contributors: John Francis Carsone, OFS; Angelo Della Pia; Ruth Hanley; Michael Monteleone

If you have a question you’d like answered, or have an idea for a story or would like to write for a future issue, please contact us at:stclaresbeacon@gmail.com.

St. Clare’s Roman Catholic Church133 Westmount Avenue Toronto, ON M6E 3M6Tel: (416) 654-7087 | Email: office@stclareparish.ca

For more news about St. Clare’s on an ongoing basis, visit our website: www.stclareparish.ca

The Joy of LovePope Francis’ teaching is a must-read

Earlier this year, Pope Francis released his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love). The document reflects on the 2014 and 2015 synods of bishops on the family, and highlights much of what was discussed during those sessions. After having read the 264-page English translation, I can say without hesitation that reading the document in full is well worth the time investment as it proved to be a nourishing experience for me.

These days, many of us are too busy to even consider reading a 264-page papal document; instead, many people—even if they noticed that the document had been released—would settle on a high-level summary generated from headlines and sound bites in the mainstream media (or even worse, from internet bloggers). Sadly, many of the media reports related to Amoris Laetitia seem to focus only on out-of-context quotes and analysis, and that does a disservice to the intent of the document, which is meant to be read slowly, with appropriate periods of personal reflection.

Those who were hoping the Pope would create new rules for the Church, especially in regards to the Eucharist, unfairly regard the Amoris Laetitia as offering unclear direction. In fact, the goal of the writing goes much deeper than a change of doctrine. The Pope instead challenges us to treat each other based less on the circumstances in our lives and more on who we are as children of God. He calls us each to take a hard look at how we interact with the members of our family unit

as well as how we treat those in families that may be different than our own. This internal reflection cannot be fully and deeply considered simply by reading someone else’s interpretation of the document.

As is fitting in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis asks the clergy and laity alike to love as Jesus loved, regardless of what church rules we may have violated. He reminds us that in some way, each of us falls short and we are all responsible to ensure no one feels excluded from the mercy that Jesus offers to us all.

-- Michael Monteleone

You can read the full text of Amoris Laetitia for yourself at https://www.archtoronto.org/media-centre/news-archive/chancery-news/apostolic-exhortation-amoris-laetitia-joy-of-love.

Pet Corner

Jake is Lucy Stellato’s Maltese puppy. He came to live with Lucy back in February and she says he is such a treat to have around. “He loves our home, our neighbours, the kids. And the world is just a novel place for him now,” says Lucy. “He brings joy to me on a daily basis with a sweet but spunky disposition. He thinks I need to adapt to his schedule...while I think not.”

Do you have a picture of one of your pets? Send it in, and tell us what makes your pet so special to you. Email us at: stclaresbeacon@gmail.com.

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