Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur, or Sacred Heart Parish, is located at 381 Sherbourne St (at Carlton St on the northeast corner) in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood of Toronto.
Parish History & the First Church
In the 1880s, French-Canadian Roman Catholic families began arriving in Toronto and calling the city home. They needed a church where they could pray, speak and sing in their language. The Archbishop of Toronto requested a French-speaking priest from his Montreal counterpart. In 1887, Father Phillipe Lamarche arrived in Toronto and, on June 24 (St-Jean-Baptiste Day), became the founding priest of Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur.
The new parish of 130 families did not have a church, so Mass was celebrated in a chapel at St Michael’s Cathedral Basilica. In 1888, parishioners purchased a Presbyterian church in Corktown at 426-30 King St E. It became the first Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur. Today, Sackville Park occupies the space where the church once stood.
Father Lamarche passed away in 1924 while serving as the parish’s priest for over 35 years.
Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur
As the number of worshipers grew, a larger space was needed. In the mid-1930s, the church purchased land at the northeast corner of Sherbourne St and Carlton St, where William Gooderham lived, for $20,000. The 400 families who attended the church helped raise the $50,000 in funds needed to build the new structure. In 1936, the cornerstone was laid, and construction was completed the following year. The church is clad with yellow brick and features stone trim and sculptures.
In 1951, a wing was added, increasing the seating by 200. Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur was visited in that same decade by the famed NHL hockey player and Montreal-born Maurice “Rocket” Richard.
In 2007, the City of Toronto gave the church building heritage designation.
Throughout the years, as francophone parishioners moved to Toronto from Quebec, the Maritimes, northern Ontario, Europe and in recent years, Africa, the church attended to their spiritual needs and also served as a cultural centre. That continues to this day.
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Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur Photos
It translates to: Church of the Sacred Heart
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (Latin), meaning “For the greater glory of God”
The cornerstone at Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur was blessed on October 25, 1936, by the Archbishop of Toronto, Msgr JC McGuigan
Sacré-Coeur Parish
“In 1887, Sacré-Coeur Parish was founded as the first Roman Catholic Parish to serve the French Canadian community in Toronto. Father Philippe Lamarche came from Montreal to found the church and served as a priest until his death in 1924. The Parish’s first church building, located on King Street near Sackville Street, was purchased from a Presbyterian congregation in 1888. Since that time, francophones have been able to worship in their own language at Sacré-Coeur Church. This building was designed and constructed for worship and was blessed in 1937. In 1951 the structure was enlarged to accommodate a growing congregation. Sacré-Coeur has served both as a spiritual and cultural centre for many of its French-speaking parishioners who emigrated from Quebec, the Maritimes, northern Ontario, Europe, and more recently from Africa.
Ontario Heritage Trust, an agency of the Government of Ontario
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register: 381 Sherbourne St
- Ontario Heritage Trust: Sacré-Coeur Parish plaque
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jun 24, 1912, pg 9
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jul 4, 1987, pg C14
- Paroisse du Sacré-Cœur: History
- Photos: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photos: City of Toronto Archives
