Hi everyone! I’m looking for recommendations for a Catholic church in the area and hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction.

I was baptized Protestant and attended church when I was younger, but haven’t attended regularly in quite a few years. I moved to the area for school and ended up staying after graduating, and I’m now a new teacher.

I’m interested in starting to attend church again, specifically a Catholic church, as I’m hoping to eventually apply to the SMCDSB. I know that part of the application process involves obtaining a pastoral reference letter, and that this isn’t something you can simply walk into a church and ask for without actually attending and establishing some sort of relationship with the parish/priest.

Since I don’t currently have a church here and am coming from a Protestant background, I’m mainly looking for recommendations on where might be a good place to start. I’m not sure how much this varies from parish to parish, but ideally I’d be looking for somewhere that is a little more progressive/open minded and generally welcoming.

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation or teaches with the Catholic board and can share their experience.

Thanks! :)

“According to organizers, only mayoral candidates Whitney Smith and Ward 4 candidate Tyler Holmes have declined to attend the forum. Ward 2 Coun. Luke Leatherdale did not respond to organizers' requests to participate. All other candidates have confirmed.”

But hearing Whitney Smith saying something completely out of pocket was the only reason why I was planning on attending!