Robes, snakes, pentagrams. The Process Church shocked Toronto residents, just as much as the funding it received from a political party. Read more about this intriguing story on torontoyes.com.
Founding of the Church
The Process Church was founded in 1963 in the United Kingdom by Robert Grimston and Mary MacLean. Initially a movement called “Compulsions Analysis,” it later evolved into an eclectic religious order with branches in London, Chicago, New York, and other cities.
In early 1971, a Toronto branch of the Process Church was established, and the church founders relocated to Toronto that same year. The Globe and Mail described the church as adhering to “complex theology.” In simple terms, followers believed God consisted of three separate deities: Lucifer, Satan, and Jehovah. The church expanded the Christian concept of love to include the “dark side,” or Satan, and embraced an apocalyptic philosophy of the end of the world.
In his extensive writings, Grimston insisted that the Process Church did not worship demons. However, the public struggled to grasp this idea, and the press often portrayed the sect as a bizarre satanic cult. In 1973, the Toronto Star reported that the church viewed Satan’s power in a positive light.
The Toronto branch consisted of about six permanent members who preached their beliefs on sidewalks and downtown streets, selling books and copies of the Process magazine. Their glossy publication featured interviews with celebrities and articles on esoteric topics.
The Toronto branch operated out of headquarters and a café located at 94 and 99 Gloucester Street. The church regularly held religious services, concerts, and seminars on telepathy. It enjoyed temporary popularity, with locals buying the magazine and visiting the church café.
Despite their claims of not worshipping the devil, the church’s unconventional beliefs and flamboyant attire alienated both authorities and the public.
Leaders of the church wore ankle-length dark robes adorned with snake imagery and embraced the “Goat of Mendes” emblem—a goat’s head inside a pentagram, a symbol associated with Satan. Male leaders sported long hair and beards, adding to their imposing appearance.
The Globe reported in 1973 that anyone passing along Yonge Street would recognize these individuals in their black or blue robes emblazoned with snakes.
The Church and Politics
In 1972, it was revealed that the Process Church had received over $25,900 in grants from the Local Initiatives Program, a federal Liberal government initiative designed to fund cultural and community projects across Canada.
News of the funding quickly spread throughout the city. Conservative parties criticized the Liberals. On March 1, 1972, Wallace Nesbitt, a Conservative MP from Oxford, addressed the House of Commons, accusing the Liberals of funding Satanism in Toronto.
According to Nesbitt, the Liberal government provided grants to a religious group that he claimed promoted devil worship and conducted bizarre rituals. This small sect, despite its brief existence, became the focus of intense media scrutiny and high-level political debates.
The Liberals denied knowingly funding Satanism. An investigation ensued, and by late March 1972, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau addressed the House of Commons, defending the grant by stating that the church was engaged in beneficial community work.
In 1973, the Ottawa Citizen reported that the church’s café and headquarters had become a haven for drug addicts, sex workers, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. By 1974, the church rebranded itself as the “Foundation Church of the Millennium,” abandoned its associations with Satan, and adopted Christian teachings. Although it continues to exist, its tarnished reputation from the past has left it with virtually no followers.
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