Friday 26 August 2016

A Place of Rest and Quiet

On August 28, 1913, St. Augustine's Seminary was dedicated. We have posted many photos of the Seminary and its students in the past, and this week we are featuring the Seminary's chapel. Architect A.W. Holmes drew inspiration for St. Augustine's from Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. It is speculated that the chapel was inspired by another Florentine church, the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

From The People Cry: Send Us Priests: The First Seventy-Five Years of St. Augustine's Seminary of Toronto, 1913-1988, p. 24-26 by Rev. P.J. Carefoote:

"...Fittingly, the Chapel forms the 'heart' of the central Seminary building, intersecting it in the centre of its three hundred and fifty-six foot length. The Chapel is one hundred and four feet long and forty feet wide, accommodating a congregation of up to 220 people... The original sanctuary with its clean lines and very clear focus was a visual lesson on the Eucharist in itself. Its only decoration was the German stained-glass windows of such topics as "Sacrifice of Melchizedek," "The Crucifixion" and "The Last Supper" by Mayer and Company. The sanctuary depiction of the Incarnation, when the Word was made flesh, continues the ancient tradition in the Church of highlighting that space where the Word is made truly present again and again."

A hand-coloured black and white photo of a liturgical event in the Seminary chapel.

St. Augustine's Seminary Photograph Collection

[1913-1959]

A hand-coloured black and white photograph of the high altar.

St. Augustine's Seminary Photograph Collection

[1913-1959]


"The original suggestion made by Mayer and Company for the four rose windows was to portray the four great doctors of the Church. While this would certainly have harmonized with the heavenly patronage of Augustine, it would not have been faithful to the underlying decorative schema. Instead, the symbols of the four evangelists are rendered, again accenting the apostolic endeavor of this institution to preach the Word, thereby making Christ present in the world forever..."

St. Augustine's Seminary Photograph Collection

"A major renovation of the Chapel was directed in 1959 under the technical advice of Sir James Haffa, Architect. Retaining the steps and mensa of the original marble altar, the main altar and reredos were remodeled using a variety of shades and textures of polished marble... The marble statue of St. Augustine... was removed and the space filled in so that an Italian marble crucifix could be erected. Added to each side of the reredos were wooden statues of Saints Augustine and Monica."

A view of the organ loft.

"As the "house of God and gate of heaven" this chapel, then, is an overall success ...Of it can be sung ... "How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts!" ... This holy place is a place of rejoicing, where God makes himself present in the word of his Apostles and prophets and in the Sacrament of the Altar. It is a place of rest and quiet where God is encountered in peace. It is a place where the Most High dwells among his children."

PH 26A/04CP
1982

"In 1964 the seating was altered from choir stalls to congregational arrangement, which is excellent for participation in the Eucharist and for private devotion, bit is not the happiest arrangement for the Divine Office. At this date, also, the marble altar was replaced by the present granite table, with the central, 'chi-rho' panel of the old high altar coming into new use as the altar of reservation. In general, however, the Chapel has a very prayerful mood about it, owing to its colour scheme and the chastity of its clean design and decoration."

For more on St. Augustine's Seminary, check their website.

Friday 19 August 2016

ARCAT Goes to The Ex

The 2016 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) -- or The Ex, as we all know it -- opens today in Toronto. This annual tradition, formerly called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, started in 1879 and is Canada's largest community event. To celebrate the CNE, here are some photographs from ARCAT's collection of other events that have happened on the CNE grounds.

Despite the Canadian military occupying parts of the CNE grounds during World War I, the CNE continued to be held each year. During World War II, however, the entirety of the CNE grounds was used by the military, so the fair was not held during those years. A rally and a mass were held at the Stadium for the soldiers in 1944.

Soldiers' Rally and Mass, CNE Stadium, 1944
Note the ad for cigarettes way in the back at the top of the stadium.

PH09W/56P
Soldiers' Rally and Mass, CNE Stadium, 1944

PH09W/59P
Soldiers' Rally and Mass, CNE Stadium, 1944
Note the other interesting ads in the background.

PH09W/25P
Soldiers' Rally and Mass, CNE Stadium, 1944
Rosary created by humans and sheets

Photo credit: Pringle & Booth Ltd., Toronto

PH09W/27P

Cardinal McGuigan participated in the Rosary Crusade in Toronto.
Cardinal McGuigan at the Rosary Crusade, CNE Stadium, ca. 1961

PH09R/78P

Every opening day must have a ceremony!
Archbishop Pocock sits third from right at the opening day ceremonies
at the CNE bandshell, August 15, 1974

PH14D/12CP

Pope John Paul II attended the Polish Rally at the CNE Stadium during his Papal Visit to Canada in 1984.
Pope John Paul II speaks to a large crowd at the Polish Rally,
CNE Stadium, September 14, 1984

Photo credit: Foto Felici, Rome

PH65/317CP

The CNE runs for 18 days. More information about the CNE, including its long and interesting history, can be found on their website. Let's go to The Ex!


Friday 12 August 2016

Go for the (Catholic) Gold

We're now halfway through the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This year, the world gets to watch more than 11,000 athletes from 206 countries compete in 28 sports. It is inspiring to be able to witness these incredible feats of human strength, endurance, and skill. Each competitor should be congratulated for making it that far, but only a fraction will make it to that apex of accomplishment, the medalists' podium.

Those who use their strength of character, endurance of spirit and God-given skills in service of the Catholic Church can also be recognized with medals: the Benemerenti medal and the Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice.

The Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice (For Church and Pontiff) was originally awarded by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. It is currently awarded to laypeople and clergy for service to the Church. The design has changed over time, but the present medal consists of a Greek cross featuring images of Saints Peter and Paul. The cross hangs from a ribbon of the Papal colours yellow and white. The examples we have in the ARCAT collection date from the pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II:

Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice

ARCAT Special Collections
Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice

ARCAT Special Collections

The Benemerenti (Good Merit) Medal was originally awarded by Pope Pius VI in 1791 as a military decoration for "courage in defense of the temporal Papal States." In 1925 it also became an award for civilian lay people and clergy who deserved special recognition. The current design of the medal is a Greek cross featuring an image of Christ with the Papal tiara and crossed keys on the left, and the shield and motto of the reigning Pontiff on the right. The medal also hangs from a ribbon of yellow and white.

Benemerenti Medal

ARCAT Special Collections
Benemerenti Medal

ARCAT Special Collections

Recipients of these honours are recommended to the Vatican by diocesan officials. The Vatican then sends the medals and paperwork for the Ordinary to bestow:

Cardinal McGuigan bestows the Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice in St. Michael's Cathedral.

November 3rd, 1957
PH 31P/01P 
Two recipients of the Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice, Mary and Dorothy Flynn. Note the difference in medal design.

March 31st, 1963
PH 31P/02CP 

For more information, check the excellent reference book by James-Charles Noonan, Jr. entitled The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Catholic Church. 

Friday 5 August 2016

A Taste of History on the Danforth: Church of the Holy Name

Summer in Toronto is full of many fun events. This weekend features the 23rd annual Taste of the Danforth, Canada’s largest street festival. As you are taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the festival, you will pass some interesting historical buildings, including Church of the Holy Name on the corner of Gough and Danforth Avenues.

Architect Arthur W. Holmes designed the church. The cornerstone was laid in November 1914.
Photograph of a drawing of the church, likely done by the architect, Arthur W. Holmes

Photographs Collection, PH0014/41P

Father Michael Cline was the first resident pastor.
Head and shoulder photographic portrait of Monsignor Michael Cline, 1870-1947, as a young priest.

Photographs Collection, PH24C/106P

The church on a cloudy summer day in the early 1980s.
August 1981

Photographs Collection, PH0014/04C

View of the back of the church from the altar in the early 1980s.
August 1981

Photographs Collection, PH0014/08C

View of the front interior of the church in the early 1970s.
Altar and sanctuary, ca. October 1970

Photographs Collection, PH81/10CP

View of the front interior of the church almost two decades later. Can you spot the differences?
1989

Photographs Collection, PH0014/49C

Exterior of the church in the late 1980s.
1989

Photographs Collection, PH0014/46C

For more information about the church and to see some wonderful older photographs of the church, please visit the Holy Name Parish website. Have a wonderful weekend!