St. Luke’s

All are welcome to worship with us!

St. Luke’s, Burnt River, is located at 178 Burnt River Road in Burnt River, which is situated North of Fenelon Falls. The congregation also serves the Four Miles Lake cottage area.

Seasonal Worship Schedule: Weekly on Sundays at 9 am tentatively (tbd) during the months of June, July, August and September only as St. Luke’s is primarily open for seasonal summer cottagers as well as local residents.  St. Luke’s has currently discontinued Sunday services with the end of the 2023 summer season, but plans to resume Sunday services in the summer of 2024. Definite dates for re-opening will be announced closer to this time.

Worship is at 9:00 am Sundays starting beginning possibly in June or July (to be determined each summer) and continuing throughout the summer possibly to the end of September.  A special service is also offered occasionally some years on Easter Sunday and an evening Christmas Carol service sometime in December. In the winter services are by special arrangement with the clergy and wardens. The regular services are Holy Communion (aka- Holy Eucharist) on first and third Sundays and Morning Prayer on second, fourth and fifth Sundays.

Each year the congregation of year round residents is bolstered by cottagers from nearby Four Mile Lake.

Service Music and accompaniment for hymn singing is provided by a variety of parish and community musicians. Guest soloists and musicians including music groups are regularly welcomed and invited to participate.

Lay participation in the reading of scriptures and leading in prayers is encouraged.  

During the winter months when St. Luke’s is closed, people are encouraged to attend Sunday services in our sister Anglican parish churches, Christ Church, Bobcaygeon or St. John’s, Dunsford.   A prayer group is open to the entire community led by Carol Small Morris in the meeting room at St. Luke’s during the summer.

Parish Officers

  • Rector’s Warden – Patricia Staneland
  • People’s Warden – Carol Small Morris
  • Treasurer – Joanne Flint
  • Lay Reader – Larry Barker
  • Synod Lay Delegate – Larry Barker

Community Services

St. Luke’s is a friendly small congregation where everyone helps out and participates. The members of St. Luke’s get involved in helping with many annual community events often held locally.

St. Luke’s hosts a joint parish and community service which includes members of Christ Anglican Church, Bobcaygeon, St. John’s Anglican Church, Dunsford and the Burnt River United Church in an annual summer Sunday service in July at the Burnt River Community Centre followed by lunch.  St. Luke’s also regularly participates in the summer community Burnt River Cemetery decoration day service and Nov. 11 Remembrance Day services.

St. Luke’s History

St. Luke’s, Burnt River’s history dates back to 1896 when Robert Machonachie, a lay reader from the Church of England moved to the area and was licensed by the Bishop of Toronto to work in the Burnt River area. Until then Anglicans in the Burnt River area had been worshipping at Fenelon Falls, a considerable journey in those times. With Machonachie, they started worshipping first in the local Orange hall, then in St. Luke’s which opened and dedicated its new building in 1904.

In 1906 St. Luke’s became part of the parish of Kinmount, Burnt River and Irondale. Later in the 40’s St. Luke’s was attached to Fenelon Falls then back to Kinmount. In 1962 , St. Luke’s joined in the current three point parish. Since 1967 there have been several building projects which have seen restoration of the worship space, a new entrance, and the addition of a Sunday School classroom and refurbished bell tower.