THE GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATION

Part One: Mass at the current church

The regularly-scheduled Masses for the weekend of 23/24 May 2026, marking the Solemnity of Pentecost, will be celebrated as usual at the current church.

Part Two: Procession to the site of the new church

At the conclusion of the 1:00 p.m. Mass (at around 2:00 p.m.), there will be a procession from the current church to the site of the new church.
Prayers and hymns will accompany the procession. Near the head of the procession will be an image of Saint Patrick.

As the procession arrives at the site, a choir of students from Saint Patrick's School will lead the singing of the hymn Hail, Glorious Saint Patrick.
All are invited to join in the singing of the hymn.

When the procession is complete and everyone has taken their place, Monsignor Owen will incense the image of Saint Patrick.

Part Three: Welcome and Introductions

At the conclusion of the hymn, Monsingor Owen will then take to the podium and welcome everyone.

Good afternoon and welcome to the Blessing and Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new church building of Saint Patrick’s Parish in Wildfield, Brampton!

We want to first acknowledge our choir of children from Saint Patrick’s School, under the direction of Roseanna Scarfo.

It was in January of 2018 when we as a parish launched the “Loaves and Fishes” Fundraising Campaign for this project. And even then, the discussions and work towards this project had been going on for years leading up to that launch. With the prayers and work of so many we have come to this special occasion.

We would like to acknowledge the presence of His Worship Patrick Brown, the Mayor of the City of Brampton, accompanied by City Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor. We welcome Her Worship Annette Groves, the Mayor of the Town of Caledon, accompanied by Regional Councillor Mario Russo. Also here with us Mister Nando Iannicca, the C.E.O. and Chair of the Regional Council of Peel Region.

Also with us today is Ron Possamai of Global Architect Incorporated.

We have here with us the members of our Parish Building Committee.

We also welcome Mister David Finnegan from the Archdiocese of Toronto, and Mister Marc Ferguson of Bemocon Contracting.

Here with us today are relatives and friends of Father Vito Marziliano. We continue to remember him as well as the late Renzo Pillon in our hearts and minds. We pray today that the work the Lord has begun in them may continue with us, and that He might bring it to fruitful completion.

We also acknowledge the presence here today of some of the priests that have served this parish in recent years.

And finally, we acknowledge you, the parishioners and friends of Saint Patrick’s in Wildfield, who have given so much of your time, talent, and treasure to get us to this point.

Part Four: Dignitaries' Remarks

There will be brief remarks from some dignitaries in attendance: Patrick Brown (Mayor of Brampton), Annette Groves (Mayor of Caledon), and Nando Iannicca (Chair of the Peel Regional Council).

Monsignor Owen will also share some reflections. 

Part Five: Rite of Blessing and Groundbreaking

Following Monsignor Owen's remarks, the choir will lead the singing of Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.

Monsignor Owen begins the Rite with the Sign of the Cross and the usual greeting. He will then lead the Prayer for the Building of the New Church.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The work we are beginning today should enliven our faith and make us grateful. We know the familiar words of the psalm: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor.” Whenever we look to the interests of our neighbour or the community and serve them, we are God’s own co-workers. Let us pray for His help through this celebration, my brothers and sisters, that God will bring this construction to successful completion and that His protection will keep those who work on it safe from injury.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit upon us, Your people. Give us vision to seek Your truth, and the courage to lovingly accept Your will. Guide us in the decisions we must make, that the work we do now, in building our new place of worship, will ensure the presence of Your reign on earth. Help us to see that what we must build is not just brick and stone, but love, compassion, and understanding among all people. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Father Cole will read a passage from scripture.

Let us listen to the word of God from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (3: 9-11):
Brothers and sisters: We are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Monsignor Owen will then pray the Prayer of Blessing of the Ground, then sprinkle the site with Holy Water.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe. You fill the entire world with Your presence and Your name is to be hallowed through all the earth. Bless all those who have worked or contributed to provide the site which today we set apart for the building of our new church. May this be a place where all may come to know the  presence of Christ, experience the joy of His friendship, and grow in His love. May Your gracious blessing, O Lord, descend like the dew from heaven upon this place and upon all who shall visit it and make it their spiritual home. You have given us joy in a work begun in Your name; may they soon celebrate Your presence in this place, and in the time to come, praise You forever in our eternal home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, now and forever. Amen!

Then, together with the dignitaries and members of the Parish Building Committee, the ceremonial first dig will take place.

With faith in Jesus Christ, this work is begun and this ground is broken in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Following the ceremonial dig, a cross-shaped hole will be dug by machine into the ground. Into this hole, the blessed oils from previous years will be poured. These are the Oils of Catechumens, for the Sick, and the Sacred Chrism. They will symbolize the prayers of all who have been part of the liturgical and sacramental life of this parish - not just since the formal launch of the "Loaves and Fishes" Fundraising Campaign in 2017, but since the beginnings of the Catholic Community of Toronto Gore around 1826 and the establishment of Saint Patrick's as a parish in Wildfield in 1830.

Then, after a final blessing, the choir will lead all in the singing of the Salve Regina.

Part Six: BBQ Celebration at Saint Patrick's Park

Participants will make their own way back to the parish park for the BBQ celebration.

Those who have pre-registered and have meal tickets will be given priority in the line. Those who have yet to pick-up their meal tickets can do so by seeing our volunteers near the entrance to the parish park.

In addition to the program guide, there are some souvenirs of remembrance for the day. There are keychains courtesy of Robert Shoemaker. There are also small containers of soil sourced from three places: the newly-blessed ground, and the graves of Father Francis McSpiritt and Father Vito Marziliano. There is a limited number of these souvenirs, so the distribution will be limited to one per household.