St. Stephen’s Chapel, a quaint, albeit historically prominent hub for corporate Catholics in Toronto's financial district and home to the archdiocese’s deaf ministry for over two decades, will celebrate its final Mass under the Archdiocese of Toronto’s ownership at the end of October. 

While the decision marks the end of an era for the chapel, St. Frances de Sales Deaf Community coordinator Carol Stokes remains optimistic about the group’s future at its new location, the René Goupil Chapel at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in midtown Toronto. 

Reflecting on St. Stephen’s Chapel’s impact since 2005, Stokes, who has served the deaf community since the 1970s, highlighted a mix of positive feelings and challenges, though predominantly gratitude for the chapel as a stable haven for those who called it home. 

Advertisement

“The deaf community, sadly, has been moved around quite a bit over the years, but I think when we moved to St. Stephen’s, the deaf felt that they had secured a place where they could have Holy Mass and socials without being pushed out of the way,” she said. 

Despite a few concerns surrounding travelling to the new chapel, such as volatile Toronto Transit Commission scheduling on weekends, Stokes told The Catholic Register that the change, all told, will be a good thing for the community to look forward to amidst the adjustments. 

The Archdiocese of Toronto’s deaf ministry, which celebrated 100 years of outreach and pastoral care back in 2018, will now have a home with historic connections as well. As told to the deaf community by current chaplain Fr. Keith Wallace, the new chapel’s namesake, René Goupil, was deaf himself — something that resonates deeply with the community.

The archdiocese confirmed that, although closing, its commitment to the ministries operating at St. Stephen's Chapel will continue. The decision was made over the past year, when the Archdiocese of Toronto conducted a review of the use of the space, where it found “current post-COVID-19 realities and expenditures related to renting facilities at St. Stephen’s Chapel,” which exceeded $400,000 annually. 

Advertisement

With this, the archdiocese decided not to renew the lease on St. Stephen’s, which it founded back in 1977 under the leadership of Bishop Pearse Lacey, together with several devout business people.

Since then, and despite relocating to Bay Street in 1995, the space has served the downtown core’s corporate community through weekday Masses, occasions of Sacrament of Reconciliation and general spiritual direction and fellowship, in addition to the deaf ministry. 

As service to the downtown corporate community will be taken up by St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica through morning, mid-day and early evening Masses and additional appropriate pastoral support and care, the deaf ministry will look to regroup as it hopes to bring attendance levels back to normal in its new space. Currently, Mass on Sunday is attended by approximately 25 parishioners each week.  

Stokes is relieved the ministry will continue relatively uninterrupted at the Pastoral Centre, emphasizing the importance of maintaining its Sunday Mass offering and subsequent social gatherings, notably for their unique value of silent presentation, often led by a priest fluent in sign language, like Wallace, or by interpreters. 

“We are hoping to grow it as people become more aware of us and our needs, something this move may help with,” Stokes said. “We have a Mass at St. David's in Maple on Saturday evening, and used to have one in Mississauga that we're hoping to start back up and go from there as the needs present themselves.” 

As the ministry settles outside of St. Stephen’s for the first time since 2005, Stokes hopes to further expand the ministry’s reach in the northern parts of the archdiocese despite challenges in finding both interpreters and parishes open to offering interpreted Masses. 

Advertisement

Regardless, a sense of excitement lingers over the period of adjustment for Stokes, Wallace and company as they prepare for the final Sunday Mass for the deaf community at St. Stephen’s on Oct. 12 ahead of the site’s final weekday Mass on Friday, Oct. 31. 

“We have always told (our parishioners) about the Pastoral Centre being the bishop's office and everything else, and now they are actually going to see it and be there together on weekends. I know it will be a welcoming space to them, so it will be good,” Stokes said.