OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH (1867)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (formerly St. Patrick Church) is the 5th oldest Catholic Church in the city of Toronto ¡V the four oldest historical Catholic Churches are St. Paul¡¦s Basilica (1822), St. Michael¡¦s Cathedral (1848), St. Mary¡¦s Parish (1852) and St. Basil¡¦s Parish (1855).

The original church was a small wooden building on William (now St. Patrick) Street. It was burnt down on June 22, 1865. Father J.M. Laurent, the first resident pastor appointed in 1867, built the fine Gothic Church (now Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church) on St. Patrick Street. The church was completed in 1870. The church was dedicated by Archbishop Lynch of Toronto on Sunday, November 20, 1870. Bishop Farrell of Hamilton sang the Mass, while the sermon was preached by His Grace Archbishop Walsh, then Bishop of London, Ontario. Bishop McQuaid of Rochester, New York, preached in the evening.

The Redemptorists were given charge of the church on January 15, 1881. The church had been homes for the Irish, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Spanish and Koreans.

Realizing the need of a Chinese Parish in Toronto, Father Louis Tchang of Montreal came to Toronto in January 1967. With approximately 80 parishioners, Father Tchang, our first resident pastor, celebrated the first Eucharist in Chinese on Sunday, February 12, 1967 (It was also the fourth day of the Lunar Chinese New Year) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church which was used by the Portuguese community.

Subsequent masses were celebrated at St. Patrick Church on McCaul Street until we purchased a former Jewish synagogue on Cecil Street on September 1967. In the fall of 1969, the Archdiocese of Toronto granted the Chinese community the facilities at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church where we have been celebrating the Holy Eucharist ever since.

In 1972, Father John B. Mak was appointed to Our Lady of Mount Carmel as the second resident pastor of the first Chinese Parish in Toronto. His legacy stretched the span of 29 years from 1972 to 2001.

The new Parish Centre was officially opened by His Eminence Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter, Archbishop of Toronto, on Pentecost in 1985. In 1992, Archbishop Ambrozic (now His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic) formally raised our church from the level of "Mission" to the level of "Parish".

After the passing of Father Mak in July 2001, Father Peter Chin, C.Ss.R. from the Redemptorists accepted to be our third resident pastor and administrator, and was appointed on November 1, 2001.

Over the past 38 years, we have been celebrating the Holy Eucharist under the rich tapestry of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Today as we continue the wonderful legacy of making Mount Carmel a welcoming home for our latest immigrants, let us ask Our Lady of Mount Carmel to continue to intercede for all of us. Let us firmly believe that God is always giving us His grace, blessings and guidance to develop into a vibrant family of believers now and in the years to come.

¹Å¼Ò¸t¥À°ó (1867)