Cardinal Collins Celebrations in March

To the left is the Coat of Arms of Archbishop Thomas Collins.  As the Archbishop is elevated to the office of Cardinal - one of the changes will be to his coat of arms.  The Hat will be red, and there will be another "layer" of tassels - so there will be 5 layers - with the bottom layer being 5 tassels across.  (3 layers of tassels for a Bishop, 4 layers for an Archbishop, and 5 layers for a Cardinal).  
The details of the local celebrations to welcome Cardinal-designate Collins upon his return from Rome have now been shared with the Parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Both the Archdiocese and its parishes want to ensure that Catholics throughout the Archdiocese know that they will personally have a chance to pray and celebrate with Canada's newest cardinal through a series of regional celebrations scheduled for March.

The following celebrations are open to the public and will include Mass (beginning at 7:30 p.m.) followed by a reception.

• Thursday, March 1, 2012 – Central Pastoral Region – Blessed Trinity Parish, Toronto - 3220 Bayview Ave. 
• Wednesday, March 7, 2012 – Eastern Pastoral Region – St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Pickering - 1148 Finch Ave.
• Monday, March 12, 2012 – Western Pastoral Region – St. Francis Xavier Parish, Mississauga - 5650 Mavis Rd.
• Tuesday, March 13, 2012 – Northern Pastoral Region – St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Woodbridge - 150 St. Francis Ave.

The Diocese of Hamilton is also planning a similar celebration in the new cardinal's hometown of Guelph for later in the month.

We continue to hold Cardinal-Designate Collins in our prayers as he journeys to Rome in the next weeks for this celebration.

Peace