Record of the Week: Happy Easter!

This week's Record of the Week is a 1960s photo from St. Ann's Parish in Penetanguishene. We wish you a blessed and happy Easter!

St. Ann's Parish, Penetanguishene, Early 1960s
PH 0170/26CP

Record of the Week: St. Patrick's Day Ephemera

This St. Patrick's Day we offer a most unique example of ephemera from the archives.

It is an event programme for the St. Patrick's Day Fifteenth Annual Musical Soiree, 1871. 

Though the location of the venue is not explicitly mentioned, addresses given by Alderman Hearn, M.P.P for Quebec, and Revd. J. S. Lonergan of Montreal suggest somewhere in la belle province, specifically Quebec City (see Comments below for that deduction).

The gold metallic text is printed on a piece of kelly green raw-edged silk.  That pairing, combined with the minuscule font, which has bled through the fabric, results in one of the most unusual and illegible pieces of textual material we have.

The item is part of Archbishop John Lynch's fonds.

Archbishop Lynch fonds, L AE 20.01

Saint Patrick's Day, 1871,
Fifteenth Annual Musical Soiree
Under the auspices of the
St. Patrick's C. and L. Institute,
Music Hall,
Friday Evening, March 17th.

The programme's title features the triangular Celtic harp, a national symbol that appears on the Republic of Ireland's coins and coat of arms. Under the harp is the banner Erin Go Bragh (an anglicization of  Éirinn go Brách), used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is most often translated as "Ireland Forever."

A scan of the programme does not improve decipherability. Nor do the multiple stains - do you reckon they're Guiness or whiskey?

"Part First": songs include Ode to Pope Pius IX (Rossini); Exile of Erin (Campbell); Les dragons de Villars (Maillart); O'Donnell A boo

"Part Second": songs include Dear Old Ireland (Sullivan); The Green Little Shamrock (Cherry); I saw form the beach (Moore)

Lady and Queen and Mystery Manifold

Mary, the mother of Jesus has inspired prayer, poetry, artwork, and devotion for centuries. Pilgrims travel thousands of miles to places where her presence has manifested. To Polish Catholics, the most important of these places is the shrine at the Jasna Góra Monastery which houses the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa.

In 2014, a copy of the icon was blessed and started a pilgrimage among the parishes of the Society of Christ priests of the United States and Canada. Earlier this month the icon visited St. Hedwig Parish in Oshawa, and a pilgrimage vigil will take place with the icon at Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish on Sunday, March 13th. 

This week we are featuring two images from the archives, and below you will find the story of the famous icon.

A print of the icon of Our Lady of  Częstochowa
ARCAT Special Collections AW12

Cardinal Carter speaking to the congregation at the Jasna Gora Cathedral in 1977. The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa is visible above him.
PH 18P/21P

From Cardinal Carter's diary written during his 1977 tour of Poland: 

"All through mass there was a stream of pilgrims. First of all, the chapel itself was jammed packed. The people were so tightly put together that when one moved, others had to move. This was in the centre of the chapel, and on the side a constant stream of pilgrims were herded up. They were not allowed to stop in front of the image of the Blessed Virgin but they rapidly made a genuflection and a prayer. 

"I watched them very carefully during the moments that I could ... and I have never seen such faces of suffering ... but with their obvious background of suffering, there was a gentle peace and above all a tremendous sense of devotion to the Madonna. Many of them had tears in their eyes."

As described by Zsolt Aradi in his 1954 book Shrines to Our Lady, the legend of the icon is quite a story:

"The history of the Polish national shrine of Częstochowa is a mirror of the tormented and troubled history of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe and a key to the understanding of their spiritual resistance during their present trials. According to the legend, St. Luke painted a portrait of the Blessed Virgin on the table made by Jesus Himself when He was an apprentice carpenter under the paternal guidance of St. Joseph. After the Crucifixion, this table was brought to Jerusalem; when the Holy City had fallen to the Romans the disciples kept it hidden during their wanderings. It was St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who while searching for the Holy Cross found the picture of the Mother of Christ and took it to Constantinople. The venerated portrait of the Virgin thus remained from the third to the eighth century in Constantinople in a church built for the purpose of housing the precious relic. In the troublesome eighth century the picture was again in great danger and was carried to the wilderness to be hidden in remote places like the forests of Belsk, in Eastern Poland. Even in that part of Europe there was no real peace, because of the migrations from the East, which constantly moved westward. During the first Tartar invasion of Europe the picture escaped harm. In 1382 the Tartars occupied Belsk, murdering and looting, but the portrait of the Holy Virgin was not discovered by the heathen invader, for a mysterious cloud enveloped the chapel. After the Tartars returned to their Asiatic homeland the Prince of Belsk was ordered in a dream by an angel to take the picture to an insignificant, obscure village named Częstochowa. There it was confided to the custody of the monks of St. Paul of the Desert who have guarded it down to the present day.

"Comparative calm reigned around Częstochowa until 1430 and the renown of the miraculous picture grew. During this time King Jagiello united Poland and Lithuania and himself became an ardent Christian. He built a great Gothic cathedral around Our Lady's chapel and kings, princes, noblemen and peasants provided the sanctuary with precious and priceless votive offerings. In 1430 a new danger appeared on the horizon as religious wars began to ravage this part of Europe. These were first the wars between the followers of Jan Hus and the Catholic princes. The Hussites attacked Częstochowa, murdered, burned, robbed and took the Holy Picture. There is a story that as they bore it away their horses stopped at the limits of the village and no beating could incite them to move forward. Thus the picture of the Virgin was saved. When the pious monks found the picture, retaken from the Hussites, it lay in the mud covered with earth and blood. They immediately wanted to clean it but found that all wells had gone dry in fighting the fire. It was at this time that a miraculous fountain sprung up, a spring that has since healed thousands and thousands of sick and has supplied water to millions of pilgrims.

"The Polish nation attributes its very existence to the help of the Virgin of Częstochowa. The veneration of the picture of the Madonna is the expression of the Polish nation's faith and gratitude. After the Hussite invasion the Poles fought for three hundred years with the Teutonic Crusaders, and all the decisive victories won by the Polish nation in these battles are attributed to the miraculous help of the Holy Virgin. Thus the safety of the shrine of Częstochowa is identified with the very safety and independence of the whole nation. During the wars with the Swedes in the seventeenth century Częstochowa was besieged by the whole Swedish army for more than six weeks, but the army of the enemy was defeated and the invader driven from Polish soil. Thus Częstochowa again defended Polish unity and independence. The following year, 1656, the Holy Virgin was acclaimed Queen of Poland and Częstochowa became the spiritual capital of the nation. But there was little peace around Częstochowa for warfare continued first against the Princes of the Reformation and then against the Turks who, having enslaved the whole Balkan Peninsula and the greater part of Hungary, had arrived at the very doors of Vienna. It was the last minute help of the Polish king Sobieski that saved Vienna and the West. Before Sobieski and his army undertook their crusade he and his knights gathered at Częstochowa and dedicated themselves to their Mother in Heaven."

Note: The title of this week's entry is from Hilaire Belloc's poem entitled Ballade to Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Archiving Altar Stones

Some of the most challenging materials that diocesan archivists encounter are those that contain relics.

Every Catholic church has a relic sealed in its altar as sign of honour to the saints. The practice evokes early Christianity, when Mass was celebrated in secret over the tombs of martyrs. The sacrifice of that saint is associated with the sacrifice of Christ, celebrated on the altar during the Eucharist.

We think of altars as permanent fixtures within a church. However, in the early 20th century, Canon Law (1917) required that Mass be said over a properly consecrated altar, so movable altar stones were created in order to allow priests to celebrate Mass outside of a church. Their portable size meant the stones could be carried to any location and placed on a table or other support, creating a lawfully acceptable place for Mass.

Altar stones are book-sized blocks of marble consecrated by episcopal authority using the same ritual as a fixed altar. This included sealing first class relics (pieces of the saints' bodies, usually bones) of at least two martyred saints into a cavity in the stone.  A testimonial document witnessing the stone's consecration would be sealed inside with the relic, or attached to the surface of the stone.

Altar Stones Collection, AS14

Altar stones are usually made of Carrara marble.  The relic is cemented into a cavity along the bottom edge.

Altar Stones Collection, AS40

Example of a testimonium or consecration document which is often attached directly to the back the stone. This altar stone was consecrated in 1937 and contains relics from the bones of St. Concordia and St. Clarus, martyrs:

 Testimonium Consecrationis Tabulae Altaris. Haec tabula complectit reliquias de ossibus Ste. Concordiae M. et Sti. Clari M.; consecrata est Toronto die 18 mensis augusti A.D. 1937 per Rt. Rev. E. M. Brennan. Jacobus Carolus McGuigan, Archiepiscopus Torontinus de mandato. Excmi ac Revmi. Archiepiscopi Torontini [signed] E. M. Brennan Vicar Generalis per M. J. Nealon.

Falling out of use
Following Vatican II and the resulting revised edition of the Code of Canon Law (1983), the practice of using altar stones ceased and relics were required to be sealed in permanent, fixed altars only. Currently, Canon Law requires simply that an altar cloth and corporal be placed on a surface in order for Mass to be celebrated off-site.

Since portable altars were usually used by cardinals and bishops, the Chancery Office at the Archdiocese had accumulated a number of stones over the years. When altar stones went out of use, the Chancery's collection was placed in the archives. Others were donated by parishes and religious orders who no longer had need of them.

Challenges of archiving altar stones

Altar stones are different than most of the material we keep in the archives because they contain relics, which are holy items intended for a spiritual use. Relics are meant to be venerated rather than stored indefinitely. Therefore, over the years, we have redistributed the altar stones to parishes and religious communities who were dedicating new altars and needed first-class relics. These "recycled" altar stones would have been permanently affixed or encased in their altars.

On a practical level, the stones are large and heavy, about the size of a textbook and made of marble. Their weight must be considered when housing, storing and accessing them.

Some of the stones are not appropriate for reuse because they are damaged, the seal on the relic is loose, or the stone is missing the testimonial document that identifies the relic. It is challenging to respectfully dispose of damaged altar stones. Proper disposal includes burial on consecrated ground, since they contain holy, human remains.

We now preserve only a small sample of altar stones for posterity, as evidence of Catholic ritual practice in a certain place and time.

Newly discovered altar stone 

In a previous post, we wrote about the Paulist Fathers leaving the archdiocese and the Catholic Information Centre that they founded. 

While cleaning out the basement chapel of the Centre, an altar stone was discovered in a drawer and sent to the archives.  It was consecrated by Archbishop Neil McNeil in 1924 and contains relics from the bones of St. Victoria, St. Innocent and St. Propser.  

Read about the newest addition to our collection in this Catholic Register article, "Long forgotten altar stone a relic of Church’s past."

Altar Stones Collection, AS44

Altar stone found at the former Paulist Centre at St. Peter's Parish, Toronto. The consecration document attached reads,

Head of Wellesley Place March 26/24
The Relic of the following martyrs are entombed in the sepulchre of this altar-stone: Stae. Victoriae, Sti. Innocentii, Sti. Propseri [signed] +N. McNeil Archbishop of Toronto per T. J. Manley, Secretary

The Winter Vault at St. Michael's Cemetery

"The winter dead wait...for the earth to relent and receive them." 

- The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels

February is finally winding down and we can start to look forward to the spring thaw.

In the 19th century, before ground breaking equipment existed, the frozen earth had greater implications for cemeteries. As they could not be buried during the winter months, corpses were often stored until spring in outbuildings known as "winter vaults" or "dead houses."

Photographs Special Collection, PH76/123CP

Photo of the Winter Vault at St. Michael's Cemetery, Toronto, by Tassielli Photography (1992).

The building is the finest example of an octagonal dead house, unique to Southern Ontario.  The Gothic architectural style is evident in the buttressing, spire and pointed archways.  Many have thought that the windows have been bricked up, but these "blind reveals" are part of the original design. 

The Winter Vault is the centerpiece of St. Michael's Cemetery in Toronto, placed at the intersection of two main axes. It was designed in 1855 by Joseph Sheard, a prolific architect who went on to become Mayor of Toronto in 1871. While he was Foreman of Public Works, Sheard was known for refusing to build the gallows to hang two leaders of the Upper Canada Rebellion, Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews.

Cemeteries series, CCSM01-11

Detail of St. Michael's Cemetery plot map (1932), showing the winter vault at the intersection of two main axes.  The winter vault can been seen from the eastern entrance, off Yonge Street, south of St. Clair Ave. 

For a fee of £18, Sheard drew the architectural plans and specifications for the dead house and cemetery fences, and supervised their construction. The total cost of materials and labour was £326.

The winter vault is a Gothic-style building, which was the architectural fashion of the time.  Its octagonal shape followed a mid-19th century fad for eight sided buildings that originated in the United States. Octagonal winter vaults, however, are unique to southern Ontario. There are five existing octagonal vaults in the region, including those in Aurora, King City and Richmond Hill. They are designated as buildings of historical and architectural value under the Ontario Heritage Act. The octagonal shape has the added practical value of offering more wall space for platforms on which to place the caskets.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1991, Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Services decided to restore the winter vault at St. Michael's Cemetery. Specialists at Restoration Summit replaced some of the massive Douglas fir timbers and other wooden elements that had succumbed to rot. Cedar shingles and copper plating were used to repair the roof and cupola for a historically correct finish. Six hundred bricks on the exterior wall and buttresses had been cracked by tree roots and required replacement. To match the patina of the exterior masonry, bricks were salvaged from the interior walls to use outside. The restoration work received an Award of Merit from the Toronto Historical Board in 1993.

ARCAT Staff Photo

Archdiocesan staff visit the restored Winter Vault at St. Michael's Cemetery during a guided tour in 2010.*

ARCAT Staff photo

We were allowed access to the Winter Vault during a guided tour of the cemetery in 2010.* Originally, wooden platforms (such as the one against the wall) would have shelved caskets during winter months. The octagonal shape of the building offers more wall space for platforms on which to place the caskets.

Photographs Special Collection, PH32S/08P

In June 1992, Auxiliary Bishop M. Pearse Lacey unveiled a historical plaque rededicating the structure and marking the sesquicentennial year. 

Toronto author and poet Anne Michaels wrote a novel called The Winter Vault in 2009. To promote its publication, she gave a book reading inside the winter vault at St. Michael’s Cemetery.*


*Note: For the protection of the cemetery grounds and monuments, St. Michael’s Cemetery gates are now closed.  To visit the cemetery please contact Mount Hope Cemetery at (416) 483-4944.

The Maple Leaf Forever!

On Monday, February 15th, Canada celebrated Flag Day. It was on that day in 1965 that the red and white maple leaf flag was first officially used.

To celebrate, we pulled out a few interesting records from the archives.

The photo below is of one of a flag that was in use in Canada between 1922 and 1957 called the Canadian Red Ensign. In the upper left corner is the Union Jack, and in the lower right is the shield of the Canadian Coat of Arms. This particular flag was once used at St. Michael's Cathedral, but came to us through St. Augustine's Seminary.

Red Ensign Flag: ca. 1921-1957
TX 114

Close up of the shield of the Canadian Red Ensign, 1921-1957. In 1957 the three green maple leaves were changed to red.

Today's Canadian flag was adopted in 1965. There was a lot of disagreement about what the national flag should be, so Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson struck a parliamentary committee with members from all parties to find a new design. Thousands of suggestions were considered, but ultimately the single-leaf flag designed by George Stanley won out.

A print of the current Canadian flag signed by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. This item was owned by Cardinal Carter, who had it hanging in his cottage.

Today the flag is proudly flown across the country and around the world at Canadian installations. It has even been to space! When it is seen on a sleeve or a backpack in foreign places, people know they will find polite, kind and friendly travelers. Most of the time we live up to those expectations!

Family Day Family Photos

Monday is Family Day in Ontario.  It's been eight years since we first observed this statutory holiday.

To celebrate, we offer you some family photos of our former bishops and archbishops of Toronto.

Enjoy your holiday and your family!

Photographs Special Collection, PH09F-01P and PH09F/16P

Left photo: James C. Cardinal McGuigan as a Monsignor with his mother, Anne, and his sister, Mother St. George, C.N.D. (Gertrude), ca. 1927. He was serving as Vicar General in Edmonton at the time.

Right photo:  James C. Cardinal McGuigan with his parents, Annie Monaghan and George H. McGuigan, ca. 1946. The Archbishop of Toronto's choir dress is hand coloured in red, indicating that he has been made a cardinal.

Photographs Special Collection, PH11/07P

Studio family portrait shows Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto Francis V. Allen as a toddler, held by his mother Martha, with older brother Edward and maternal aunt Annie Malcolm, ca. 1911.  Edward was the only sibling who did not enter religious life.

Photographs Special Collection, PH11-13P

All seven Allen siblings, including Edward (in the suit), Murray (centre) and Francis (right).  Three of the four sisters were members of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. 

Photographs Special Collection, PH14F/06P

Archbishop Philip Pocock as a young boy attending a family wedding.  He is pictured in the front row, right, ca. 1912.

Photographs Special Collection, PH14F/03P and PH14F/04P

Left photo: Young Philip Pocock, holding a cat, with brother Rev. John H. Pocock and one of his sisters, ca. 1915. There were eight children in the family.

Right photo: Archbishop Pocock, as a young priest, with his parents Stephen and Sarah, ca. 1930

 

Photographs Special Collection, PH18F/162P

G. Emmett Cardinal Carter as a young priest (right). Photographed with his siblings Rev. Alexander Carter and Sister Mary Lenore Carter, s.p., and Sister Mary Bibiana, s.p. (Sister Lenore's companion) at Fourteen Island Lake, ca. 1940s.

Photographs Special Collection, PH18F/163P

Rev. Carter with his mother Minnie at Fourteen Island Lake, 1946.

Photographs Special Collection, PH19F/02P

 Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic (top) as a young man posing with his parents and six siblings. The family came to Canada from Slovenia in 1948 around the time this photo was taken.