Pastor tireless in community work
Father D’Souza Drive named after founder of Mississuaga church
He created and built a church, and his legacy in Mississauga is so prominent, there’s a street named after him.
Sadly, the longtime church leader has died.
Monsignor Terence D’Souza, 85, passed away Saturday at Credit Valley Hospital.
D’Souza was a former Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board trustee and founding pastor of St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church on Mavis Rd.
He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination back in 2010.
“We need to be active agents of change — change for the better,” he proclaimed passionately during the celebratory mass. “We must be guided by a vision. We need to work through problems, not allow ourselves to be diverted from that vision.”
D’Souza climbed the ranks from secretary to the archbishop, to associate pastor in Malton. He served as a pastor in Don Mills before becoming the founding pastor who built St. Francis Church from the ground up in 1999. He called that his “crowning achievement.”
D’Souza’s infectious friendli- ness and tireless commitment to his community was publicly recognized by city council in 1999, when the street outside the church was named Father D’Souza Dr.
“He was so inspiring to listen to and to talk to,” said St. Francis parishioner Michael Fajardo. “We’re going to miss him.”
Esther O’Toole said on Facebook that D’Souza was “well- known by thousands of students and parents.”
The funeral is Saturday at St. Francis Xavier Church in Mississauga at 10 a.m.