St. Matthias, Bellwoods is a small inclusive

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

parish of the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

located in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The cornerstone was laid in 1873 and the building opened January 4, 1874. The parish is responsible for the Anglican chaplaincy at the

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, pronounced , ) is a psychiatric teaching hospital located in Toronto and ten community locations throughout the province of Ontario, Canada. It reports being the largest research facility in Can ...

. The

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

"Bellwoods", sung in many countries to the text "O day of God draw nigh", by the Canadian biblical scholar R. B. Y. Scott, was written by James Hopkirk, a former organist at St. Matthias (and sometime organist of

St. James' Cathedral (Toronto) The Cathedral Church of St. James is an Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican cathedral in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the location of the oldest congregation in the city, with the parish being established in 1797. The church, the fourt ...

) and named for the parish.

Roland Ford Palmer Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was milit ...

, the author of the Marian hymn "Sing of Mary, pure and lowly", used in several denominations' hymnals in many countries, had a long association with St. Matthias's (before departing for the

Anglican Catholic Church of Canada The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC) () is a Continuing Anglican church that was founded in 1979 by traditional Anglicans who had separated from the Anglican Church of Canada. The ACCC has fifteen parishes and missions; with two bishops a ...

) and wrote a ''History of St Matthias' Church''. According to Palmer, St. Matthias's was "the first Anglican church in Toronto to enjoy all these adjuncts to worship" i.e. the full complement of Anglo-Catholic ceremonial.St Matthias
from ''Sympatico.ca'' retrieved 5 July 2013 St. Matthias is also known to be the first Anglican parish to offer a formal Animal Blessing in Toronto. In more recent years, several other parishes have come to follow St. Matthias' lead in administering the annual ritual, welcoming animals of all kinds and their human companions for a liturgically-based blessing every autumn.

Notes

External links

Parish Facebook page
*
Toronto Life article about rector George Moore Smith (1948-1968) and his Ministry of Healing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Matthias Bellwoods

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...

See also

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