St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Our First Church and Hall
Our First Church and Hall
Our First Church and Hall

When St. John's Parish was established in 1935 the congregation purchased a building at Simcoe and Bloor Streets which served as both Church and Parish Hall

Following the construction of our Temple in 1949/50, the original building was transformed into the parish hall.  When "Fiesta," the local multicultural festival, was established in 1974, our hall became known as the "Odesa Hall" as our parish pavilion was named after this famous Ukrainian port city.  

Over the course of 75 years the hall was a focus for parish social and cultural life; thousands of parish events such as weddings, baptismal receptions, funeral luncheons, concerts, cultural displays and educational seminars were held in our hall.

By 2011 the hall had reached the end of its useful life, and after serious and prayerful consideration of all the possible options, the parish decided to build a new hall which would more perfectly serve the current needs of the community.  After the long and taxing process of finalizing a design, obtaining the necessary permits, and choosing a contractor, as well as an extremely successful fund-raising campaign, construction of the new hall began in April of 2019

and continued througout the winter months.

By the Spring of 2020 the interior of the hall was beginning to take shape

just in time for the COVID-19 crisis to force construction to be interrupted!

The new door between the Church and the Hall
The new door between the Church and the Hall
The new door between the Church and the Hall

Once construction resumed it became evident how beautiful the new hall would be.  Our contractor, Fayer Construction, did an absolutely marvellous job both in regards to the construction of the new building, as well as in aesthetically integrating the new with the old.

The Interior is the perfect size for the needs of our congregation, with a full kitchen, a barrier free wash-room

and wheel-chair lift, insuring that both our Church as well as our hall are handicapped-accessible.

The exterior is aesthetically pleasing

and the new amenities even include a bicycle rack and new parish notice board.

Our Beautiful New Church Hall
Our Beautiful New Church Hall
Our Beautiful New Church Hall

None of this would have been possible without the overwhelming generosity of our parishioners and friends.  Though the new hall is almost entirely paid for, if you would like to make a donation towards this project you may do so by using the Donate Now button on our web-site.  We offer continued prayers and thanksgiving to God on behalf of all our donors and supporters.

An official grand opening will be held when circumstances again permit such gatherings.

We are truly grateful to God for this wonderful new hall, and look forward to welcoming you to our new parish community centre!

Upcoming Services
Saturday, March 30
1st Soul Saturday of Great Lent
9:30 AM - Church Spring clean-up!!!
3:00 PM-UOCC AGM (ZOOM)
No Great V
Sunday, March 31
2nd Sun of Great Lent,
St.Gregory Palamas
9:30 AM Divine @ Liturgy * & Memorial
6:00PM Passia at St. Dimitrios, Etobicoke
Monday, April 1
7:00 PM - Regular Parish Council Meeting (ZOOM)
Donate
Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!
Durham Ukrainian Relief Fund
Fundraise Now Through CanadaHelps.org!