Reflections on the heritage, life & work of faith communities in Ottawa & Eastern Ontario
St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, in the Elmvale Acres neighbourhood, is a daring example of Mid-century modern church architecture. It is among the most striking A-frame modernist churches in Ottawa, with a steep roof-line and a triangular wall of glass that illuminates the interior. I attended their 9:30 AM Sunday liturgy on June 21, joining 60…
Were the nineteenth century founders of Merivale United Church to rise from their slumber in the adjacent cemetery, they wouldn’t recognize the sprawling suburbs that have swept away the farmlands, which once surrounded their redbrick church. Yet this small church, built in 1876, still stands at the aptly numbered 1876 Merivale Road address — a…
Downtown Brockville is known for its rich collection of historic churches. Among the most architecturally noteworthy is the High Gothic Revival St. Francis Xavier Church, completed in 1860 and located at 66 Church Street. On May 24, Pentecost Sunday, I joined over 120 parishioners at the 10:30 AM Mass. The Presider and Pastor, Fr. Andrew…
On May 17, Ontario’s black flies had well and truly awakened from their slumber in Spencerville — a village 80 kilometres southwest of Ottawa and home to the historic St. Laurence O’Toole Church. They encircled me as I exited my car and made my way into this small, but vibrant country church built in 1884….
On May 3, I joined 100 parishioners of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish at 1758 Alta Vista Drive for 11:00 AM Mass. Opened in 1955 during Ottawa’s postwar suburban boom, I found a friendly and multi-generational faith community with a robust choir. Upon arrival, I was welcomed warmly by a greeter. The most striking…
On April 26 — a Sunday that was as bright and warm as can be — I visited the Holy Name of Mary Parish in Almonte, joining over 80 parishioners for the 10:30 AM Mass. The Gothic Revival church at 134 Mill Street was consecrated in 1875, but the local Roman Catholic community’s presence stretches…
I arrived at the Anglo-Catholic Church of St. Barnabas, Apostle and Martyr on the cusp of dusk. The sounds of the robust parish choir rehearsing from the organ loft filled the church, while the herbal scent of incense from the morning liturgies lingered in the nave. And on April 19, the evening sun lingered too….
The March 20, 1885 issue of The Freeholder characterized the newly opened St. Finnan’s Church in Alexandria as “an exceedingly handsome and commodious edifice.” On April 19, 2026, I joined over 120 parishioners at the 10:30 AM High Mass and found that to this day, the nineteenth century newspaperman’s assessment remains accurate. The Gothic Revival basilica,…
Built in 1912, with a Neo-Byzantine sanctuary that can accommodate over 800 faithful in pews and an imposing Romanesque Revival exterior, Dominion-Chalmers United Church at 355 Cooper Street is among Ottawa’s early twentieth-century architectural gems. On Palm Sunday, I joined 40 members of this small, but engaged congregation for their 10:30 AM Sunday service. While…
At the height of the Cold War, on March 2, 1954 — standing before 500 people gathered at the newly dedicated Westminster Presbyterian Church — Progressive Conservative MP and soon-to-be Prime Minister John Diefenbaker declared that Christianity was “freedom’s finest fruit” and called upon “this wonderful church [to be] the embodiment of freedom.” I visited…