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Ontario's Anglican Cathedrals - Diocese of TorontoSt James' Cathedral |
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  When the Diocese of Toronto was formed in 1839 under its first bishop, John Strachan, it covered all of Upper Canada.
The 13 counties of southwestern Ontario were separated to form the Diocese of Huron in 1857.
The 15 eastern counties of Ontario were separated to form the Diocese of Ontario in 1861.
The northern portion of the diocese was severed in 1872 to form the missionary Diocese of Algoma.
The Diocese of Toronto was further sub-divided in 1885 when the Diocese of Niagara was formed.
The Diocese of Toronto is the most populous of the 30 dioceses in the Anglican Church of Canada. Nearly five million people live within the diocesan boundaries, 376,000 of whom identify themselves as Anglicans. There are about 80,000 people on the parish rolls of the 272 churches in 217 parishes.  St James' has been the cathedral from the beginning of the diocese.
Construction of the first St Paul's, the first church in Toronto, was begun in 1803 with the aid of public subscriptions and a government grant.
That frame building was enlarged in 1818-19 and replaced by a larger one in 1831.
The first incumbent was the Rev. George Okill Stuart, son of Upper Canada's first resident Anglican clergyman, Rev John Stuart.
He was succeeded in 1812 by the Rev. John Strachan, later the the Bishop of Toronto.
The second church was burnt in 1839.
Toronto's first cathedral was then erected on this site but was destroyed in the great fire of 1849.
The present St. James', which was begun in 1850, opened for divine service in 1853, but not completed until 1874.
The Cathedral Church of St James 65 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5C 2E9 The Cathedral is open: Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm; Saturday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; Sunday: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm |
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