About Us

The Parish of Chelsea-Lascelles-Wakefield was formed in 1990 and is a part of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa in the Anglican Church of Canada. We are a welcoming Christian community, nurturing life's balance in God's changing world.

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St Mary Magdalene, Chelsea had been part of the Parish of Hull with sister congregations at St George’s, Gatineau and St James, Hull. Chelsea was a growing municipality and St Mary Magdalene had enjoyed the fruits of this growth. At a Vestry meeting in September 2000, the congregation voted to expand its building in order to enhance its mission within the community.

Church of the Good Shepherd, Wakefield and Holy Trinity, Lascelles had been sister congregations since their inceptions in the 1860’s. In January of 2000; however, it was the will of these congregations to deepen their shared life and at successive Vestry meetings they voted to amalgamate into one congregation.

Church of the Good Shepherd now serves as the sponsoring Church of the congregation and holds services every Sunday morning. Holy Trinity is now a Chapel and continues to flourish as a place for special services of worship such as Evensong in the summer, the Feast of St Francis, and Christmas Eve Easter morning celebrations. What follows is a historical sketch of each of the congregations that have come to form the Parish of Chelsea-Lascelles-Wakefield.

St. Mary Magdalene

Services in Chelsea, as an outstation of Hull, began in the 1830’s in settlers’ homes. By 1842, services were being held in the Chelsea schoolhouse. In 1875, the building of St. Mary Magdalene Church, Chelsea was begun. The church was dedicated two years later. In the fall of 1943, the first St. Mary Magdalene Church was secularized and the building demolished. The small congregation continued with worship services held in the schoolhouse. From 1950-1956, the growing congregation of St. Mary Magdalene met in the United Church in Chelsea. New land was acquired and, in 1957, the cornerstone for the new church was laid by Bishop John H. Dixon of Montreal. On December 7, 1966 the second St. Mary Magdalene, Chelsea was consecrated.

The Church of the Good Shepherd

In 1870, land for a church in Wakefield was obtained from Dame Sarah McTaggart and in two years the Church of the Good Shepherd was built just outside the village. The church was consecrated by the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden on September 21, 1873. By 1920 a new church of the Good Shepherd, Wakefield was being built to replace the old frame church. The Church of the Good Shepherd is currently part of the parish of Chelsea- Lascelles-Wakefield.

Holy Trinity

In 1864, the Rev. J. J. S. Seaman was appointed as the first resident missionary of Wakefield and Masham (Lascelles). Holy Trinity Church, Masham was built of pine under the direction of the Rev. Seaman. Holy Trinity was thoroughly repaired in 1887. In 1906, the Ven. Archdeacon Naylor laid the cornerstone for a modern brick church and three years later the second Holy Trinity Church, Masham was constructed. The church was consecrated on August 21, 1912. By 1931, the church was referred to as Holy Trinity, Lascelles. Since 1990, Holy Trinity Church has been part of the parish of Chelsea-Lascelles-Wakefield.