History of St. Eugene's Chapel

The Early Years

It was in the area north of the Bathurst-Lawrence Crossroads that a group of people arrived during the 1920s and 1930s who would eventually establish St. Eugene's parish.

Among those who moved into the area were families of Italian origin. The newcomers were Italian and Catholic, except for one family who were Catholic and Irish. One of the problems faced by Catholics in the area at the time was the need for a place to worship. The closest Catholic churches were Blessed Sacrament on Yonge Street (established in 1926) and St. Thomas Aquinas on Eglinton Avenue (established in 1930). Thus, for the Sunday Masses, the Catholics in the north Bathurst-Lawrence area Blessed Sacrament Church and for receiving the Sacraments, they went to St. Thomas Aquinas. The first Holy Communion preparation class for the Italian children in the area was held at the Vitale home in 1932.

The Committee of Five

In September of 1940, Father Emmett Lacey was appointed assistant pastor at Blessed Sacrament. Shortly after, he became aware of the Bathurst-Lawrence residents who came on foot in the burning sun or sub-zero temperatures, and became interested in their spiritual welfare.

At this point, there was a growing movement among the parishioners of the north Bathurst-Lawrence area to bring a Church in the area. A committee of five was formed, composed of Carmen D'Antimo, Angelo DiMonte, Domenic D'Antimo, Giuseppe DeAngelis and Simon Connolly. The five men became the leaders behind whom the community rallied in the autumn of 1941 to bring Mass to Catholics in the area. They were granted permission from the pastor of Blessed Sacrament to have Mass celebrated each Sunday in the Bathurst area. Carmen D'Antimo offered the use of his basement at 46 Sultana Ave., and soon Fr. Lacey was celebrating Mass for them.

In the spring of 1942, the growing congregation petitioned Archbishop (later Cardinal) James McGuigan for permission to buy a piece of land and build their own church. With the condition that a separate school also be established, the archbishop granted permission.

During the summer of that year, the community spent their free time working to complete the building in time for the opening of the school. On September 8, 1942, St. Eugene's Chapel and school were established. The archbishop assigned St. Eugene's as a mission of St. Thomas Aquinas parish and Father Faustus McKenna as its pastor. Three years after, however, the school was closed and the children were bused to St. Thomas Aquinas.

In 1949, Reverend Father Melville Boland was granted permission to use St. Eugene's Chapel, as the pioneer church for the proposed building of Our Lady of the Assumption Church. Under Fr. Bolan's leadership, the community began the work of repairing the Chapel that had been neglected. Among new furnishings and pews, a new furnace was installed; however, after three months of restoration, the furnace malfunctioned in the early hours of the morning and exploded, damaging the Chapel beyond use.

Once again, the people rallied behind their pastor and the Chapel re-opened in March 1951. That year, Fr. Bolan was assigned to a new parish to be called St. Margaret Queen of Scotland. Fr. Bolan used St. Eugene's as his parish church until the opening of St. Margaret's in 1957.

Fr. Bolan arranged for the Basilian Fathers at St. Michael's College School to help with the Sunday Masses at St. Eugene's on Sundays, rather than closing St. Eugene's as originally planned. This arrangement continued throughout the years until the 1970s. As without their help, the future of the chapel would have been in jeopardy.

The Middle Years

In September 1978, Reverend Father William Firth succeeded Father Bolan, who retired, as the new pastor of St. Margaret's parish. At the time, he was faced with an important decision to make concerning the closing of St. Eugene's chapel. His prayers were answered when Reverend Father Arthur R. Looby, another member of the Basilian community and a retired army chaplain, was assigned as Rector of St. Eugene's Chapel.

He arrived on the First Sunday of Advent in 1978, and continued to serve the parish until his untimely death in October 1993.

Under Fr. Looby's leadership, the Chapel experienced a revival and renewal, both spiritual and physical. The sense of community at St. Eugene's was given new life. For the first time, a parish council, a liturgical committee, an adult religious education program, an RCIA program, a prayer group, a youth group, and a choir were formed. In 1984, the parish council approved the much-needed renovations to the Chapel, which included a basement and a main floor extension to the sanctuary, providing an apartment for the residing priest. All these changes were accomplished through community fundraising, donations and through the help of many volunteers.

A New Era

Following the death of Fr. Looby, the spiritual needs of the community continued to be looked after. For the next three years, Father Gerald Gregoire, a Basilian Father, ministered to the parishioners of St. Eugene's as the Associate Pastor of St. Margaret's. In 1996, Father Ernst Tyler, a Jesuit, took over for the next eight years.

In 2004, a new era was to begin. Needing a place to worship, the Syro-Malankara Catholic community came to St. Eugene's. This meant the future of the Chapel was looking bright and secure. The Malankara priests not only ministered to their community but also took over the spiritual well-being of St. Eugene's parishioners.

For the next eleven years, St. Eugene's was rejuvenated as it welcomed a younger line up of associate pastors from India, Father Cherian Mambrakuzhi and Father John Kuriakose. Finally, St. Eugene's welcomed back Father Gigi Philip, a former associate pastor of St. Margaret's, who looked after the community before being assigned as Pastor of St. Norbert's Church. For a brief but memorable period in 2009, the parishioners of St. Eugene's welcomed Father John Duffy.

In 2015, as St. Eugene's said farewell to the Malankara community, our fate was once again unknown. However, our Lord God heard the prayers of his children and St. Eugene's Chapel was to remain open. The community waited eagerly to hear if there would be a new associate pastor, and word finally came that St. Eugene's would get its first Filipino priest. While Father Noel Daduya's time was short, he was instrumental in the 75th anniversary celebrations that St. Eugene's Chapel would hold throughout 2017.

On September 10, 2017, the parishioners of St. Eugene's Chapel gathered with family and friends for a Solemn Mass held outdoors, and presided by His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, to thank our Lord for His many blessings over the past 75 years.