Children’s Ministry
“Let the little children come to me … for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs”
(Matthew 19:14)
The children present a pageant each year on Advent IV.
Children at St. Thomas’s
St. Thomas’s is committed to welcoming families and including children and youth in the life of the parish.
Children’s Formation During High Mass
All children between the ages of 3 and 11 are welcome to join Church School in the undercroft during High Mass on Sundays. Coordinator Alison Juurinen will be there before the service starts. Just follow the steps downstairs at the back of the sanctuary, and spend an hour having fun learning about God through play and art. Children return to the service at about the time Communion begins. If you have questions for Alison, please email her.
Children’s Corner: Families with young children staying in the service are invited to explore and use the space around the bench in the narthex. Resources for play during the service can be found there, and information pertinent to families is listed on the sign on top of the cabinet.
Other Ways St. Thomas’s Supports Children
St. Thomas’s has a long history of offering programs geared to children, from a choir to summer camps, and also of integrating children into the parish’s liturgical and social life. Children of various ages have served liturgically, led intercessions and acted as sidespeople. Children have participated in medieval mystery plays jointly produced by the parish and Poculi Ludique Societas, and have added to the entertainment at Mardi Gras fundraising events and other festivities.
The St. Thomas’s Choristers
The parish established a children’s choir program in July 2023. The choir rehearses after school on Thursdays and sings at the 9:30 a.m. Sung Mass on Sundays, led by Assistant Director of Music Manuel Piazza.
Our vision for a chorister program is inspired by similar institutions in cathedrals, parish churches, and academic colleges across the United Kingdom and North America. The St. Thomas’s Choristers are provided with an immersive and comprehensive music education with a focus on the sacred repertoire of the Anglican Church. The program is entirely free of charge. We welcome children of all faiths, as well as those who are being raised without religion. Please visit this link to find out more!
St. Thomas’s is always looking for new ways to support children and parents, and the churchwardens welcome inquiries and suggestions by e-mail at wardens@stthomas.on.ca.
The Huron Playschool Co-operative
For decades, St. Thomas’s has hosted the Huron Playschool Cooperative in the Parish Hall. The Playschool offers nursery school programs, summer camps, childcare and after-school programs. A distinct organization, St. Thomas’s is proud to help the Playschool offer affordable child care for student parents and others in the Huron-Sussex neighbourhood. For information about the Huron Playschool Cooperative, visit huronplayschool.com.
