Saint John Henry Newman Catholic Church (Victoria, British Columbia)

Saint John Henry Newman Catholic Church is a Canadian Roman Catholic parish located in Esquimalt, just west of downtown Victoria, British Columbia. It is part of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, a body established in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, which provides a pathway for Anglican groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their liturgical, spiritual, and cultural heritage.

History and Founding

The parish was formed in December 2011 by members of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada who sought unity with the Catholic Church under the Ordinariate. The initial members were received into full communion at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Victoria, on April 15, 2012, by Bishop Richard Gagnon. In Advent of 2012, the Canadian communities of the Ordinariate united to form the Deanery of St John the Baptist.

Patronage and Community

The parish is dedicated to Saint John Henry Newman, a 19th-century Anglican theologian and priest who converted to Catholicism and was canonized in 2019. The church community consists of former Anglicans, lifelong Catholics, and others who have found their home within the Ordinariate framework. It is recognized for its traditional Catholic worship, reflected in its liturgy, music, and preaching, fostering a family-oriented and welcoming atmosphere.

Clergy and Administration

The parish is served by a Parochial Administrator, Father Kenyon, who has a background as a former Anglican priest and was ordained a Catholic priest in 2012. He was the first Dean of the Canadian Ordinariate Deanery of St John the Baptist and has served in various roles within the Ordinariate and broader Catholic Church. Assisting him are other clergy including a Parochial Vicar and the Ordinary Emeritus of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Monsignor Carl Reid.

Mission

Saint John Henry Newman Catholic Church aims to worship God in the majesty of the Blessed Trinity and to draw people into communion with God through Jesus Christ by the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. It embraces the richness of its Anglican patrimony as a treasure to be shared within the Catholic Church.

This church operates as a registered Canadian nonprofit organization under the business registration number 811540905RR0001 and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria[1][4].