As Fr. Eric Rodrigues celebrated a recent baptism at Holy Name Parish, he was struck by a quiet realization as the sacramental celebration concluded. 

“ Perhaps I was being a little melodramatic, but I told the parents that their child would indeed be the last baptism in marking the first century of our very church building,” he said. 

Melodramatic or not, Rodrigues’ reminder comes at the correct time, with Holy Name set to celebrate its 100th anniversary as a sacred space, a prominent landmark along Toronto's iconic Danforth neighbourhood since its consecration on March 14, 1926.

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With Rodrigues having joined the parish as pastor in June of 2024, he’s been able to enjoy the unique role of shepherding those who have helped helped the parish community while simultaneously learning and finding his own place in its storied history. 

“ It’s been an interesting year and a half because on the one hand, there are parishioners who themselves are new and just moved into the area, and others who have been here for 50 years and longer. Sometimes I’ll meet people from different parts of the diocese who tell me their grandparents were married (at Holy Name) — there is such a beautiful history that I’ve found fascinating to explore myself,” he said. 

Those familiar with the Danforth, or even those passing through, are likely to have caught the Indiana stone high-rise in the style of Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore. While the architectural design has made the parish an eye-catching sight from the outside on the bustling streets of Toronto's Greektown, its history goes back further than many might expect. 

Established on Sept. 11, 1913, to supplement an eight-room Catholic school south of the Danforth, Archbishop Neil McNeil had planned for a full-size church to replace the then-constructed provisional chapel. 

As construction began a year later under the guise of inaugural pastor Fr. Michael Cline, the dawn of The Great War led to a notable delay in the building’s completion, a searing reality Rodrigues says current parishioners may not have been aware of.

“Holy Name celebrated 100 years since the erection of the parish boundaries in 2013, but the church was not completed until 1926, and part of the reason it took longer to build was the outbreak of World War I. A lot of the work force in Toronto at that time would've been off in the war. It's fascinating for that to have caused such a delay,” he said.

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Holy Name would remain the centre of Catholic community life on the Danforth throughout the Great Depression and World War II as Fr. Cline would become Msgr. Cline, shepherding the parish until his death in 1947. Successor Fr. Leo Smyth also had a long residency at Holy Name, remaining pastor until 1979, overseeing additions to Holy Name School through the late 1960s in accommodation to the expanding young Catholic population in the area. 

During that time, Holy Name celebrated Masses in Italian before the community was able to establish St. Catherine of Siena, a short drive east along the Danforth. In its earliest days, the parish was notable for serving Irish, Scottish and English families, and now serves a strong Caribbean, Filipino, Indian and Latin American community as well. Since 2009, it has hosted the African Catholic Community for Mass on Sundays, adding to the diverse community housed at the long-standing parish. 

For Rodrigues, being able to serve such a community, one as modernly vibrant as it is historically respected, has been one of his greatest joys.

“ Being born and raised in Scarborough, it's something that I take for granted,” he said about the diversity of Holy Name. “It adds to the richness of our Catholic faith, the fact that it is not restricted to certain groups, but for everyone as one.” 

Holy Name will celebrate its centennial consecration on March 14, with a 5 p.m. Mass celebrated by Cardinal Frank Leo, the Archbishop of Toronto. It will also mark the first time Leo will visit the parish since becoming archbishop. 

A mix of honour and excitement for Rodrigues, he hopes the occasion marks not just the culmination of 100 years of history, but can become the linchpin towards a revival that ensures the next century of faith at Holy Name. 

“ It’s an exciting time for the parish, and my hope is that this is not just a one-and-done celebration but a way to invigorate the parish. Strictly speaking, people can say worship wherever, but people of faith can come to realize that these magnificent buildings are important — maybe we can return to that kind of dimension,” he said. 

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What is certain is that the next baptism Rodrigues celebrates will be during the  second century of the Danforth’s parish. With that truth comes even more curiosity. 

“ What will (Holy Name) be like? What will life be like? What will the world be like? Who knows, but we’ll be there to worship.”