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Spiritual Reflection
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November 14, 2009 | | | |  | 2009 ShareLife ,Thank You
He delivers and rescues, he works wonders in heaven and on earth. - Daniel 6:27
Dear Father,
At a time when it was more difficult than usual to give, the parishioners of the Archdiocese of Toronto have demonstrated true generosity toward their brothers and sisters in need, here in our communities and around the world.
Thank you for your leadership in the 2009 ShareLife appeal at your parish and thanks to all your parishioners who participated in the campaign in any way.
The overall Parish Campaign raised $11,439,697 in 2009, funds that were desperately needed to sustain the essential work of the ShareLife family of agencies. While some of us may have “tightened our belts” in the past several months, it is those people whose belts were already tightened who have been most dramatically affected by recent economic conditions. And now they are turning to ShareLife agencies for material, psychological and spiritual assistance in order to get through the day.
We are called by our Lord as a family of faith to be our brothers' and sisters' keepers. Participation in the annual ShareLife appeal is an important way for us to fulfill that obligation. Through our collective support of ShareLife agencies, the homeless find shelter, the hungry are fed, the vulnerable find protection and the troubled find peace.
The words King Darius used to describe the God of Daniel, our God, ring as true today as they did when Daniel was saved from the lions. We are the hands of God on the earth today. Through our participation in ShareLife, people continue to be rescued and wonders continue to be worked.
May Our Lord bless you always.
Yours sincerely in the Lord,
Thomas C. Collins,
Archbishop of Toronto | | | | | |
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 Our Lady of Lourdes - In 1858, in a grotto, near Lourdes in southern France, Our Lady appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl. She revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, asked that a chapel be built on the site of the vision, and told the girl to drink from a fountain in the grotto. When Bernadette dug at a spot designated by the apparition, a spring began to flow. The water from this still flowing spring has shown remarkable healing power, though it contains no curative property that science can identify. Lourdes has become the most famous modern shrine of Our Lady. |
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