St. Barnabas The Parish Patron
Barnabas was a Jewish Levite, a member of the caste of priests. He was originally from Cyprus, but was in Jerusalem and became one of the most prominent followers of Jesus in the early days after the Resurrection. In fact, 'Barnabas' is a nickname, given to him by the apostles. His original name was Joseph. "Barnabas' means 'son of consolation' or son of encouragement'. It is an appropriate title for a man who would sell a valuable piece of land and donate the proceeds to the church.
Barnabas was an encouraging presence in other ways. He introduced Paul to the other apostles after Paul's conversion, and was an important part of Paul's ministry team.
But the life of a saint is not always sweetness and light. Barnabas and Paul had a falling out, perhaps disagreeing about the role of Barnabas' cousin, John Mark. They did agree, however, that it was crucial to bring the Gospel to the gentiles. So Barnabas continued travelling and is thought to have founded the church in Cyprus and in Milan. Tradition tells us that he was martyred in AD 61.
Barnabas was a Jewish Levite, a member of the caste of priests. He was originally from Cyprus, but was in Jerusalem and became one of the most prominent followers of Jesus in the early days after the Resurrection. In fact, 'Barnabas' is a nickname, given to him by the apostles. His original name was Joseph. "Barnabas' means 'son of consolation' or son of encouragement'. It is an appropriate title for a man who would sell a valuable piece of land and donate the proceeds to the church.
Barnabas was an encouraging presence in other ways. He introduced Paul to the other apostles after Paul's conversion, and was an important part of Paul's ministry team.
But the life of a saint is not always sweetness and light. Barnabas and Paul had a falling out, perhaps disagreeing about the role of Barnabas' cousin, John Mark. They did agree, however, that it was crucial to bring the Gospel to the gentiles. So Barnabas continued travelling and is thought to have founded the church in Cyprus and in Milan. Tradition tells us that he was martyred in AD 61.
A brief history of St. Barnabas on the Danforth
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary: 1858 - 2008
St. Barnabas on the Danforth sits at the heart of the bustling and colourful neighbourhood of Riverdale. Looking at the streams of traffic and pedestrians passing by its door, it is hard to believe that this was once a country parish. In fact, it is one of the oldest Anglican parishes in Toronto.
1857 in the Village of Chester
In 1857, the Anglican Church held discussions about building a place of worship for the residents of Chester Village, which sat north of the city limits, where Riverdale is today. The area was then part of the Parish of St. John's, Norway. In 1858 under the Reverend James Beavan, services were first held in a blacksmith's shop near what is now Broadview Avenue. Later that year, the decision to go ahead with a new building was made when the Playter family offered a quarter acre of land on Ellerbeck Street 200 yards north of the Danforth. The wooden church, built with timber on the land, was one of the first of eight Anglican churches to be built in the Toronto area. The first church on Ellerbeck Street was first known as St. John's, Playter Corner, and later as St. John's, Chester. Then in 1862 the name of the church was changed again to Church of the Epiphany.
Church in a rural area
In 1872, the name of the church was changed to St. Barnabas, Chester. The church served a large district of five square miles, with a scattered population made up primarily of immigrants from England, Scotland and Ireland. For 45 years, the church existed in modest circumstances in a picturesque and rural location. Most of the residents of the area were wage-earners with limited incomes. As a result, the parish had little money. In 1869 to 1870, the total receipts for the year was one hundred and ninety-two dollars. In 1895, a Women's Auxiliary was formed. One of their earliest projects was to buy a sewing machine. Each member contributed one cent a week. It took four years to collect enough money to buy the sewing machine. The church also lacked a rectory and a building in which to hold Sunday School or meetings.
By the turn of the century, however, things were changing. Population in the area was increasing and St. Barnabas, Chester was less restricted financially. Between 1904 and 1906, the church was expanded and a parish room was added. It became clear that more land was needed for a Sunday School building but no land was available on Ellerbeck Street. In 1905, St. Barnabas, Chester became a separate parish with the Reverend Frank Vipond as the rector. On St. Barnabas Day, June 11 1906, the parishioners built (in one day) the small wooden mission church of St. Andrew in the north end of the parish. MacDonald's restaurant at the north-east corner of Pape and Cosburn Avenues occupies the site of the mission church today and has a commemorative plaque. St. Andrew's became a separate parish in 1914.
However, St. Barnabas, Chester still needed a Sunday School and rectory. In 1907, the congregation bought the present site at the corner of Hampton Avenue and Danforth Avenue and the wooden church was moved to its new location. It was a memorable event. Moving day was Monday, September 23 1907, in the expectation that the church would be on the new site by Saturday and ready for worship the next day. Unfortunately, heavy rains set in and delayed work. On Saturday morning the church was still perched on beams and sitting in the middle of Danforth Avenue some distance from Hampton Avenue. Inside, it was a mess, with dust from falling plaster covering everything. However, a party of 20 men and women determined that the church would be ready for worship as usual the next day. They removed the debris from the interior and in less than three hours the women had made it presentable.
The congregation continued to grow quickly. On St. Barnabas Day in June 1908, some 700 people gathered for a garden party in the fields around the church for a Jubilee Festival. Two years later, the western portion of the nave of the present brick church, up to the transept, was built. Thereafter, much of the building was overseen by the Reverend F. E. Powell who became Rector in 1912, a position he held until his death in 1943.
The Viaduct changes everything
By 1918, with the completion of the Prince Edward Viaduct over the Don Valley, Riverdale was enjoying a building boom. In 1918 and 1919, much of the present parish hall was built. By 1921, the cornerstone for the transepts, chancel, sanctuary offices and chapel was in place. The interior of the church was quite different from the church of today. The chapel was located where the present sacristy sits, to the south of the sanctuary. The font was at the back of the nave. The transept pews faced the central aisle and there were pews at the back of the church under the west window.
The period from 1921 to the end of the Second World War was a time of great strength for the parish. Ninety-five per cent of the people living in the area were from the British Isles. The church seated 800 and was packed each Sunday. There were over 1,000 children registered in the Sunday School. Through the 1920s and 1930s, the stained glass windows depicting scenes from the life of Christ were put in place and the church was furnished with plaques and memorials. Of particular interest are the brass eagle lectern, a memorial to those who died in the First World War, the solid oak reredos after 1945 and a mounted plaque on the northern exterior wall of the church to honour parishioners who died in the Second World War.
Strength in the 50s
The first part of the 1950s continued to be a time of strength and stability for St. Barnabas. However, by the mid-1950s the parish began to experience a significant population shift as many people began to move out to the suburbs which were springing up around the city. This trend continued throughout the 1960s. The Danforth gradually began to be transformed from a working-class Anglo Saxon neighbourhood into a multicultural community as newcomers from Italy, Greece, the Caribbean, Guyana, and Asian countries moved into the area. In particular, people from the Caribbean, many of whom were Anglicans, added new strength to the congregation at this time.
By the late 1960s, once again a building boom seemed imminent in Riverdale, with plans for high-rise apartments, office buildings and stores around the Danforth Avenue and Broadview Avenue intersection. Some blocks were bought up and buildings erected, but by concerted effort homeowners were able to halt the planned extensive development. Today, much of the Riverdale section of the Danforth still retains small-town storefronts dating from the 1910 to 1920 era. Riverdale, though a "mid-downtown" community, has kept much of the character of the original tree-lined residential streets. Its wide main street, Danforth Avenue, has colourful and diverse restaurants, shops, businesses and services which are easily accessible by foot and public transit. The character and accessibility of the neighbourhood have made it popular with young English speaking professionals and business people who have been buying and renovating homes in Riverdale since the mid-1970s.
Changes in the 70s
During the 1970s, many groups not connected to the church congregation began to use space in the parish hall and began to contribute to the upkeep of the building. This trend continues today. Though the present congregation is much smaller than in the past, serving approximately 200 households, St. Barnabas on the Danforth is very much connected to the lively community surrounding it and shares its spacious facilities with the neighbourhood in a multitude of ways, seven days a week.
Since the late 1950s, the East Toronto Latvian Lutheran Congregation has worshipped at St. Barnabas on the Danforth on Sunday afternoons. From 1994 to 2000, San Bernabe, a congregation of Spanish-speaking Anglicans, met here for worship and fellowship on Sunday evenings. Riverdale Presbyterian Church held weekly services in the Upper Hall while their own building was being renovated. There has been a nursery in the church since the 1950s. Today the Children's Circle Day Care provides care for approximately 130 children, it's an essential ministry in this neighbourhood. Two apartment units and three offices are located on the premises. Many community-based groups, serving all ages, use the facilities for meetings, classes and special events.
St. Barnabas Today
St. Barnabas continues to be an active church on the Danforth, serving our community and worshipping every week.
Our 2021 accessibility project added a handsome ramp and new entrance into the church at the corner of Hampton and the Danforth. Opened in early 2024, it means that our main church, washrooms and upper hall are fully accessible.
In recent years we’ve had some interim priests but also incumbents who gave us stability and a future. From January 1, 2017 to May 2024 our incumbent was the Reverend Jeanette Lewis. Our current rector, the Reverend Louise Dightam, began her ministry with us on September 1, 2024.
Our current worship schedule includes a 10:30 am choral eucharist every Sunday, and a said eucharist at noon on Thursdays. While we usually use the Book of Alternative Services, we maintain a traditional choral Book of Common Prayer (BCP) service at 10:30 am once a month, as well as a monthly 9 am BCP service.
For the last decade, we have held a Taizé Service once a month. Taizé is a style of worship practiced by the Taizé community in France. It consists of simple harmonized tunes, with readings, prayers and periods of silence.
Christmas Services at St Barnabas welcome many individuals and families from the Danforth Community and beyond. In 2013, there was a suggestion of having a simple Family Service at 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve that the children could take part in. “If we have it they will come” was the thinking, and they did. Many families come each year – in recent years we have added a drop-in pageant. The Evening Christmas Eve service is held at 10 pm, again welcoming many from the Danforth Community and beyond.
New in 2024 was a Community Carol Sing, with a free will offering for a local foodbank. With attendance doubling in 2025, this is becoming a new tradition for many in the area.
For over 20 years we have joined with neighbouring churches in a Good Friday walk that attracts over 200 participants from all denominations. And in the winter we host the Coldest Night of the Year (Danforth) walk.
Our outreach includes support for youth experiencing homelessness, for people experiencing food insecurity and for the many ministries funded by the Anglican FaithWorks program.
St. Barnabas continues to be a thriving congregation that has been a part of this community for over 165 years and will be here for decades to come.
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary: 1858 - 2008
St. Barnabas on the Danforth sits at the heart of the bustling and colourful neighbourhood of Riverdale. Looking at the streams of traffic and pedestrians passing by its door, it is hard to believe that this was once a country parish. In fact, it is one of the oldest Anglican parishes in Toronto.
1857 in the Village of Chester
In 1857, the Anglican Church held discussions about building a place of worship for the residents of Chester Village, which sat north of the city limits, where Riverdale is today. The area was then part of the Parish of St. John's, Norway. In 1858 under the Reverend James Beavan, services were first held in a blacksmith's shop near what is now Broadview Avenue. Later that year, the decision to go ahead with a new building was made when the Playter family offered a quarter acre of land on Ellerbeck Street 200 yards north of the Danforth. The wooden church, built with timber on the land, was one of the first of eight Anglican churches to be built in the Toronto area. The first church on Ellerbeck Street was first known as St. John's, Playter Corner, and later as St. John's, Chester. Then in 1862 the name of the church was changed again to Church of the Epiphany.
Church in a rural area
In 1872, the name of the church was changed to St. Barnabas, Chester. The church served a large district of five square miles, with a scattered population made up primarily of immigrants from England, Scotland and Ireland. For 45 years, the church existed in modest circumstances in a picturesque and rural location. Most of the residents of the area were wage-earners with limited incomes. As a result, the parish had little money. In 1869 to 1870, the total receipts for the year was one hundred and ninety-two dollars. In 1895, a Women's Auxiliary was formed. One of their earliest projects was to buy a sewing machine. Each member contributed one cent a week. It took four years to collect enough money to buy the sewing machine. The church also lacked a rectory and a building in which to hold Sunday School or meetings.
By the turn of the century, however, things were changing. Population in the area was increasing and St. Barnabas, Chester was less restricted financially. Between 1904 and 1906, the church was expanded and a parish room was added. It became clear that more land was needed for a Sunday School building but no land was available on Ellerbeck Street. In 1905, St. Barnabas, Chester became a separate parish with the Reverend Frank Vipond as the rector. On St. Barnabas Day, June 11 1906, the parishioners built (in one day) the small wooden mission church of St. Andrew in the north end of the parish. MacDonald's restaurant at the north-east corner of Pape and Cosburn Avenues occupies the site of the mission church today and has a commemorative plaque. St. Andrew's became a separate parish in 1914.
However, St. Barnabas, Chester still needed a Sunday School and rectory. In 1907, the congregation bought the present site at the corner of Hampton Avenue and Danforth Avenue and the wooden church was moved to its new location. It was a memorable event. Moving day was Monday, September 23 1907, in the expectation that the church would be on the new site by Saturday and ready for worship the next day. Unfortunately, heavy rains set in and delayed work. On Saturday morning the church was still perched on beams and sitting in the middle of Danforth Avenue some distance from Hampton Avenue. Inside, it was a mess, with dust from falling plaster covering everything. However, a party of 20 men and women determined that the church would be ready for worship as usual the next day. They removed the debris from the interior and in less than three hours the women had made it presentable.
The congregation continued to grow quickly. On St. Barnabas Day in June 1908, some 700 people gathered for a garden party in the fields around the church for a Jubilee Festival. Two years later, the western portion of the nave of the present brick church, up to the transept, was built. Thereafter, much of the building was overseen by the Reverend F. E. Powell who became Rector in 1912, a position he held until his death in 1943.
The Viaduct changes everything
By 1918, with the completion of the Prince Edward Viaduct over the Don Valley, Riverdale was enjoying a building boom. In 1918 and 1919, much of the present parish hall was built. By 1921, the cornerstone for the transepts, chancel, sanctuary offices and chapel was in place. The interior of the church was quite different from the church of today. The chapel was located where the present sacristy sits, to the south of the sanctuary. The font was at the back of the nave. The transept pews faced the central aisle and there were pews at the back of the church under the west window.
The period from 1921 to the end of the Second World War was a time of great strength for the parish. Ninety-five per cent of the people living in the area were from the British Isles. The church seated 800 and was packed each Sunday. There were over 1,000 children registered in the Sunday School. Through the 1920s and 1930s, the stained glass windows depicting scenes from the life of Christ were put in place and the church was furnished with plaques and memorials. Of particular interest are the brass eagle lectern, a memorial to those who died in the First World War, the solid oak reredos after 1945 and a mounted plaque on the northern exterior wall of the church to honour parishioners who died in the Second World War.
Strength in the 50s
The first part of the 1950s continued to be a time of strength and stability for St. Barnabas. However, by the mid-1950s the parish began to experience a significant population shift as many people began to move out to the suburbs which were springing up around the city. This trend continued throughout the 1960s. The Danforth gradually began to be transformed from a working-class Anglo Saxon neighbourhood into a multicultural community as newcomers from Italy, Greece, the Caribbean, Guyana, and Asian countries moved into the area. In particular, people from the Caribbean, many of whom were Anglicans, added new strength to the congregation at this time.
By the late 1960s, once again a building boom seemed imminent in Riverdale, with plans for high-rise apartments, office buildings and stores around the Danforth Avenue and Broadview Avenue intersection. Some blocks were bought up and buildings erected, but by concerted effort homeowners were able to halt the planned extensive development. Today, much of the Riverdale section of the Danforth still retains small-town storefronts dating from the 1910 to 1920 era. Riverdale, though a "mid-downtown" community, has kept much of the character of the original tree-lined residential streets. Its wide main street, Danforth Avenue, has colourful and diverse restaurants, shops, businesses and services which are easily accessible by foot and public transit. The character and accessibility of the neighbourhood have made it popular with young English speaking professionals and business people who have been buying and renovating homes in Riverdale since the mid-1970s.
Changes in the 70s
During the 1970s, many groups not connected to the church congregation began to use space in the parish hall and began to contribute to the upkeep of the building. This trend continues today. Though the present congregation is much smaller than in the past, serving approximately 200 households, St. Barnabas on the Danforth is very much connected to the lively community surrounding it and shares its spacious facilities with the neighbourhood in a multitude of ways, seven days a week.
Since the late 1950s, the East Toronto Latvian Lutheran Congregation has worshipped at St. Barnabas on the Danforth on Sunday afternoons. From 1994 to 2000, San Bernabe, a congregation of Spanish-speaking Anglicans, met here for worship and fellowship on Sunday evenings. Riverdale Presbyterian Church held weekly services in the Upper Hall while their own building was being renovated. There has been a nursery in the church since the 1950s. Today the Children's Circle Day Care provides care for approximately 130 children, it's an essential ministry in this neighbourhood. Two apartment units and three offices are located on the premises. Many community-based groups, serving all ages, use the facilities for meetings, classes and special events.
St. Barnabas Today
St. Barnabas continues to be an active church on the Danforth, serving our community and worshipping every week.
Our 2021 accessibility project added a handsome ramp and new entrance into the church at the corner of Hampton and the Danforth. Opened in early 2024, it means that our main church, washrooms and upper hall are fully accessible.
In recent years we’ve had some interim priests but also incumbents who gave us stability and a future. From January 1, 2017 to May 2024 our incumbent was the Reverend Jeanette Lewis. Our current rector, the Reverend Louise Dightam, began her ministry with us on September 1, 2024.
Our current worship schedule includes a 10:30 am choral eucharist every Sunday, and a said eucharist at noon on Thursdays. While we usually use the Book of Alternative Services, we maintain a traditional choral Book of Common Prayer (BCP) service at 10:30 am once a month, as well as a monthly 9 am BCP service.
For the last decade, we have held a Taizé Service once a month. Taizé is a style of worship practiced by the Taizé community in France. It consists of simple harmonized tunes, with readings, prayers and periods of silence.
Christmas Services at St Barnabas welcome many individuals and families from the Danforth Community and beyond. In 2013, there was a suggestion of having a simple Family Service at 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve that the children could take part in. “If we have it they will come” was the thinking, and they did. Many families come each year – in recent years we have added a drop-in pageant. The Evening Christmas Eve service is held at 10 pm, again welcoming many from the Danforth Community and beyond.
New in 2024 was a Community Carol Sing, with a free will offering for a local foodbank. With attendance doubling in 2025, this is becoming a new tradition for many in the area.
For over 20 years we have joined with neighbouring churches in a Good Friday walk that attracts over 200 participants from all denominations. And in the winter we host the Coldest Night of the Year (Danforth) walk.
Our outreach includes support for youth experiencing homelessness, for people experiencing food insecurity and for the many ministries funded by the Anglican FaithWorks program.
St. Barnabas continues to be a thriving congregation that has been a part of this community for over 165 years and will be here for decades to come.