Churches in Toronto Downtown

This is a really sweet question! I love religious architecture too, and I can definitely relate to the feeling of wanting to go in and look but also wanting to make sure to be respectful when it's not my faith tradition.

Different churches may have very different traditions from each other, depending on the denomination (basically what branch of Christianity they practice). I'm Anglican myself, and I have also attended a United Church before. Those two denominations, as well as Roman Catholic churches, will probably be the most frequent types of churches you will find downtown, when looking for that classic old look.

If you attend a service (the time when Christians gather to worship God, usually on Sunday morning - most churches post their service times on a sign at the front, and on their website) someone will probably greet you at the door and give you a piece of paper or a booklet, which allows each person to follow along during the event. You can generally sit anywhere on the benches ('pews').

Depending on the denomination, some people may perform brief rituals when they enter, such as tracing a cross with their hand in front of them, or kneeling down for a moment in the aisle before taking a seat, or touching their fingers to a small bowl of water at the entrance. Rest assured that as a visitor you are not expected to do any of these things!

When the service starts, people in the pews may stand up for some parts and sit down for others. You can take your cue from the people around you, but don't worry if you get confused - pretty much everyone does at some point! Usually, there are a few songs (hymns), where you can either follow along in the hymn book or simply listen. There will likely be some readings from the Bible, and a few interactive moments where the person leading the service says something and the people in the pews say something back at the same time. (That can be confusing, even for a Christian from one church visiting another, but I promise nobody actually cares or even notices if you just sit and listen instead of saying all the words.)

The one other major ritual you might encounter is communion, or "The Eucharist". For some churches, this is an occasional symbolic activity a few times a year, while for others (especially Catholic and some Anglican churches) it is the most sacred part of every single service. It always involves a re-telling of Jesus' last night on earth, where He shared bread and wine with His closest friends and followers. Then the person leading the service (the priest or minister) will put bread and wine on the table at the front (the altar) and bless it, and then invite members of the church to come and take some to eat/drink. This is the one part of the service where different churches have different rules around who can participate - but most churches ask that people only come up and take bread and wine if they believe in the teachings of that particular church. However, in most churches, visitors may still come up to the front and get a "blessing" from the priest or minister if they want to. To do this, you just cross your arms across your chest (by putting your right hand on your left shoulder and vice versa). When the priest gets to you, they may put a hand on your shoulder or head, or just hold up their hands above you, and they will say something like "May the Blessings of God be upon you, amen". After they say 'amen' (which signals the end of a prayer and literally just means 'let it be so'), you can either say thank you or just nod, and then return to your seat. Or, of course, you can always choose to just stay in your seat throughout communion and just enjoy the music and/or the peace and quiet.

When the service is over, there may be a bit of music played at the end, and it is optional whether to stay for this or not. There may be a time for coffee and sweets afterwards (though not as often during covid), where all are welcome to share. The priest may stand near the exit and say hello to people as they are leaving, and might introduce themself to you and offer to answer questions if you have any.

And that's it! Please feel free to ask any other questions you might have, and I'd be happy to go into more detail on anything if it would help. Most important thing to know, however, is that you are totally welcome to come in to a church, whether during a service, or during any time when the doors are open (as long as there isn't obviously a private ceremony happening like a wedding or funeral). Just wear whatever you have on when you arrive and if anything is uncertain there will usually be someone there to ask.

Happy Church Viewing! :)

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