1600s to 2000s
Here are important dates in the history of th​e Archdiocese of Toronto, as well as contemporary events that affected the development of the local Catholic Church​​ from the 1600s to 2000s.

1615
First Mass in Huronia is held on the southern shores of Georgian Bay.

1640s
Jesuit priests are martyred in Huronia.

1767
First Catho​lic parish in Ontario for Europeans is established in Windsor.

1780s
Catholics from Scotland settle in Stormont and Glengarry counties.

1790s
Right Reverend Edmund Burke, Vicar-General for Upper Canada, purchases parcels of land for future sites of Catholic churches and institutions.

1793
York is founded with the arrival of John Graves Simcoe.

1806
Catholic settlers in Ontario number about 170.*

* ARCAT, Bishop Macdonell Fonds, M CG01.02, letter from Rev. Alexander Macdonell to Bishop Plessis, May 10, 1806.

1812-15
War of 1812

1822
St. Paul's Church, the first Roman Catholic parish in Toronto, is established.

1826
Upper Canada is transferred from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Québec to the new Bishop of Kingston, Alexander Macdonell.

Read the Reminiscences of the Late Hon. and Right Rev. Alexander Macdonell...

1837-38
Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions

1841
December 17: The Diocese of Toronto is created, encompassing the western half of Upper Canada. Michael Power is appointed its first bishop.

1842
June 26: Bishop Power is installed at St. Paul's Church in Toronto.

October 6-9: First Toronto diocesan synod is held to establish the policies and regulations to govern the new diocese and its 25,000 Catholics.*

* From Censuses of Canada, 1665-1871, vol. 4 of Census of Canada, 1870-1871 (Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1876) and Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada, ed. J.G. Hodgins (Toronto: L.K. Cameron, 1900). See Appendix 3 of Mark G. McGowan's Michael Power: The Struggle to Build the Catholic Church on the Canadian Frontier (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005).

1845
March 29: The Diocese of Toronto is incorporated as the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Toronto, in Canada.*

* Statutes of the Province of Canada, 1845. An Act to Incorporate the Roman Catholic Bishops of Toronto and Kingston, in Canada, in each Diocese (pp. 499-502).

May 8: Bishop Power lays the cornerstone of St. Michael's Cathedral.

1846
December 7: St. Michael's Palace (Episcopal Residence, Chancery Office and Cathedral Rectory) is blessed.

1847
October 1: Bishop Power dies and is buried beneath the unfinished cathedral.

1848
September 29: St. Michael's Cathedral is consecrated by Bishop Bourget of Montréal.

The Catholic population reaches 50,000.*
​
* From Censuses of Canada, 1665-1871, vol. 4 of Census of Canada, 1870-1871 (Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1876) and Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada, ed. J.G. Hodgins (Toronto: L.K. Cameron, 1900). See Appendix 3 of Mark G. McGowan's Michael Power: The Struggle to Build the Catholic Church on the Canadian Frontier (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005).​

1850
September 22: Bishop Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel is installed as the second bishop of Toronto. He uses his personal estate to pay off debt on St. Michael's Cathedral.

1852
St. Michael's College is founded at the University of Toronto.

1855
St. Michael's Cemetery is founded to serve all of the downtown parishes in York.

1856
The Diocese of Toronto is divided by the erection of the dioceses of Hamilton and London.

1857
House of Providence opens.

St. Paul's Church Cemetery is officially closed. The cemetery filled up quickly with the burials of Irish immigrants who had succumbed to typhoid fever following their escape from the Great Famine.

1858
Bishop de Charbonnel imports St. Michael's Cathedral's three east windows and the Stations of the Cross from France.

1859
August 16: Bishop John J. Lynch is appointed coadjutor to Bishop de Charbonnel.

1860
April 29: Bishop de Charbonnel resigns and returns to France. Bishop Lynch becomes the third Bishop of Toronto.

1863
Bishop Lynch holds a diocesan synod to solidify the regulations governing the 40,000 Catholics in his care.*

* The Metropolitan Catholic Almanac and Laity's Directory for the United States, Canada, and the British Provinces (Baltimore: John Murphy and Co., 1861), p. 246.

1867
July 1: The Dominion of Canada is established through the British North America Act.

1870
March 18: Pope Pius IX raises Toronto to an Archdiocese during Vatican Council I, making Bishop Lynch an Archbishop.

1873
St. Michael's Cathedral is completed with the addition of the tower, steeple, sacristy, bells and fence.

1875
The Jubilee Riots in Toronto

September: Archbishop Lynch leads the first Roman Catholic Provincial Council of Toronto.

1876
Sacred Heart Orphanage, also known as "Sunnyside", is established on the site of today's St. Joseph's Health Care Centre.

1877
Archbishop Lynch establishes a seminary in St. John's Grove (located on the property of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish).

1879
Auxiliary Bishop Timothy O'Mah​ony is appointed to the Archdiocese of Toronto and takes up residence at St. Paul's Parish.

1886
Catholic population is 57,000.*

* ARCAT, Letterbooks, LB05.043, Statistical Report, October 16, 1886.

1887
October 9: Cornerstone of the new St. Paul's Church is laid.

1888
May 12: Archbishop Lynch dies and is buried in the garden of St. Michael's Cathedral.

1889
November: Archbishop John Walsh is installed in Toronto.

1891
Bishop de Charbonnel dies a Capuchin friar in France.

June 7: Archbishop Walsh blesses St. John's Chapel, an addition to St. Michael's Cathedral.

1892
St. Michael's Hospital is founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph

1893
The Catholic Register newspaper is launched in the Archdiocese of Toronto.

1898
July 30: Archbishop Walsh dies and is buried in front of the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Michael's Cathedral.

1899
Catholic population is 65,000, served by 85 parishes and missions.*

* Hoffmann's Catholic Directory (Milwaukee: Hoffman Company, 1899), p. 43.

May 3: Archbishop Denis T. O'Connor is installed in Toronto.

1900
Mount Hope Cemetery is opened.

1908
April 13: Bishop Fergus Patrick McEvay is appointed Archbishop of Toronto.

May 4: Archbishop O'Connor resigns.

Canadian Catholic Church Extension Society is founded (name changes to Catholic Missions in Canada in 1999).

1910
October 23: Cornerstone of St. Augustine's Seminary is laid.

1911
Catholic population is 70,000 and Archbishop McEvay has created seven new parishes, bringing the total number of churches to 92; he has also built 10 church buildings and a new archiepiscopal residence.*

* Catholic Directory, Almanac and Clergy List (Milwaukee: Wiltzius Company, 1911), p. 55.

May 10: Archbishop McEvay dies and is buried in Regina Cleri Cemetery at St. Augustine's Seminary

June 30: Archbishop O'Connor dies and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.

1912
December 22: Archbishop Neil ​McNeil arrives in the Archdiocese of Toronto.

1913
Catholic Charities Office is formed (name changes: Federation of Catholic Charities (1927); Council of Catholic Charities (1946); Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto (1981)).

August 28: Opening of St. Augustine's Seminary.

1914
June 28: Outbreak of World War I

1917
Catholic population is 75,000, served by 100 parishes and missions.*

* The Ontario Catholic Year Book and Directory (Toronto: Newman Club Toronto, 1918), p. 40.

1918
November 11: Armistice is signed ending World War I.

1924
China Mission Seminary is established next to St. Augustine's Seminary, later becoming the Scarborough Foreign Mission Society.

1929
Catholic population is 125,000, served by 119 parishes and missions.*

* The Official Catholic Directory Anno Domini 1929 (New York: P.J. Kennedy and Sons, 1929), p. 61.

September: Foundation of the Institute of Mediaeval Studies (is created a Pontifical Institute in October 1939).

October 29: Stock market crashes marking the beginning of Great Depression

1934
May 25: Archbishop McNeil dies and is buried at St. Augustine's Seminary.

Catholic population is 165,000* and the number of parishes and missions has grown to 126.**

* The Official Catholic Directory Anno Domini 1935 (New York: P.J. Kennedy and Sons, 1935), p. 47. **Hoffmann's Catholic Directory (Milwaukee: Hoffman Company, 1899), p. 43.

1935
Mar 20: Archbishop James C. McGuigan is installed in Toronto. Under his administration, the following Auxiliary Bishops are appointed: Benjamin (1946-1954); Francis Allen (1954-1977); Francis Marroc​co (1955-1968).

1937
St. Michael's Choir School is founded.

1939-45
World War II: Archbishop McGuigan releases priests to serve as chaplains in the armed forces and forms a unit of ninety women's societies sending parcels overseas, providing chapels and reading rooms in military camps and serving meals.

Archbishop McGuigan's administration conducts many successful fund-raising campaigns, including ones for St. Augustine's Seminary and for Catholic education.

1946
February 18: Archbishop McGuigan is elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals, becoming the first English-speaking Cardinal in Canada.

1947
June 18-22: Marian Congress in Ottawa is presided over by Cardinal McGuigan as the special representative of Pope Pius XII.

1949
Catholic population is 197,000, served by 158 parishes and missions.*

* Le Canada Ecclésiastique: Annuaire du Clergé 1949 (Montréal: Librairie Beauchemin, 1949) p. 388.

1954
Opening of Holy Cross Cemetery in Thornhill.

1958
November: Establishment of the Diocese of St. Catharines.

1959
Catholic population is 365,000, served by 153 parishes and missions.*

* ARCAT, Diocesan Quinquennial Reports, 1959.

1961
February 18: Archbishop Philip F. Pocock is named Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Toronto and takes over the administration of the Archdiocese. Under his administration, the following Auxiliary Bishops are appointed: Thomas Fulton (1968-1978); Aloysius​ Ambrozic (1976-1990).

1962-65
The Second Vatican Council or Vatican II is held.

1966
Senate of Priests is established.

1969
January: Archdiocesan Pastoral Council is established.

1970
April:Toronto School of Theology is incorporated.

1971
Cardinal McGuigan resigns.

1973
Catholic population is 750,000, served by 203 parishes and missions.*

* ARCAT, Diocesan Quinquennial Reports, 1973.​

1974
April 8: Cardinal McGuigan dies and is buried at St. Augustine's Seminary.

May-June: The first 26 Permanent Deacons of the Archdiocese of Toronto are ordained in five separate ceremonies by Archbishop Pocock.

1976
ShareLife is established when Archbishop Pocock withdraws the Council of Catholic Charities from the United Way.

1978
By 1978 the Catholic population is 900,000 and 45 new parishes had been built for a total of 210 parishes ​and missions.*

* Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Directory 1979 (Ottawa: Concacan Inc., 1979), p. 78.

April 29: Archbishop Pocock resigns.

June 5: Bishop Gerald Emmett Carter is installed as Archbishop of Toronto. Under his administration, the following Auxiliary Bishops are appointed: Robert Clune (1979-1997); M. Pearse Lacey (1979-1993); Le​onard Wall (1979-1992).

1979
May 26: Archbishop Carter is elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals.

1981
Cardinal Carter begins the annual Cardinal's Dinner.

1982
Covenant House is established in downtown Toronto.

1984
Catholic population is 1,214,000, served by 214 parishes, missions and chapels.*

* Canadian Catholic Church Directory 1985-1986 (Montréal: B.M. Advertising Inc., 1985), p. 218.

September 6: Archbishop Pocock dies and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill.

September 14-15: Pope John Paul II visits various parts of the archdiocese as part of a pastoral visit to Canada.

1986
May 22: Bishop Ambrozic is appointed Coadjutor Archbishop.

1987
Ontario Government passes legislation providing full funding to Catholic high schools.

Cardinal Carter celebrates a triple anniversary: 75th birthday; 50th year as a priest; and 25th year as a bishop. ​

1990
March 17: Cardinal Carter resigns, making Archbishop Ambrozic the new ordinary of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Under Archbishop Ambrozic's administration, the following Auxiliary Bishops are appointed: Nicola De Angelis, C.F.I.C.(1992- 2003); John Knight (1992-2001);Terrence Prendergast S.J. (1995-1998); R. Anthony Meagher (1997-2002); John Boissonneau​ (2001- Present); Richard Grecco (2002-2009); Daniel B​ohan (2003-2005); Peter J. Hundt (2006-2011).

1991
April: Archbishop Ambrozic announces the creation of an office of youth ministry (now called Office of Catholic Youth).

1992
Catholic population is 1,337,000,* served by 233 parishes, missions and chapels.**

* Canadian Catholic Church Directory 1985-1986 (Montréal: B.M. Advertising Inc., 1985), p. 218.​ **ARCAT, Diocesan Quinquennial Reports, 1992.​

1998
February 21: Archbishop Ambrozic is elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals.

2000
Year of the Great Jubilee celebrating the third Christian millennium.

November 5: Official Blessing of St. Paul's Church as a Minor Basilica.

2002
July 23-28: World Youth Day in Toronto, presided over by Pope John Paul II.

November 16:Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute (CCBI) is officially opened.

2003
April 6: Cardinal Carter dies and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill.

2005
April: Cardinal Ambrozic attends the conclave which elects Pope Benedict XVI.

2006
December 16: Pope Benedict XVI accepts the resignation of Cardinal Ambrozic and appoints Archbishop Thomas C​hristopher Collins as the tenth Archbishop of Toronto. Under his administration, the following Auxiliary Bishops are appointed: William McGratt​an (2010-2014); Vincent Nguyen (2010-Present); Wayne Kirkpatrick​ (2012-Present); Robert Kasun (2016-Present).

2012
February 18: Archbishop Collins is elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals.

2013
February: Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation for the end of the month, becoming the first pope to resign since 1415.​

March: Cardinal Collins attends the conclave which elects Pope Francis

​2016
September 29: Official Blessing and Rededication of the renovated St. Michael’s Cathedral as a Minor Basilica.

Today
​​The Archdiocese of Toronto is Canada’s largest diocese, stretching from Toronto north to Georgian Bay and from Oshawa to Mississauga. Serving the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Catholic population of over 1.9 million are: 225 parishes, 19 missions and various chaplaincies; 399 diocesan priests; 129 permanent deacons; as well as 91 religious orders comprised of 434 priests, 55 brothers and 538 sisters.*​​

* Statistics on number of parishes, missions, priests, permanent deacons and religious order personnel compiled from internal Chancery Information System (CIS) database reports. Catholic population compiled from: Statistics Canada. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile. 2011 National Household Survey​​​ (accessed August 26, 2013).