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The Lectures in Catholic Experience 40th Anniversary series continues on Thursday, January 26th with Tiny Resurrections for Today. The presentation will be provided by Fr. Toby Collins, CR, the pastor of St. Mary's Church in downtown Kitchener and a Board member for A Better Tent City. He will be joined by special guest Marion Thomson Howell, who is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees for St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener and the founding director for A Better Tent City, Waterloo Region.

Join us in SJU's Notre Dame Chapel (SJ1) on campus or use the event page to access the live stream link that will appear on the evening of the event. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m.

Please register your in person attendance for this lecture using this link, to assist us with our planning for in person guests.  

About the Lecture

However tiny it may seem, Fr. Toby believes the presence of God is in each and every one of us. To discover it one must be willing to encounter the poor, less fortunate, oppressed, marginalized, and suffering. After reacting to the tragic stories, unpleasant smells, graphic visuals, interesting sounds, and unpredictable behaviors of the homeless population in downtown Kitchener Fr. Toby can now speak about being much richer for it.  Even inspired by it!  He wants others to have the opportunity to be rich in this way and will attempt to demonstrate how this can happen if we all work together to break down walls that keep us from encountering people we would rather not engage.  A desire to change and the action that follows could not only make us rich in new ways but help us discover a lasting experience of joy that may never go away.

The Tiny Home Takeout and the tiny homes at A Better Tent City will be looked at specifically as modern vehicles for rediscovering the tiny presence of love in the other.  Fr. Toby will unpack the effects of these programs on those experiencing poverty and isolation without neglecting to spend time on the accidental transformation experienced by volunteers and employees alike. On a roller-coaster of stories that might shake loose some of our reluctance to encounter the less fortunate, Fr. Toby hopes "we might also get more in touch with our humanity as our vulnerabilities, tears, screams, laugher, and desire for more thrills emerge.  After all this is God’s love at work, always looking for new ways to bring us all to life." 

Hang on tight!  It’s going to be a fun ride!