It is my immense pleasure to welcome you to Blessed Frédéric Ozanam Parish and our website! We are a new Catholic parish, having just completed our third year of coming together as a dynamic and flourishing community of faith in the Markham East area.
We have the special distinction of being the first Catholic church in North America to be bestowed the name of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, who founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. As many of you are aware, this organization began in 1833, and still operates today in 150 countries, caring for the poor and less fortunate while respecting individual dignity, and treating everyone as sons and daughters of our loving God. The annual feast day of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam has been designated by the Church as September 9th, so every year we honour and remember him in a special way on that day.
The excitement of building a new parish also comes with some apprehension of the many challenges yet before us. First and foremost, we are here to build and nurture a faith filled community and to this end, I know God will guide us well. With the loving support of our parish family and volunteers who give generously of their time and talent in the many ministries in our parish, we are building a strong foundation which exemplifies our motto, “With hearts and hands we serve”. I invite you to be part of this extraordinary mission of forming a new parish family dedicated to giving glory to our heavenly Father and being His hands, feet, and heart to those in need. That is what our patron, Blessed Frédéric was all about.
Please join us for our weekend Masses at St. Brother André Catholic High School, located at 6160 – 16th Avenue in Markham. We celebrate Mass on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m., 10.30 a.m. and 12 noon. Our weekday Masses are temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and our restricted access to St. Brother André CHS as mandated by the YCDSB.
As we lead our parish into its fourth year, I ask for your prayers and humbly assure you of mine. I encourage you to pray one Hail Mary each day for the intentions of the continued growth of our parish. I invite you to peruse our website and to join us for Mass. I look forward to meeting you and your family. If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to call me at 289-554-0556, Ext. 8. God bless and protect you always.
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam… pray for us.
Yours in the Love of Christ,
Fr. Rick
Pastor, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam Parish