Toronto St Michael's Choir School | 27.1m | 6s | TCDSB | KPMB

Edward Skira said:
And for what purpose considering congregations continue to decline? They can barely maintain what they currently have. Hence the condo.
Click to expand...

Do you have any evidence for that? Attendance has been steady in the past 10 years at my parish. Clearly, they're maintaining the cathedral well. The restoration looks first rate. The church needs to expand its numbers with a fine new cathedral at an exceptional location like Southcore, which will help convince people they're the leading faith and increase attendance.
 
Depends on the congregation. Mainline Protestant churches (United, Anglican, Presbyterian, etc.) are seeing sustained declines. The Catholic church in Toronto is doing far better, largely due to immigration from the Philippines, Latin America, and elsewhere, but even then, it depends on the parish (the Archdiocese has similar issues as the school boards as demand shifts, rather than declines). Evangelical Protestant churches are holding their own as well.
 
This may have just come to light as they have kicked off the beginning stages of fundraising for the redevelopment of the site. If the whole thing happens it will definitely happen in stages. ie the school is done first as they raise money to do the work.
 
Interesting 2012 article in the Toronto Star. Snippets:

"The [Toronto] archdiocese’s defining story — at least in the GTA — is the dominent impact of immigration, starting with tens of thousands of Irish migrants driven to Toronto by famine in the mid-1800s. Successive waves have kept the number of Catholics living in its spiritual jurisdiction consistently growing. "

"The influx has largely saved Toronto from the decline that Catholic diocese have seen across North America. Edmonton, for instance, has closed half of the 200 churches it once had. In London, 30 per cent of churches have been closed or “twinned” — brought under the responsibility of one priest due to declining attendance."

"The only church closed in the last decade — St. Catharine of Siena — was on Danforth Ave. (It’s now used by Sisters of Life, a religious order dedicated to helping pregnant women.) Its fate points to a different story in the old city of Toronto, where average attendance for Sunday mass is down to 50 per cent of seating capacity."

"Gentrification and the downtown condo boom are also bringing people back to the city core. So the archdiocese is holding off on closing churches. It’s considering reducing the number of daily masses, freeing up priests and volunteers for outreach."
 
Automation Gallery said:
Oh please, why should they sell?...maybe this plan has been in the works for quite some time
Click to expand...
Previous archbishops had planned for a much larger cathedral to occupy the block from Dundas to Shuter. Spending $100 million to restore the 1848 building put an end to that idea. They will never need a larger church than they have.
 
The current cathedral is such a disappointment. It faces the back of a hospital. Its own backside faces a major downtown intersection. The intersection itself is flanked by ugly parking lots. There are no ornamental street lights or streetscape investments around it. When it comes to lists of the city's greatest buildings, it never comes up. The Catholic Church has always been a great patron of architecture and art. I think they should stick to tradition and build a better cathedral.
 
junctionist said:
The intersection itself is flanked by ugly parking lots. There are no ornamental street lights or streetscape investments around it. When it comes to lists of the city's greatest buildings, it never comes up.
Click to expand...

Ugh whats St. Michael's church that has been there for 170 yrs have to do with the above?,
wouldn't that be up to the city to do better:confused:
 
junctionist said:
Yes. However, it would help if the church requested it. A lot of streetscape investments are spearheaded by BIAs, institutions, and property owners.
Click to expand...
There is no BIA(or neighbourhood assn, I think) in that immediate area and, until recently, not much development to bring in s 37 $$$. That's not to say streetscape improvements would not be good - Bond Street DOES need help. (The City are fixing up, repaving etc, Victoria this summer.)
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top