For more than 130 years, St. Olave’s has been bringing the
light of Christ to Swansea, West Toronto and beyond.
Prayer is the foundation of our life in Christ. It connects us to each other and to our history, it strengthens us in times of need and supports us when we rejoice in the Lord. Come and experience the beauty of our traditional services in a welcoming and inclusive community.
A Message from the Rector
Welcome to St. Olave’s! If you are new to our church, or are simply exploring our parish’s website, I’d love to get to know you. You can make an appointment to meet with me during the week (email me at rector@stolaves.ca) or simply chat with me after a service on a Sunday morning.
St. Olave’s is a Christian community that wants to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in Swansea and beyond. Through weekly prayer and music, we share the Gospel of Christ with reverence, beauty and love. We have a vibrant children’s ministry, a rich education program and serve the needs of our broader community through outreach and support.
During the pandemic we worked hard to maintain these programs and goals. Worshipping on YouTube and Zoom and Facebook Live kept us connected. The Arts Guild events and educational series enlightened and entertained many people from our parish and beyond.
Now, thankfully, we have resumed gathering in-person for worship and social events, and we will continue to support our new online ministry. Our partners who call St. Olave’s home have restarted their programs and our red doors are wide open to welcome you.
If God is nudging you to find community and to explore your faith, St. Olave’s might be the right place for you. We hope to see you here!
The Reverend Canon Robert Mitchell, Rector
416-769-5686 ext. 1
For Sunday services schedule click here.
For directions, parking and accessibility info, click here.
St. Olave’s upholds the Anglican Church of Canada’s mission:
“As a partner in the worldwide Anglican Communion and in the Universal Church, we proclaim and celebrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Worship and action.
“We value our heritage of biblical faith, reason, liturgy, tradition, bishops and synods, and the rich variety of our life in the community.
“We acknowledge that God is calling us to greater diversity of membership, wider participation in ministry and leadership, better stewardship in God’s creation and a stronger resolve in challenging attitudes and structures that cause injustice.
“Guided by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to respond to this all in love and service and so more fully live the life of Christ.”
What is the Book of Common Prayer?
When you come to St. Olave’s or any Anglican church, you will notice that common prayer (or praying together) is an important part of how Anglicans worship together. St. Olave’s services follow the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer, which traces its lineage back to the earliest days of the Reformation in England. The language, structure, calendar and rhythm of the BCP (as it’s commonly called) is timeless and edifying. As noted in the preface, it helps us become more truly what we already are: “the People of God, that New Creation in Christ which finds its joy in adoration of the Creator and Redeemer of all.”
The BCP was first compiled in England in 1549 but was revised several times up until 1662. In Canada, it was last revised in 1962. While many Anglican Churches have since adopted the newer Book of Alternative Services (BAS) for many of their services, St. Olave’s is among a small group of parishes in Canada that continues to exclusively use the BCP, which has been called the “priceless possession of the Anglican Church.” Saying the same liturgical words that have been said over the centuries is, for many, part of the comforting ritual and tradition of our services.
To learn more about the Book of Common Prayer, visit the resource page of the Prayer Book Society of Canada’s website, and download the Daily Prayer app.
“If you’re in a parish that uses the prayer book very naturally – where people know what page you’re on, or rather, don’t need to look at the page anymore – you can experience it as a natural, flowing, perfectly harmonious way of worshipping.” – Dr. Jesse Billett, Trinity College, University of Toronto.
Excerpted from “The Book of Common Prayer in Worship Today”, Anglican Church of Canada.