St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church is an

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church co ...

parish church in the

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. It was the first Anglican church established in the city west of Spadina Avenue. St. Stephen's is known for a number of community outreach programs. Designed by

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

, later

Chief Dominion Architect Chief Dominion Architect was a position created in 1871 by the Government of Canada to help design public federal buildings across Canada. The role reported to the Minister of Public Works. From World War II onwards to 1973 (renamed Chief Architect ...

, in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style, the church is designed under Part IV of the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...

'' as being of significant cultural heritage value.

History

St. Stephen-in-the-Fields was founded in 1857 by Robert Brittain Denison. Denison, who paid for its construction in entirety, built the church as a parish for the farm workers on his estate, Bellevue House. Ground was broken on July 1, 1858, when the Hon. and Rt Rev. John Strachan, 1st Bishop of Toronto, laid the cornerstone. The church's name reflects its then rural setting. Denison employed the architectural firm of Fuller &

Jones Jones may refer to: People *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname *List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...

, who would later go on to design the Centre Block of Parliament Hill. John Worthington was the builder. The first service was held in the new church on

Advent Sunday Advent Sunday, also called the First Sunday of Advent or First Advent Sunday, among the Western Christian Churches, is the first day of the liturgical year and the start of the season of Advent. On the First Sunday of Advent, Christians start ligh ...

, November 28, 1858. The first incumbent was the Rev. James Henry McCollum, who later left after a feud with Denison. The church was consecrated on May 17, 1863, the Sunday after

Ascension Day The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday, commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (i.e., shared b ...

. The church was gutted by fire on October 26, 1865. The congregation met in a lecture hall at

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

while the church was rebuilt by Henry Langley. The church was expanded by Richard Cunningham Windeyer, Sr. in 1872 and renovated by

Eden Smith Eden Smith (1858 – 10 October 1949) was a British-born Canadian architect who belonged to the Arts and Crafts movement. Born in Birmingham, England, he achieved prominence as an architect in Toronto, Ontario. He was a founding member of The Art ...

in 1890. In 1927, the rector, the Rev. James Edward Ward, pioneered broadcasting services on CFRB and VE9GW. It was the first Canadian church to broadcast across the ocean and gained a large international following. Ward also wrote 75 religious plays for radio, many in collaboration with Earle Grey. Ward also wrote a weekly religious programme titled "The Way of the Spirit" on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

. In the 1980s, to raise necessary funds, the rectory, parish hall and surrounding property were sold and half the church was gutted and converted into a clinic for The Doctor’s Hospital. After the hospital vacated, the other half of the building has been rented out for community uses. As one of the oldest Anglican churches in the city, the parish has been subdivided many times creating new parishes including St. Matthias, St. Thomas's and

St. Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

Architecture

The origin 1858 church was designed by

, later

, and

Chilion Jones Chilion Jones (October 10, 1835– April 1, 1912) was the business partner of architect Thomas Fuller in nineteenth-century Canada. Chilion Jones, the sixth son of Mr. Justice Jonas Jones, of Toronto, Ontario, was born in Brockville, Upper Canada ...

in the

style. The design was based on

St Michael's Church, Longstanton St Michael's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Ch ...

. It is of red brick construction trimmed with grey stone. Fuller & Jones' church was gutted by fire in 1865 and rebuilt and enlarged by Henry Langley. None of Fuller's original interior survives, though on the exterior, the polychromatic masonry, solid buttressing and open bell core survive. The current chancel dates from an 1890 renovation by

. The church is notable for its stained glass windows, some of which date from the 1860s. The windows were restored in 2018 at a cost of $80,000.

List of rectors

* 1858 – 1861: The Rev. James Henry McCollum * 1861 – 1911: The Rev. Abraham James Broughall * 1912 – 1925: The Rev. Canon Thomas George Wallace * 1925 – 1958: The Rev. James Edward Ward * 1958 – 1968: The Rev. Canon Guy Marshall * 1968 – 1972: The Rev. John E. Speers * 1972 – 1982: The Rev. Campbell A. Russell * 1982 – 1988: The Rev. Ben Lochridge * 1988 – 2004: The Rev. Kevin Flynn * 2015 – present: The Rev. Canon Maggie Helwig From 2004 to 2014, the parish was served by four priests-in-charge: the Rev. David Neelands (2004–2005); the Rev. Christian Swayne

OHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

(2005–2011); the Rev. David Bryan Hoopes OHC (2011–2013); and the Rev. Maggie Helwig, who began as priest-in-charge in May 2013 and was appointed rector in January 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Saint Gothic Revival architecture in Toronto Churches completed in 1858 City of Toronto Heritage Properties Thomas Fuller buildings Kensington Market

History

Architecture

List of rectors

See also

References