Part of a worldwide network of Seafarers missions established by the Anglican Church, represented in over 230 ports; the Mission in what is now Thunder Bay began in 1910 as the “Royal Arthur Sailors’ Institute” on Water Street in Port Arthur. Ran by local 
churches including St. John’s Anglican Church. The official opening of this institute was August 20, 1910 and in 1912 a larger building (the Royal Sailors Institute) was opened. This new building was built specifically for the Institute and designed by local architect Fred Urry. This early establishment was essentially a hostel for sailors, necessitated by the cramped quarters on board the ships and long stays in port, required to unload and load vessels. It was officially a non-denominational mission for the 25,000 Great Lakes seamen and longshoremen, although was run largely by local parish members and still worked to spread the word of God. In 1945 Rev’d Gron Morgan, a Baptist pastor, was appointed Superintendent.
This mission became well used, in 1947/48 alone 24,000 beds were occupied (many free of charge), and almost 2,000 meals were served under The Rev’d Morgan. The Rev'd Morgan would die unexpectedly at the age of 58. The local Anglican Church Women (ACW) groups from what now constitutes the Thunder Bay parishes were largely responsible for the Seaman’s Centre in the evenings. Events such as soccer games were organized for the crews, which at this time were mainly British. A sub-group of the Mission called the “Harbour Lights” organized dances for seafarers, inviting women from their parishes to attend.
In 1959, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway would lead to a dramatic increase in the number of foreign sailors arriving at the Lakehead port. As a result of this new commerce Keefer Terminal, which had been located in the inter-city area between Fort William and Port Arthur, was opened in 1959. This package freight terminal replaced loading docks in Port Arthur and in Fort William along the Kaministiqua River. In response to the increase in traffic, especially amongst foreign sailors on ocean-going ships arriving at Lakehead. the Missions to Seamen station in Thunder Bay was founded December 6, 1961 on St. Nicolas' day (Patron saint of Seafarers). A trailer was opened at Keefer Terminal to serve as the Seamen’s Centre. In May 1961 The Rev’d Canon Stanley Smith, the chaplain of the Port of Vancouver had visited Port Arthur/Fort William and spoke of his work in Vancouver, invited by The Rev’d Alvin Thomson of St. John’s Anglican Church. The Rev’d Robert Lumley, Incumbent at St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church, started as part-time chaplain in May 1962.
The port missionary or chaplain also served as a tour guide, social convenor and sports director as the occasion demands. Thunder Bay has had an Anglican port chaplain since 1962. The chaplain visits each ocean going ship that is in port, and offers to arrange services or take crews to churches of their choice. He also was responsible for making arrangements for telephone connections so that the sailors could contact family and friends overseas. Although much of the responsibility lay with the chaplain, it was a complete community effort, as volunteers from different parishes often car-pooled in order to transport seafarers; this practice continued until 1974 when a van was first leased and then purchased for the Mission. Often mission chaplains were assistants at local Anglican churches, or were retired. The Rev’d Lumley and The Rev’d Swayze were employed full-time as chaplains and as Incumbents of local parishes. In 1980 David Bradford was appointed Chaplain to the Mission and subsequently ordained. In addition, The Rev’d Carol Titotto was appointed the first Apostleship of the Sea Chaplain in Thunder Bay the same year. The Rev’d Bradford and The Rev’d Titotto often worked together, particularly for ship visits.
In 1981 a new van and trailer were purchased using funds from the estate of Bishop E. Q. Jennings, first Bishop of the Diocese of Fort William. On July 12, 1981 the dedication of the Centre and the van took place led by The Rt. Rev’d Frank Nock, Anglican Bishop of Algoma, and The Most Rev’d John O’Mara, Roman Catholic Bishop of Thunder Bay. This informal collaborative relationship continues to this day and involves clergy from various faiths.
The Rev’d Canon David Bradford served the Mission until the early 1990s. He was full-time during the shipping season and was seen regularly on board ships and heard weekly on his local CBC radio show “Harbour News”. The Rev’d Bradford was constantly promoting the Mission and its work. By the mid 1990’s the Mission had reached a low point in its organization. Due to the recession, fundraising from the Mission became necessary. Over the years the ACW involvement in the evening watches had diminished, particularly as more women joined the work forces. Due to reduced parish finances, parishes were not able to hire assistant curates and as a result parish clergy did not have time to devote to the Mission. The evening watch organization essentially stopped functioning.
In 1993 Captain Ernest Scriver (Church Army) was appointed Mission Chaplain until his death in 1994, when The Rev’d Ed Swayze would be appointed Mission Chaplain and Incumbent at St. Stephen the Martyr Church. The Rev’d Ed Swayze's double position created a need to change the organization of the Mission. Swayze would visit ships in the daytime, and made appointments for the transportation of sailors. Volunteer watch keepers and drivers were recruited to run the watch in the evening. Initiatives such as the collection of warm clothing for seafarers were also started. Post- 9/11, security at port facilities was increased drastically. It became more difficult for crew to get ashore limiting the ability of the locals of Thunder Bay to help seafarers. The Mission to Seafarers, due to its being a recognized member of the Port community, was able to continue to offer assistance to the seafarers despite this increase in security.
Incumbents of the Missions to Seamen station in Thunder Bay include: The Rev'd Robert Lumley (1962-1967); The Rev'd Peter A. Hill (1967-1968); Captain Wayne Thomas (Church Army) (1969); Captain D. Page (Church Army) (1970); Mr. William Tozer (1970-1973); The Rev'd Gregory Lynn (1874); The Rev'd Canon Alvin Thomson (1974-1980); The Rev'd Canon David Bradford (1980-1992); Captain Ernest Scriver (Church Army) (1993); and The Rev's Ed Swayze (1994 –).
