St. Benedict Church

Milton, Ontario

Article: A Loving Respect for All of God's Creation

In 2021 St. Benedict Parish received the Ontario Wood Design Award from the The Canadian Wood Council’s Ontario Wood WORKS!

NEW CONSTRUCTION

RELIGIOUS

Saint Benedict’s Parish was established on July 11, 2012 to serve the growing community of Milton, Ontario. The parish building committee engaged Larkin Architect Limited to find an architectural expression that embodied the rule of St. Benedict and reflected the parish’s unique charism in the community. After a collaborative process, the committee assembled a vision document that outlined criteria for a space that was welcoming, joyful, evocative of the Catholic tradition, youth focused and showed a loving respect for all of God’s creation in response to “Laudato Si”.

With this vision in hand, Larkin Architect Limited set about the iterative design process to arrive at a traditional church design, formed by the charism of St. Benedict, rooted in church history, yet re-interpreted for a time when climate change and environmental degradation were of great concern.

The proposed design is made of local materials and is designed to be net-zero energy usage. This means that the facility will generate as much energy as it uses. The reduced operational costs will mean the community will be able to devote more of their fundraised dollars to the important ministries of the parish.

Together, the cumulative effect of these sustainable design initiatives demonstrates this traditional parish’s commitment to upholding the legacy of their Roman Catholic faith while responding to the 21st century context in which they will worship, serve their community, and inspire future generations.