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A Message from the Rector:
We are glad you have come to be with us, and we invite you to become a member of the St. Thomas à Becket Church Family.
Our Parish Family is made up of many nationalities, ages, and denominational backgrounds, and reflects the diversity of the community in which we live. We consider this to be a great strength. Presently, we are 385 households and we continue to grow. Most of our members live in Erin Mills, but many live in the greater Mississauga area and beyond. We are committed to carrying out the teachings of Jesus and to living a Christian lifestyle, thereby enhancing our Anglican community and the community at large.
All are welcome here!
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Canon Jim Woolley
Who We Are
St. Thomas à Becket Anglican Church is in the Deanery of Mississauga, which includes eleven other Anglican parishes. Mississauga is one of four Deaneries that make up the York-Credit Valley Area, which in turn, is one of the five Areas in the Diocese of Toronto. Our Diocesan Bishop is Colin Johnson and our Area Bishop is Philip Poole.
The Rector and His Family
Jim Woolley grew up in Etobicoke and attended the University of Toronto and Wycliffe College. Following ordination in 1971, he served as assistant Curate at the Church of St. Clement, Eglinton. From 1975 to 1980, he served as rector of the parish of Stayner and Wasaga Beach.
While in Stayner, Jim met Cathy and they married in 1977. On January 1, 1981, Jim began his ministry at Thomas à Becket. Jim and Cathy, with their two children, Anne and Sarah, live nearby. In Synod 1996, Jim was honoured by the Diocese when he was named Canon of St. James Cathedral in Toronto.
Presently, Jim serves the Diocese on the following boards and committees:
- Credit Valley Hospital Spiritual Care Advisory Committee
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Anglican Worship Resources Society
He is one of the Credit Valley Hospital chaplains and serves on the Hospital's roster for worship leaders.
Jim has served as Regional Dean of the Deanery of Mississauga and on various community groups:
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Board of Directors for Our Place Peel Emergency Youth Shelter
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Diocesan Trusts Committee
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United Way Speakers' Bureau
St. Thomas à Becket Shared Ministries
Called to Serve with All Our Gifts
"Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." I Peter 4.10
The Shared Ministries were organized to promote and stimulate commitment of Time, Talent, and Treasure through all activities and groups in the church. St. Thomas à Becket offers a wide range of activities and programs inspired by the enthusiasm, energy, and commitment of our parishioners. The Shared Ministry Teams are open to all parishioners and you are encouraged to become involved. Place, time, and date of meetings are announced in the Sunday bulletin and on the Web site.
These are the Shared Ministries:
A Short History
In the late 1960's, five Christian denominations came together with the Erin Mills New Town developers to consider a common site for a one-building church complex. The Erin Mills Church Centre became a reality in 1971 by an agreement signed by the following churches:
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Anglican
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Baptist
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Presbyterian
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United
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Disciples of Christ
The congregations worshipped in local schools until the original church building was opened in 1977.
Since the departure of the Baptist, Disciples, and United congregations, St. Thomas à Becket Church and Glenbrook Presbyterian Church share an equal ownership of the common space, with each church having its own worship area.
In 1996, St. Thomas à Becket Church fulfilled a long-held dream by completing its new worship space, kitchen, meeting room and nursery. Our original worship space is now the parish hall. We now enjoy excellent Sunday worship and Church School facilities, as well as additional meeting space for parish and community activities during the week.
Who was Saint Thomas à Becket?
Thomas à Becket (1118-1170) was born in London of Norman parents. He was educated at universities in London and Paris.
In 1162, King Henry II appointed Thomas, his friend and Chancellor of England, to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas took his new responsibilities seriously; consequently, he was on the worst of terms with the King before the year was out. They came into open conflict at the Council of Woodstock in July 1163. Becket's defiant attitude was answered by the famous Constitutions of Clarendon in which the King defined the relations of Church and State for England. Becket and the Bishops were required to give these constitutions their approval. Becket renounced his promise to observe the constitutions, and the Bishops were subjected to unwarranted intimidation.
Invoking the assistance of Pope Alexander III, Becket fled to the monastery of Pontigny in France in November 1164. When King Henry II infringed on the rights of Canterbury by causing Archbishop Roger of York to crown his son as prince in 1170, Pope Alexander forced a reconciliation between Thomas à Becket and the King, and Becket returned to England. The Archbishop prevailed upon the Pope to suspend Bishops who were supporters of the King, and he published papal letters, which declared the constitutions null and void, causing strong resentment in the King's court. Four overzealous knights murdered Thomas near the altar of Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. Pope Alexander canonized Thomas à Becket on February 21, 1173.
In 1220, his bones were deposited in a special shrine, which for three centuries continued to be an object of one of the great pilgrimages in Christendom. In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, the pilgrims are on their way to Canterbury. At the time of the Reformation in 1538, Henry VIII plundered the magnificent shrine and scattered Thomas' bones because the memory of Becket represented a symbol of opposition to the crown. His name remains to this day in the Roman calendar.
A stone from Canterbury Cathedral is embedded in the first pillar in the parish hall in St. Thomas à Becket Anglican Church.
Learn more about St. Thomas à Becket in The Catholic Encyclopedia.