Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that another year is almost over. Though people have been exchanging new year's wishes for centuries, it has become increasingly more common for people to do so on social media than in actual writing. This week, we are featuring new year's wishes to four archbishops and a cardinal in printed or handwritten formats, all from long before Facebook and Twitter were even thought to be possible. This selection even includes some items from before the word computer meant "calculating machine" as opposed to simply "one who calculates."

Bishop Farrell, the Bishop of Hamilton, wishes Archbishop Lynch "health, happiness and every grace for the new year":

Letter from the Bishop of Hamilton to Abp. Lynch,
December 31, 1872

L AD02.36
Archbishop Lynch fonds

An unknown bishop sent this tiny card (measuring just 2 x 3-¾ in or 5 x 9-½ cm) of new year's greetings to Archbishop McEvay:

ME AA02.01
Archbishop McEvay fonds

R. A. O'Connor, Bishop of Peterborough, offers Archbishop O'Connor "hearty good wishes for a blessed and happy New Year":

Letter from the Bishop of Peterborough to Abp. O'Connor,
December 29, 1900

O AB02.15
Archbishop O'Connor fonds

First and last pages of a letter to Archbishop McNeil from his niece, Sister St. Marie Beatrice, C.N.D., in which she mentions her new year's greetings to him for the year 1932:

Letter from Sr. St. Marie Beatrice, C.N.D., to Abp. McNeil,
January 8, 1932

MN AA03.216
Archbishop McNeil fonds

New year's greeting card from Bishop Charles L. Nelligan of Pembroke, Ontario, with a photograph of the Canadian Overseas Chaplains:

Greeting card from Bp. Charles L. Nelligan,
January 20, 1941
Card. McGuigan's signature is on the left.

PH09W/07P
Cardinal McGuigan fonds

The staff at ARCAT would like to take this (social media) opportunity to wish you a very happy new year and all the best for a healthy and joyous 2017!

Records of the Week: Catholics Helping Their Neighbours

This week we have seen the devastating reports of the destructive wildfire burning in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Cardinal Collins is asking Archdiocese of Toronto Catholics to help their Albertan neighbours.

Catholics have a long tradition of donating to disaster relief funds. They donate millions every year. In 2013 alone Catholics in this Archdiocese gave $2.724 million for humanitarian aid.

We were curious to see if there were any records in the archives to show how Toronto Catholics responded when their neighbours were in need. Below are just a few examples out of many.

In 1866 Bishop Farrell appealed to Hamilton Catholics to help after portions of Quebec City were destroyed by a fire. Over 2000 homes were burned and 18,000 - 20,000 people were left homeless.

1866
L AD02.24
Archbishop Lynch Fonds

In this 1909 letter, Archbishop McEvay was raising funds for victims of the 1908 Sicilian earthquake that destroyed the city of Messina.

1909
ME AA05.08
Archbishop McEvay Fonds

This letter from the Apostolic Delegate thanks Cardinal McGuigan for Toronto's contribution of $17,335 (almost $144,000 in 2016 dollars) for disaster relief after the Chilean Valdivia earthquake, which is the strongest earthquake ever recorded.

1960
MG DS 62.20b
Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

In 1950 the Red River flooded, causing much damage to Winnipeg. Cardinal McGuigan sent a cheque for $15,000 ($156,000 in 2016 dollars) to the Archdiocese of Winnipeg.

1950
MG FA16.35b
Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

In 1917 Halifax was devastated when a munitions ship exploded in the harbour. Archbishop McNeil instructed the Pastors of Archdiocese to take up a special collection to send to Nova Scotia.

1917
MN PC05.04
Archbishop McNeil Fonds

In this letter, Archbishop McNeil asked the Pastors of the Archdiocese to take up a special collection for victims of the 1923 earthquake on Japan's main island. He asked the Pastors to discuss the catechism with parishioners: "If we are bound to help our neighbor in case of material need, no matter how far that neighbor may be from us in race or creed or distance, much more are we bound to extend to him the charity of prayer and other spiritual benefits."

1923
MN PC11.15
Archbishop McNeil Fonds

In the words of Bishop Farrell: "If you are rich, give generously; if you are poor, give willingly the little you can afford, remembering that in giving to the poor you are lending to the Lord, who will not fail to pay you back a thousand fold."

Bills Bills Bills

In this space we like to explore how the ARCAT collection reflects the history of Catholic Toronto, but we also like to look at the broader context. Today we are featuring a type of document that has been around for thousands of years: bills and receipts.

These documents give us an amazing glimpse into the past by showing us what people were purchasing, what they were eating, and what they were wearing. They show us where people were shopping, the types of businesses that existed in the city, and how much things cost. They help us fill in the picture of what everyday life was like for those whose actions created our modern world.

This 1908 Bell bill shows that Archbishop McEvay paid $1.05 for calls to Hamilton, Guelph and Niagara Falls in the month of August.

Archbishop McEvay Fonds: ME AA06.12 

In 1908 Archbishop McEvay bought a Singer sewing machine for $32.00. Today, their sewing machines cost anywhere from $100 - $1000. The top of the line model even has an LCD touch screen!

Archbishop McEvay Fonds: ME AA06.14

Over the course of September, 1908, Archbishop McEvay bought peaches, pears, grapes, apples, oysters and salmon from Gallagher's Fruit and Oyster House, and he only spent a grand total of $5.85. If you can tell us what the first two items he bought were, you win a prize!

Archbishop McEvay Fonds: ME AA06.25

In 1908 you could buy a rug and a mattress for $9.25 from The J. F. Brown Company. The J.F. Brown site is now a heritage building at 193 Yonge St., across from the Eaton Centre.

Archbishop McEvay Fonds: ME AA06.31

$35.50 for carriage repairs at The Enright Shoeing Forge in December, 1909. Very important to maintain your means of transportation!

Archbishop McEvay Fonds ME AA06.78

We take ice for granted now. We can just reach into the freezer or buy a big bag from the store if necessary year round. In 1910, Archbishop McEvay paid $8.00 for a four month supply of ice cut from Lake Simcoe.

Archbishop McEvay Fonds: ME AA06.88

$4.00 for office supplies from Grand & Toy in 1910.


Archbishop McEvay Fonds: ME AA06.146

"2 to Depot - 1 home" $1.00 in 1901 for Archbishop O'Connor

Archbishop O'Connor Fonds: O AC01.01

Some of you might remember shopping at Eatons. In 1899 you might have paid $27.00 for 28 yards of carpet.

Archbishop Walsh Fonds: W AA11.02

Only $35.00 for a brass bed in 1899 from the Schomberg Furniture Company.

Archbishop O'Connor Fonds: O AC01.01

Rye, Sherry Wine and Claret purchased from George J. Foy, Importer of Wines, Liquors and Cigars in 1899 for $6.20.

Archbishop O'Connor Fonds: O AC01.01

$26.89 for work on the Cathedral by William Simpson in 1902. The receipt is signed off on by the architect, A.W. Holmes.

Archbishop O'Connor Fonds: O AC01.01

Bishop Power paid £3.40 for various items of clothing from Walter MacFarlane in 1844, including 12 nightcaps, 4 pairs of cashmere hose, and 5 India handkerchiefs.

Bishop Power Fonds: P AD01.04

The bill for Archbishop Walsh's funeral includes charges for washing and dressing remains, shaving, embalming, a purple silk plush casket, coachmen and footmen in livery, and other things. The total came to almost $800.00. Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home still exists on Sherbourne St. in Toronto.

Archbishop Walsh Fonds: W AA11.02

August 21st - The Feast of Pope Saint Pius X

Pope Saint Pius X in full Papal dress
PH 59/04P

August 21st is the feast day of Pope Saint Pius X, who led the Church from August 4, 1903 until his death on August 20th, 1914. We have a number of items in the archives associated with Pius X, some of which we are highlighting today.

In an August 1903 letter to Archbishop O'Connor, the Apostolic Delegate to Canada wrote "The Sacred College, directed by the Holy Spirit, has chosen a worthy successor to Leo XIII. The new Pontiff had gained the esteem and love of the Catholics in the diocese which he so wisely ruled for many years. He will, by his great piety and prudence, by his administrative ability and his breadth of view, maintain high, as did his illustrious and venerated predecessor, the prestige of the Church, and gain for her new triumphs."

Pius X appointed both Fergus McEvay and Neil McNeil as Archbishop of Toronto during his time as Pontiff. This kind of announcement was made by papal bull, which is an official document accompanied by a metal seal. The two below are handwritten on parchment.

Papal bull appointing Fergus McEvay Archbishop of Toronto.
April 13, 1908
ME RC91.03

Papal Bull appointing Neil McNeil Archbishop of Toronto.
April 10, 1912
PB02

Pius X was originally buried under St. Peter's Basilica, but his tomb was moved inside to the altar of the Presentation Chapel following his 1951 beatification. He is dressed in Papal vestments with silver covering his hands and face. 

Body of Pius X on display after his beatification in 1951.
PH 59/06P

Devotion to St. Pope Pius X started  shortly after his death and has remained popular. There are a church and a school named after him in Toronto.

A first class relic of Pope Saint Pius X. The relic has a wax seal and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
AF 268

Some fun facts about Pope Saint Pius X:

He was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in 1835 to a postman and a seamstress.    

    
He was Patriarch of Venice from 1893 - 1903.              

                              
He was elected Pope in the last conclave in which a Catholic monarch used his right to veto candidates. Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria vetoed Cardinal Rampolla, Pope Leo XIII's Secretary of State. Pius X later removed this right.         

                                       
His Papal motto was Instaurare Omnia in Christo, or To Restore All Things in Christ.

He was responsible for a revision and codification of canon law which was published in 1917.

He valued causes of the poor and the education of children.

He lowered the age of eligibility for first communion from 12 to 7.  

In 1910 he had priests sign an oath against modernism, which was required until 1967. He was supportive of social justice causes, but was against the relativistic intellectual movement which denied that early Church teachings still held true.

His poor health was exacerbated by the outbreak of the First World War, which lead to his death. 

Several miracles were attributed to him, and he was beatified in 1951 and canonized in 1954. 

Record of the Week: the mysterious Death Mask

Today is All Hallows' Evening - or Hallowe'en if you enjoy grammatical contractions. With its roots in Western Christianity, All Hallows' Eve is the vigil before All Saints' Day. All Souls' Day follows on November 2nd, commemorating all the faithful departed.

Essentially, this part of the liturgical year is for remembering the dead. So what could be more appropriate than a death mask?

The 'Unknown Death Mask', a.k.a. the Archives' creepiest artifact.
Artifacts Special Collection, AF.107

Death masks are typically plaster casts of a person's face taken after death. Before the invention of photography, they were often created as mementoes of the deceased, or as a reference for portraiture. Masks of unknown corpses were also made to help with identification.

Our own plaster piece was in desperate need of identification. It was described as 'unknown death mask' in our artifacts catalogue. For the purposes of this blog, we wanted to cast some light on the issue (weak pun intended).

Handling the mask gingerly with cotton gloves, we searched for any identifying marks:

The maker's signature and date of creation: "O.A. Castrucci 1911"

Lo and behold, inscribed in the plaster is "O. A. CASTRUCCI 1911".  Our database did not find any Toronto clergy with this surname.  However, an online search confirmed that Castrucci Co. was a plaster cast studio located on Yonge Street in Toronto.*  This made us pretty confident that the deceased must be an important local figure.

Out of biological necessity, masks are created close to the date of death, so we searched our database to see who had died in 1911. Amazingly, two Archbishops of Toronto - Fergus McEvay and his predecessor, Denis O'Connor, C.S.B. - died within weeks of each other in the middle of that year.

Both of these bishops were robust in life and similar-looking, as evidenced by their portraits below. Both men died after suffering from disease, which would account for the gauntness of the face in the death mask.

Portraits of Archbishops of Toronto, Denis O'Connor C.S.B (left) and Fergus McEvay (right)

Somewhat disturbing are the eyelashes and eyebrow hairs embedded in the plaster.

After very little deliberation, we determined that this is likely the face of Most. Rev. Fergus McEvay, fifth ordinary of Toronto (1908-1911).  His prominent aquiline nose, which is noticeably crooked at the end, was the deciding factor.

Halloween mystery solved!

More on death masks: some of the most famous death masks include those of Dante Alighieri, Mary Queen of Scots, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The Laurence Hutton Collection of Life and Death Masks at Princeton University Library contains over a hundred likenesses of English and American literary and political figures.
_______________________________
*Klempan, Brabara. "Early Manufacture of Artists’ Materials in Canada: A History of Canadian Art Laboratory," Journal of the Canadian Association for Conservation, 37 (2012): p.50.
Zucchi, John E. Italians in Toronto: Development of a National Identity, 1875-1935 (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1990), p.148.