St. Stephen’s Anglican Church has been serving the lower Westmount community since it was first built in 1898.

Today, people have a wide range of needs and we try to minister effectively to those concerns at St. Stephen’s, while maintaining a family atmosphere.

We are a wide variety of people (from throughout the Greater Montreal area), of all ages, drawn together by a common desire to know our Creator God and the greatness of His love for us. Some are searching for the first glimmer of the light of His presence. Others are finding that God is real and can be known through Jesus Christ. Yet others are growing deeper in the experience of God’s Spirit bringing inner healing, freedom and forgiveness. More still are discovering how God’s Word teaches us about right relationships, revealing God’s purpose and fulfillment in our daily lives.

Our message is one of hope. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of Mankind, is the source of true forgiveness, freedom and dignity in this complex but often hurting society.

A brief history of St. Stephen’s

In 1834, the Rev. John Bethune begins to hold services in a room above a store on Wellington Street, near McGill Street. The parish of St. Stephen’s is officially founded in 1848.

In the 1840s a church is built on Dalhousie Street, between Wellington and Ottawa, in what is then the south-west sector of the downtown area. Over the years, this church is damaged by fire twice, and a new one is built on Saint-Paul Street, corner of de l’Inspecteur. It opens in 1881.

Unfortunately, the area experiences severe flooding during the 1880s, and as a result, a number of families decide to move up. Many of them opt to settle in a rapidly developing suburb called Westmount. Seeing his congregation dwindle, the rector, Archdeacon Lewis Evans, decides to follow them. With the help of friends, he buys two adjacent plots located on the corner of Atwater and Dorchester and has a church built. The new building opens in 1898. The congregation starts to grow again and the building quickly becomes too small. A new church is then built next to it in 1902-03 and the previous one is turned into a church hall. A rectory (residence for the priest and his family) is built on the site in 1912.

An active parish, St. Stephen’s enjoys relative stability until the 1960s, when a major decline in membership takes place. This becomes so severe that from 1967 to 1975, the parish has no incumbent priest. A decision is finally made to close the church and sell the land and buildings; demolition and redevelopment are planned. A group of concerned citizens and others organize fundraising campaigns and protests in an attempt to save the church. In 1975, newly elected Bishop Reginald Hollis has the sales agreement cancelled and later that year appoints a priest by the name of Robin Guinness.

By God’s grace, under Robin’s leadership the parish experiences tremendous growth. Membership increases considerably and various ministries are set up or expanded: Sunday school, Sunday morning prayer teams and contemporary music teams, Wednesday morning women’s Bible study, mid-week home-groups, youth group, missions support team, welcome team, welcome suppers, etc. A drop-in centre for the homeless and underprivileged, The Open Door, is started in 1989. The Alpha course is introduced in 1995. In 1998, the existing website is redesigned and improved. By the time Robin leaves in 2000, the parish enjoys robust health.
At the time, another priest, Nick Brotherwood, has been at St. Stephen’s for eleven years, most recently as Associate Rector. In the fall of 2000 he becomes Priest-in-Charge while the parish searches for a new rector, and ably leads the church during this period of transition.

On June 27, 2002 the Rev. Dr. Greg McVeigh is officially inducted as the new incumbent of St. Stephen’s Church. Dr. McVeigh is originally from Toronto. He studied psychology there at York University, where he eventually earned his PhD. He practiced as a psychologist for several years. After attending seminary, he was ordained a priest in 1990 in the Diocese of Algoma in northern Ontario. He ministered in two parishes in Thunder Bay, Ontario before coming to St. Stephen’s to be its pastor as of July 1, 2002. By the goodness of God, his leadership has been marked by additional growth and an expansion and strengthening of the church’s ministry.

By Louise Carrier
October 2004

In 2007 Pastor Greg McVeigh resigned from St Stephan’s.  At this time we invited Rev Dean Brady who had been worshipping at St Stephens,  to be our interim Pastor.  He agreed on the condition he could work part time while he completed his Doctoral studies at McGill. 

At the same time the Diocese of Montreal was caught up in the controversy that was sweeping the Anglican church of Canada of “Same Sex Blessing”.  Our Bishop Barry Clarke declared himself in favor of Same sex blessing and set about steps to put this into motion.  This act set off tremendous discussion among Evangelical Anglican Church’s in Montreal.  At St Stephens many were furious and over the next 2 years a process of discussion both formal and informal took place about what should be done.  At the same time the Anglican Network in Canada (ANIC ) was becoming established.  Led by Rev. Dean Brady a vote was help at St Stephens tot discern the will of the people.  It became clear that the majority wanted to leave the Anglican church of Canada because of this and join ANIC.  After a process agreed upon by the leaders of St Stephens, the congregation split on June 1 , 2009, leaving 20 people remaining at St Stephens.  Bishop Barry Clarke is now our priest in Charge.

The process was painful as we were a family of brothers and sisters. Every effort was made to remain peaceful and supportive, and committed to the success of the other group. 

At this time of writing St Stephens in now 6 months into the new beginning of this community.  We are just beginning to grow again.  We are prayerfully walking ahead.  We remain faithful   to the gospel of Christ and to Scripture.  Our desire is to be obedient to God, to grow in faith, and to reach out in community as servants of Jesus.   

Now we are in the summer of 2010 and together doing the Campus Alpha program.  The last year has truly been an adventure in community, faith, worship, and celebration.  We rejoice and give thanks for all God has done.  thanks to several rental agreements, we are financially stable.  This allows us to concentrate on ministry and not fundraising.

As we begin to grow, we are praying for a few more mature Christians, who can assist us in worship, outreach, and youth ministries.  We give thanks in advance for what God is about to do amoung us.

Reviews from the pews

“The morning service and coffee hour- the entire Sunday event – is a conduit to intimacy with God and friendship with others.”
- Educator

“I appreciate the church’s commitment to the personal growth of its attendees.”
- Physician

“On Sundays, there is an invigorating sense of worship and community. I also find the weekly study group helpful for personal growth. There is an environment of warmth and mutual support.”
- Homemaker

“The message at St. Stephen’s is that there is a point to living. Its emphasis on a contemporary application of the Bible has made a remarkable difference in my life and outlook.”
- Manager

“There is a warm, friendly atmosphere. Even the young people and the children make seniors feel welcome and appreciated.”
- Senior Citizen

“St. Stephen’s is my spiritual family, it is a place of encouragement and of challenge. Since it is spiritual it is creative because God is the creator. St. Stephen’s has enabled me to grow in so many ways through conversations and love that’s been shown to me.”
- Artist

“I really enjoy the wide variety of students that St. Stephen’s attracts. I appreciate the sense of openness and unconditional acceptance I experience from its members.”
- Graduate Student

“As a single mother, I value the acceptance, support and love I receive at St. Stephen’s. To me, it truly represents the “Father” heart of God.”
- Single Parent

“I began to thirst for a deeper knowledge of who God was and of what He wanted for me.”
- Young Man in mid twenties

“I began to feel a climate of trust, acceptance, love and understanding in the group which helped me to feel free to share my hopes and dreams as well as my doubts and fears.”
- A Working Mother

“I would like to express my extreme joy at being here in the warm fellowship of St. Stephen’s Church. It is exciting to see and feel the Holy Spirit at work.”
- A Young Business Woman

“We sense in particular that God has been making St. Stephen’s a place of healing for many, and long for this to develop further.”
- A former Member of our Church Council