How much did you know about the Population of the Archdiocese? <br/><br/>

The Archdiocese of Toronto held a council of priests on January 6, 2004. The person responsible for real estate planning for the Archdiocese, Mr. David Finnegan, gave a report on future planning at the meeting. According to the 2001 census, the Archdiocese of Toronto has a population of 5,001,575. Catholics within the Archdiocese numbered 1,638,245 or 34% of the population. Over the next 30 years, 3 million new immigrants will settle in southern Ontario, with 2 million of these within the boundaries of the Toronto Archdiocese.<br/><br/>

Among new immigrants today, Catholics consist of 24% of the total, while 58% of new immigrants are from Asian countries.<br/><br/>

The standard guideline for establishing a new parish is to have 4,420 parishioners attending Sunday mass.<br/><br/>

In order to satisfy the demand in 30 years, the Archdiocese should build 1 to 2 churches every year, with each holding 900-1000 people.<br/><br/>

The Archdiocese of Toronto presently has over 220 parishes, with over 60 parishes under governance of religious orders.<br/><br/>

Due to the aging of those in religious life, the shortage of priests will become increasingly problematic. Let us all pray here for adoption of the priestly vocation.