St. Michael's Multicultural
Anglican Church

Q: If you claim that St. Michael's in Mount Pleasant is a multi-cultural / multi-ethnic church, then how many different languages can be spoken in St. Michael's on Pentecost Day?

A: 8 – Tagalog, Lugandan, Tamil, Chinese, Japanese, French, Farsi, Jamaican and English.

Q: How long has the Filipino part of the congregation been active?

A: Since 1994, when Rev. Expedito Farinas joined the church from the Philippines.

Q: Is it true that a refugee was in sanctuary at St. Michael's for over two years?

A: Yes. On June 15, 2004, Rev. John Marsh granted Amir Kazemian sanctuary in St. Michael's. He lived in our morning chapel for over two years, and was an important part of our community.

Q: What do Stanley Park, St. Michael's, Christ Church Cathedral, and St. Paul's, all have in common?

A: 1889 – they all had their beginnings in that year.

Q: Just for the record, what were the months in which they held their first service?

A: St. Michael's – March 10th, 1889 | St. Paul's – August, 1889 | Christ Church – October 6, 1889

Q: Is it true that the first site of St. Michael's was at the location of the Biltmore Hotel (now called the Johnson & Howard)?

A: Yes. A picture of the second St. Michael's church, from 1901, on the Biltmore Hotel site, can be found in the Baptistry Stained Glass Window at St. Michael's.

Q: How long has St. Michael's been on the current site?

A: St. Michael's bought the current site in 1905. The purchase price of $1500 caused grave concerns in the Church Committee that it could ever be paid back (it was paid back in 3 years).

Q: How was St. Michael's originally established?

A: Rev. Fiennes Clinton of St. James Church pioneered several new churches out of St. James, one of which was St. Michael's (another of which was St. Paul's).

Q: How many churches did St. Michael's go on to establish?

A: Four in total – St. George's (one of our sister churches in the Jubilee Cluster), St. Peter's (now Holy Cross), St. Thomas's, and St. Mary's, South Hill. The last three were planted by Canon G.H. Wilson of St. Michael's.

Q: What is depicted in the Stained Glass Window in the Sanctuary Arch, above the Communion Table?

A: The three subjects of the window are: the Ascension of Christ, the Nativity of Christ / Christ's Presentation in the Temple, and Christ Blessing the Little Children. It was dedicated on January 21st, 1945.

Q: What is depicted in the Stained Glass Window in the Baptistry?

A: This is another version of Christ Blessing the Little Children, and was dedicated to Rev. Canon Wilson by his family, not too long after the Stained Glass Window in the Sanctuary was dedicated.

Q: How long has the current church been in place?

A: The current church was built in 1932, and opened for services on Sunday, Sept. 11, 1932. It is the 4th St. Michael's church since 1889 (the Church Hall was the 3rd; it opened for services on Oct. 4, 1908).

Q: Have I seen this church somewhere before?

A: As a matter of fact, if you go inside the sanctuary at St. Philips Dunbar (3737 West 27th Avenue), you will discover a twin of St. Michael's. St. Philips is active in supporting our Food Ministry.