Our Story

The Rhoda begain in the basement of a rented home. From 2013 to 2015, the Rhoda was a humble room with a makeshift set-up to brew tea in the backroom, and a bookshelf we called our ‘bookstore.’ Here, we hosted our very first Arabic classes, weekly celebrations of Guidance, and scholar visits. Here, Zidney Ilma School of Character for children was born, and the inspiration first came for Letters to the Beloved. We celebrated Eid in the backyard, as well as two weddings. It was the site of many great moments. Until... Spring 2018, and melting snow

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We came to our beloved prayer space one night to find the floor under a foot of water. It was not the first flood, but it was the worst. This time, we were unable to quell the influx of water, and eventually, mold took hold of rugs, walls, and the undersides of bookshelves. Suddenly, we had nowhere to serve as the base from which to offer programs the community had come to love. We had to find a new home! But where?

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There it was, a simple little white building, atop Beacon Hill. This location, found on Kijiji, had been a convenience store for the past twenty years or more. Amazingly, the zoning allowed for a place of worship. This was more than we had expected – we had been looking to open an educational centre. But now, it was as if God was opening a new door, a new prospect, an invitation. Like He was beckoning us: Come closer, do more. Don’t be afraid. We began to pray deeply, consulting the Creator about which direction to go in. And the message kept coming: Go ahead. So one afternoon in August, we sat in the garden of the new location, with the sunlight falling all over us, and signed the lease. And so was born the new Rhoda Masjid and Institute.

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After spending over three years at our location, we decided that it was time to purchase a building. Since 2019, we've operated in the heart of Orleans, and continue to be the only masjid in the city serving both French- and English-speaking Muslims.