... Still More Photos

Here are a couple of "urban snaps" taken this last spring, one with a "blad" and one with my Nikon glass.

Church Parade

Nestled among the row-houses of inner-city Toronto (Parkdale, to be exact, whose denizens include drug addicts and prostitutes uneasily coexisting with a gentryfying bourgeoisie) is one of the landmarks of Toronto Catholicism, a gem of orthdoxy with an ascetic, musically rich liturgy.

Holy Family Church is a place that takes Roman Catholicism seriously, with erudite sermons that don't talk down, an emphasis on traditional beliefs and morality, and a rich musical tradition centred around Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony. The priests and brothers living there are members of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, an order of secular priests with religious houses in Europe, North America and Australia. They have been there since 1983.

The Oratorians there run two busy parishes (Holy Family Church, with a predominantly Filipino congregation and St. Vincent de Paul, in a predominantly Polish part of town) and a seminary. The latter prepares future priests from dioceses across Canada and in the United States, particularly those who strictly adhere to Church practices.

The church also offers a two-week course on the Catechism and related topics every year.

Holy Family Church occasionally makes its presence visible in the neighborhood.

Last May, the parish staged a Mother's Day parade in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, complete with priests, seminarians, children receiving First Communion, and the local branch of the Knights of Columbus.

See for yourself.

A Journey of a thousand leagues ...

begins with single step. This is my first personal blog ... ever! And welcome.

The name "TMR-BRAT" comes from the fact, that I grew up in the Town of Mount Royal, an inner suburb of Montreal, Canada. I now live in Toronto (I still root for the Canadiens NHL hockey team):

My objective is to present myself on-line, specifcally:

News and items of interest regarding my surroundings in Toronto.

Showcase my photographs (also mainly of Toronto)

To offer news and comments about Catholicism from a Toronto point of view.

Go into some of the details of my personal life.

More to follow later.