Our Family of Parishes wishes Fr. Felix well as he returns to his studies. We are also conscious that, due to the shortage of priests, there will be no one taking his place. In light of this, we have had to discern changes in our parish activities. In consultation with our Parish Pastoral Council and with the support of the Diocese of London, we have discerned that it will be necessary to change the daily Mass schedule as follows, beginning Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025:

Tuesday Mass: Only at St. Michael’s at 7:00pm
Wednesday Mass: Only at St. Peter’s at 12:00pm noon
Thursday Mass: Only at St. Michael’s at 7:00pm
Friday Mass: Only at St. Peter’s at 12:00pm noon

Once this new schedule takes effect on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025, there will be only one weekday Mass each day in our family of parishes, rotating between St. Michael’s and St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Note: This new schedule affects only the weekday Masses. Saturday and Sunday Masses will remain unchanged at both parishes.

Why are we doing this?
This is not a decision we took lightly. We know it impacts those who come to our daily Masses. However, it is a decision that we felt is truly necessary to allow us to serve the many other needs of our Family of Parishes. Over the past year, our three priests have been celebrating seven Masses of the Lord’s Day (Saturday vigil Mass and Sunday Masses), as well as eight weekday Masses. In addition, in 2024 we celebrated 64 funerals; we also celebrate regular Masses at four elementary schools, two high schools, and three nursing homes. We have also been invited to celebrate Mass at an additional two nursing homes. We also need to set aside time to celebrate weddings, anoint the sick, and take care of the many administrative tasks and committees in our Family of Parishes. This has been an immense workload for three priests. It needs to be re-evaluated so that when Fr. Felix has gone, Fr. Daniel and Fr. James can continue to serve effectively in our parishes.

It's not all negative, however. This model of rotating daily Masses between parishes draws us together as a Family of Parishes, increases the number of people present at Mass each day, and strengthens the sense of community we have in our Family of Parishes. It’s a great chance to meet new parishioners as we celebrate the sacraments together. This model of rotating daily Masses between two or three churches has been effective around the Diocese, where it has already been the reality for several years in most of our families of parishes. It has also opened up time in our priests’ schedules to administer the other sacraments, as well as perform the many other daily tasks and demands of parish life.

We know that this change will be significant for many of you who have set aside time each day for years to come to daily Mass. However, as we move forward with this new vision for our Family of Parishes, we ask for your prayerful support as we seek to use the gift of our time to serve you more effectively.