Location
Date and Time
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
About this Event
Dear SFDS parish family members and friends throughout our Archdiocese... ALL are invited to a very special night of Praise, Worship, and Healing, led by my friend, Fr. Francis Ching of the Companions of the Cross. The cost is ZERO dollars, best deal in town!
Please arrive early to our church (before 7pm) on Friday, Oct. 18 to settle in. We'll be praying for you all, leading up to this 'must experience' event.
And... do you have friends who are non-Catholic and could use some extra prayers? Bring 'em along too! Again, as always, all are welcome.
Here are some excerpt taken from the Companion of the Cross’ website about Father Francis:
What was your background before you joined the CC?
I, Fr. Francis Ming Chung Ching, was born in HK in 1972 into a Catholic family. My family immigrated to Toronto in 1986. During my undergraduate studies in Waterloo, I experienced a personal conversion to Jesus and became very active in my faith through involvement with Waterloo Chinese Catholic Community and an annual young adult retreat called Eastern Canada Chinese Catholic Living Camp(ECCCLC). Shortly after, people began to notice in me a possible vocation to the priesthood and encouraged me to pursue it. A confirming sign came in 1997 at WYD and I decided to begin seminary preparation in 1998.
What led you to join this community?
Although I had made a couple of visits and was genuinely inspired by their brotherhood and the worship at St. Mary’s, initially, I did not intend to join the Companions of the Cross. I felt that the Lord wanted me to minister to the Chinese communities in Toronto. I began my Philosophy studies in Toronto and explored both the semi-monastic and the diocesan lifestyles. However, I was not satisfied, so I reread the book “We are Called the Companions of the Cross”, obtained from a previous visit with Fr. Bob. It was in reading this book that I realized the Lord was calling me to the Companions: everything said in it was exactly what the Lord had been placing on my heart over the years. I joined the community in 1999, and was ordained in 2005. I was born with glaucoma and was diagnosed legally blind. My eye condition was severely worsened four years into my first assignment at St. Timothy Parish in Toronto due to complications. The condition was stabilized after two surgeries and losing the ability to read.
What kind of ministry are you doing now?
Starting in July, 2015, I am full-time doing evangelization work: half of my time I help providing formation and training for the Fountain of Love and Life, a Chinese media evangelization charitable organization that produces a weekly TV and radio program and web content; the rest of my time I give retreats, parish missions, and workshops wherever I’m called to serve. I am also the spiritual director for Eastern Canada Chinese Catholic Living Camp.
