A Day for Rest and a Day for Football

Watching the Super Bowl is an annual tradition for many of us, and Sunday Night Football is such a part of our weekly routine, that it might come as a surprise to hear that Ontario banned commercialized sports on Sundays until well into the twentieth century.

Blue Laws  were a way for governments to restrict work, trade, and leisure on Sundays, which for Christians is the day set aside for worship and rest. These types of laws were common throughout North America and Europe. In Canada, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier introduced the Lord’s Day Act. The act passed in 1907 and prohibited sport, entertainment and most commerce on Sundays, ensuring that most businesses close for the day.

In 1950, Toronto held a referendum to determine if the law should change to allow for commercialized sports on Sundays. The proposed change was pretty controversial in its day; citizens formed groups lobbying for the restrictions to remain in place. Cardinal McGuigan voiced support for the Lord's Day Alliance and the Toronto Citizens Committee Opposing Commercialized Sunday Sports. As you can see in the pamphlet below, most of the arguments against Sunday Sports are based solely on religious beliefs.

 

"Read what Prominent Citizens have to say...they all say NO!"

Leaflet against Sunday Sports, c. 1949

 

MG PO05.14c

Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

We have a couple of letters addressed to the Cardinal that show not all Toronto Catholics agreed with his viewpoint. The writer below presents some solid arguments as to why commercialized sports wouldn't demoralize Canada.

Letter to Cardinal McGuigan, December 6, 1949.

MG PO05.15d

Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

In the end, Toronto voted to allow sports on Sundays, however other areas of the Lord's Day Act would be upheld until the 1960s and even the 1980s.

If you're wondering where the Church stands on Sunday sports now, Pope Francis made a statement indicating they were approved as long as they did not prevent you from attending mass.

Happy 100th to Toronto's Catholic Deaf Ministry!

This Saturday, August 25, St. Francis de Sales Deaf Ministry marks 100 years of serving the Catholic deaf of our city.

It all started when, in 1918, Mother Mary Columbiere of the Loretto Sisters asked Archbishop Neil McNeil for spiritual guidance for a newly engaged couple, where one of the betrothed happened to be deaf.  Mother Columbiere was subsequently put in charge of the Religious Services for the Catholic Deaf, and with the assistance the Paulist Fathers of St. Peter’s Church, ensured there was weekly mass at the Loretto Abbey for the deaf.

While trying to find records that document the Deaf Ministry's spiritual and social services in Toronto, I uncovered records that demonstrate St. Francis de Sales Deaf Society's role in forming the International Catholic Deaf Association.

Meetings of the St. Francis de Sales Deaf Society of Toronto had become so well attended that it sponsored the creation of the Ontario Catholic Deaf Association. While the two operated separately, members of the St. Francis de Sales Society were active in the O.C.D.A.

By 1948, interest in O.C.D.A. events spread to American cities, and leaders of the O.C.D.A. proposed to have an International Catholic Deaf Conference. Plans for a conference were finalized with the blessing of Cardinal McGuigan for July of 1949. A resolution to establish the International Catholic Deaf Association was passed in 1951, and St. Francis de Sales Deaf Society was named Chapter No. 1. Another nod to Toronto was the naming of Cardinal McGuigan as Honorary Patron of the I.C.D.A., in recognition of all his work that made the I.C.D.A. possible

The First International Catholic Deaf Congress was hosted by the O.C.D.A. at Toronto’s King Edward Hotel.

ARCAT Parish Collection,/Deaf Ministry/Publications

The historic first conference, and Toronto's importance in the founding of the I.C.D.A., is emphasized in the Association's amazing ten year anniversary publication. "The Birth of the I.C.D.A. and its Progress", created by Colette Gabel and published by the members of the International Catholic Deaf Association was put together entirely by deaf people. As it describes in its post script, "The English text may seem odd to you in some places...to keep intact as far as possible, the native charm of the deaf idiom"



"It all began in Canada..."

"The Birth of the I.C.D.A. and its Progress," c. 1961. By Collette Gabel, published by the Members of the International Catholic Deaf Association. pp 8-9.

Parish Collection/Deaf Ministry/International Catholic Deaf Association & St. Francis de Sales Catholic Deaf Society/General Correspondence 1963-1973 

The International Catholic Deaf Association still exists, with each country now holding their own annual national conference. Toronto is hosting Canada's National Conference this year from August 22 to August 26, 2018.

Visit the Archdiocese of Toronto's website to learn more about the history of St. Francis de Sales Deaf Community and its current ministry.

The Great Fire of Toronto, 1904

Yesterday, April 19, marked the anniversary of the Great Fire of Toronto.

On the windy and cold April evening in 1904, flames were spotted in an industrial building on Wellington Street, just west of Bay. The fire quickly spread in every direction and continued until around 5pm the following day. The fire affected about 13 acres of commercial property downtown, and destroyed over 100 buildings. Five thousand people were left without work.

The aftermath of the Great Fire, 1904

City of  Toronto Archives Fonds 1244, item 2

It affected our community and our city, and yet the Great Fire seems to go unmentioned in any of Archbishop Denis O’Connor’s records. Our bishop’s papers represent the administrative history of the Archdiocese, and thankfully no Archdiocesan property was affected by the fire.

We were excited to find the fire documented in the daily journals of Toronto Catholic Matthew O’Connor. Records of parishioners fall outside of our collection mandate, but somehow O'Connor's journals found their way into our collection. And, in moments like this, we're especially thankful to have them.

The Greatest Fire in Toronto's history began tonight at 8:30 and continued all night... began on Wellington Street opposite Holland House. Destroying both sides of Bay from Melinda down to the Bay...Front Street.. Esplanade ave. all business places in neighborhood. loss about $10 000 000. Cold stormy night for the fire.

Matthew O'Connor Daily Journal, 1904
DC Item #59
ARCAT Desk Calendar Collection

It's interesting to see the fire described by a Torontonian of the day. The scope and estimated damage were unlike anything the city had seen in its history. Some amazing footage of the fire was captured and distributed across Canada by photographer George Scott and his assistant. Scott's film is now available on Youtube. Video Courtesy of Library & Archives Canada, ISN #16107

The rebuilding in the years that followed the Fire helped shape the city as we know it today. Tucked into O'Connor's journal was a clipping showing plans for the new Union Station to be built in the "Burnt District".

undated clipping
DC Item #59
ARCAT Desk Calendar Collection

You can find more information and more photographs of Great Fire of Toronto on the Archives of Ontario website here.

Writing in the New Year

It is hard to believe we are already several days into 2018!

To mark the beginning of a new calendar year, our blog post this week looks back to one man's start to a new year in Toronto 120 years ago.

Matthew O'Connor Daily Journal, 1898
DC Item #53
ARCAT Desk Calendar Collection

ARCAT holds almost 30 years worth of personal diaries of Matthew O'Connor, a prominent Catholic layman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Ireland in 1825, Matthew O'Conner moved to Toronto in 1840, making a name for himself as a plate glass manufacturer and also an artist. He was a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes and was an active member of many church organizations. 

He was also an avid diarist, writing entries every day.

By his accounts, 1898 was off to a bitterly cold start (something we can certainly relate to in January of 2018.)  By Wednesday, the opportunity to sleigh was nearly gone but fine winter days continued all week.

On January 1st O'Connor attended mass at Our Lady of Lourdes and wrote: "Very Very Cold ... Frost Causes Pipes to Burst at 106!!"

Matthew O'Connor Daily Journal, 1898
DC Item #53
ARCAT Desk Calendar Collection

O'Conner notes how John Shaw won the municipal election on January 3rd.

Matthew O'Connor Daily Journal, 1898
DC Item #53
ARCAT Desk Calendar Collection

So there you have it, a look into how one Torontonian started his new year one hundred and twenty years ago. Let's hope we can be as organized as Mr. O'Conner as we plan for the year ahead of us!

Memories of World Youth Day 2002

Fifteen years ago, Toronto hosted World Youth Day, an international celebration of Catholic faith established by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1985. The week-long youth festival (July 23-28, 2002) culminated in a papal mass at Downsview Park. It was the last time John Paul II personally attended the event.

The theme of World Youth Day 2002 was "You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-14). One outcome of WYD 2002 was the establishment of Canada's first national Catholic network, Salt + Light Television. Visit their website for footage of WYD 2002 events.

As the archdiocesan archives of the host city, we have some interesting mementos of World Youth Day 2002 in our holdings:

World Youth Day 2002 Special Collection, OC 31

World Youth Day 2002 hard hat belonging to Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, Archbishop of Toronto.  Worn during the groundbreaking ceremony at Downsview Park.  (Photo: Catholic Register [ARCAT microfilm copy], 12 June 2005)

World Youth Day 2002 Special Collection, OC 31

Bronze medal by Dora de Pédery-Hunt depicting the Sermon on the Mount, from which WYD2002 took its theme: "You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world."  On the verso is inscribed "Dies Juvenum Toronto / MMII." 
Cardinal Ambrozic was a patron of the Hungarian-Canadian sculptor; he commissioned and collected many of De Pédery-Hunt's works. Copies of this medal were gifted to attending bishops.

Graphics Collection, PH31W/30ST

These stamps and Date of Issue envelope were presented to Cardinal Ambrozic by Canada Post on the occasion of the official unveiling of the World Youth Day stamp. 

Accession 2015-001

White mitre with yellow, blue and red brush strokes and yellow lappets. Worn with matching stole and chasuble by all attending bishops during the WYD 2002 Papal Mass at Downsview Park.

World Youth Day 2002 Special Collection, OC 31

The ubiquitous pilgrim bag given to WYD 2002 participants. Contents include: bandanna, candle, rosary, Toronto postcards, Canadian flag and pin, TTC maps. 350,000 of these bags were manufactured.

World Youth Day 2002 Special Collection, OC 31

Toronto Transit Commission Pass for unlimited travel on the day of the Papal Mass, 28 July 2002

A Taste of History on the Danforth: Church of the Holy Name

Summer in Toronto is full of many fun events. This weekend features the 23rd annual Taste of the Danforth, Canada’s largest street festival. As you are taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the festival, you will pass some interesting historical buildings, including Church of the Holy Name on the corner of Gough and Danforth Avenues.

Architect Arthur W. Holmes designed the church. The cornerstone was laid in November 1914.

Photograph of a drawing of the church, likely done by the architect, Arthur W. Holmes

Photographs Collection, PH0014/41P

Father Michael Cline was the first resident pastor.

Head and shoulder photographic portrait of Monsignor Michael Cline, 1870-1947, as a young priest.

Photographs Collection, PH24C/106P

The church on a cloudy summer day in the early 1980s.

August 1981

Photographs Collection, PH0014/04C

View of the back of the church from the altar in the early 1980s.

August 1981

Photographs Collection, PH0014/08C

View of the front interior of the church in the early 1970s.

Altar and sanctuary, ca. October 1970

Photographs Collection, PH81/10CP

View of the front interior of the church almost two decades later. Can you spot the differences?

1989

Photographs Collection, PH0014/49C

Exterior of the church in the late 1980s.

1989

Photographs Collection, PH0014/46C

For more information about the church and to see some wonderful older photographs of the church, please visit the Holy Name Parish website. Have a wonderful weekend!

Record of the Week: Cardinal McGuigan Gets the Key to the City

One of the best parts of being an archivist is opening a box you've never looked in before and finding something cool. Last week we found a key about the length of hand. As it turns out, we were holding the key to the City of Toronto.

After some research, we were disappointed that the key wouldn't allow us to walk into the mayor's office. In fact, it is a ceremonial key that was given to Cardinal McGuigan at a city reception upon his return from his elevation to the cardinalate in March 1946.

AF 15
Special Collections

Archbishop McGuigan's elevation wasn't important only to Catholics; the whole city was proud that the first English-speaking Canadian cardinal was from Toronto. 75,000 people lined the streets to greet him when he arrived at Union Station on the train from Halifax. The band from De La Salle Oaklands played for him, and the Catholic school children had a day off. There were receptions at City Hall and Queens Park, and a few days later there was an event at Maple Leaf Gardens attended by 15,000. The city newspapers covered his trip to Rome, his journey home, his arrival, and the celebrations.

An illuminated address presented to Cardinal McGuigan by the City Council explains the feelings of Torontonians:

"Like all men of genius, your Eminence has found your own road and carried your own lamp along the pathway of life to the goal and zenith of your ambition. Through piety, self-denial and stern discipline of intellect, your Eminence has striven unceasingly to make the best use of those remarkable natural talents, bestowed upon your Eminence by the gift of Providence."

AF 112
Special Collections

Cardinal McGuigan is presented with the above illuminated address by Mayor Robert Saunders.

PH 09C/31P
ARCAT Photo Collection
Photo credit: Globe & Mail

People line the streets with flags and banners to welcome His Eminence home.

PH 09C/53P
ARCAT Photo Collection
Photo credit: Globe & Mail

Large crowds are gathered at City Hall to receive the new Cardinal.

PH 09C/54P
ARCAT Photo Collection

Record of the Week: Housing our Veterans

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

The war increased Canadian farm and factory production to unprecedented levels.  By 1942 Canada was supplying its allies with billions of dollars' worth of goods. Toronto received a large influx of people working in munitions plants and other factories incidental to the war. At the same time, there was a shortage of manpower and building materials necessary to supply these workers with new dwellings.

In April 1944, the Mayor of Toronto, Robert Saunders appealed to all Toronto churches for their urgent assistance to ease the housing crisis: 

"If every church in the city, some 400 in number, could be the means of each providing at least one dwelling unit, 400 families could be housed and the citizens who so accommodate such a family would be playing an important part in the war effort and at the same time be recompensed for this effort in the form of rental." (ARCAT SW HC08.03b)

 Soldiers' wives and children were also affected by lack of affordable, available housing. On 16 June 1944, The Evening Telegram published a letter in response to a Housing Registry report that had appeared in the newspaper:

"Of the 2,157 applications for accommodations received, about 1,700 are from wives of men serving overseas...The men who went out to fight our battles left the welfare of their families in our care...Soldiers are only as good as their morale, and what solider can feel contented  with this situation confronting his family?"

When the Allies declared victory in 1945, returning military service personnel were faced with similar overcrowded living conditions. The Citizens Rehabilitation Committee of Toronto, with the support of Archbishop McGuigan, launched a parish campaign to make unused residential space available to over 4,000 veterans and their families:

Second World War series, SW HC08.04b

December 7, 1945

In Toronto there is a very great shortage of housing accommodation. Men are back and more are daily returning from overseas service to find that here in the city from which they enlisted there is no housing accommodations for themselves and their families...

We are approaching the holy season of Christmas and it is not nice to think that  many who spent one to five Christmases away from all the comforts and pleasure of Christmas, are, because of the housing shortage, being forced with their families to live in basements, attics, tourist cabins and shacks. One hesitates to think of what thoughts these men may have in regard to those of us who have lived in the peace and comfort of our own homes. 

What a wonderful Christmas gift it would be if we could help these men to live for a few months in decent surroundings.

Second World War series, SW HC08.04b

The Church in Canada contributed to the war effort through chaplaincy services, assisting with relief efforts abroad and mitigating humanitarian crises at home. 

See how you can continue to honour, support and remember our veterans.

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. 

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.