The Anglican Parish of Roches Point

See down for history of St. Paul, Jersey.

Built in 1862 and opened for services on January 1, 1863, and consecrated in 1867 by The Right Reverend Dr. Alexander N. Bethune, Coadjutor Bishop of Niagara, Christ Church, Roche's Point has served the surrounding community throughout the years from this beautiful building. The church was designed and built by its first Rector, The Reverend Walter Stennett, former principal of Upper Canada College (1857-1861) and ordained July 30, 1848, on land given by his parents. The construction quality was excellent as the present condition of the structure shows. The original Wardens were William Stennett and Alfred Wyndham.

Repairs have been undertaken during the past few years not only to repair the signs of time, but also to upgrade the building. Beginning in 1977 with the restoration of the unique stained glass windows, and in the 1990's the interior of the building was completely refurbished to repair the plaster work and to modernize the heating, as well as the addition of air conditioning. In 1999, tie rods were added to reinforce the structure; it having only shifted slightly since 1862. In 2000, a sound system was added and replacement of all the rock mortar joints in 2002 were repaired. A new cedar shake roof was installed in 2016.

The church is well known, having been featured in many publications dealing with rural Ontario. A variety of artists, both local and non-local, have produced paintings and photographs of this beautiful building.

Weekly services have continued since the Church was built. A continuing tribute to the Stennett family and their vision.

List Of Incumbents

1862 - 1866	The Rev. Walter Stennett, M.A.
1866 - 1868	Vacancy
1868 - 1870	The Rev. James Morton
1870 - 1873	The Rev. Johnston Vicars
1873 - 1878	No Incumbent
1878 - 1880	The Rev. William Jupp
1880 - z1881	The Rev. J.H. Turton (Rectory built)
1881 - 1883	Lapse of Incumbent
1883 - 1895	The Rev. C.R. Bell, Mus. Bac. (East wing of rectory added)
1896 - 1900	The Rev. A.M. Rutherford (Georgina and Roches Point combined)
1900 - 1904	Vacancy
1904 - 1907	The Rev. J. McKee McLennan  (Georgina and Roches Point combined)
1908 - 1911	The Rev. F.M. Dean  (Georgina and Roches Point combined)
1912 - 1913	Vacancy
1913 - 1917	The Rev. C.E. Pratt
1917 - 1918	The Rev. W.A. Pippin
1918 - 1920	The Rev. W. Creswick
1921 - 1925	The Rev. S. Ferguson
1925 - 1927	The Rev. Canon Thomas W. Barnett*
1927 - 1934	The Rev. Fred Ellis
1934 - 1937	The Rev. A.K. Griffin
1934 - 1937	The Rev. O. Twiss (Georgina and Roches Point combined)
1937 - 1942	The Rev. A.J. Forte
1942 - 1947	The Rev. J.T. Rhodes
1947 - 1949	The Rev. H.L. Puxley (Ordained while serving)
1949 - 1951	The Rev. M.T. Hutt
1951 - 1953	The Rev. Alfred .J. Arthur*  (Consecration of Cemetery addition)
1953 - 1956	The Rev. Edward Morley*
1956 - 1961	The Rev. Frank B. Cooke*
1961 - 1967	The Rev. Jack M. Wiseman
1967 - 1970	The Rev. Canon Donald Bone
1970 - 1974	The Rev. Earl Sigston
1974 - 1986	The Rev. C Donald Wilson*
1986 - 1991	The Rev. Wayne Carney
1991 - 1992	The Rev. Canon M. Elizabeth Kilbourn
1992 - 1994	The Rev. Canon Terry Tarleton
1995 - 2012	The Rev. John Coulman
2012 - 2013	Several Interim Priests
2013 - 2017	The Rev. Annette M. Gillies, L.Th., M.Div. Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. (Linked with Christ Church, Holland Landing. In 2017 St. Paul, Jersey services moved to Christ Church, Roches Point.)
2017 -	The Rev. Canon W. David Neelands, M.A., M.Div., Th.D., D.D., Dean Emeritus of Divinity, Trinity College in the University of Toronto. (Linked with Parish of Georgina.)

* Denotes Resting In Christ Church Cemetery

St. Paul is known as the "Traveling Church".  St. Paul has been standing at its present location for the past 63 years.  In June of 1999 we celebrated St. Paul 50th anniversary by bringing the parish congregation and families together to share food and fun and of course stories of those who saw St. Paul on the move.

St. Paul had moved before.  Its original location was at the north-west corner of Ravenshoe Road and The Queensway South.  It was constructed in 1875. In the early 1900's, St. Paul was moved to the corner of Boyers Road and Metro Road. This was quite the event for the early 1900's as it was moved on the ice up Cook's Bay.  In 1949, it was moved to its present location. In November 2014 worship services at St. Paul, Jersy were combined with and moved to Christ Church, Roche's Point. In 2017 management of St. Paul, Jersey was assumed by the Diocese of Toronto.