Visit to St. John Paul the Great Family Centre - ShareLife's Supported Agency
“It was wonderful seeing what the Lord can do in a place if we let our hearts be open to meeting Him and surrender in trust to Him.”
That was the sentiment seminarian Deacon Jeremy Zou was left with after visiting one of the agencies that ShareLife supports – the St. John Paul the Great Family Centre, which is located at St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish in Toronto, providing regular after-school programs for youth and day programs for seniors.
“I was amazed at how the St. John Paul the Great Family Centre was essentially the hub for the community around the Jane and Finch area,” said Deacon Zou of his October 24th visit to the ShareLife-funded agency along with other seminarians. He was particularly impressed by the education the religious sisters, Servants of Our Lord and the Virgin of Matara, provide for the kids at the Centre.
“It was great hearing the sisters running the Centre speak about how families know to drop off their kids at this location. It shows that the Church plays an integral part of their family life, and also speaks of a deep trust they have that the Church will be there for them.”
“You can tell the sisters love these children very much,” he adds. “It was fantastic hearing how they have set up a system based on classical education, where learning literature, rhetoric, classics, etc., are emphasized. That the kids at this Centre get exposed to these works, and a balanced environment of arts and crafts, sports, food, and getting to know Christ, bodes well for their formation into virtuous and holy adults.”
The St. John Paul the Great Family Centre is one of the agencies that ShareLife, the annual charitable appeal of the Archdiocese, supports. The primary focus of ShareLife is supporting agencies that carry out the mission work of the Church, something Deacon Jeremy is grateful to have witnessed first-hand.
“It was a privilege to participate in an agency site visit to the St. John Paul the Great Family Centre with the group of seminarians,” says Wendy Wong, Associate Director, Major Gifts & Corporate Campaigns at ShareLife. “It provided me with a rare glimpse of such thoughtful and compassionate individuals who are journeying in faith towards the priesthood. As someone who works for the Archdiocese on the Development and ShareLife team, I bear witness to the incredible impact our Catholic agencies make in the world around us, guided by the love of God. It was a heartwarming reminder that we each have a role to play in serving our brothers and sisters in need.”