As the construction of the Railway’s transcontinental line neared the Sudbury area, the railway made an appeal to the Jesuits for help in overseeing the railway workers spiritual needs in Sudbury. The first Mass was said by Father Specht in Sudbury at the home of Jessie Smith, a scout for the railway, on March 30, 1883.
Sainte-Anne’s
St Anne’s Presbytery First Rectory
Established in 1883, Sainte-Anne’s Church was the first catholic French speaking community in the Greater Sudbury area. The historic church was built in Sudbury’s downtown core in 1889. The site is historic, featuring the 1883 log rectory which was the first building in Sudbury and housed Jesuits serving the railway line. A larger brick church was completed in 1913 to accommodate a growing population, but it was leveled by an arson fire in 1987. The church was rebuilt and reopened on Christmas Eve in 1988. The rectory is now a designated heritage site.
Photo Second Church 1894 (R)
Church of the Epiphany
Church of the Epiphany (Anglican) is the second oldest church in Sudbury. The congregation first met in 1883 in any building available… a logging shanty on Junction Creek, in Dan Dunn’s boarding house and the old frame jail. The first dedicated frame building opened on its current site on November 9, 1890. This is now a designated heritage site.
The Salvation Army Corps
The Salvation Army came to Sudbury in April 1895 when Captain Harvey Banks and group of officers came to begin the work. They originally met in the basement of McCormick Hall. By 1902 they had their own barracks on Durham Street. A tin garage behind the old Salvation Army Corps (church) was opened at 53 Larch Street c1939. This facility was used a soup kitchen for men. This venture eventually led to the construction of a cement block 28 bed hostel which served the community between 1941 and 1956.
Baptist
The first Baptist Church in Sudbury began in 1907. Services were held in the Palace Rink and then in the former Methodist Church building on Beech Street. The First Sudbury Baptist Church building opened in 1924
Article from The Sudbury Star October 16, 1918. Click on the image to view.
BaptistChurch1918
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Cedar Street Methodist
Cedar Street Methodist Church was built circa 1907, it was designed and constructed by A.J. Clarke. The parsonage is on the left.
The Sudbury Star March 21, 1923
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian/United
The St. Andrew’s United Church story begins in 1883 when Presbyterian and Methodist churches were established. The Cedar Street Methodist Church and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian churches shared many areas of their ministries and in 1925 they were united in the Act of Parliament which created the United Church of Canada. They continued to use separate buildings until 1927 when the two congregations began to share one building and one ministry in the former Presbyterian Church on Larch Street. The church was built of native stone, similar to material used in W. J. Bell’s residence.
Photo St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
The Sudbury Star December 23, 1914
Church of Christ the King
St. Joseph’s Church/Church of Christ the King
In 1915 English speaking parishioners of Ste. Anne des Pines Parish signed an agreement that would see the building of an English-speaking Catholic Church in Sudbury. Bishop Scollard divided the congregation at Ste. Anne’s to benefit the growing number of English-speaking parishioners in Sudbury.
The parish was declared under the title of St. Joseph’s Church. Masses were held in the Jubilee Hall next to Ste. Anne’s while the construction of the present building was beginning. Construction was delayed numerous times due to the First World War. St. Joseph’s Church (1917) was moved from Jubilee Hall to a newly constructed building on Beech Street in 1923. St. Joseph’s Church was officially dedicated in 1929.
It was later renamed Church of Christ the King in 1935.
Photo St. Joseph’s Church (L)
Vernon’s Directory Sudbury 1918/1919
St. Mary’s Ukrainian
St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church 1928
Knox Presbyterian
Knox Presbyterian Church was dedicated in 1927.
Saint Jean-de-Brébeuf
From 1928 to 1930, a large influx of French-Canadian families moved to the flour mill area and were in need of a place to worship. On June 16, 1930, Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf was built to accommodate their spiritual needs.
Seventh Day Adventist
In 1931 Mrs. Mable Stitt was the only Seventh-day Adventist in Sudbury, Ontario and had a burning desire to share her faith. She requested the brethrens in Oshawa, to hold tent meetings in her town. The brethren put up a tent and held Evangelical meetings on the corner of Elm and Lorne Streets opposite the cenotaph. A church was established with approximately 50 members.
Photo Tent meeting 1931
All Peoples Mission
All Peoples Mission Church is now part of the United Church of Canada. It is the first “post-union” church built in Sudbury. All Peoples was established ca. 1927 as a mission to serve new Canadians in the Sudbury area, particularly Italian, Hungarian, and Finnish families. The All People’s Mission Church was dedicated on January 5, 1930. This building was destroyed by fire in February 1946. The congregation temporarily met at the Finnish Hall, Sudbury until a new building was built and was officially open in October 1948.
Our Lady of Hope
Our Lady of Hope Parish includes the former smaller parishes of St. Anthony’s, St. Clement’s and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Our Lady of Hope makes up what is called the West End of Sudbury. Our Lady of Hope Parish was established in 1936 to serve a growing population.
Saints Peter and Paul
The Church (Serbian Orthodox) and School Congregation of Saints Peter and Paul was founded in 1937.
Information compiled from local newspapers, Vernon’s Directory for Sudbury and Copper Cliff, ‘The First 75 Years’, ‘Sudbury’, Facebook ‘Sudbury Then and Now’.
Church of Christ the King (L), Ste. Anne’s, St. Mary’s Ukrainian Church (R)
