| About Us |
An Information Meeting was advertised and held on November 20, 1996 (The feast day of St. Edmund!). The meeting was chaired by Bishop Mercer with almost 20 people in attendance. Our first Worship Service (Matins) was held the following Sunday in the same location - the Common Room of Lutheridge Residence in Guelph. Ted Bowles, a layreader of the Diocese, officiated. Shortly thereafter, Fr. Harold Logan of Oshwegan, and Fr. Franklin Braby of Stratford (both priests of the Diocese) offered to and did celebrate Mass for us. After the death of Fr. Braby at the end of May 1998 several priests have celebrated Mass for us. In June of 1998 Ted Bowles was ordained deacon and appointed Curate-In-Charge of the Parish. Since that time we have been blessed with the services of Fr. Graham Stiff and Fr. Edward Goodwin on Sundays; and Fr. Rodney Brazill of Oshawa for most midweek Masses - traveling 400 kms (round trip) to do so. Since the majority of our people are residents of the Kitchener/Waterloo area we started looking for a more permanent location in that area and were fortunate in obtaining the use of the Chapel of the 'Grand River Health Centre' (General Hospital) in Kitchener. We used this Chapel for most of 1997, 1998, and 1999. During 1999 we were advised that the Chapel was to be demolished to make room for a new Cancer Treatment Centre. A friend of the Parish, a Lutheran Pastor, suggested our next move be to the Chapel of Luther Village on the Park in February, 2000. We have been at this location ever since. The Parish was incorporated on December 31, 1997 with Gary Freeman as the President. Charitable donation status was obtained in early 1998. From March of 2000 we have been putting aside 10%, since increased to 15%, of our income into a Building Fund. In God's good time He will give us a place of our own in which to worship. Donations to this Fund are always welcome! Also in 2000 Deacon Ted Bowles was ordained priest and licensed as Priest-in-Charge of the Parish. Having our own resident priest has made it possible for us to celebrate Mass on all major Holy Days as well as every Sunday. Some of our earlier priests have passed on to their reward: Fr. Franklin Braby in 1998, Fr. Rodney Brazill in 2001 and Fr. Edward Goodwin in 2002. For more information about the Parish, please visit our contact us page.
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In the summer of 1996 Bishop Mercer put Ted Bowles of Guelph (Ted and Wyn had been members of the Cathedral Parish in
Ottawa) in touch with Gary Freeman of Waterloo who had earlier made enquiries about the ACCC. There was no ACCC Parish
for Ted and Wyn to attend. Gary had become disenchanted with the Anglican Church of Canada and left in 1977 and had most
recently been attending a local Roman Catholic Parish but not communicating. The opportunity of establishing a Catholic
Parish in the Anglican Tradition was appealing.