St. Joseph of Nazareth
Anglican Church


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Our History

In early 1960 as the new community of Bramalea was beginning to take shape, it became clear that an Anglican parish church should be established.  With the co-operation of the Reverend Arthur MacRae, then rector of St. James the Apostle in Brampton, the first service was held in December of 1960 at Grahamsville School for about ten to fifteen families – “a handful of Anglicans”.  

As Bramalea grew, it quickly became clear that St. Joseph’s needed a building of its own, and a “portable church” was acquired in the early fall of 1961.  The Reverend Frederick Cross was selected as the first priest, and he began his ministry in May of 1962.  

The one room portable was crowded, difficult to heat and had few conveniences, and a campaign was started to plan for the construction of a new, permanent building.  The end result of this campaign was that the new building was started almost immediately, with the sod turning ceremony held on October 28, 1963.  The cornerstone was laid by Bishop Henry Hunt on December 7, 1963, and the new building was dedicated by Bishop Snell on March 19, 1964, the Feast Day of St. Joseph of Nazareth.

The next few years were busy ones for the parish with many social and fundraising events which provided fellowship and strengthened the life of the church.  As the community and parish continued to grow, many of the services were very crowded even with three services each Sunday.  Church School classes were also overflowing.  It became apparent that the church facilities would have to be expanded.  In 1980 firm plans were made to construct a new church building.  The first service was held in the new worship area on July 4, 1981.  The end of a particular era was also reached in the summer of 1981, when the portable building, which had been used for 18 years for meetings, Sunday School, garage sales, and storage, was partially destroyed by fire due to vandalism, and had to be demolished.  

The next years were busy ones at St. Joseph’s with many social and fundraising projects such as auctions, dances, garage sales, corn roasts, Fun Fest in May, the Christmas Bazaar, and the annual sale of Christmas trees, all of which provided fellowship among the parishioners and strengthened the life of the parish.  

St. Joseph’s has been fortunate to be led by the following incumbents over the years:


The Rev'd Arthur MacRae, St. James the Apostle
 1960-62
The Rev'd Frederick A. Cross
 1962-65
The Rev'd T. Garnett Whitfield
 1965-72
The Rev'd Joseph Deyman
 1972-78
The Rev'd David F. Bousfield
 1978-82
The Rev'd Arthur C. Lawson
 1982-89
The Rev'd John Wilton
 1989-96
The Rev'd Peter DeC. Fenty
 1997-2003
The Rev'd Geoffrey N. Sangwine
 2004-
           

Today, we give thanks for our diversity and for the countless members who through the years have worked hard with real commitment to achieve the sense of family that we have as a parish.