St. Stephen's Church
St. Stephen's Church had been renamed Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata Church in 2006 when the communities of St. Stephen's and St. Joseph's were combined. In 2020, the church was restored to its original namesake of St. Stephen's and united with the communities of St. Catherine, St. Patrick and St. Theresa to form the new parish of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi Parish.
Prayer to St. Stephen the Martyr
O Glorious St. Stephen, first of the martyrs, for the sake of Christ you gave up your life in testimony of the Truth of His Divine Teaching.
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Obtain for us, dear St. Stephen, the faith, the hope, the love and the courage of martyrs.
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When we are tempted to shirk our duty, or deny our faith, come to our assistance as a shining example of the courage of martyrs, and win for us a love like your own.
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We ask it of you for the honour of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who is the Model and Reward of all Martyrs. Amen.
Church History
St. Joseph's Church
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In 1865 Daniel Sullivan, an alderman in the City of Halifax donated a lot of land at the corner of Russell & Gottingen Streets, at a site on which he hoped a new Church could be built, to serve the needs of Catholic’s in the North end of the City.
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The work began in the same year and was completed in 1867. In that year only 50 families were members of St. Joseph’s. One of the first priests was Father Allan and he lived at the home of Mr. Sullivan who donated the land for the Church. Subsequent years brought both institutional and population growth to this area and so the size and importance of St. Joseph’s parish increased.
It was in the pastorate of Monsignor McManus that disaster visited the Parish. On December 6th, 1917, the terrible "Halifax Explosion" occurred, snuffing out instantly the lives of more than 400 parishioners of St. Joseph’s (about ½ of the parish) and destroying every vestige of Church property.
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With faith and courage the descendents of the first pioneers began rebuilding. An excellent basement church took form and was opened in 1920 and served an ever-growing parish for the next 40 years.
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The upper structure of St. Joseph’s Church began in 1959 and was completed in 1961. The military barracks and base next to the church also became part of the life of the church. At the church hall, on Gottingen Street, the parishioners provided their own entertainment and raised funds for the parish by having plays, concerts, operettas and other musical shows. Over the years this church has served as a haven for the catholic families of this area. By 1932 there were 600 families and number of priests were serving there.
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By 1950’s the parish had grown to about 1200 families. There were at least four priests on staff. By the early 2000s, numbers had decreased to about 400 hundred families while it continued to serve its many parishioners, hosted military visitors from CFB Stadacona and served as a much more mobile church.​ Sadly, attendance continued to decline and the decision was made to decommission and sell the church property in 2006.
At that time, the community that had been served by St. Joseph was combined with St. Stephen's Church and the Catechetical books, Chalice and Paten and Ciborium were moved into their care. Today, the foundation stone and some stained glass examples from St. Joseph's Church can still be enjoyed in an outdoor installation on the corner of Kaye St. and Gottingen St.
St. Stephen's Church
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St. Stephen's was established as a parish in 1946 to minister to the developing community, including those returning from the Second World War and others seeking to build their future in the North End of Halifax.
It is a handsome building made of field stone and mortar with a soaring white wooden steeple tower. A spacious rectory, also constructed of field stone, is connected to the church and both buildings face St. Stephen's Memorial Park across the street.
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St. Stephen's serves a contemporary community with traditional values, located in an historic part of a bustling port city. Inside, great criss-crossing roof beams vault over the warm wood tones of the pews. Blazing stained glass windows march their way along the east and west walls up to the simple, elegant nave. A massive pipe organ graces the choir loft on the north wall, surmounted by a glorious stained glass mandala.
St. Joseph's Church c. 2000