St. Thomas Anglican Church
Encyclopedia
St. Thomas's Anglican Church also known as St. Thomas's, Huron Street is a parish of the Anglican Church of Canada
located at 383 Huron Street in Toronto
, Ontario
. It was one of the earliest Anglo-Catholic congregations in Canada
. It was established in 1874, moving twice before settling into its present building, adjacent to the Annex
on the western edge of the University of Toronto
's downtown campus.
The liturgy and music at St. Thomas's make it a "destination" church. Many people who do not live within the boundaries of the Parish attend services.
building designed in 1893 by architect and parishioner Eden Smith
(1858–1949). The building was altered in 1917 to add a baptistry.
The aesthetic theorist and poet T.E. Hulme attended St. Thomas's while living in Toronto briefly in 1906 after leaving Cambridge University. He is an important figure in Modernist literature
, influencing, among others, Ezra Pound
and T.S. Eliot.
. Liturgy at St. Thomas's is more formal and complex than would be encountered in all but a few Canadian Anglican churches today.
St. Thomas’s draws from the English high-church tradition within Anglo-Catholicism, as distinct from the Anglo-Papalist
branch, which took its inspiration from contemporary Roman Catholicism. This tradition, as former rector Fr. Roy Hoult explains, sought
, and more recently with Wycliffe College
- the present rector, Fr. Mark Andrews, graduated from Wycliffe as did the associate rector Fr. Robert Mitchell. As recently as the late 1930s, Wycliffe banned its students from entering St. Thomas's. Presently, however, Wycliffe College not only allows students to attend the church, they have even placed students at St Thomas' for year-long practicums that are required by the College.
The Rector, the Rev'd Mark Andrews, has served in the dioceses of Saskatchewan and Toronto. Prior to becoming rector at St. Thomas's, he was the rector of St Aidan's, also in Toronto. As a lay person, Fr Andrews ran an inner-city day camp at All Saints', Ashmont, Boston.
Music is part of the liturgy at St. Thomas's and the high calibre of the music program attracts people to St. Thomas's. The parish's Organist and Choirmaster, John Tuttle, founded and still directs the semi-professional Exultate Chamber Singers, has previously directed the Hart House Chorus at the University of Toronto, and is the Director of Music at Trinity College
. The famous English accompanist Gerald Moore
, who grew up in Toronto, was a sometime assistant organist at St Thomas's. The choir is semi-professional and, twice, has toured English Cathedrals (most recently in 2010).
St. Thomas’s celebrates the Eucharist every day of the year. There are services throughout the week. On Sundays, there is an 8 o'clock said Eucharist, a said Morning Prayer at ten-thirty, and three sung services:
Major Feast Days are usually observed with one or two said Eucharists during the day and a Procession and Solemn Eucharist at 6.15 pm, often followed by a supper and programme. The service leaflets and service music are posted on the church's website.
The involvement of women priests in the liturgy has been an ongoing source of debate at St. Thomas's, culminating in a vote at the 2006 Vestry meeting where a majority (2/3) of parishioners supported more involvement of women priests at all services. However, as of 2011, no discernible change has occurred. St. Thomas's has no women priests in official capacities. Women priests are seldom invited as celebrants or homilists (and are allowed to preside only at the Sunday 9:30 a.m. Mass). None of the parish's honorary assistant priests are women, nor have any women priests served in that role in recent memory, if ever. A number of former female parishioners have been ordained to the priesthood and have gone on to assume positions of leadership within the Anglican Church, including the Rev'd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan now a senior officer at the Anglican Communion headquarters in London, England, the Rt Rev'd Victoria Matthews, now Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand, and the Rev'd Andrea Budgey, Chaplain at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and the Rev'd Susan Haig, associate priest at All Saints' Sherbourne Street, Toronto. Former parishioner Natalie Klukach, while not ordained, is Programme Executive, Church and Ecumenical Relations / North American Regional Relations at the World Council of Churches' office in Geneva, Switzerland. Recently, two long-time parishioners were ordained to the transitional diaconate (leading to eventual ordination to the priesthood): The Rev'd Maggie Helwig, Trinity College graduate in Divinity, who for many years oversaw the "Out of the Heat/Cold" dinners for marginalized persons in the parish; and the Rev'd Rachel Kesler, Wycliffe College graduate, who, with her spouse, was co-sexton of the parish. Both of these women will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Toronto within a year's time.
The lack of progress in increasing the role of women priests at St. Thomas's has prompted parishioners (both women and men) to leave the parish. At the same time, this aspect of the church's culture attracts people who do not support the Anglican Church of Canada's ordination of women priests. Since 2007, a group of former and current parishioners (and others)have met regularly to celebrate a House Eucharist. The celebrant is frequently but not always a woman priest.
St. Thomas's publishes a newsletter, The Thurible from time to time. The parish sponsors "Out-of-the-Heat" and "Out-of-the-Cold" programs and operates a "community garden." All are well-supported by volunteers from the parish and the community. It also hosts meetings of the Society of Mary
and the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
.
Many St. Thomas's parishioners are active in the arts as performers, writers, and artists, and the church regularly participates in events like Nuit Blanche and Doors Open Toronto.
In 2008, St. Thomas's launched the annual Gene Stewart Lecture to honour the late Gene Stewart, a long-time and much-beloved parishioner. The lecture takes place in February, close to the anniversary of Gene Stewart's birthday. Roméo Dallaire was the inaugural guest speaker in February 2008. Subsequent speakers were Roberta Bondar (2009) and Anna Porter (2010).
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
located at 383 Huron Street in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It was one of the earliest Anglo-Catholic congregations in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was established in 1874, moving twice before settling into its present building, adjacent to the Annex
The Annex
The Annex is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road...
on the western edge of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's downtown campus.
The liturgy and music at St. Thomas's make it a "destination" church. Many people who do not live within the boundaries of the Parish attend services.
History
The church is an Arts and craftsArts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
building designed in 1893 by architect and parishioner Eden Smith
Eden Smith
Eden Smith was born in Birmingham, England but achieved fame as a Toronto, Ontario architect belonging to the Arts and Crafts movement...
(1858–1949). The building was altered in 1917 to add a baptistry.
The aesthetic theorist and poet T.E. Hulme attended St. Thomas's while living in Toronto briefly in 1906 after leaving Cambridge University. He is an important figure in Modernist literature
Modernist literature
Modernist literature is sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms...
, influencing, among others, Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
and T.S. Eliot.
Tradition
The church is known for its high standards in music and liturgy, and is nicknamed "Smoky Tom's" for its use of generous quantities of incenseIncense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
. Liturgy at St. Thomas's is more formal and complex than would be encountered in all but a few Canadian Anglican churches today.
St. Thomas’s draws from the English high-church tradition within Anglo-Catholicism, as distinct from the Anglo-Papalist
Anglo-Papalism
Anglo-Papalism is a term used to describe a tendency within Anglo-Catholicism whose adherents manifest a particularly high degree of influence from, and even identification with, the Roman Catholic Church....
branch, which took its inspiration from contemporary Roman Catholicism. This tradition, as former rector Fr. Roy Hoult explains, sought
to rediscover the forms of dress and general tenor of worship that pertained in England prior to their destruction at the time of the Reformation. Saint Thomas's is an example of this second kind of Anglo-Catholicism; its lack of lace and the predominance instead of plain albs and long surplices bear witness to this, as does the traditional Anglican arrangement of the chancel with its choir stalls.The St. Thomas's Tradition
Trinity College and Wycliffe College
The church has a long relationship with Trinity CollegeUniversity of Trinity College
The University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...
, and more recently with Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College is an Anglican Church of Canada seminary federated with the University of Toronto. It is evangelical and Low church in orientation. On the other hand, the University of Toronto's other Anglican college, the University of Trinity College is Anglo-Catholic in outlook. While being an...
- the present rector, Fr. Mark Andrews, graduated from Wycliffe as did the associate rector Fr. Robert Mitchell. As recently as the late 1930s, Wycliffe banned its students from entering St. Thomas's. Presently, however, Wycliffe College not only allows students to attend the church, they have even placed students at St Thomas' for year-long practicums that are required by the College.
Liturgy and Music
St. Thomas's has two full-time priests (Rector and Associate Priest), one part-time Assistant Priest, four Honorary Assistant Priests, and a Rector Emeritus. There is also an Organist/Choirmaster/Music Director.The Rector, the Rev'd Mark Andrews, has served in the dioceses of Saskatchewan and Toronto. Prior to becoming rector at St. Thomas's, he was the rector of St Aidan's, also in Toronto. As a lay person, Fr Andrews ran an inner-city day camp at All Saints', Ashmont, Boston.
Music is part of the liturgy at St. Thomas's and the high calibre of the music program attracts people to St. Thomas's. The parish's Organist and Choirmaster, John Tuttle, founded and still directs the semi-professional Exultate Chamber Singers, has previously directed the Hart House Chorus at the University of Toronto, and is the Director of Music at Trinity College
University of Trinity College
The University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...
. The famous English accompanist Gerald Moore
Gerald Moore
Gerald Moore CBE was an English pianist best known for his career as one of the most in-demand accompanists of his day, accompanying many of the world's most famous musicians...
, who grew up in Toronto, was a sometime assistant organist at St Thomas's. The choir is semi-professional and, twice, has toured English Cathedrals (most recently in 2010).
St. Thomas’s celebrates the Eucharist every day of the year. There are services throughout the week. On Sundays, there is an 8 o'clock said Eucharist, a said Morning Prayer at ten-thirty, and three sung services:
- 9:30 a.m.: A contemporary-language sung Eucharist with the priest facing westward, using the 1985 Book of Alternative ServicesBook of Alternative ServicesThe Book of Alternative Services is the contemporary, inclusive-language liturgical book used alongside the Book of Common Prayer in most parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada...
and the Revised Common Lectionary readings - 11 a.m.: A traditional-language eastward-facing Solemn High Mass, using a re-ordered version of the 1962 Prayer BookBook of Common PrayerThe Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, and the Revised Common Lectionary readings - 7 p.m.: Solemn Evensong using the 1962 Prayer Book, and Devotions to the Blessed Sacrament.
Major Feast Days are usually observed with one or two said Eucharists during the day and a Procession and Solemn Eucharist at 6.15 pm, often followed by a supper and programme. The service leaflets and service music are posted on the church's website.
Culture
Worshippers looking for an Anglican church with good liturgy, excellent music, and a commitment to outreach and/or involvement in the arts will find it at St. Thomas's.The involvement of women priests in the liturgy has been an ongoing source of debate at St. Thomas's, culminating in a vote at the 2006 Vestry meeting where a majority (2/3) of parishioners supported more involvement of women priests at all services. However, as of 2011, no discernible change has occurred. St. Thomas's has no women priests in official capacities. Women priests are seldom invited as celebrants or homilists (and are allowed to preside only at the Sunday 9:30 a.m. Mass). None of the parish's honorary assistant priests are women, nor have any women priests served in that role in recent memory, if ever. A number of former female parishioners have been ordained to the priesthood and have gone on to assume positions of leadership within the Anglican Church, including the Rev'd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan now a senior officer at the Anglican Communion headquarters in London, England, the Rt Rev'd Victoria Matthews, now Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand, and the Rev'd Andrea Budgey, Chaplain at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and the Rev'd Susan Haig, associate priest at All Saints' Sherbourne Street, Toronto. Former parishioner Natalie Klukach, while not ordained, is Programme Executive, Church and Ecumenical Relations / North American Regional Relations at the World Council of Churches' office in Geneva, Switzerland. Recently, two long-time parishioners were ordained to the transitional diaconate (leading to eventual ordination to the priesthood): The Rev'd Maggie Helwig, Trinity College graduate in Divinity, who for many years oversaw the "Out of the Heat/Cold" dinners for marginalized persons in the parish; and the Rev'd Rachel Kesler, Wycliffe College graduate, who, with her spouse, was co-sexton of the parish. Both of these women will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Toronto within a year's time.
The lack of progress in increasing the role of women priests at St. Thomas's has prompted parishioners (both women and men) to leave the parish. At the same time, this aspect of the church's culture attracts people who do not support the Anglican Church of Canada's ordination of women priests. Since 2007, a group of former and current parishioners (and others)have met regularly to celebrate a House Eucharist. The celebrant is frequently but not always a woman priest.
St. Thomas's publishes a newsletter, The Thurible from time to time. The parish sponsors "Out-of-the-Heat" and "Out-of-the-Cold" programs and operates a "community garden." All are well-supported by volunteers from the parish and the community. It also hosts meetings of the Society of Mary
Society of Mary (Anglican)
The Society of Mary is an Anglican devotional society dedicated to and under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As its website states, it is a group of Anglican Christians "dedicated to the Glory of God and the Holy Incarnation of Christ under the invocation of Our Lady, Help of...
and the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional society in the Anglican Communion dedicated to venerating the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist...
.
Many St. Thomas's parishioners are active in the arts as performers, writers, and artists, and the church regularly participates in events like Nuit Blanche and Doors Open Toronto.
In 2008, St. Thomas's launched the annual Gene Stewart Lecture to honour the late Gene Stewart, a long-time and much-beloved parishioner. The lecture takes place in February, close to the anniversary of Gene Stewart's birthday. Roméo Dallaire was the inaugural guest speaker in February 2008. Subsequent speakers were Roberta Bondar (2009) and Anna Porter (2010).