Give the gift of a Papal Blessing

Having a difficult time coming up with a wedding or birthday gift? Are you attending a baptism, first communication, or confirmation soon? You can celebrate these special occasions by gifting the recipient a Papal Blessing.

A Papal Blessing, or "Benediction Papalis", is a meaningful way to commemorate a moment in your or your loved one's life. While the blessing itself is invisible to the eye, it is memorialized in a parchment certificate containing the name(s) of the recipients, the papal seal, and the current Pope's photograph. These one of a kind parchment certificates are hand-painted and can be kept for years to come.

Last week, ARCAT received this Papal Blessing from the former Catholic Information Centre located at 830 Bathurst Street.

Papal Blessing for Reverend Father Francis Stone, C.S.P., the priests and laity engaged in the work of the Catholic Information Centre, Toronto, Canada.

January 27, 1964

Artifacts Special Collections
AF 393

The Catholic Information Centre (also known as the Paulist Ministry Centre) was dedicated and opened in 1958 under the direction of Fr. Francis Stone, C.S.P. It was occupied by the Paulist Fathers until they returned back to the United States in June 2015.

This Papal Blessing was granted in 1964 and features a photograph of Pope Paul VI. Note the beautiful hand-painted details:

For more information on how to request a Papal Blessing, click here.

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

Year of Consecrated Life: The Paulists and the Catholic Information Centre

The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle was founded in 1858 by five convert priests in New York City. Their ministry focused on reaching out to Protestants in North America by evangelizing in the Roman Catholic tradition.

The Paulists became renowned for their preaching style. The early order would send missionary teams to churches to conduct "Parish Missions" and this is how the community first arrived in Canada. At one such parish mission held in 1912 at St. Paul's Parish in Toronto, the Paulists drew huge crowds, resulting in the conversion of 212 Protestants. 

In 1913, Archbishop Neil McNeil invited the Paulists, under Fr. Thomas Burke, CSP, to establish and staff the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto, which they did until 1936. The following year, the Paulists agreed to administer St. Peter's Parish in perpetuity.

In 1938, Archbishop McGuigan urged the priests at St. Peter's to run instructive courses for prospective converts, which resulted in 50 to 75 conversions per year. The popularity of the courses, held in the church basement, prompted Fr. Frank Stone, CSP, to push for a purpose-built education facility. And so in 1958 the Catholic Information Centre (CIC) was built adjacent to the parish, at 830 Bathurst Street.

In addition to classes for converts, the CIC held workshops for Catholics wishing to grow in their faith, as well as marriage preparation classes for couples.

The Paulists' zeal for evangelizing and proselytizing expanded to media communications and the order became known for its radio shows, film productions and publishing presses.

By 2015 the Paulists determined that they did not have enough vocations to stay in Toronto. In June they returned to New York, and administration of St. Peter's Parish and the CIC reverted to the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Read these Catholic Register articles for a timeline of the Paulist century in Canada, and a reflection on the Paulist legacy.

The CIC building will continue to be used as a training facility by the archdiocese. During a recent cleaning of the building, a poster featuring photographs of the Catholic Information Centre was discovered and brought to the archives.

Photographs Collection, Religious Orders, PH27P/17P

Before the Catholic Information Centre was built, the Paulists held instructional classes in the basement of St. Peter's Church.
This is a photo of the "co-instructors" with Fr. Frank Stone, CSP (right) taken in 1948.
Fr. Stone initiated the building of the Catholic Information Centre.

Photographs Collection, Religious Orders, PH27P/09P and /10P

The Catholic Information Centre under construction, April to September 1958.
The CIC is located at 830 Bathurst Street, just south of St. Peter's Church, Toronto.

Photographs Collection, Religious Orders, PH27P/11P and /12P
The Catholic Information Centre under construction, April to September 1958.

Photographs Collection, Religious Orders, PH27P/13P and /14P
The Catholic Information Centre under construction, April to September 1958.

Photographs Collection, Religious Orders, PH27P/16P

Architect Lindsay Wardell's hand drawn rendering of the Catholic Information Centre, viewed from Bathurst Street, ca. 1957

Photographs Collection, Religious Orders, PH27P/15P

Catholic Information Centre, south side: equipment for construction of the Bloor subway line, 1960s. The CIC is situated across the street from Bathurst TTC station.