Parishioners at St. John the Evangelist in Caledon, Ont., on Aug. 22 will mark the historic country church's 125th anniversary with festivities, reminiscence and a special Holy Mass celebrated by Bishop Ivan Camilleri.

The Saturday marks the culmination of months of planning done by a committee of a dozen parishioners who have been meeting since January to shape the milestone year. Families can expect a variety of outdoor activities, bouncy castles, face painting and games for the kids from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m., before the 5 p.m. Mass, followed by coffee and light refreshments. 

Parish secretary Dorota Bzdzikot told The Catholic Register that the planning committee's goal has been consistent since the early planning stages: to bring the community, old and young, together at the church “up on the hill” and celebrate what its founders envisioned for it more than a century ago.

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“This has absolutely been about bringing the families out, even as many travel during a busy summer, to be together for a solemn occasion,” she said. “ The committee is absolutely excited, and to do it in the historic place we have been at for so long marks a special moment.” 

Other anniversary projects and activities from this year include a long-awaited update to the parish photo album and directory, an idea that came from current pastor Fr. Allyn Rose, which is expected to be released next year. The committee also released a commemorative calendar last December featuring photos taken by parishioners around the church. Additionally, a unique anniversary cookbook, complete with personal recipes collected from parishioners, is still being compiled and is hoped to be ready before the end of 2026.

With the weekend gathering is expected to be a welcome sight, those present will celebrate the unseen Catholic roots that Albion Township has grown into, one that stretches back nearly two centuries. After the township, now part of the town of Caledon, was surveyed in 1819 and European settlers began arriving, it wasn’t until 1829 that the first priest, Fr. William John O’Grady of St. Paul’s in Toronto, visited the area.

Extensive Irish settlement followed in the 1830s, with missionaries from the Wildfield hamlet regularly celebrating Mass in the home of settler Michael Dwyer. In 1831, Dwyer and others petitioned the Lieutenant Governor for land to build a church for the roughly 200 Catholics in the district. 

The community’s first place of worship was a simple log church named St. Alphonsus, which was built in 1834 by Fr. Murtagh Lalor at the south-west corner of Patterson Side Road and The Gore Road. It wasn’t until sometime between 1845 and 1847 that construction of a larger Gothic-style frame church, St. Adolphus, on five acres donated by Dwyer was completed, standing near the site of today’s rectory.

Just after the turn of the century in 1901, then-Archbishop Denis O’Connor of Toronto laid the cornerstone before a crowd of 2,000 people from various denominations, and on May 15, 1902, the archbishop returned to dedicate and bless what we now know as St. John the Evangelist Church at 16066 Gore Rd. 

Designed by architect Arthur W. Holmes in the English Gothic style, the solid red-brick building with its exterior spire could seat an impressive 300 to 400 people at the time. Growth, however, continued, and Fr. James Minehan built the rectory in 1907 as the parish headquarters shifted from Caledon to Albion Township.

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After periods of shared pastoral care during the First World War, St. John’s regained its own pastor in 1918 when it became a parish in its own right. 

Today, that same grassroots history paired with northern beauty continues to captivate locals and visitors alike, much like it has for Bzdzikot and her family. 

“When my family moved up here upwards of 11 years ago, we were drawn to this very small country church on the hill. When you walk into (St. John), it is just beautiful — not modern or big like they build now, but still small and quaint. You see the old wood and the beautiful altars here, and our first impression was just a sense of awe,” she said. 

Despite only arriving to serve in June of last year, Rose is looking forward to an event that will see his parishioners honour its unique past and look ahead to the future in his leadership. 

“One of the first things the previous pastor, Fr. Robert Glynn, told me about this parish that he was handing over to me was that we were approaching this tremendous milestone, so these celebrations are something that have been on my plate from the beginning of my tenure here. The parish staff, such as our office and property managers, youth minister and catechist, have been working diligently with a large group of volunteers and me to bring the upcoming events into fruition, while making me look good in the process,” he said.

“It will be my privilege to guide and serve this wonderful parish community into the future.” 

Aug. 22 won’t be the parish’s first major anniversary celebration, as Cardinal James McGuigan marked the 50th anniversary of the present church in 1951, along with its 75th in 1976. Shortly after, the original St. Cornelius rejoined St. John’s in the 1980s, forming the “Two Churches – One Parish” community that continues today. In 2001, the 100th anniversary was celebrated under Bishop Robert Clune.

As with each past gathering, the real celebration is not merely for the same church on the hill, but for the ever-changing community that has sustained its purpose for an official 125 years. 

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“ The community in this parish is wonderful, and there have always been so many people willing to help and do many things for the church and, most importantly, for each other. The people are wonderful and welcoming, and Fr. Rose and the former pastor, Fr. Glynn, have been fantastic in keeping that spirit alive,” Bzdzikot said. 

Cardinal Frank Leo will travel to Caledon to celebrate the milestone later this year, with a special Mass planned for Dec. 20.