St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church

Gazing up at St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church, imagine the whispers of history echoing through its walls. St. Leo’s isn’t just any church. It stands as the oldest Catholic church in Etobicoke and the sole Catholic church in Mimico. Located on Royal York Road, formerly known as Church Street, St. Leo’s has witnessed the neighborhood transform over the years. The first services were actually held at a nearby Victorian house called Eden Court. The original church structure opened in 1903 as a mission of Holy Family. St. Leo’s officially became a parish in 1909. Its boundaries then encompassed a vast area, stretching from Lake Ontario to the Humber River, and from what is now Delroy Drive to Kipling Avenue. The church we see today, however, wasn’t built until 1953. Interestingly, it stands on the former site of Mimico’s 1858 post office. Across the street stands St. Leo Elementary School, built in 1926. This school holds the distinction of being the oldest still-operating Catholic school in Etobicoke. The growth of the parish led to the establishment of another school, St. Louis Elementary, in 1947. This catered to the influx of Italian immigrants who settled north of the Queen Elizabeth Way. St. Leo’s has even witnessed the evolution of the Catholic mass, transitioning from Latin to English and later incorporating separate Italian liturgies. The church’s parish hall, built in 1960, stands on the site of the very first St. Leo’s church. So, as you stand before St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church, remember that you’re not just looking at a building. You’re looking at the heart of a community, a testament to faith and a living chronicle of Mimico’s history.