Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto)
in Toronto, CanadaCategory: Attraction
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469 Manning Avenue, Toronto, ON M6G 2V8, Canada Print route »
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The Church of St. Mary Magdalene (also known as SMM) is a parish of the Anglican Church of Canada located in Toronto. It is famous for its association with composer Healey Willan who was organist and choir-master for well over four decades; it was part of the composite Robertson Davies used to form "St. Aidan's" in his novel The Cunning Man. Robertson Davies attended Mass there while still a Presbyterian and a student at Upper Canada College. The church is also mentioned in Marian Engel's "The Glassy Sea". Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson has been a parishioner for many years and the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visited, participated in the Solemn Mass and unveiled a national historic plaque to the memory of Healey Willan [3 July 1989].As an Anglo-Catholic parish, SMM has always celebrated the Eucharist as the central act of worship. This has historically been done at SMM in a liturgical style reflecting the convergence of Roman Catholic and Anglican influences. In 1919, the church shifted more towards Roman-style parish life: the Rev'd H. Griffin Hiscocks began hearing private confession. This period also ushered in the use of incense and the installation of a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (now in the south aisle of the church). Newspaper accounts of the time reveal how controversial the installation was. A chip in the statue's toe shows evidence of a hammer attack made by those hostile to SMM's Catholic spirituality.
The current rector is Father David Harrison, who became rector on June 1, 2010, after a nine-year incumbency at the parish of St. Thomas', Brooklin.
In 2013, SMM celebrated its 125th anniversary.
