OLD CHURCH: The Pickering church.

PRIOR to the building of a church to service the Catholic Community of Pickering, parishioners journeyed either to St. Paul's in Toronto, or to Oshawa when St. Gregory's Church was built.

In 1847 the first church was erected in Pickering on what is now Notion Road. It was called St. Wilfrid's and was dependent on visiting priests.

By 1870, the tiny Pickering church of St. Wilfrid's became too small for the burgeoning Catholic population and so the parishioners got together to build a new church, the present day, St. Francis de Sales Church. It was completed in 1871.

St. Francis remained a parish until 1915 when the community became a mission parish of St. John's in Whitby. In 1942, St. Francis de Sales once again became a parish with a resident pastor.

In 1951 our Catholic Women's League was started and has served our Parish with great dedication and witness ever since. The Knights of Columbus was established at the Parish in 1969 and continues to be a vibrant and important organization in our community building. Our St. Vincent de Paul Society has been tireless in their service to the poor and needy of our Parish since 1972.

In 1997, the Parish began to stoke the fires for another new church. The population in the area was exploding, and the fifth elementary school was opened. It was time to get serious and discussions began.

In 2000, the formal campaign began with a series of workshops and presentations. The Larkin Architectural Firm out of Toronto was selected by the Steering Committee to head the project. A Capital Campaign was launched to raise funds for the project.

In the Fall of 2005, the Parish gathered to officially turn the sod on the new site at 1001 Ravenscroft Road. The building was completed in 2006, and Cardinal Ambrozic presided over the Dedication Service, the first liturgy in the new Worship Space, on Sunday, July 30, 2007.

Some of our highlight events as a Parish Community include: One Bread, One Body (when the 'Gentlemen of St. Francis' provide each parish family with a fresh loaf of bread to begin the new liturgical year, kind of a parish dinner without the dishes); our annual Pasta Dinner and Family Bingo; our Mardi Gras Dance; Strawberry Social; monthly Seniors Mass and Luncheon; monthly Mass at the Winbourne Park long-term care facility; and our St. Vincent de Paul food-bank.