St. Agnes Church, Thunder Bay

St. Agnes Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1885. It is situated in the centre of the city on the corner of Mary Street West and Brown Street.HistoryFoundationThe parish started as the The Church of the Nativity and St Agnes, it was staffed by Jesuits from their main centre, the Mission of the Immaculate Conception for the Fort William First Nation. The first priest for St. Agnes' was Fr. Richard Baxter SJ. In 1887, the newly created church was blessed by the Bishop of Peterborough, Thomas Dowling.From 1907 to 1909, the local population increased by 50%, so the church size was expanded. A basement was added and a separate presbytery was built. Plans were drawn up for an elementary school and it was opened in 1910.ConstructionOn 24 May 1914, a building permit was obtained for the construction of a permanent brick church. On 26 July 1914, the foundation stone was laid by Bishop David Scollard, the first bishop of Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie. The church was completed on 15 January 1915. One month later, the Jesuits handed administration of the church to the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie.ReconstructionOn 29 April 1952, the Diocese of Fort William was created and the parish was part of the new diocese. On 26 February 1970, it was renamed as the Diocese of Thunder Bay.