Haven on Bay Street: St. Stephen's Chapel.

Sandwiched between an upscale cigar cafe and an imposing financial institution on Toronto's Bay St., you will find, perhaps with a little difficulty, a doorway to St. Stephen's Chapel. It receives hundreds of office workers on their lunch hour every day, people who have something more important on their minds than lunch. Mass is at 12:10 and 1:10 p.m. Monday to Friday, as well as at 8:00 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. The mid-day masses draw a full crowd to the 160-seat chapel, often standing room only, in a reverent celebration.

Looking along Bay St. outside the chapel, soaring skyscrapers on all sides, we can survey the famous financial district compactly stretching from Old City Hall a block and a half to the north, then four blocks to the south toward Lake Ontario. You see many confident, business-suited pedestrians with briefcase in hand, striding into imposing, high-ceilinged marble foyers that render the human person diminutive. By 2 p.m. there is seldom any sunshine left on the narrow street. The sun sets here early, leaving a vague chill and deep shadows as it disappears behind the towering glass, steel-and- concrete monoliths which house major banking and business enterprises that "rule the country".

We know that God is everywhere, but would He make a special home on Bay St.? St. Stephen's just celebrated its 25th anniversary there (short the three years on Adelaide St.), and is a peaceful haven for the many who come. It witnesses to the vision and faith-filled tenacity of a handful of downtown businessmen along with a cathedral rector who saw it become a reality.

The beginnings

While speaking with Msgr. Pierce Lacey, now a retired bishop, then rector of Toronto's St. Michael's Cathedral, New York priest Fr. Eugene D'Avella proposed that Toronto needed a chapel where downtown workers would have access to the sacraments. Such facilities existed in a few American cities. Monsignor caught the vision and gathered a group of downtown businessmen, "The Group of Six", in the winter of 1976-77. These included Joe Barnicke, one of the biggest realtors in the city, Donald McDonald, a prominent lawyer, Vincent Reid, a stockbroker, Ron Ellingwood, a chartered accountant, John MacDonald, a business owner, and Frank McKernan, also a private business owner. They met over breakfast provided by Msgr. Lacey. "Peameal bacon and eggs! That did it!" concluded a participant of the successful gatherings.

In a pamphlet prepared to introduce the chapel, Frank McKernan wrote: "Initially the basic idea of St. Stephen's Chapel was to bring Christ downtown to the business district to try to influence the community towards good and away from evil and godless secularism. The chapel would provide easy and quick access to Mass and the sacraments for the downtown Toronto Catholic business community and provide counseling, compassionate help, an oasis of quiet to all and anyone no matter what their faith or belief."

At these meetings, procuring funding was paramount, but also a prime obstacle. "They sent a priest over to talk us out of it," said McKernan," 'It's blue ruin!' he told us." Then another monsignor came to discourage them: "Not enough priests!" he exhorted. The committee members would discuss people who could make donations. Comments were frequently heard like "Who've you got?" or "Why do you think you'll get a contribution?" and "No, no, I've tried him. No good." as well as 'I'm very close with (three) people...." They had to say how much money they had as pledges and sometimes had to face some embarrassment. Msgr. Lacey himself worked very hard to raise funds, and they were successful. They also found a good location and the clergy to staff it, and St. Stephen's opened March 27,1977.

A suitable upstairs suite had been found for the chapel on Adelaide St., but here was another big obstacle. Right across the street was a large poster display of provocative pictures. "These half-dressed women were real come-ons right in your face as you left the chapel," said Frank McKernan, "It was a miracle, an absolute miracle. It still bowls my wife over. The naked women disappeared when we opened the chapel!"

In the beginning, Frank placed some unique ads in the business section of the Globe and Mail:

Crises--Happen frequently in business and in our personal lives. They are often too big to handle by ourselves. Whatever your crises or your religion there is someone here to listen....

Engineering--our life without help from our Creator is like building a bridge without footings. Visit us for a quiet place to contemplate, pray, or just relax....

Not long after opening, the chapel removed to its present location on Bay St. It is under the jurisdiction of nearby St. Michael's Cathedral. A collection is taken up every day now and also some benefactors continue to support the chapel. It is not easy financially, but the doors remain open. In the beginning a big fundraiser was the Cardinal's Luncheon, a successful and lucrative event, perhaps too much so. The Archdiocese took it over as its own fundraiser and it became the Cardinal's Dinner, raising upwards of a million dollars.

The present director is Fr. Noel Whelan, who used to come to Mass at St. Stephen's before his ordination when he worked nearby at the CBC. "Each year I see a deeper commitment to Jesus. I see a younger and bigger group, people from all over the city representing all kinds of movements and groups. A great number of people now believe we can pray for things and change things, change history today. They exude hope and love, a dynamic group of people; so it's wonderful to be here! "He continues, "One of the nicest things is that people come when in trouble; they want meaning in their lives. They come and sit in the chapel or talk to a priest."

A refuge of prayer and faith

The exterior doorway to St. Stephen's opens into a stairway that takes one up to the second floor, opening onto a gracious, carpeted reception area, with a large inviting fireplace surrounded by a wooden mantel and paneling, a reception office on one side, a wide windowsill on the other side displaying several publications (including Catholic Insight.) One doorway leads into a set of quiet inner offices where priests offer confession and counseling, another into the spacious chapel with a confessional room in the back. The ceiling is low and there is no marble here, but everything is freshly painted, tastefully and conservatively decorated.

A statue of the Sacred Heart greets people as they enter the chapel. Rows of chairs surround the altar, with the tabernacle placed at one side, where before and after Mass there are always a few adorers, a statue of Our Lady gracing the periphery. On Fridays there is exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. A dedicated group of laypeople assist with the liturgy--leaders, acolytes, extraordinary eucharistic ministers, leaders of devotions, etc. On occasion there are litanies, stations, or the Rosary after Mass in conjunction with seasons and feast days. Recently some early evening Scripture presentations by St. Stephen's priests have been offered as well.

Carmel Moffat, who works in a law firm, notes, "St. Stephen's came into my life at a time when I had returned to the Church after being away for several years. It was a time when I was seeking to fill a void in my life. I found the Chapel to be a wonderful refuge from the daily stresses of work, a place where I could visit the Lord and be at peace."

Confessions and counseling are available all day from 7:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m., with two regular priests on staff in overlapping shifts, and others coming in at times to assist, five at the present time. They have many stories to tell. There was the day that a distraught young man, not a Catholic, found his way up to St. Stephen's. He and his young wife had been having marriage problems and she had demanded more help with the baby. The young husband agreed and set about to bathe the baby one day. The phone rang and while he was talking the baby slipped under the water. He returned to find his child drowned. He was plunged into despair, but at St. Stephen's he found help and reconciliation.

A few months ago a "frequent chapel visitor" wrote "Thank you for being there! The chapel is like the gentle heart of God beckoning to His busy children rushing about in the urban desert that is the business district of our city. What joy it is to find fertile ground, a fountain of His mercy, an open invitation to share in the peace, joy, and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ann Wilson is a supply teacher and freelance writer in Toronto.