​As I pause to reflect on the beauty of our Christmas celebrations here at St. Julia there are so many people that I wish to thank: our director of music Dr. David Holler and our wonderful choir for drawing us into the mystery of Christ’s birth through song; to Sophie Timmins, Bolu Fowler, Jennifer Enns Modolo, Brielle Kaminsky who shared with us their vocal gifts; Isabella Goveia
on violin and Oreoluwa Fowler on piano; our decorating team, with special thanks to Rebecca Alfieri and Annette Mastracci for the sharing of their time and talents; Peter and Marianne Van Beurden of Westland Greenhouse for the donation of the gorgeous poinsettias; the Liturgy of the Word with Children
team, with special thanks to Liz Wood and Margaret Ricciuto, and to our children who acted out the Christmas story of Jesus’s birth; our ministers of the Word, ministers of the Eucharist, and ushers; our altar servers and in a special way the new servers who accepted the invitation to serve at the altar; our caretakers Mary McNamee and Jim Salmon for the preparing of our Church for our liturgies; to our office team, Chris Buckley and Cheryl Wood, for their dedication to our parish and for always going above and beyond; the collection counting team, for their time and accuracy; to Deacon George and Deacon Brian, for their commitment to our community and for assisting me. And most importantly, to each of you, the faithful family of St. Julia, for your presence, with your families and friends at our Christmas celebrations, and for the generosity extended to me, a big thank you for the many cards, gifts and goodies, I thank you for your kindness, love, and most importantly prayers. Thank you to all for making my first Christmas here at St. Julia a most
memorable, joyous, and special occasion. It is my honour to serve here as your pastor. May God bless each of you and those that you love, today and always!

​Fr. Greg

Welcome to our Christmas Celebrations!  I’m so glad that you have joined us for this most joyous of occasions here at  St. Julia Church. 

The birth of Jesus is the greatest work of God because it illuminates for us God’s great love for each and everyone of us.  God took on our human flesh, becoming one of us, by sending his son  Jesus Christ to walk with us and to give us such a beautiful glimpse into the heart of our creator.  Our salvation and eternal happiness rest in the loving arms of Jesus Christ. It is with open arms that we welcome you here at St. Julia Church.  This caring community of believers is a place where all are welcome, and it is my prayer that every time you join us you are drawn into the great mystery of our faith – a faith centered on Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the word made flesh.  This is what we celebrate with the birth of Jesus – the Prince of Peace.

It is my prayer that you experience and encounter the peace of Christ when you join us for Mass, and take that gift of peace into your homes, schools, places of work, and out into our world. 

May the peace of Christ be with you this Christmas Day, and may our loving God bless each of you and those that you love, today and always.
​
Merry Christmas!

Christmas music has been on the radio since the beginning of November. Decorations have been up in our homes and in the malls for some time now. Yet, in the Church, our focus has been on one thing. The coming of Christ, who is now near, very near. When we gather, we have paused to take in the miracle of this historic event in salvation history. The Advent wreath, a powerful symbol of patient waiting, has been our simple decoration in our Church. For us, disciples of Christ, Christmas begins with the birth of Christ at Christmas. This is in fact when the 12 days of Christmas begin. This is when we joyously begin singing our Christmas music. It continues through to the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ. This is what Christmas is all about. As we make our final Christmas preparations, let us find peace in the beauty of this season, and what this season is truly about.  

​This is our faith, this is what we believe!

That the distance Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem was a journey of 112 km and took them approximately 3 days by donkey?  That’s almost the exact distance from St. Julia Church to the CN Tower!