Bronze Doors

Welcome to All!
To all who are weary and need rest, to all who mourn and need comfort,
To all who are lonely and need friendship, to all who sin and need a Saviour,
This church opens wide its doors and bids you welcome.

In conjunction with celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the parish and the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015, Our Lady of Sorrows Church was blessed to be the recipient of a major gift of art. The donor group, consisting of Catholics from across the Archdiocese, wished to donate a work of art to the Archdiocese of Toronto and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, to enhance the aesthetic and artistic beauty already present in the church. The Bronze Door was created in Italy by world renowned sculptor Maestro Ernesto Lamagna. With the approval of the Archdiocese of Toronto and its Sacred Art and Architecture committee, the design which combines spiritual, religious and technological components was created.

The Bronze Door will be kept open during liturgies to signify that all are welcome to join our parish family. In liturgical celebrations such as baptism, marriage and funerals, the congregation gathers at the door of the church. Through the door, new members, future couples and departed loved ones enter into the church and through the church into the life of the Triune God. Accordingly, in the early church the main entrance doors were called ‘The Gates of Heaven”. The door will function, in its structural and artistic design, as a visible sign of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:7) In context with the Jubilee Year of Mercy (December 2015-November 2016), the message of Pope Francis was to open the doors of Divine Mercy to those who wish to return to the church.

The ceremonial opening and blessing of the Bronze Door on January 9, 2016 by His Eminence Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, was the start of a new period of evangelization in our community.

Exterior of Door: St. Michael the Archangel (Patron Saint of the Archdiocese of Toronto and a central dominant Catholic figure) was chosen for the exterior of the door. Throughout church history St. Michael is represented as battling evil and is commonly shown lancing a dragon. The struggle between good and evil is shown by this artist using the scales of justice and the devil. The phrase ‘QUIS UT DEUS’ means ‘Who [is] like God?’ and is the literal translation of the name Michael. It is the victorious cry first uttered by Archangel Michael, after defending God the Father against Lucifer and the principalities and powers who opposed Him before the beginning of time (Rv 12:7- 9).

The Archangel Michael comes from within the walls of the church, leading the community gathered in worship to go forth into a world that is in need of Christian witness in order to combat the challenges and difficulties of everyday life.

Interior of Door: The inner door is dedicated to our Blessed Mother. On one side, she is standing at the cross caressing the feet of Jesus crucified. On the other side is the Pietà: Jesus has been taken from the cross and put in His Mother’s arms. The phrase: ‘VIDETE SI EST DOLOR SICUT MEUS’ (Lam 1:12) translates as: ‘See if there is any sorrow like my sorrow’. Our Blessed Mother laments on the loss of her crucified son in the most horrible form of death endured at that time.

Prayer to Our Mother of Sorrows
Our Mother of Sorrows, with strength from above you
stood by the cross,
Sharing in the sufferings of Jesus,
And with tender care you bore Him in your arms,
mourning and weeping.
We praise you for your faith, which accepted the life
God planned for you.
We praise you for your hope, which trusted that God would do great things in you.
We praise you for your love in bearing with Jesus the sorrows of His Passion.
Holy Mary, may we follow your example,
And stand by all your children who need comfort and love.
Mother of God, stand by us in our trials and care for us in our many needs.
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.