Church of Our Lady of Lourdes 1886-1986 Centennial This church was erected as a gift from the clergy of the Archdiocese to the Most Reverend John Joseph Lynch, D.D., the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his consecration. The original church was dedicated on 28 October 1886. The surrounding lands, known as St. John's Grove, had since 1876 been the site of the Archbishop's summer residence and contained a grotto honouring Our Lady of Lourdes. Parts of that residence are still in use as the Church Hall. The original building, modelled after Santa Maria del Populo in Rome, was designed by Frederick Charles Law, R.N. In 1910, alterations by James P. Hynes, Architect, included the addition of the present nave and the incorporation of the former church as the sanctuary.

see Toronto Plaques: Church of Our Lady of Lourdes