St. James Town: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

520 Sherbourne Street

An illustration of a church, set back from a road lined with trees. The church features a tower and a dome as well as a front portico. To the left of the church is a two-storey home.

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sherbourne Street. 1910. Illustration by American News Company. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library.

A black and white image of a church sitting on the corner of a street. The church is modeled after architecture from the Italian Renaissance. There is a steeple towards the front end of the building and a dome on the back of the structure. The far right side of the churches architecture is hidden behind a tree but some of the pillars are visible.

Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church on Sherbourne Street, 1972. City of Toronto Archives. Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 7, Item 10.

A black and white photograph of a group of Filipino children standing by Santa Claus at a Christmas celebration.

Filipino youth celebrating Christmas at Silayan Center, Toronto, Date Unknown. MHSOFI1-11867-2.

A stately church, featuring a Greek portico in the foreground. In the background, a copper dome can be seen.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, St. James Town. August 15, 2021.

St. John’s Grove

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church was built as a gift from the clergy of the Archdiocese to the Most Reverend John Joseph Lynch, D.D., the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto. The lands surrounding the church were formerly known as St. John’s Grove in the 19th century; it was also the site of the Archbishop’s summer residence and contained a grotto honouring Our Lady of Lourdes since 1876.

Italian-inspired architecture

Architect Frederick Charles Law modelled Our Lady of Lourdes after the Parish Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, which featured a cross-shaped basilica, octagonal dome, and slim bell tower. When it opened in October 1886, Our Lady of Lourdes was the only church to feature a dome in Toronto. The church was modified in 1910 to incorporate the former archdiocesan residence, which previously sat to the south of the church.

A growing community

Following the redevelopment of the St. James Town neighbourhood in the 1960s and 1970s, the ample housing in the area attracted several newcomer communities, including the Filipino community. During this period, the Filipino community was one of the fastest growing in Toronto: from a small group of less than 100 in 1965 to over 30,000 by 1977. Our Lady of Lourdes Church became an important focal point for the community: providing space for social groups such as the “Circulo Ilongo,” which hosted meetings as well as service-based activities in the Church’s basement.

A thriving community space

Our Lady of Lourdes Church also provided meeting space for Toronto’s first Filipino community centre, known as the Silayan Community Centre, from the Tagalog word “Silayan” meaning “new dawn.” Opened in the early 1970s, the Centre aimed to meet the social, religious, and practical needs of the city’s Filipino population. The Silayan Centre eventually moved to its own space at 495 Parliament Street, and continues to offer resources to Filipino newcomers today.