Palm Sunday at the Cathedral

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the Second Sunday in Passiontide, the last Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week.

On this day, Christians celebrate the triumphal arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem one week before His resurrection. The faithful receive palm leaves which they use to participate in a ritual procession.

Here in the archives we have a wonderful series of photographs that show Cardinal Ambrozic celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in 2005. It's of course interesting to see the Cathedral before the renovation project, but these photographs also document some important Palm Sunday traditions:

• The vestment colours for Palm Sunday are red and white, symbolizing the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world.
• Crosses, statues and images throughout the cathedral are veiled in the purple as a reminder of Lenten penitence for the two weeks of Passiontide.
• Palm leaves and plants can be seen throughout the church. A cross made of palm leaves is hung from the pulpit, and potted palms decorate the front of the church.

Palm Sunday Mass  at St. Michael's Cathedral. Photographed by Suzanne Scarsone, 2005.

ARCAT OPRC Accession 2005-040

The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday is always the passion narrative, however which Book of the Gospel is read depends on the liturgical year. Below are Cardinal Ambrozic's notes for his homily for the Passion Story from the Gospel of Luke (Year C of the Liturgical Calendar). This is the same Gospel that will be read this Sunday:

Palm Sunday - C (2004)

A few remarks about Luke's Passion story:
1) Jesus as Martyr: he is the just man (the remark of the man crucified with him)
2) Jesus' compassion: he is sorry for the Daughters of Jerusalem and their children.
He is sorry for all of us knowing our weakness and sinfulness
He forgives: "Today you will be with me in paradise," "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"
3) He is our model : we are to follow him.
Simon carrying Jesus' cross behind Jesus.
A book published on the suffering of the Catholics of Oriental rite: Ukraine, Romania.

Cardinal Ambrozic Accession 2007-004 - Homilies, Palm Sunday.

Celebrating Christmas Mass

Christmas is, next to the Easter Triddum, the most important Mass celebration in the Catholic Church. Parishes traditionally prepare for several different Masses for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and each celebration will have a unique character defined by the time of day when it is to take place.

I recently found a small program for Christmas Mass Times at St. Michael's Cathedral from 1934. I was instantly drawn to the illustration on the cover and thought it would be appropriate to share ahead of the Christmas holidays.


"Jesus, sweetest Child born in Bethlehem of Mary ever Virgin, swathed in rags, laid in the manger, announced by angels, visited by shepherds, have mercy upon us.

Jesus, sweetest child, made known to the three Magi by a star, adored in the arms of thy Mother, presented with the mystic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; have mercy upon us. -- From 'the Raccolta'"

Christmas Mass times, 1934. St. Michael's Parish Files. Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto.
 



Christmas Mass times, 1934. St. Michael's Parish Files. Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto

 

If you are interested in celebrating this Christmas at the Cathedral, here are this year's Christmas and New Year's Mass times.

 

You can also read more about the history and traditions of celebrating Christmas Mass on the website of the CCCB here.

Launching Extraordinary Ordinaries

Extraordinary Ordinaries: A History of the Bishops of the Archdiocese of Toronto

On Tuesday evening, ARCAT staff had the pleasure of attending the book launch of Extraordinary Ordinaries by Fr. Séamus Hogan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Although there have been books written about some of Toronto's Catholic bishops and archbishops, this is the first time that biographies of all twelve ordinaries - from Bishop Michael Power to our current Cardinal Thomas Collins - have been brought together in one coherent volume. The book attempts to reach a broad readership with stories of how these Catholic leaders responded to the social, economic and political events of their times in extraordinary ways.

This book is the capstone of the Archdiocese of Toronto's 175th Anniversary celebrations. (It is now available for purchase.)

Congratulations Fr. Séamus!

ARCAT Staff Photo

Father Séamus Hogan graciously signs copies of his new book for the Archives staff. We even got a shout out in the Acknowledgements.

ARCAT Staff Photo

The book launch started with a few words from Fr. Séamus to the audience gathered in the crypt chapel of St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica. Is it a little weird to hold an event in the crypt chapel? Not at all! This new chapel is one of the last stages in the major cathedral renovation project and the tomb of our first ordinary, Bishop Michael Power, rests behind the altar.
Fr. Séamus also spoke of his connection to the crypt. As the son of the cathedral's then sacristan, he was often sent to the crypt through a trap door to retrieve altar candles. He and his siblings also played in the low, dark crypt among the haphazardly arranged tombs.

ARCAT Staff Photo

Left to right: Author Fr. Séamus Hogan, priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto; Thomas Cardinal Collins, the twelfth ordinary of Toronto who also contributed the book's foreword; outgoing rector of the Cathedral, Fr. Michael Busch, who will be writing his own book about the twelve-year renovation project; and Most Rev. John Boissonneau, bishop of the Western Pastoral Region of Toronto and head of the Archdiocesan 175th Anniversary Committee. 

ARCAT Staff Photo

Building the new crypt chapel required digging down 26 feet from the crypt's original height of 5 feet. Many of the tombs were relocated to the periphery of the space. However Michael Power's tomb remains under the altar of the upper sanctuary, where it was placed when he died of typhus before his cathedral was completed.
Much of the furnishings were recycled from the pre-renovation cathedral, including the Marian side altar, throne and ambo.

ARCAT Staff Photo

The crypt chapel construction has progressed steadily since we last saw it in September 2017 (above). The tomb of the five original Loretto sisters invited to Toronto by Bishop Power was covered at the time. Now the statue that marks the tomb, depicting the three Marys, has been unveiled (see below). 

ARCAT Staff Photo

Though the chapel is awaiting some finishing touches, it has been open for mass since Easter. Fr. Busch told us that a school group was in the chapel recently and one of the children asked if he was opening a restaurant. When asked where his got that idea, the student pointed out all of the pizza ovens.

Concerts at the Cathedral

Earlier this week the world renowned Sistine Chapel Choir performed at St. Michael's Cathedral in the choir's first ever performance in Canada. In light of this historic occasion, we thought we would share some mementos of past concerts that we recently uncovered in our collection.

The programmes below date from the late nineteenth century. Rather appropriately, both of the concerts were also held at St. Michael's Cathedral on evenings in late September.



Concert Programme, September 28 1866

St Michael's Cathedral Parish Files

 

Sacred Music Concert Programme, September 26, 1872

St Michael Cathedral Parish Files

 

You can find performances of many of the songs above by searching the song's name and its composer on YouTube. And if you missed out on the concert earlier this week, Michael's Cathedral has it available to watch on the Cathedral's website.



2017 Catholic Archivists Group Conference in Toronto

This past week, the ARCAT archivists had the opportunity for some professional development and fellowship at the Catholic Archivists Group Conference.

The gathering was especially significant for us because it was held in Toronto and our staff was involved in its planning. Toronto had seemed like an appropriate locale because the archdiocese is in the midst of celebrating its 175th anniversary and archivists are often involved in commemorative projects. We also wanted the chance to show off the newly restored St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica after 15 years of renovation.

Our theme was "Keeping Archives in the 21st Century," and the program addressed such topics as best practices for electronic records keeping, digitization projects, and commemoration.

This annual conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn from other diocesan and congregational archivists who share the same organizational structure and face similar challenges.

His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, addresses members of the Catholic Archivist Group during the opening reception. The conference was held at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga.

ARCAT Staff Photo

The Idea Fair featured displays from ten different repositories, including the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto Archives and the Diocese of Hamilton Library & Archives, whose staff brought their newly acquired Heritage Edition of the Saint John's Bible.

ARCAT Staff Photo

We demonstrated our humidification chamber at the Idea Fair.  This was also featured on a previous post.

ARCAT Staff Photo

The keynote speaker, Dr. Mark McGowan, Professor of History at the University of Toronto, gave a talk entitled "2017 – The Year of Commemorations: the role of historians and archivists."  In this photo, he describes being on the set of Death or Canada, a docudrama about the Irish immigration to Toronto during the Great Famine. In the still being projected, Bishop Michael Power is portrayed administering to the sick in the fever sheds.

ARCAT Staff Photo

A field trip to the recently renovated St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica included lunch in the new Atrium addition beside St. John's Chapel.  We were treated to a presentation by Terry White of +VG Architects, the lead architect who has worked on the building's restoration for the past 15 years.

ARCAT Staff Photo

Rev. Michael Busch, rector of the Cathedral Basilica, led a tour of the building. The sanctuary features the original stained glass window purchased by Bishop de Charbonnel, which has been carefully restored and repaired.  Also original are the wooden carvings of the apostles along the screen. The new floor features a Celtic knot design to honour the poor Irish immigrants that physically built and paid for most of the Cathedral with money raised through penny drives.

ARCAT Staff Photo

The crypt chapel is still under construction. The crypt was originally just a crawl space; it has been excavated to a reasonable height. There are 67 burials located here, including the first three Loretto Sisters who came to Toronto at the invitation of Bishop Michael Power.  Their tomb is newly marked by a sculpture of the Pietà depicting the three Marys in honour of the Sisters.

ARCAT Staff Photo

Three of Toronto's early bishops are buried at the Cathedral Basilica. Michael Power's tomb, shown here, is located directly under the sanctuary.

ARCAT Staff Photo

Island Living: St. Rita's Mission Church

The Toronto Islands have been a summer recreation destination since they came under the City’s jurisdiction in 1867.  By the late 1800s, the Islands boasted resort hotels, amusement areas and Toronto’s first cottage community.  Many of Toronto’s wealthiest families built large Victorian summer homes here.

The Islands are considered part of the parish of St. Michael’s Cathedral.  At first, Catholic summer residents were ferried back to the mainland to fulfill their Sunday obligation. Following WWI, there were almost 200 Catholics summering here, which justified the building of a local mission church.  The cornerstone was laid in 1921 and Mass was held in a cottage while the church was completed.

The rustic building was designed by architect James P. Hynes in the half-timbered style of exposing the wood frame.  The interior woodwork was of British Columbia pine and the walls were not originally plastered. The oak pews came from St. Michael’s Cathedral.

This is the earliest photograph we have of St. Rita-on-the-Island, published in the Toronto Evening Telegram on 15 July 1922, the date before its dedication.  The building was surrounded by trees and boasted British Columbia cedar shingles.

The church of St. Rita-on-the-Island was dedicated by Archbishop Neil McNeil on July 16, 1922. Thereafter, in the summer months, a priest from the Cathedral would come by ferry each Sunday to celebrate Mass and share brunch with the cottagers.  The women of the parish were very involved in the church’s upkeep, donating flowers in rotation, providing music and running fund-raisers.  In fact, the patron saint of the church was chosen by a Mrs. French, who had obtained a large building donation from the O’Keefe Estate. (The late Eugene O'Keefe, founder of the O'Keefe Brewery Company, was a Catholic philanthropist and benefactor of St. Augustine's Seminary.)

In the late 1950s, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto decided to make the Islands more accessible to the general public by eliminating private homes (with some exceptions on Algonquin Island and Ward’s Island). Land leases were not renewed, residents were paid compensation, and the summer homes were razed.  As part of this parkland rezoning, the churches of St. Rita’s and St. Andrew by-the-Lake (Anglican) were relocated to another part of the Centre Island.

St. Rita's Mission Church in its new Centre Island location, 23 August 1981
The blue paint is a much later addition.
Photographs Collection, PH0287/1-30CP

By 1968, both churches had fallen into structural disrepair and attendance had dropped. The Toronto Parks Commissioner proposed keeping only one building for both Anglican and Catholic services. In 1983, the Municipality decided to demolish St. Rita's and renovate St. Andrew’s because of its historical significance as the first church on the island. Some of the furnishings from St. Rita's were placed in the restored church, including the traditional oak pews and the Stations of the Cross. The refurbished building was re-dedicated as an interdenominational church, bearing both saints' names, in an ecumenical service on June 24,1984.

This news clipping shows St. Rita's Church prior to demolition and the refurbished St. Andrew on-the-Lake Anglican Parish, which was rededicated as an interdenominational church after the City paid to have it restored.
The Catholic Register, 14 July 1984

Though Catholic services have not been offered since 1995, St. Andrew by-the-Lake is still an active Anglican parish that can be attended today. 

For a complete history of the St. Rita’s and St. Andrew’s churches, please see:

Mallon, Mary Frances. “A Tale of Two Churches.” The York Pioneer Volume 85 (1990): 1-10. 

Did you bring the watermelon? Picnic season is here!

In parks and on beaches, in forest clearings and on church lawns, picnics are happening everywhere and Catholics know how to picnic right. Part fellowship and part fundraiser, picnics have taken place in the Archdiocese of Toronto since at least 1865. In that year, Fr. Jamot wrote to Bishop Lynch regarding a picnic that was being planned as a fundraiser for the House of Providence.

"Yesterday evening we had a well attended meeting for the Pic-Nic for the House of Providence; everyone is very much in earnest; those who spoke, did so in a very flattering manner for the good sisters; I believe that [the]  Pic-Nic will be a perfect success."

This photo was taken at a picnic held by the St. Paul's (elementary school) Old Boys Association at the Milne farm in 1929:

Good to know that nose-picking children existed in the 1920s. 

Why so serious? It's a picnic!

These gentlemen are well dressed for a picnic on a farm.
How many bow ties or three-piece suits do you think you would see at a modern picnic?

It would seem that not everyone enjoys posing.

This photo was taken at a Knights of Columbus picnic on Centre Island in 1923:

It's easy to tell who couldn't sit still.

"Look at the camera! Look at the camera!"

Is that a real beard?

These children don't look too impressed. They'd rather be running around!

I hope the straw boater hat comes back into fashion for men. So dapper!

The next two photos are from a St. Bernard de Clairvaux Parish picnic in the 1960s:

The egg-and-spoon race: as much of a classic in the 1960s as it is now. The game originated in England in the 1890s!

They may have been less safe, but playgrounds used to be way more fun!

The chancery office employees had a lovely picnic in the cathedral garden in 1989:

Brenda (centre) remembers this day because it was her birthday, and because she was stung by a bee and couldn't come to work for three days!

Can you spot a famous young archivist?

Let these photos inspire you to get out and picnic this summer! Check out BlogTO for a list of great Toronto picnic spots, or get out of the city and enjoy one of Ontario's many Conservation Areas or Provincial Parks.

In the archives, our favourite picnic spot is the garden at the Rosehill Resevoir followed by a walk through David A. Balfour park.