The Toronto Oratory is a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
community of priests living under the rule of life established by its founder,
Philip Neri
Saint Philip Neri , born Filippo Romolo Neri, (22 July 151526 May 1595) was an Italian Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a society of secular clergy dedicated to pastoral care and charitable work. He is sometimes refe ...
(1515-1595). It is housed next to the
Holy Family Church in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada.
History
In the early 1970s, Fr Jonathan Robinson, at that time a priest of the Archdiocese of Montreal, gathered together several young men to live as a pious community considered to be under the patronage and inspiration of St Philip Neri. On 1 November 1975 (
Solemnity of All Saints
All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are know ...
), the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
gave its approval to this community and thereby erected the Montreal Oratory. In 1979, the Apostolic Visitor of the Oratory recommended that the Oratory be transplanted to Toronto. At the invitation of Cardinal Carter, the Oratory moved to Toronto and was put in charge of Holy Family Church. In 1995 they were asked to take over the neighbouring parish of St Vincent de Paul on
Roncesvalles Avenue
Roncesvalles Avenue is a north–south minor arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at the intersection of Queen Street West, King Street (Toronto), King Street West and the Queensway running north to Dundas Street, Dundas Street ...
. In 1997, Holy Family Church burnt down, and the Oratory used St Vincent's as their main church until the new Holy Family was finished in 2001. In 2022 the Toronto Oratory Web site reported ten priests, two lay brothers, and four brother in priestly formation, making it the largest English-speaking Oratory.
Oratorian Fathers
The
Oratorian Fathers are a congregation of
secular priests
In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. Secular priests (sometimes known as diocesan priests) are priests who commit themselves to a certain geograph ...
living a community life together voluntarily without having taken
vows
A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual.
Marriage vows
Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ...
. Religious activities include several masses offered each day, officiating at weddings and funerals, and Catholic priestly services such as hearing confessions.
See also
*
Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, Parkdale
*
St Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, Toronto
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Toronto Oratory Homepage
Oratorian communities in Canada