 ST.
DEMETRIUS PARISH welcomes you to our family
In May of 1959, Fr. John Tataryn was
asked to begin a new parish to serve Etobicoke residents,
and to fulfill the needs of a changing community. Although
many parishes flourished throughout the Toronto area, St.
Demetrius the Great Martyr Parish was established to
minister to a community marked by its diversity. The mandate
was to welcome all and especially to meet the spiritual
needs of those who through inter-marriage or linguistic
concerns felt unwelcome elsewhere.
The parishioners of St. Demetrius, with
the vision of Father John have built a foundation, which
continues to provide a strong community for worship,
education, nurturing of our cultural heritage. In 1975, a
school was built to educate our children about their
Ukrainian heritage. Then, as the vision of the wise pastor
was becoming reality, better works were in store. He saw a
great future where all Ukrainians could live together as a
family. Thus, in 1984, on the occasion of the upcoming
Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine, in thanksgiving to
the Lord, the St. Demetrius Residence for seniors was built.
This Seniors residence let people live independently while
allowing them to receive care if they needed it. To further
educate our children about their Ukrainian heritage, a new
school was built, making it one of only four heritage
schools in the GTA. With the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre
nursing home for the elderly constructed in 1994, the St.
Demetrius community has witnessed further evidence of our
continuing commitment to our parishioners and to the
Ukrainian community.
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