Remembering an Easter Tradition: Agnus Dei

Sunday April 21st marks the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, commonly known as Easter. This holiday concludes Holy Week and is one of the most important times for Christians. People may partake in various traditions: they may attend mass, participate in an Easter egg hunt, and/or get together with loved ones for a meal.

Spanning from the 5th century to the 20th century, a very unique Easter ritual took place: the making of the Agnus Dei sacramental. The Agnus Dei, perhaps the oldest known sacramental of the Church, is a round or oval wax disc made from the wax of the previous year's Easter candles. These candles were collected, melted down, and impressed with a lamb on one side and a saint or the pope on the other. Popes would consecrate these discs on the first year of their pontificate and every seven years following. They would then distribute the discs, often to visiting bishops and Cardinals. With the Lamb of God embossed on them, these discs were seen as a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice.

We have three Agnus Dei in our collection, as well as several documents for the rite and usage for the consecration of Agnus Dei.

This statement was issued in 1862 and roughly translates to, "The Ritual Use of Forms that the Candles are Blessed and Consecrated by the Pope of Rome".

Rite and usage for the blessing and consecration of the 'Cereas Formas', commonly called Agnus Dei (a wax impression).
1862

John Joseph Lynch Fonds
L RC44.01
 

The Agnus Dei below are two copies of the same impression, consecrated by Pope Pius XI at an unknown date:

Relief of Victorious Lamb/Lamb of God

Special Collections - Artifacts
AF 233

Relief of Victorious Lamb/Lamb of God

Special Collections - Artifacts
AF 233

On the other side, a relief of the bust of St. Andrea:

Relief of bust of St. Andrea

Special Collections - Artifacts
AF 233

Relief of bust of St. Andrea

Special Collections - Artifacts
AF 233

The Agnus Dei below was consecrated by Pope Pius XII in 1935:

Relief of Victorious Lamb/Lamb of God
1935

Special Collections - Artifacts
AF234

On the other side, a relief of an unidentified bust:

Relief of an unidentified bust
1935

Special Collections - Artifacts
AF 234

The Agnus Dei practice was largely abandoned following the Second Vatican Council. The last pope to consecrate them was Pope Pius XII.

To read more on the history and significance of Agnus Dei, click here.

Director's Cut: Vatican II rings and certificates

As the Director of Archives at the Archdiocese of Toronto I am often complimented on the consistently fabulous posts of The Archivist's Pencil. I am always quick to point out that I myself have written very few and the accolades for these wonderfully composed pieces must go to my colleagues. I thought it might be nice to give them a little break every now and again and share with our readers some of my favourite things in our holdings.

My first post in the Director's Cut series features an artifact and its corresponding documentation... an archivist's dream!

When I began working here I quickly learned that I needed to educate myself on the Second Vatican Council, which is often referred to as Vatican II. Although I was vaguely aware that changes to the way Mass was celebrated had been made at some point in my parents' lifetime, my studies of history hadn't delved much into the post-World War II era, so I was largely ignorant of this major event in the history of the Catholic Church and needed to know more about it to understand the context of a large number of the records in our holdings. If you too would like to educate yourself, you can start with the documents of the Second Vatican Council which can be viewed on the Vatican's website here.

October 28 marks the 60th Anniversary of the election of St. John XXIII as Pope. His Holiness announced very early in his papacy that he intended to convene the Ecumenical Council. Several of the former, current and future auxiliary bishops, archbishops and cardinals that served the Archdiocese of Toronto attended sessions of the Council. Listed among the Council Fathers are: Auxiliary Bishop Francis Allen, G. Emmett Cardinal Carter, Auxiliary Bishop Marrocco, James Cardinal McGuigan, Archbishop Philip Pocock and Auxiliary Bishop Benjamin Webster. You can view a full list of bishops who attended each of the four sessions here.

At the closing of the Second Ecumenical Council in December 1965, St. Paul VI gifted each of the Council Fathers a commemorative certificate and gold ring.

AF.103 ARCAT Artifact Collection and PO AA41.023 Archbishop Pocock Fonds

Another view of AF.103
ARCAT Artifact Collection

The Vatican II Council ring is made entirely of yellow gold. The ring shaped like a mitre (bishop's hat) with a point at the top. Depicted are three arched niches: Christ in the centre; St. Peter on the left; St. Paul on the right. The artist’s signature is inscribed, “E. Manfrini”. St. Paul VI’s coat of arms in stamped on the inverse of the band.

PO AA41.023
Archbishop Philip F. Pocock Fonds

Accompanying the ring was this commemorative certificate from Pope Paul VI. It attests in Latin to Archbishop Pocock's participation at Vatican II and expresses the hope that the message of the Second Vatican Council will be conveyed to all Catholics.  We have similar certificates in our collection for Auxiliary Bishop Francis Allen (AF.135a), G. Emmett Cardinal Carter (AF.009) and James Cardinal McGuigan (AF.135b).

Cardinal Carter wore his Vatican II Council ring (AF.361) as his regular day-to-day episcopal ring. His Eminence's ring in on display at the G. Emmett Cardinal Carter Library at King's University College in London, Ontario where it is on permanent loan.

AF.361 - Card. Carter's Vatican II ring
ARCAT Artifact Collection

Month of the Holy Rosary

Every year, the month of October is dedicated to the Rosary. The origins of this go back to at least 1571, when Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory at the Battle of Lepanto. The Christian victory at Lepanto was celebrated as the feast of Our Lady of Victory (now Our Lady of the Rosary) on October 7.

Rosary beads are traditionally divided into five groups of ten beads, called decades. There is a prayer to be recited for each bead and a mystery of Christ’s life that is to be contemplated for each decade. The repetition of prayers assists in entering a state of prayerful meditation.

Rosary beads come in all shapes, sizes and colours. This week, we thought we would showcase a couple of interesting Rosary beads from our collection.



This five decade Rosary is unlike any we've seen before: the beads are made from the pits of nuts.

AF286
ARCAT Artifact Collection

This Rosary is unusal for its size and the fact that is has six decades. The six decade Rosary is of the Brigittine tradition and has a slightly different structure to its prayer.

AF057
ARCAT Artifact Collection

You can find out more about how to pray the Rosary here.

Medal Metals: Bronze, Silver, and Gold

The Olympics are here again! For the next two weeks, 2,952 athletes from around the world will compete for bronze, silver, and gold medals in 102 events in 15 disciplines such as curling, figure skating, and ski jumping.

Olympians have been receiving medals since the first modern Olympics in 1896, but the bronze, silver, and gold tradition started in 1904. The top competitors in the ancient Olympic games received an olive wreath. 

Thinking about the different medal metals made us wonder what we had in the archives made of the three. Turns out there were some interesting finds!

Let's start with third place bronze. 

This cross and chain came from the estate of Cardinal Carter. Not too much is known about it other than the fact that it has been corroding. We hope that storage in a climate-controlled environment will mitigate the damage!

AF379
ARCAT Artifacts Collection

This bronze statue was given to Cardinal Carter by the Caritas Family Association in 1995.Unfortunately the piece does not have an artist's name or mark.

AF321
ARCAT Artifacts Collection

This statue is also from the Cardinal Carter estate.

AF320
ARCAT Artifacts Collection

This figure of the crucified Christ is another from the Cardinal Carter estate. Perhaps he was fond of bronze!

AF380
ARCAT Artifacts Collection

And for something completely different, this is a bronze printer's plate of a photo of Bishop Allen.

[1954-1977]

AF058b
ARCAT Artifacts Collection

Now for second-place silver:

Two silver trowels presented to Cardinal McGuigan for laying cornerstones for St. Joseph's High School in Etobicoke in 1947 and St. Michael's College in 1935.

AF020, AF021
ARCAT Artifacts Collection

This ice pitcher was presented to Archbishop Walsh on the occasion of his 25th year as a bishop by the 'pupils of Loretto Convent' in 1892. The pitcher made by the Acme Silver Company in Toronto is double walled to keep water cool. You can find it in the company's catalogue here.

AF 245

ARCAT Artifact Collection

The Ancient Order of Hibernians also presented Archbishop Walsh with a water pitcher for his jubilee, but this one is a bit fancier. It rests on a stand and tilts so that guests have an easier time handling it when it is heavy. It includes a place to rest your cup. This victorian tilting set can also be found in the catalogue listed above.

AF 247
ARCAT Artifact Collection

Apparently tilting sets were popular gifts in the latter half of the 19th century. Archbishop Walsh received this one on the 25th anniversary of his priestly ordination in 1879. Before they came to ARCAT, the two Victorian tilting sets in our collection were on display outside Cardinal Carter's office in the old chancery building downtown.

AF246
ARCAT Artifact Collection

And in first place, gold!

This gold pocket watch was presented to Cardinal Carter by Chief Julian Fantino on behalf of the Toronto Police Service in 2000.

AF389
ARCAT Artifact Collection

A pair of 10k gold Birks cufflinks belonging to Archbishop Pocock with his coat of arms.

ACC 2014-005

Another set of gold cufflinks belonging to a member of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.

AF370
ARCAT Artifact Collection

Let's wish our Canadian athletes luck in bringing home some silver, bronze and gold!

Can anyone identify this object?

You might say that our post this week is a little bit out of the ordinary.

This week, instead of featuring something from our own Archives, we are excited to feature an item from the Archives of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

And the object itself is an unusual one.

Part of the CCCB Archives, Provenance and date unknown.

It is made of wood, possibly maple, and is 36.5 cm high. At its widest point, it is about 25 cm wide.

The metal lettering reads “Veillez et priez” (it is missing the “t” in et). These are the instructions given to the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:41:“Stay awake and pray.”

 

Close up of the painting . The bottom of the metal frame around the image has broken off.
The text beneath the image reads “Mon Ch. Letaille et Fils. Edit Pontifx sucr Paris, Pl 827".

Part of the CCCB Archives, Provenance and date unknown.

The painting shows Jesus and a sleeping apostle in the Garden of Gethsemane. The caption reads “Celui qui doit me trahir approche. Et tu dors.” Literally, “He who is to betray me is approaching, and you are asleep.”



A demonstration of how individual balls are manually dropped into the instrument, facilitating wakefulness and mindfulness in prayer.

Part of the CCCB Archives, Provenance and date unknown.

 

It includes 8 balls, approximately 2 cm in diameter. They have numbers and letters and in fact appear to be bingo tokens. One drops the ball in at the top and it comes out at the bottom. The thought that they may have replaced a lost set of 10 black balls and 1 white one, suggests that it may be an instrument for praying the rosary, one that forces the praying person to keep awake by the physical movement of taking a ball from the bottom and putting it in the hole at the top.


Special thanks to CCCB Archivist Bruce Henry, who piqued our interest and allowed us to post his photographs and description.

Leonardo and the Viaticum Cabinet

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Salvator Mundi, painted circa 1500. Oil on walnut panel.
Christie's, New York

 This painting by Leonardo da Vinci was auctioned on 15 November 2017 at Christie’s in New York.  Twenty minutes into the sale, a winning bid of $400 million USD was entered by an anonymous buyer. After associated fees, the sale price of over $450,000,000 is the highest ever paid for a work of art at auction.  

The big news in the art world this week was the sale of Salvator Mundi, the recently rediscovered painting by Leonardo da Vinci, for a record-setting $450 million USD. It is one of sixteen extant works attributed to the Renaissance master, as well as the last known Leonardo painting that was held in private hands. It remains to be seen whether the anonymous new owner will allow it to be displayed for public consumption.

Salvator Mundi, "Saviour of the World", depicts a frontal portrait of Jesus Christ dressed in contemporary garb with his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding a transparent orb. The same mysterious quality that has made Leonardo's Mona Lisa the most recognizable painting in the world is here captured in the otherworldly gaze of Christ's amber eyes.

Painted around 1500, the work once belonged to King Charles I of England. As the painting changed hands and deteriorated it was repeatedly touched up - a common practice at the time. Eventually, the overpainted original was believed to be one of the many copies produced by other artists. In 1958, it sold for only £45.

The story of Salvator Mundi's rediscovery, which began in 2005, is a fascinating read.

So fascinating, in fact, that it made us wonder if there was a hidden Leonardo painting lurking in the bowels of the Archives. Had any of our bishops snapped up an Old Master of questionable provenance en route to their ad limina visit?

The results of our search were, sadly if inevitably, much more humble. We turned up a single reproduction of the second most famous painting in the world: Leonardo's The Last Supper. Hardly surprising, given that it is believed to be the most mass-reproduced work of all time.

Top: Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-1498, oil/tempera on plaster
Below: Reproduction of The Last Supper, viaticum cabinet detail, ARCAT Artifacts Special Collection, AF.285

The Last Supper was painted on the refectory wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie convent in Milan. Leonardo used experimental techniques and paint, and the huge mural started to deteriorate almost as soon as it was finished. It has suffered under the hands of many would-be restorers over the centuries. Further deterioration occurred when the refectory was used as a stable by Napoleon's troops and when its roof was torn away by Allied bombing during WWII, which left the paint exposed to the elements for several years.

Suffice it to say, both the original painting and our reproduction have suffered from environmental exposure.

It was a rediscovery for us nonetheless. This Last Supper reproduction had originally been described in our catalogue as part of an ambry - a recessed cupboard in a church used for storing holy oils. However, when we pulled the artifact out of storage, it was clear that it was not an ambry. Further research led us to conclude it was, in fact, a viaticum cabinet, also known and a "sick call box," or a "last rites cabinet."

Viaticum refers to the Eucharist given to a sick or dying person as part of the last rites. The Latin meaning is "provision for a journey"; this final Eucharist is the spiritual nourishment that will fortify a dying person on their passage from this world to the next. Before Vatican II, it was common for Catholic households to have a viaticum cabinet with all the provisions for a visiting priest to administer last rites stored inside.

Artfacts Special Collection, AF.285
Viaticum cabinet

Why settle for one Old Master when you can have two?
The upper portion of the cabinet holds a statuette of the Pietà, its composition appropriated from Michelangelo's masterpiece, which resides in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. 

Artfacts Special Collection, AF.285

The Last Supper adorns a door that opens to reveal a storage compartment.
Before Vatican II, it was common for Catholic households to have a viaticum cabinet with all the provisions for a visiting priest to administer last rites stored inside.

This particular cabinet was donated to ARCAT by a family in 2004. It seems to be a popular model mass-produced in the 1930s and 1940s and sold through ecclesiastical supply catalogs. You can see similar examples here.*

Out of the box, this viaticum cabinet would have been stocked with supplies, including a glass bottle for holy water, a paten, a box of absorbant cotton and an instruction booklet. However, over time, families would use the storage compartment for keeping accumulated religious items, such as medals, rosaries, candles and holy cards.

Artfacts Special Collection, AF.289

This viaticum cabinet came equipped with a glass bottle with the instructions:
"FOR HOLY WATER / KEEP CONSTANTLY FILLED"

Artfacts Special Collection, AF.286 to AF.292

Families often used the storage compartment for keeping accumulated religious items, such as these medals and rosaries that were found inside our viaticum cabinet. 

Though it's not a priceless work of ark, this viaticum cabinet is a piece of Catholic material and domestic culture and an interesting rediscovery at ARCAT.


* Sally M. Promey, "Viaticum, Last Rites Cabinet, Sick Call Set," Constellation, in Conversations: An Online Journal of the Center for the Study of Material and Visual Cultures of Religion (2014), doi:10.22332/con.cons.2014.1

Archives Roadshow

Gillian Hearns, Director of Archives at the Archdiocese of Toronto, shows off some of our treasured artifacts at the Eastern Regional Celebration to mark the archdiocesan 175th anniversary.
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

It is the nature of archives that researchers interested in accessing documents firsthand are required to visit the repository that houses and protects them. In other words, our records don't get out much.

Therefore, it was with excitement (and, admittedly, a little trepidation) that we decided to pack up some of our most treasured artifacts and put them on display to mark the Archdiocese of Toronto's 175th Anniversary.

The archdiocese is divided into four pastoral regions and each has held, or will hold, an Anniversary Celebration with mass and reception hosted by Cardinal Thomas Collins and the regional auxiliary bishop. At each event, we have set up a historical display in the narthex and reception hall of the host parish.

It has been a wonderful opportunity to engage with the Catholic community that wouldn't typically use the archives or even know much about the archdiocese beyond parish life. So far, we have taken our roadshow to Merciful Redeemer Parish, Mississauga (Western Region), St. Mary's Parish, Barrie (Northern Region) and St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Pickering (Eastern Region).

The final Regional Celebration will be held at Blessed Trinity Parish (3220 Bayview Ave.) next Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 7 p.m. If you are in the Toronto area, we invite you to come celebrate this milestone with us and see what ARCAT has to offer!

For more information visit: www.archtoronto.org/175

Western Regional Celebration at Merciful Redeemer Parish, Mississauga, September 12, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Western Regional Celebration at Merciful Redeemer Parish, Mississauga, September 12, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Our display included 19th century vestments, mitres and a pallium. 

Northern Regional Celebration at St. Mary's Parish, Barrie, September 21, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Northern Regional Celebration at St. Mary's Parish, Barrie, September 21, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Our mannequins have a slight contrapposto stance, otherwise known as swagger.

Eastern Regional Celebration at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Pickering, October 4, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Members of the CWL at St. Isaac Jogues Parish take a break from hosting duties to pose with our timeline posters. 

Eastern Regional Celebration at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Pickering, October 4, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Eastern Regional Celebration at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Pickering, October 4, 2017
(ARCAT Staff Photo)

Also on display were episcopal jewellery, medals, and souvenirs from the last two papal conclaves.

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

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.