Diocesan Archives will reopen at St. Paul's Cathedral in October 2026
By Dr. Bill Acres and Dez Nacario
THE REVEREND CANON Dr. Douglas Leighton, M.A., Ph.D., Dip.Ed., M.Div. (1942-2022) lived a deeply impactful life dedicated to ministry, education, and a reverence for history.
He held countless positions of leadership throughout his life but is likely best remembered as an Emeritus Professor of History at Huron College and as Canon Historian for Diocese of Huron and it was in these two roles that he was instrumental in the founding of the Diocesan Archives.
In 1976, the diocesan headquarters were being moved from Chapter House to what is now Huron Church House and Dr. Leighton became aware of a shortage of storage space for archives and historical records. Rather than see vital documentation of our past be destroyed or discarded, he worked with Dr. Robert Braindeis, Chief Librarian at Huron College, to box, move, and integrate them into the library’s collection. In one of the earliest reports of the Archives Committee, Dr. Leighton wrote, “Mrs. Marion Beyea, the national church’s archivist, has inspected the holdings, and considers them potentially the best diocesan collection in Canada.”
The archival materials moving to the library would mark a significant partnership between Huron College and the Diocese that reflects the implicit and eternal connection of the history of both institutions. Dr. Leighton, already a vital figure in the History Department, was a living embodiment of the relationship between College and Diocese as he worked to establish the archives. Countless hours were spent advocating for the project, researching best practices, budgeting, financial campaigning, and drafting policies and procedures to build and provide access to the collection.
He also chaired the Ad Hawk Committee in the 1990s, a Diocesan undertaking: former students, survivors, of the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential Schools came to meetings and talked about their experience. As Dr. Leighton was a stalwart, and sometimes interim rector, of Cronyn Memorial Church in London, his co-chairs were the Reverend Laverne Jacobs (Walpole Island), and parishioner Jean Konig. This work tied in closely with the preservation of extensive materials in the Archives—which Dr. Leighton knew well—relating to the Mohawk Institute’s administration and organization through the 1870s to 1960s. In numerous parishes, hundreds of lectures, articles and research, Dr. Leighton earned a revered reputation as a lecturer and teacher at Huron College and in far wider fields of parish and lecture hall – in addition to saving a very important Diocesan record.
Dr. Leighton was named a Canon of the Cathedral by the Rt. Rev. Bruce Howe in 2005 and Canon Historian by the Rt. Rev. Robert Bennett in 2009. His dedication to the archives remained unwavering to his death in 2022.
When the decision was made to move from the College to St. Paul’s Cathedral, it was seen as an opportunity to rebrand, and it seemed only natural that the new space bear the name of the individual who worked so tirelessly to establish a diocesan archive. It is the sincere hope of both the Archives Committee and the Move Task Force that the Reverend Canon Dr. J. Douglas Leighton Archives appropriately reflects the legacy and impact of its namesake.
Dr. Bill Acres is the Co-Chair of the Archives Committee
Dez Nacario is the Diocesan Archivist