Welcome
Whether it is your first time here or your first-time in a long time, we are delighted to have you join us today. Please make yourself at home, and we look forward to getting to know you better!
—Fr. Mike Leclerc, Pastor
New to St. Ignatius? Leave us your details to connect and we’ll be in touch soon.
How well do you know Christmas?
While you wait, why not test your Christmas knowledge?
What’s Christmas about anyway?
The short answer: Jesus
Fun fact: The word for Christmas comes from the late Old English Cristes Maesse, or Mass of Christ.
Christmas—or specifically, the feast of the Nativity of the Lord—celebrates the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ.
Was Jesus actually born on December 25?
Unfortunately, Jesus’ birth certificate was not included in the New Testament.
While the exact date is not given to us in Scripture, we do have some documented evidence. The earliest written account to Christmas being celebrated on December 25 was by St. Hippolytus of Rome (c. 204 CE):
“For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December 25th, a Wednesday, while Augustus was in his forty-second year, but from Adam, five thousand and five hundred years.”
Other early Christians proposed other dates, but by the 4th century, the Catholic Church has celebrated Christmas on December 25.
Were there really three wise men
It’s never actually specified how many came to visit Jesus.
The tradition was developed based on the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that they brought Jesus.
Since the seventh century, the Catholic Church has recognized these three Magi as Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.
Nativity? Manger? Crèche?
If you’ve always wondered what these and other words mean, but were too afraid to ask. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
Nativity
The word Nativity comes from the Latin term nativus, which means “born.”
Manger
A feeding trough or food box that holds hay for larger farm animals like cattle, horses, and donkeys.
Crèche
It’s just another word for “Nativity scene,” borrowed from French. Literally, it means “crib.”
Hark!
From Old English, it means “listen”
Immaculate Conception
Contrary to popular belief, it does not refer to the conception of Jesus, but to the miraculous conception of Mary without Original Sin.
Liked what you heard?
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A little bit about us
Our vision & mission
We are a welcoming and joyful spiritual home where people encounter Jesus, choose to follow him, and become fully alive.
We are missionary disciples helping all people to know, love and serve Christ and His Kingdom. Our mission is to make disciples of all nations, starting here, starting now.
Meet our pastor, Fr. Mike
Fr. Michael Leclerc is no stranger to the St. Ignatius community. This was the parish where he grew up, where many of his friends still reside. This was the place where he was most comfortable, most at home.
However, upon his assignment in 2016, he quickly realized it was no longer the vibrant parish of his youth. Since then, Fr. Mike has been committed to the transformation of not only, our commmunity, but the entire city of Montreal.
Transforming our city, by transforming parishes to transform lives
In 2022, St. Ignatius of Loyola reached an important milestone: a missionary partnership with another parish, St. Willibrord. At one point in its history, it was the largest English-speaking Catholic parish in Canada, but when it reopened after COVID, only 20 people came back to Mass.
After some discernment, 27 missionaries were sent from St. Ignatius to renew St. Willibrord. Now, a year later, the community is slowly growing with a weekly attendance of around 150.