Come to Serve, and not to be Served<br/><br/>

On Saturday, June 19, 2004, Bishop Boissoneau will ordain our parishioner Mr. Michael Tim-Kam Ho as a Deacon. Thereafter Michael will take up his ministerial service in our parish and he will also serve as a chaplain to the seamen in the port of Toronto. His ministerial duties in our parish include delivery of Eucharist to the congregation during mass, officiate at the Sacrament of Matrimony for our parishioners, proclamation of the Gospel and preaching sermon, and presiding funeral observances.<br/><br/>

Ever since the Second Vatican Council, the Church of the Latin Rite (Roman Catholic Church) re-established the Order of Permanent Diaconate, while the Church of the Eastern Rite (Orthodox, Greek, Ukrainian Catholic Churches) has never abandoned this role. For those married men who have been called to the Order of Permanent Diaconate, it is mandatory that they have their wives’ consent, support and cooperation.<br/><br/>

Deacon Michael Ho, his wife Isabella, and their children Teresa and John Paul immigrated to Canada in 1988. Prior to his immigration, Michael was the vice-president of an American Bank. He is currently teaching in the ESL programme with the York Region Roman Catholic School Board. Michael and Isabella have been married to each other for 27 years. In 1999 Michael participated in the ‘Call by Name’ living camp held at De La Salle Centre, and thereafter he decided to undertake the training to become a permanent deacon. May God bless Michael and his family.<br/><br/>

Note: Recently flooding had overwhelmed and wreaked havoc upon Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea. They are in need of all kind of humanitarian aids at an international level. Therefore, our archdiocese requests all parishes for generous donations to the ShareLife for this cause. Cheques should be addressed to “ShareLife – Chinese Martyrs Catholic Church – Flood Relief”. All donations will be consolidated and handed over to the ShareLife for this purpose by the parish.