Friday 28 September 2018

Record of the Week: The Canada Farmer

The Canada Farmer Masthead

April 15, 1869

L AJ05.01
Archbishop Lynch Fonds

This week's harvest moon got us thinking about what it must have been like for farmers in early Canada. We were in luck! Archbishop Lynch saved an 1869 copy of The Canada Farmer, which was published in Toronto from 1864 to 1876. 

We found this magazine so interesting that we thought we'd share some of our favourite parts with you. The April 15, 1869 issue contains advice about choosing crops ("Parsnips... is a less troublesome and more certain crop than carrots."), entomology (When we think of insects... we are very apt to doom the whole race to indiscriminate slaughter, and wage a war of extermination upon insects of every order, class, and kind. But by doing so we commit a very great mistake, for we not only destroy the innocent with the guilty, but we slay also our best friends with our bitterest enemies."), keeping livestock ("Mangers should be low, and stables well ventilated and well lighted."), dairy farming ("Cows should not only be milked with perfect regularity as regards the hours of milking, but they should be milked to the last drops"), and much more of interest to all kinds of farmers. 

Here are a few more tidbits:

 From an article in the Natural History section about toads:
"As we were walking in the garden last summer, we came across one of these 'squatters' among the squash vines. He was seated near his hole in the wall, surveying the premises, and apparently enjoying the growth of the vegetables, like a philosopher. Have you ever noticed, gentle reader, the benevolent expression in the eye of a toad? If it were not for his uncouth dress we would call him a gentleman. His philosophical mien was catching, and we fell to speculating upon the value wrapped up in that carbuncled jacket. We asked the question, 'What is he good for? It is said the Creator has formed nothing in vain - nothing without a specific plan and design. Why was this toad made so disgusting, dirt-coloured, wide mouthed, pot-bellied and moping? There is nothing to inspire effection or terror.' Just at that moment a pestiferous squash bug was crawling upon a leaf. In a moment his eye flashed with intelligence, and quick as thought his long tongue reached the insect, and his capacious mouth closed with a snap not unlike a percussion cap."
"The illustration represents the common tree Toad." "In proportion to what the toad is capable of doing, there is not a more useful animal to man. In the search of a livelihood his is sure to benefit somebody. He has no bad habits, yet how often do we find him the victim of an ignorant and cruel prejudice."

April 15, 1869

L AJ05.01
Archbishop Lynch Fonds


 From an article in the Horticulture section about raspberry varieties:
"We cannot close this article without remarking that Mr. Arnold's raspberries are the result of careful hybridizing, that to such painstaking, careful cultivators we are indebted for many of our choicest fruits, and that there is yet room for further experiments with the hybridization of raspberries. The largest size and highest flavour of fruit, combined with the greatest productiveness and perfect hardihood of plant, are yet to be achieved."
"We present our readers with an engraving of the Philadelphia Raspberry, a variety that promises to be a very valuable acquisition, especially because of its hardiness, a qualification which few good raspberries possess."

April 15, 1869

L AJ05.01
Archbishop Lynch Fonds

From the Stock section:
"We have great pleasure in presenting to our readers the accompanying beautiful portrait of Mr. Stone's fine short-horn bull, "Grand Duke of Moreton," an animal that has gained the highest distinction in his class, and who, with his sire, Third Grand Duke (17,933), has contributed much to raise Mr. Stone's herd to its present eminent position.
"...He is considered by many first-class judges to be the finest short-horn bull in America, and equal to any they ever saw, combining with an even outline, good constitution, colour, symmetry, docility, gait and size. He is, moreover, a first-class stock-getter, standing at present at the head of the Moreton Lodge herd of short-horns."
Frederick Stone's Moreton Lodge was turned into the Ontario Agricultural College. Part of the building is still on campus at the University of Guelph.

"Grand Duke of Moreton," the Property of F.W. Stone, Esq., Moreton Lodge, Guelph"

April 15, 1869

L AJ05.01
Archbishop Lynch Fonds

From an article entitled, "New Hand Seed Drill and Cultivator:"
"Mr. Fleming, of Toronto, in conjunction with Mr. Bruce, of Hamilton, has introduced a new implement, under the name of the "Dominion Hand Seed Drill and Cultivator," which promises to be a useful acquisition to the horticulturist. Its main purpose is that of a drill for small seeds, such as onions, beets, carrots, turnips, &c. It is simple in construction, and is said to do its work well, dropping the seed with regularity, covering and rolling the drill after sowing. The same implement, by a change very readily effected, namely, taking off the hopper and the roller, and substituting a cultivating attachment, can be used to perform the necessary operations of weeding and stirring the ground."
"Dominion Hand Seed Drill and Cultivator" "The accompanying illustrations represent the machine in each of its forms, as a drill and as a cultivator. The price is moderate, $12.50."

April 15, 1869

L AJ05.01
Archbishop Lynch Fonds


And the back page with an advertisement for Lamb's Super-Phosphate of Lime. Only $40 per ton!

April 15, 1869

L AJ05.01
Archbishop Lynch Fonds

To read more of The Canada Farmer, check Early Canadiana Online. For more on the history of agriculture in Ontario, check out the wonderful online exhibit of the Archives of Ontario.

As an added Catholic bonus, here's a story printed in this issue from the Seminary of Quebec:
"Anecdote of the Beaver: The Rev. M. Baillarge, of the Seminary of Quebec, relates the following anecdote of the Beaver in the February number of that interesting publication the Naturaliste Canadien, which we have ventured to translate for the perusal of our readers:-
"During the classical course of this venerable sexagenarian, which carries us back to about 1810 or 1812, they kept for several months, in the Seminary, a Beaver, which became as familiar with those who dwelt there, as dogs and cats ordinarily are in houses. One fine night in November, when the cold began to make itself felt, the animal, which they permitted to wander in full liberty through the dormitory, perceiving that, of all its fellow-lodgers, it was the only one which remained without protection from the cold, thought it prudent, no doubt, to consider about taking precautions against the still more rigorous nights wich were soon to come; and as it had no choice of materials for the construction of its hut, it seized upon everything which fell within its clutches. It accordingly made a tour of the beds, carrying off boots, trowsers, socks, cloaks, caps, etc., which it piled up in a corner of the hall, without a single one of the sleepers knowing anything of the clever theft. But lo ! the bell for rising sounds; and each of the scholars demands of his neighbour if he has not been playing him a trick in making away with the indispensable garment; but there was the same perplexity and the same questions on the part of the neighbours, when the Regent coming in, perceived master Beaver still very busy arranging the parts of his future habitation; turning over with his paw whatever boot persisted in sticking out to the derangement of its symmetry, or piling up with his tail any cap that would not stay in its place; drawing back, returning adjusting each portion, and resting from time to time on the top of the hillock, as though to contemplate with pride the amount of work accomplished in so short a time. Luckily for the robbed, the scene of the performance was in a third story; for no doubt if it had been on the ground floor, and the provident animal had been able to get out of doors, they would have found the novel hut built on the edge of the garden cistern itself, and it would have been much less pleasant to have had to draw the caps, boots, etc. out of the water."

Friday 21 September 2018

Celebrating Scarboro Missions

Photo courtesy of the Archives of the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society

Today is the anniversary of the opening and blessing of the St. Francis Xavier China Mission Seminary in Scarborough, 1924.

This November, Scarboro Missions will celebrate its centenary.

This homegrown Roman Catholic mission society was founded by Msgr. John Mary Fraser. The son of Scottish immigrants, Fraser was born in Toronto in 1877 and studied for the priesthood at the Collegio Brignole Sale in Genoa, Italy. It was here that his vocation came into focus and he was ordained for mission work in 1901. In 1902, Fr. Fraser became the first North American missionary priest to work in China, where he was assigned to the Diocese of Ningbo.

Eight years later, Fr. Fraser returned to Canada and spent two years trying to raise interest in mission work in China. On November 9, 1918, Fr. Fraser received authorization to establish the China Mission College in the Archdiocese of Ottawa to train priests to accompany him overseas. The college building in Almont - a converted flourmill - was quickly outgrown by the increasing number of vocations.

In 1921, the college relocated to a temporary site in the Archdiocese of Toronto. In 1924, the staff and students moved into a new building on the Scarborough Bluffs, beside St. Augustine’s Seminary. Today is the anniversary of the opening of the St. Francis Xavier China Mission Seminary in Scarborough.

Photo courtesy of the Archives of the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society

A crowd gathers for China Mission Seminary Opening Day, ninety-four years ago today. Father John Mary Fraser can be seen in front of the main doors, presiding over the festivities.
The new edifice was built on property near the Scarborough Bluffs.

In 1940, with the approval of the Holy See, St. Francis Xavier China Mission Seminary was renamed the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society and its graduates Scarboro Foreign Mission Fathers (S.F.M).

Following the Communist Revolution in 1949, all Canadian missioners were arrested and eventually expelled from China. The Mission Society changed its focus to other countries in Asia, and Latin America. In 1950, Msgr. Fraser was invited to Japan, where he built churches and established schools in Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Osaka.

Back in Scarborough, the seminary continued to expand. The Mary Monaghan Wing was completed in September 1956. A new chapel and motherhouse were built between 1958 and 1959:

ARCAT, Photographs Special Collections, Religious Orders series, PH27S/46P

 Photograph of Msgr. John Fraser at the sod-turning ceremony for the seminary extension, 1958.

ARCAT, Photographs Special Collections, Religious Orders series, PH27S/47P

Msgr. Fraser, Fr. McQuaid, and construction superintendent Charles Giardelli discuss the building specifications for the chapel and extension.

ARCAT, Photographs Special Collections, Religious Orders series, PH27S/49P

St. Augustine's Seminary, for the training of diocesan priests, can be seen in the background, on the adjacent property.

ARCAT, Photographs Special Collections, Religious Orders series, PH27S/48P

Construction of the chapel (background) and motherhouse (foreground) on Kingston Road continues.

ARCAT, Photographs Special Collections, Religious Orders series, PH27S/52P

The new chapel and motherhouse are completed in the Spring of 1959.

Msgr. Fraser died in 1962 in Osaka and was buried there. Read more about Scarboro Mission's remarkable founder here.

The reforms of Vatican Council II emphasized the important role of the laity in the Church. Since 1974, single men and women, as well as married couples, have been invited to join with S.F.M. priests as global missioners. 

The organization is now called Scarboro Missions and defines itself as a society of Canadian Catholics, both priests and laity. Scarboro Missions is currently present in China, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Canada.

To celebrate their 100th anniversary, the Scarboro Missions Archives has produced an excellent five-part commemorative slideshow featuring archival photographs and records from their collections.

Friday 14 September 2018

St. Padre Pio

The Archdiocese of Toronto is fortunate to have relics of St. Padre Pio coming to the city next week. The relics, which include part of the mantle he wore as a Capuchin friar and a glove used to cover his wounds, will be on display at St. Philip Neri parish September 18th and 19th, just days before the 50th anniversary of his death.

Padre Pio was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002, three decades after the cause for canonization was first opened. There are thousands of miracles attributed to St. Padre Pio's intercession, and that his relics are coming here is a blessing to many of Toronto's faithful.

ARCAT found a prayer card from early on in St. Padre Pio's cause for canonization, which includes a small third-class relic. The back asks those who received favours through Padre Pio's intercession to write to the Postulator so that it could be presented as proof to be further investigated by Rome.

 
 
This prayer card from when Padre Pio was a Servant of God contains a third-class relic.

Padre Pio File from Chancery Office Non-Archdiocesan Organizations Collection, ARCAT.

You can find more information on how to see the touring relics here.

Friday 7 September 2018

A New Medium and the Catholic Message: The Archdiocese on the Small Screen

September 6th and 8th, 1952 were big days for Canadians: CBC Television began broadcasting in Montreal and Toronto. Though some who lived close to the border had been watching American stations since the 1940s, this was the first time we had real networks of our own. Its popularity quickly exploded: by 1965, television sets were in 92% of households.

While Bishop of London, Cardinal Carter appeared on the Windsor television show Grey Scale.

March 11, 1977

PH 18G/01P
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Catholic leaders recognized the value of the medium for reaching out. In his 1957 encyclical letter Miranda Prorsus, Pope Pius XII called the development of television "an event of great importance in human history," and wrote,
"It is well known to Us with what deep interest vast numbers of spectators gaze at television programmes of Catholic events. It is obvious, of course, - as We declared a few years ago - that to be present at Mass portrayed by Television is not the same as being actually present at the Divine Sacrifice, as is of obligation on holy days. However, from religious ceremonies, as seen on Television, valuable fruits for the strengthening of the Faith and the renewal of fervour can be obtained by all those who, for some reason, are unable to be actually present; consequently, We are convinced that We may wholeheartedly commend programmes of this kind."

The television networks also recognized the value of providing religious programming. There are lots of examples in the archives of stations writing to the Bishops about their plans, including the following from CBC:

"Your Excellency:

"The first program for Christmas Day this year on your local CBC-TV station will be live coverage of the Midnight Mass from St. Basil's Seminary Chapel, Toronto. 

"The service, celebrated by Reverend Eugene R. Malley, will commence at 12:01 a.m. on Christmas Day and will include prayers and Christmas carols sung by the Basilian Seminarian choir directed by Reverend George Vander Zanden.

"The gospel and certain prayers of the Mass will be illustrated by paintings and drawings appropriate to the theme.

"Perhaps you would like to inform your parish priests about this program.

"Sincerely, 
Dillwyn Hatton
Information Services"

December 14, 1961

PO CM01.03a
Archbishop Pocock Fonds

"Canadians at Worship
MEETING PLACE

"As the Fall returns and the pace of life quickens, our MEETING PLACE returns too, with worship from churches and synagogues across Canada.

"The response we receive from viewers has been tremendously encouraging. Some tell of the pleasure they receive from particular hymns, prayers, sermons. Others say they pick up new ideas for their own church, from watching others.

"We don't intend MEETING PLACE as a substitute for worship in a community. But for instance, I know of an elderly couple who cannot get out to church. Once a week, they put on their Sunday best - she chooses her Sunday hat - and they go down to the living room to be part of MEETING PLACE. 

"We try to make MEETING PLACE as complete an experience as possible. I hope it succeeds as well for you.

"Donald Henderson
CBC Television"

[1974-1980]

PO CM01.88
Archbishop Pocock Fonds


In the 1970s, the Archdiocese of Toronto helped to fund The Church Today, which aired on Global, CHCH, and CFTO, was hosted by Fr. Martin Foley, C.Ss.R, and focussed on issues of importance to Catholics. Archbishop Pocock established a Governing Board for Radio and Television which produced various TV spots on topics such as Family Life and Racism.
  
"Start your weekend with The Church Today"

[1970s]

OC13.AV03
The Church Today Fonds

In 1987, the Archdiocese started The Sunday Mass for a Television Community, bringing mass into the homes of those who couldn't get to a church. The program ran until this year when it was taken over by the Daily TV Mass, which is produced by the National Catholic Broadcasting Council.

The Sunday Mass for a Television Community

[1980s]

AW18
ARCAT Artwork Collection

The Archbishops of Toronto have had to become experts in being in front of the camera. The archdiocesan Office of Public Relations and Communications provides ongoing training for the bishops, priests, and lay staff so that they can be comfortable and communicate the Catholic message clearly.

Cardinal Carter filming an interview with CTV's Sandie Rinaldo.

June 15, 1992

PH 31C/1398CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Cardinal Ambrozic on the Bruce Trail with a crew filming the documentary God's Dominion: In the Name of the Father.

May, 1992

PH 31C/1192CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Cardinal Collins speaks to news crews at St. Michael's Cathedral on the day of Pope Benedict XVI's retirement.

February 11, 2013

Courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications


Today, Catholics can enjoy lots of quality Catholic programming on their own networks such as Salt + Light, The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), and others. There is also lots to watch on the Archdiocesan YouTube Channel!

Here's a bonus video of Cardinal Carter in front of the camera posted by St. Michael's College School: