Places of Worship in the Community
Throughout the years, St. Clair West has been home to people of many faiths.
Almost half of our interviewees talk about their memories of the many churches and synagogues in our neighbourhood. Even those who did not attend church, such as Craig Werden, remember how quiet St. Clair would be on a Sunday morning when everything was closed.
Philip Decina, though, was very busy on a Sunday; he recalls operating the projector that displayed the words for the hymns sung at St. Clare Catholic church. Linda MacDonald declared that her entire social life revolved around St. Clare’s, especially as she was able to meet boys only at church events!
St. Clare Catholic Church, left, and the original four-room St. Clare schoolhouse, located on St. Clair Avenue West between Westmount Avenue and Northcliffe Boulevard, 1914 (Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto)
It used to be very important to belong to and attend a religious institution; Colleen and George Dunkley explain that, in order to get a bank loan, you had to obtain a signature from your minister or rabbi.
And it was important to dress up! Dorothy Bader describes her costume, complete with fur muff, which she wore to church as a little girl. Later she sang in the choir and was a member of the women’s association at her church, the Wychwood-Davenport Presbyterian Church. Synagogues and churches offered lots of social programs back then: Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts, youth groups, dances, teas and bake sales. More recently, scenes from the television series The Handmaid’s Tale were filmed inside this 84-year-old vacant Wychwood church.
Illustration, Wychwood Presbyterian Church, 1937 (Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives)
In the basement of St. Michael and All Angels church Mike Colle and his friends used to play floor hockey, and Anne Werden was a member of the Holy Rosary youth corps.
Some people were less happy to attend religious services, though. Neil Naiman’s father had to force him to attend synagogue on Saturday mornings, when all his friends were out playing. One of the two that they visited was located on Vaughan Road just north of St. Clair and is now home to the Zen Buddhist Temple-Toronto.
Exterior of Zen Buddhist Temple at St. Clair Avenue West and Vaughan Road
Several buildings that were once houses of worship have been repurposed, or even demolished. Paul Hersenhoren talks about the history of the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue which began in a house on the east side of Christie Street just south of St. Clair. In 1934 the congregation had raised enough money to purchase the lot at 840 St. Clair Ave. W. By 1936 the foundation was complete, but there was a wartime ban on building materials so they covered it over and held services in the basement. Eventually a large and impressive synagogue rose up on the site and was active for 20 years. However, the Jewish population began migrating north, so in 1966 the building was sold to the Hungarian community. In 2011 it was again sold and torn down to make way for condominiums.
This history is told through a number of newspaper articles which you can read here:
Toronto Star - “Hungarian-Canadians remember the magic of Hungarian House”
Shaarei Shomayim synagogue at 840 St. Clair Ave (www.billgladstone.ca)
Stained glass windows from Shaarei Shomayim synagogue (Tyler Anderson/National Post)
Behind the old site of Shaarei Shomayim at 213 Winona Drive stands a much smaller building, the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox church. Originally it too was a synagogue, but none of our interviewees were familiar with it. In 1971 it opened as a Russian Orthodox church and, though the outside is unassuming, inside it is a jewel.
The church website is a rich resource for learning more about this history.
Altar inside the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox church (www.churchonwinona.org)
Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection on Winona Drive (Shawn Micallef Photo/Toronto Star)
Before moving into its present site, the Holy Resurrection church first held services in 1970 in an upstairs room at St. Michael and All Angels church. The history of St Mike’s is similar to both the Holy Resurrection church and Shaarei Shomayim, in that the early congregation had to make do with a temporary location. In St. Michael’s case, the first services were held in a tent set up on Pinewood Ave. in 1907. Later a frame building with a tar-papered roof was erected at St. Clair and Vaughan Road, and in 1909 that structure was moved to the corner of St. Clair and Wychwood Ave. Eventually the congregation outgrew the original building and it was replaced by a magnificent brick church which was dedicated in 1916.
The church website features a picture gallery with images of both of the earlier structures and the current building, as well as more information about the history of the church.
Exterior of old St. Michael and All Angels church (www.stmichaelonstclair.com)
Interior of old St. Michael and All Angels church (www.stmichaelonstclair.com)
One of the oldest churches in our area is Holy Rosary Roman Catholic church. The site at 345 St. Clair Ave. W. was purchased back in 1882 when it was still farmland, well north of the city. In 1892 a chapel was built on the property to serve the Irish Catholic community at Bathurst and St. Clair, and eventually this was replaced by the current building, which opened in 1927. Like Shaarei Shomayim and St. Michael’s, Holy Rosary is known for its large interior and beautiful stained glass windows, shown in the image below. This history of the parish is detailed on the Holy Rosary website.
Interior of Holy Rosary Roman Catholic church
Holy Rosary Roman Catholic church in 1909 (www.holyrosary.ca)
These and other houses of worship in our community provide a place of sanctuary, and still offer many social programs and events.
We hope you enjoyed learning about the history of the neighbourhood.