Since 1964, St. Matthew the Apostle, Oriole has served our parishioners, the local community, and beyond. Through the generous giving of people’s time, talent and treasure, we strive to love and serve each other and our neighbours, and to be part of God’s mission of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. By joining together weekly for Worship, and through our Christian Education, Faith Development, Fellowship, Pastoral Care, Outreach and Missional initiatives, St. Matthew’s is making a real difference in witnessing to the love of God made known to us in Jesus.
There are various ways we as a parish community have sought to respond faithfully to what God is at work doing in our midst and in the world. We hope that in visiting us and learning more of our story, you may feel a warm welcome and an open door.
St. Matthew the Apostle, Oriole, Anglican Church was established in 1964 in the Don Mills/Sheppard area. We are located in the Henry Farm area of Willowdale, Toronto, west of the Don Mills Road and Sheppard Avenue intersection, and close to the Fairview Mall, one of Toronto’s largest shopping centres. Major construction projects are ongoing in the Canadian Tire area (Concord Building) and at Parkway Forest, and the original ‘Anglo/Christian’ character of the local community is being replaced by an ethnically diverse and mainly un-churched population. This presents an enormous missional opportunity and an exciting challenge for St. Matthew.
St. Matthew is currently undergoing a Vision and Mission strategic planning process, looking ahead to the future with great hope of how we can part of how God is at work in this neighbourhood.
The parish is able to offer space to a number of licensees, including numerous community groups.
The land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinabek Nations, and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. This territory was the subject of the Dish-With-One-Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. This territory is also covered by the Toronto Purchase. Today, Toronto is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island. We recognize the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples connected to and on this land. We are grateful for the opportunity to gather on this territory and work in this community, and we commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.