The Spring Banquet for 2024-2025.
As we approached the fourth year pandemic tried its hardest to end the hopes of York Catholics, but it failed, and now CCY is looking forward to an even brighter future. People are hungry for Truth, Beauty and Goodness as never before, and we hope CCY can provide a community of faith, hope and love to meet the every growing needs at the university.
Like everyone in Canada and around the world CCY was not expecting a 2 year lockdown. York University shut down in March 2020 and did not open again until April 2022. During that time CCY went online in a variety of ways. We took the All-Day Prayer & Fasting from once-a-week to 4 times-a-week. We were able to host one of the largest Alpha Online’s in Canada the year it started. Alpha Canada wanted to meet with us personally to ask how we did it. We did know because it wasn’t us. All praise to God for the inspiration!
We were also able to continue our online CCO Faith Studies, which we were able to take to new demographics that we had never touched before. Some of these CCO Faith Studies were from the prior-mentioned Alpha Course that did, and it went on to spawn another street outreach program with the ladies who started coming to our weekly All-Day Prayer & Fasting.
One thing we thanked God for was the time it allowed us to pray for when we returned. From the moment we started stepping back into Room 453 there has been so many small and big movements of grace. Each step has been encouraging as we have seen a new batch of amazing students who have been rebuilding what CCY has always been, the Catholic presence on the York campus.
We know that God has not abandoned His people, and that He is working around them at all times. We know that God wants people who are spiritually dead to walk again, people who are hurting to be healed, and people who are in need to be cared for.
CCY has been through so many seasons of God’s grace. Where God has moved, and shone His face on those who were seeking. We know that COVID cannot stop us.
Coming out of the COVID pandemic has not been easy for anyone, and the students have suffered from many unintended side effects from the pandemic. Being in lockdown for 2 years was not easy. But CCY believes that there is more to the future, and we know that we can rebuild to be stronger than ever.
At CCY plans for the future the need to engage the York campus is large. Many are looking for a community they can plug into, talk about God, the Church, the struggles they face, and the need for social interaction and engagement.
With the partnership of parents, supporters and donors, CCY knows that there is a big impact we can have on York, on Toronto, and the world.
Jesus’ plan for growth was always personal. Though he would reach out to thousands, and feed them, he still only chose 12 Disciples. After that there was an outer ring of 72, and when the Disciples were in the Upper Room on Pentecost, the number was still only 120.
Yet, those 120 Disciples went on to change to world by the hundreds then thousands and then millions. Today’s global Church is around 1.2 Billion, spanning every continent, country, city and even village. We believe that the life that was brought around the world can also be brought to the Catholic Chaplaincy at York.
Like in the time of Christ, there are still so many needs. There are so many people lacking purpose, meaning and significance. But more importantly they are missing a relationship with Christ.
As September came closer CCY prepared to welcome a whole new batch of York University students. With 55,000 total students, there are so many who come be potential York Catholics. However, too much too fast can also harm the ability to have really good leadership development and to form a new culture on campus that has alway characterized the York Chaplaincy culture.
Thankfully there were still some York Catholics from the pre-pandemic times, and they have been helpful to come alongside the new York Catholics and invite them in with games such as Code Names, Avalon and whatever else is up Dwayne’s endless sleeve of games.
By the time Christmas had rolled around the Chaplaincy was started to buzz again. The Christmas Party was well attended with every seat possible taken in the main space, and the overflow area in the hall close to capacity.
Christmas time is always a great time to connect as the graces of the season are high and everyone is in the mood for food, laughter and community.
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