Our Lady of Good Counsel Caribbean Canadian Roman Catholic Church (OLGC) celebrated its last Sunday Mass with Reverend Father Carlyle Guiseppi, on Sunday, 30th January, 2022, at 12:00 noon. Father Carlyle Guiseppi who was ordained thirty-three years ago, has been the Pastor at OLGC since September 2007, when he came to Toronto, from Trinidad and Tobago.

During his time at OLGC, he personified the church’s mission to make parishioners, mostly Caribbean immigrants, feel welcome and experience a sense of community. Ms. Penelope Griffith, a staff member of the Consulate General of Saint Lucia in Toronto, represented Saint Lucia, in an official capacity, at this special farewell service.

OLGC has a vibrant senior’s group, a soup kitchen for the needy and a devoted youth arm. Prior to the pandemic, Reverend Father Carlyle Guiseppi would conduct regular visits to the sick and other members of the community, who were unable to come to the church in person. The dedicated and dynamic parishioners participated in the upkeep of the church, as well as all programmes and events.

One of the parishioners, Head of the Parish Counsel, Nicole Paguandas, spoke fondly of Father Guiseppi’s “hands-on” approach, to getting things done, particularly the upkeep and maintenance of the church, as well as his fondness for “drumming, liming and busting a move”. During his time at OLGC, his mantra was “Peace, love and justice in which all are welcome, all are energized, all are loved”.

Father Guiseppi will be missed by his parishioners and as he eloquently orated in is his farewell remarks, “it has been a privilege to serve…If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill”. He thanked his parishioners for their time, support, strength, and encouragement and asked them to support the incoming Pastor, Father Anthony (Tony) Adusei.