Remembering Bishop Attila Miklósházy

On December 28th, 2018, Most Reverend Bishop Attila Miklósházy, S.J., passed away in his residence at René Goupil House (Jesuit Infirmary) in Pickering, Ontario. Bishop Miklósházy was 87 years old and in his 57th year of the priesthood with the Jesuits. He leaves behind an impressive legacy as a teacher of theology and liturgy, and was deeply loved and appreciated for his work with Hungarian communities. As we show our remembrance and appreciation for the life and work of Bishop Miklósházy, we wish to share our own archival photographs of him.


Portrait of Bishop Miklósházy, S.J., seated wearing his episcopal garb
1989

PH27J/48CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Attila Miklósházy was born in Hungary in 1931 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1949. After leaving Hungary during the revolution of 1956, he came to Canada and was ordained a priest in Toronto in 1961. He taught theology at Loyola College in Montreal from 1963-64, at Regis College in Toronto from 1968-74, at the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto from 1974-1984, and at St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto from 1984-1998, where he would become Professor Emeritus in 1997 and hold the position of Dean.

St. Augustine's Seminary Faculty
1988
(Attila Miklósházy top row, first from the right)

PH26F/02P
ARCAT Photograph Collection

In 1989, Father Attila Miklósházy was appointed titular Bishop of Castellum Minus by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and became responsible for the spiritual assistance of Hungarian emigrants throughout the world. He was ordained a Bishop by Cardinal Emmett Carter on November 4, 1989, at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica in Toronto. Bishop Miklósházy was a member of the National Liturgical Council of the Canadian Bishops and the Canadian Liturgical Society (ecumenical). He also participated for 15 years in the Anglican/Roman Catholic Theological Dialogue in Canada. After his retirement as Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology and Liturgy in 2006, he continued his episcopal duties by visiting various Hungarian communities around the globe. In most recent years, he spent his time translating Jesuit texts and the talks of Pope Francis into Hungarian.

Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Attila Miklósházy, S.J.
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica
4 November 1989


PH31C/274CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Attila Miklósházy, S.J.
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica
4 November 1989

PH31C/273CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Attila Miklósházy, S.J.
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica
4 November 1989

PH31C/267CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Attila Miklósházy, S.J.
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica
4 November 1989
(Bishop Attila Miklósházy center left, Cardinal Emmett Cardinal center right)

PH31C/276CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Attila Miklósházy at his Episcopal Ordination as Bishop
St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica
4 November 1989

PH31C/260CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Bishop Attila Miklósházy's funeral took place on January 3rd at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica in Toronto. Immediately following the mass, interment took place at Queen of Clergy Cemetery on St. Augustine's Seminary grounds.

PH27J/47CP
ARCAT Photograph Collection

A Singular Grace and Privilege Granted by Almighty God

December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when we celebrate the beginning of Mary's original-sin-free life. Though Church Fathers and theologians spoke of and debated Immaculate Conception for centuries, Pope Pius IX formally enshrined the idea in Catholic dogma on December 8th, 1854 in his bull Ineffabilis Deus:

"Wherefore, in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church to God the Father through his Son, that he would deign to direct and strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like manner did we implore the help of the entire heavenly host as we ardently invoked the Paraclete. Accordingly, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.""

Mary holds a special place in the hearts of Catholics, and our love for her comes through in art, music, literature, and prayer. We were especially impressed by the altar that was decorated at St. Michael's Cathedral for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1908:

Immaculate Conception Altar at St. Michael's Cathedral

December 8, 1908

PH102/0001/166P
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Immaculate Conception Altar at St. Michael's Cathedral, detail.

December 8, 1908

PH102/0001/166P

ARCAT Photograph Collection

Perhaps parishioners said the words of this 11th century prayer in front of this beautiful altar:

O Mary, you are inviolate, pure and without stain, you who became the glistening gate of heaven. O most dear and gracious Mother of Jesus, receive our modest songs of praise.
We beg you with heart and lips: make our bodies and our souls pure. By your sweet prayers, obtain eternal pardon for us. O Mother most kind! O Queen! O Mary! Who alone remained inviolate!

For more on the history of the Immaculate Conception dogma, check out articles from the International Marian Research Institute here and here.

St. Michael’s Cathedral: Rededication of a Splendid and Noble Edifice

On September 29th, 1848, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Toronto was dedicated  to St. Michael by Bishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal. This Thursday, after six years of renovations and 168 years to the day later, it will be rededicated.

Original letterbook entry noting the dedication of the Cathedral.

September 29, 1848
Letterbook Collection, LB01.181

Second page of above entry.

Letterbook Collection, LB01.181 

Transcription:

L’an mil huit cent quarante huit, le vingt neuf Septembre,

Nous soussigné Evêque de Montréal, sur l’invitation de Mr J. J. Hay, ArchiDiacre, et Administrateur de ce Diocèse pendant la Vacance du siege Episcopal, avons, en presence des [?] et Révd mes R. Gaulin, Evêque de Kingston, P. Phelan, Evêque de Carrhae et Coadjuteur de Kingston, J. C. Prince, Evêque de Martyropolis et Coadjuteur de Montréal, et Jos. Bruno Guigues, Evêque de Bytown, et assisté de Mr. J. J. Vinet, Curé du Sault-au Récollet et de Mr. Madden Prêtre et Professeur du Collège de Kingston, consacré l’Eglise Cathédrale de cette ville, avec le maître autel, et y avons depose les Reliques de St Clément et de St Pierre Martyres; un nombreux clergé du Diocès et des Diocèses – Voisins, ainsi qu’un grand nombre de pieux Fidèles assistants à cette cérémonie.

Fait et passé à Toronto les jour et an que dessus, tout les dits Seigneurs Evêques et les Prêtres assistants signé avec nous.

+Remi Ev. De Kingston

+J.C. Ev. De Martyropolis

+Jos. Eugène Ev. De Bytown

+Ig. Ev. De Montréal

P. Lafrance

Translation:

The year one thousand eight hundred forty eight, the twenty ninth September, We undersigned Bishop of Montreal, on the invitation of Monseigneur J. J. Hay, Archdeacon, and Administrator of this diocese during the vacancy of the Episcopal seat, did, in presence of the [?] and Reverend Misters R. Gaulin, Bishop of Kingston, P. Phelan, Bishop of Carrhae and Coadjutor of Kingston, J. C. Prince, Bishop of Martyropolis and Coadjutor of Montreal, and Jos. Bruno Guigues, Bishop of Bytown, and assisted by Monseigneur J. J. Vinet, priest of Sault-au Récollet and of Monseigneur Madden priest and professor of the College of Kingston, consecrated the church cathedral of this city, with the high  altar, and deposited the relics of St. Clement and of St. Peter Martyrs; a number of clergy of the diocese and of the neighbouring Dioceses, and a large number of pious faithful assistants at this ceremony.

Done and passed at Toronto the day and year above, all the said lords, bishops and the priests assistants signed with us.

+Remi Ev. De Kingston

+J.C. Ev. De Martyropolis

+Jos. Eugène Ev. De Bytown

+Ig. Ev. De Montréal

P. Lafrance

St. Michael's Cathedral has been the centre of the spiritual life of Catholic Toronto for almost 170 years. Starting in 1845 at Bishop Michael Power's initiation, the city's faithful put their blood, sweat, and hard-earned wages into its construction.

ARCAT Parish Collection, St. Michael's Cathedral, Newsclippings
Toronto Mirror, September 7, 1848

Dedication of St. Michael’s Cathedral, Toronto

The Solemn Consecration and Opening for Divine Service of this noble Edifice, now erecting on Church Street, will take place on Michaelmas Day next, Friday the 29th instant. 

Several Bishops, as well of Canada as of the neighbouring Union, will be present: the august ceremonies will, therefore, be performed with all the dignity and grandeur which the Catholic Church employs upon these solemn occasions. 

As amongst the Dignitaries who will attend there are several who are well known for their learning and eloquence, there can be no hesitation in promising able expositions of the Catholic Faith and Discipline, in Discourses which will please, instruct, and edify.

It is the intention of the Building Committee to issue Tickets of Admission, for the Friday of the Consecration, and also for the Sunday following. Their chief motive in doing this, is to secure, as far as possible, the comfort of those who attend the services. The tickets are placed as low as a Dollar, for the Nave, or main body of the Church, and Half a Dollar for the Side-Aisles; but as there will doubtless be many persons present, who will be desirous of contributing more than the small sum paid for their Tickets of Admission, a Collection will be taken up in the usual manner, at the Offertory, on each day of Service; the proceeds of which, as well as of the tickets, will be applied towards the liquidation of the immense debt contracted for the erection of that splendid edifice.

Tickets can be procured at any of the Catholic Stores on King Street, and at the Episcopal Palace on Church Street.

Toronto, September 7, 1848

The city was a very different place in the 1840s, and the Cathedral has been witness to its growth and change. It has been the location of thousands of baptisms, weddings, and funerals. It is where the city has come together to worship, to celebrate, to mourn.

Looking north from St. Lawrence Market, with St. Michael's in the background.

1868
Photo by William Notman via Wikimedia Commons

St. Michael's Cathedral as in 1870

From Landmarks of Toronto: A Collection of Historical Sketches of the Old Town of York from 1792 until 1837, and of Toronto from 1834 to 1904 by John Ross Robertson, p. 308.

John Ross Robertson describes the Cathedral this way:

"St. Michael's Cathedral, modelled after York Minster, of England, is of the early decorated Gothic style of architecture of the 14th century, which is the adaptation of the classical Roman style to the requirements of Christian worship. The length of the nave is proportioned to its width, the height of the pointed arches and the predominancy of vertical lines give the interior of the cathedral a very artistic appearance. Then the innumerable graceful and fanciful spires and pinnacles, elaborately carved and gilded that carry the eye aloft until it is lost in the tracing and the variegated decorations of the arches and vaults commingling produce a pictorial effect. Throw upon this architectural panorama of beauty and grace a flood of sunlight that is changed in its transit through the many-hued colours of the windows until every beam becomes a rainbow of loveliness, and every flash of light a gleam of glory and the sight becomes unutterably entrancing."

The rededication and reopening of the mother church of the Archdiocese of Toronto on Thursday, September 29, 2016 is cause for great rejoicing and reflection. We are not only celebrating the restoration of this Gothic jewel, but also the reopening of a gathering place in the heart of the city of Toronto. The rededication of St. Michael’s Cathedral reaffirms a Catholic presence in the largest city in Canada and its intention to remain for another 168 years and beyond.

Our mother church in the midst of a facelift

Today marks 174 years since the Diocese of Toronto was established and Rev. Michael Power named its first bishop.

St. Michael's Cathedral, the mother church of the archdiocese, is currently closed for extensive renovations (although there is an Advent and Christmas mass schedule).  It is hoped that the refurbished cathedral will reopen in time to celebrate our dodransbicentennial in 2016.

Last week, the cathedral opened its doors for a two-day Open House, offering the general public a sneak peak at the restoration in progress. The event was very well attended, with ​more than 4,300 visitors in total. The artists, craftspeople and contractors involved with the project displayed examples of their work at various stations around the cathedral, which was easy to navigate in the absence of any pews.

The Ceiling
One of the most striking elements of the restoration is the ceiling of the Cathedral. Now almost completed, it has occupied the father and daughter team of artists for over a year. The blue panels with gold stars follows the spirit of the original ceiling, which was painted over in subsequent years.

Archives Staff photo

The currently restored ceiling of St. Michael's Cathedral. The blue background with gold stars is a traditionally Gothic feature, which is consistent with the church's architecture. The pattern was designed to have strong diagonal lines, created by outlining some of the stars in red.  This draws the eye upwards, giving a similar effect as Gothic vaulting.  

Photographs Special Collection, PH0001/165CP
Photograph of lithograph depicting Bishop John J. Lynch giving the veil to a novice of the Loretto Convent
by G. A. Binkert; printed by W. C. Chewett and Co., [between 1860 and 1868]

This rendering depicts the original painted ceiling of the Cathedral: gold stars on a blue field. 

Cathedral Interior

Archives Staff photo

Most of the interior pillars have been replaced with new concrete supports. These posts will eventually be boxed in decorative covers. 

Archives Staff photo

A sample of the new pews, which can be sponsored by the public.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

New stained glass has been commissioned, including this rose window.

Archives Staff photo

A sample of the new tile floor and the wall panelling that will cover the now exposed brick, as seen in the background.

Archives Staff photo

Restored wooden statues of the saints, which will be returned to the new Gothic screen that stands behind the sanctuary.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

Examples of the different stages of statue restoration.

Marian Bronze Doors

Archives Staff photo

Artist's sketchbooks of the new Marian bronze doors. The panels will depict the Marian Mysteries of the Rosary.

Archives Staff photo

The panels of the bronze doors are cast using a modern "lost-wax method".  The artist carves these maquettes and then they are cast in rubber to make a mould. Wax is poured into the rubber mould to create a wax replica.  The wax is coated in many layers of ceramic. When the ceramic is fired, the wax core melts, leaving a cavity into which molten bronze is poured. Once the bronze has solidified, the ceramic mould is chipped off.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

The bronze panels will be protected with gold leaf. This is one of the final panels.  The doors will take two more years to complete as shown in the sketch.

The Roof

Archives Staff photo

A representative from Semple Gooder Roofing shows off a sample of the new slate roof.  The original slate shingles lasted 120 years before being replaced by a solid-coloured roof.  The new third roof will copy the decorative pattern of the original shingles, as determined from archival photos.
Once installed, slate shingles weigh 10 lbs per square foot.

Archives Staff photo

In the foreground are two pieces of carved stone which are part of the vertical elements in cathedral's roofscape.
On the right is an original stone that was in good shape and needed only minor restoration.  On the left is a newly hand-carved copy to replace a similar element that could not be salvaged.

The Crypt Chapel
Bishop Michael Power spearheaded the building of the cathedral in 1845, but he died of typhoid while ministering to Irish immigrants in 1847.  Though Bishop Power did not get to see St. Michael's completed, he is buried in the crypt under the church's main altar.  As part of the current renovations, the basement has been excavated an additional 17 feet to accommodate a chapel. Appropriately, Bishop Power's tomb will be a central feature in the new crypt chapel.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

The entrance foyer to the new crypt chapel.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

The tombs are protected while the crypt chapel is being constructed

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

The master stone carver stands beside his third-scale model of the pietà.  The final statue will stand in front of the tomb of the three Loretto Sisters who are buried in the crypt.  The IBVM was the first female order invited to Toronto.

Proposed Cathedral Centre

Photo courtesy of the Office of Public Relations and Communications

This is a concept model for a Cathedral Centre, just north of the church (photo centre).  The upper floors would contain administrative offices, while the street level floors would function as multipurpose space and include a large church hall.

For more media coverage of the Cathedral Open House:

• Catholic Register​
• CityNews​
• CTV News Toronto
• Global News​
• National Post
• Zoomer News​

Hark! St. Michael's Choir School Sings!

For many Torontonians it is a Christmas tradition to attend the St. Michael's Choir School Christmas concert at Massey Hall. This year marks the school's 50th Christmas concert at the Shuter Street venue.

St. Michael's Choir School was founded in 1937 by Monsignor Edward Ronan, who was the music director at St. Michael's Cathedral. Originally at the elementary level, it provided boys with education in music theory and performance, Gregorian chant, as well as academics. Over the years, more grades were added, and the school moved into its own building on Bond Street. In 1955, the school became affiliated with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. Students from the choir school have traveled the world, and have performed for Prime Ministers, Popes, and the Queen. The school's choristers have continued to provide music at the Cathedral since the beginning.

Some of the gems in the St. Michael's Choir School archival collection include:

The original poster from the St. Michael's Choir School Christmas concert at Massey hall, 1967. 

Programme from the 1965 Massey Hall Christmas concert.

Photo of choir members from the 1966 Massey Hall Christmas concert programme.

A choir boy poses with a Christmas wreath.

Choristers practice with a Nativity scene.

A winter hike.

For tickets to Saturday's or Sunday's performance, visit christmasconcert.ca .

St. Paul's Basilica: A Home Away From Home

Last month it was announced that St. Michael’s Cathedral is temporarily closing its doors for renovations. To accommodate the Cathedral’s parishioners, additional weekend masses will be held at nearby St. Paul’s Basilica starting this weekend (Saturday 6:00 p.m.; Sunday 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.). Following summer break, masses will feature music from St. Michael’s Choir School.

It's appropriate that St. Paul’s will stand in for the Cathedral; before the completion of St. Michael’s in 1848, St. Paul’s was the diocese’s unofficial cathedral. It was the sole place of worship for Toronto Catholics and, by default, the seat of our first bishop, Most Rev. Michael Power.

For those who will be temporarily attending St. Paul’s, and for those with an interest in visiting the city’s oldest Catholic parish, we offer a brief history of the church, its architecture and artwork.*

Historical Context

Established in 1822, St. Paul’s was the first Catholic parish between Kingston and Windsor and, consequently, the original church of what is now the Archdiocese of Toronto. The first structure was a red brick Gothic-style building completed in 1824 on the present site (83 Power Street).  

Old St. Paul's Church, Power Street, Toronto, 1824-1889
Photograph published in The Story of St. Paul's Parish by Rev. E. Kelly (1922).
The original church was a red brick Gothic structure.

In its early years St. Paul’s served the Irish coming from their famine ravaged homeland.  In 1847, a typhus epidemic raged through the city, killing 850 people, including Bishop Power. Many were buried in mass graves on the church grounds.

During the nineteenth century St. Paul’s was a bulwark of Catholicism in a very Protestant city.  As the city grew and prospered, from “Muddy York” to an industrialized urban centre, so too did St. Paul’s.  By the turn of the century a dozen more parishes were erected in the city to accommodate the growing faithful. St. Paul’s Parish was reinvigorated with the building of the present church - a much larger edifice.  Its construction was initiated and overseen by its pastor, auxiliary bishop of Toronto, Most Rev. Thomas O’Mahony, and completed in 1889.

Photographs Collection,  PH0093/74CP 
Tomb of Bishop O'Mahoney, the pastor responsible for the building of the present church. 
He is buried on church grounds. The epitaph reads:
In Memoriam.
Beneath this stone repose the remains of the Right Rev. Timothy O'Mahony D.D.
Born in the parish of Kilmurray Co. Cork Ireland A.D. 1825 
Ordained priest 1849 Consecrated first bishop of Armidale Australia 1871
Auxiliary to the Archbishop of Toronto and appointed pastor of St. Paul's Church 1880
After a long and painful illness borne with Christian patience fortified with the sacraments and consolations of the Church
He departed this life Sept. 8th 1892
Requiescat in pace.

Architecture

The designer of the new church was renowned architect Joseph Connelly, who was also responsible for St. Mary’s (1852).  His decision to forsake the Gothic for Italian Renaissance was considered daring and internationally en vogue for the time.  St. Paul’s is built in the Romanesque basilica style with Ionic colonnades separating the central nave from the side aisles. It has rounded instead of pointed arches and a plain campanile rather than a sharp spire. Connelly imitated the style and design of the Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-The-Walls in Rome. The new St. Paul’s was solid, imposing, impregnable - a visible statement of faith.

Photographs Collection, Architectural Survey Album, PH31P/227AL(45)
St. Paul's Church and Rectory, 1914

Architect Joseph Connelly imitated the style and design of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls Basilica in Rome.
The exterior dimensions are impressive: 174 feet in length; 70 feet in width of nave; 100 feet in width of transept; 129 feet high at the bell tower.  St Paul’s was unique among Toronto's Gothic-dominated ecclesiastical architecture of the time.

Artwork

Following Bishop O’Mahony’s death in 1892, the newly appointed pastor inherited an unfinished church. Dean John Hand embarked on an ambitious scheme to decorate the church with the beautiful murals, stained glass windows and statuary that make the church’s aesthetics truly remarkable.  Dean Hand commissioned the following works: 

1893: Four paintings by unknown Belgian artist: “The Conversion of St. Paul”; “The Last Supper”; “Gethsemane”; “Annunciation”

1894:  Commencement of the installation of stained glass windows and the clerestory windows

1898: All-wood organ by R.S. Williams & Son and enlargement of the gallery

1899: Statue of St. Paul, west façade

1901: Stations of the Cross, made of stone in Europe

1905: Completion of the campanile. The bell from the original St. Paul’s was installed in the new tower

1908: Three marble altars and pulpit

1911: Ten paintings of the life of St. Paul on the ceiling of the nave, “Ascension of our Lord” and “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary” by G. Caroselli

1921: Soldiers’ World War One Memorial, west façade

1933: Pietà and memorial to Bishop Michael Power and Irish Famine victims

Photographs Collection, PH0093/57P
Photograph showing the apse and sanctuary in the 1950s.
The marble high altar and pulpit were commissioned by Dean Hand in 1908.

Photographs Collection, PH0093/63CP
The earliest artwork in the basilica are four 1893 paintings by an unknown Belgian artist, including "The Conversion of St. Paul" in the dome (Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?) and "The Last Supper," copied from Leonardo's masterpiece.
These paintings have since been cleaned and restored.
Also note, following the reforms of Vatican II, the altar has been changed and the pulpit replaced with an ambo.

Photographs Collection, PH0093/15CP
1981 photograph of the nave looking towards the choir loft and wood organ, installed in 1898.
The barrel vault ceiling and Ionic colonnade are typical Romanesque features.
The ceiling paintings, commissioned in 1911, include ten scenes from the life of St. Paul. 

Photographs Collection, PH0093/47CP
One of the nave ceiling paintings of the life of St. Paul: " Paul in prison in Rome"
The scenes were painted on canvas and glued to the ceiling.

From 2001 to 2006, artist/restorer Carlos Nunes and his team cleaned and restored the interior artwork of St. Paul’s. Nunes has also worked on the restoration of the Cathedral’s paintings and windows.

A Minor Basilica

St. Paul’s Church was designated a Minor Basilica on August 3, 1999, in time for the Millennium Jubilee celebrations. The title is granted by pontifical authority to churches that meet a variety of conditions. For example, the church must: stand out as a centre of pastoral and liturgical activity; be large enough to carry out exemplary celebrations; and enjoy a certain renown throughout the diocese. The historical importance of the church and the worthiness of its art are also considered. St. Paul’s is the twentieth church in Canada to receive this papal honour.

From its origins, St. Paul’s has welcomed the stranger, the immigrant and the impoverished. Now it will also welcome the displaced Cathedral parishioner until March 2016.

*This historical summary has been adapted from a document written in 1999 by historian Michael Power to support the application for Minor Basilica status. 

Record of the Week: Nativity stained glass window

A Merry, Joyful Christmas to All!

In 1976 Canada Post issued a Christmas stamp depicting a stained glass window from St. Michael's Cathedral.  It is the central portion of the Nativity of Our Lord window.  For the sesquicentennial of the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1991, a photograph of the stamp was reproduced as part of an anniversary calendar that was published.

The month of December in the Archdiocese of Toronto's 150th Anniversary Calendar.
The 1976 eight-cent stamp was reproduced courtesy of the Canada Post Corporation

The Nativity is part of a series of fourteen windows located on the north and south walls of the nave. They were created in the nineteenth century and are of Austrian and Bavarian origin. Many of the records associated with their production were destroyed during the bombing of Munich during the Second World War.  The Nativity window was installed 100 years ago - in May 1913 - as a memorial to Eugene McLean French, a former parishioner.

Nativity of Our Lord window at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto.
It is located on the west-most side of the north wall of the nave.
Photo courtesy Archdiocese of Toronto.

Record of the Week: St. Michael the Archangel, Our Patron Saint

Blessing and laying of the cornerstone of the new cathedral of this city to be erected under the invocation of St. Michael the Archangel "whom we had already and publicly announced as the Principal Patron - protector of the City of Toronto"

Special Collections: Letterbooks, LB01.133

This past Sunday, September 29, 2013 the whole Archdiocese of Toronto celebrated the Solemnity of St. Michael the Archangel, our patron saint.  One hundred and sixty-five years ago on September 29, 1848, St. Michael’s Cathedral was dedicated.  The naming of the Cathedral and the dedication of the diocese to St. Michael the Archangel has much significance.  Not only was our first bishop, Michael Power named for him, but as a warrior and protector, St. Michael would have been a powerful and fierce saint to invoke in nineteenth century Ontario.  Toronto was at the edge of the frontier and the Catholics of the time would have felt the need to keep the forces of evil and Protestantism at bay.

The image above is the record of the laying of the cornerstone of St. Michael’s Cathedral on May 8, 1845.  This record can be found in a letterbook, which is an oversized bound volume.  Before photocopiers and even carbon paper, letterbooks were the way bishops in the past kept copies of outgoing correspondence, recorded special events, and documented important appointments, policies and regulations of the Diocese.