The Rev. Dr. John Joseph Mastandrea
The Rev. Dr. John Joseph Mastandrea became minister of spiritual growth and pastoral care development at Metropolitan United in 2000. John Joseph cut his teeth in the Etobicoke area of Toronto and now resides in Cabbagetown, he is "connected with the urban landscape, with the internal and eternal song."
He has Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Master of Divinity, Master of Religious Education, Master of Arts and Ministry of Spirituality degrees , all from the University of Toronto. John Joseph completed his Doctorate from Chicago Theological Seminary, May 2009. Ordained in 1989, he is a certified Labyrinth Facilitator, Stephen Leader, and Spiritual Director following in the footsteps of Ignatius Loyola and Teresa of Avila. John Joseph believes in nurturing body, mind and spirit. Monday to Friday at the local gymn, reading and meditating daily weaves three key components of life. Nurture for self to nurture for others. This is the credo he lives by. John Joseph is a Christian Mystic who lives by these words.
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.” Henri Nouwen
John Joseph has served congregations from the Maritimes, Saskatchewan, northern Ontario and rural Quebec to urban and suburban parts of the Greater Toronto Area.
John Joseph's volunteer work for the church and community includes: Chairperson of the Toronto South East Presbytery Pastoral Relations Commission, membership in the Toronto Area Interfaith Council, Police Chaplin to 51 Division, Membership in the Toronto Rotary, Chair Person the Toronto Rotary Community Services Committee and Chair of the World Aids Concert Committee a benefit for Casey House. Volunteer ministry has included positions as chairperson of the Worship and Liturgy Committee of Toronto Conference for four years, chairperson of the Mission Committee of Toronto South Presbytery, chairperson of the Planning and Development Committee and co-chairperson of the Christian Development Committee in York Presbytery north of Toronto, chairperson of the AIDS Committee of York Region since 1998, and member of the Pastoral Care Committee of York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill. He represented Canada as a delegate to the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, in February 1990.
Today John Joseph seeks to meet people where they are and build the capacity for relations between people in a diverse spectrum of society.
Dr. Mastandrea's Thesis: 
Mastandrea - Even The Rocks Will Cry Out (2.6 MB)
Jan 12
When the day of the new Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout people from every nation under heaven living together in one city..And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking people of faith? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own truth. Moslems, Buddhists, Hindhus, and Jews,—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’
It was a time to gather and hear the words from across the ages. The place was the home of Paul Hellyer the author of Light at the End of the tunnel. The people who were part of the colloquium include: Dr. Advaita Mandhar, Hindu ; Zul Kassamali,Moslem; Azim Shamshiev, Moslem; Rabbi Miriam Margles, Jewish; Chander Khanna, Hindhu; Zen Acharya. Buddhist; Michael Skaljin, Buddhist; Fr. Damian MacPherson, Christian, The Rev. Dr. Malcolm Sinclair, Christian; The Hon. Paul Hellyer, Christian; and The Rev. Dr. John Joseph Mastandrea, Christian. It is important as we approach this milestone of the twenty first century that we meet the opportunity presented to us. It is the moment to pause, listen and hear the insights of our brothers and sisters in faith. We have the opportunity to learn from each other as we address collectively issues of poverty and the environment. We posed the question ‘who we are and what can be done’? The who we are, is simply understood as a collection of individuals who come as ambassadors of faith to deliberate and discern a viable path forward.
At the first meeting we referrered to Karen Armstrong’s Charter for Compassion.
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
We reached the crossroads coming together again on the history of our planet we have an invitation to listen, to be, to care and grow together.
We will gather in October 2012 to explore: The beginning of belief....Poverty: The Sunset Clause
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose
Are not all these who are speaking people of faith? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own truth. Moslems, Buddhists, Hindhus, and Jews,—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’
by The Rev. Dr. John Joseph Mastandrea
