Archives Awareness Week 2019: You're the Translator!

 

April 1-7 is Archives Awareness Week in Ontario, and we've got a challenge for you! The Archdiocese of Toronto is proud to offer masses in 33 languages. It's wonderful to be able to serve such a diverse community, but one of the challenges of the job is to accurately process material that comes to us that we don't automatically understand. 

It's a bit easier now that we have the Internet, but ARCAT archivists didn't always have that luxury. When the older material in the archives was described, the archivists would have had to rely on people in the building or in the wider Catholic community who spoke languages other than English to provide translations. As you'll see below, it can be especially challenging when trying to decipher handwritten letters.

Now it's your turn to play language detective! We've selected 10 records in different languages, and it's your job to match them to the list below with the help of a few clues in the captions. Good luck!

Polish - Tamil - Italian - Latvian - German - Slovak - Chinese (Traditional) -  Hungarian - Croatian - Korean 

A.

This 1968 booklet explains the history of a community group associated with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.

ARCAT Parish Collection

B. 

This 1920 letter to Archbishop McNeil was translated by a priest at St. Casimir's Church. It reads,

"I place myself in your hands with a great request with humility from America. I am a priest and was educated in Europe. I received priestly ordination from the Rev. Bishop Carfory of Chicago but if your excellency would accept me I would be very grateful and would be able to unite the _____ people and I would be properly situated with regard to yourself. I place myself in your memory."

MN EC05.15
Archbishop McNeil Fonds

C.

This 1963 booklet on the sacrament of marriage was in the collection of a personal parish established in 1955 and named after Mary, Queen of their country.

ARCAT Parish Collection

D.

This 1956 ad from the Ontario Department of Highways explaining highway signs to newcomers is from the newspaper Nový Domov, which is still in publication today.

MG EN12.46
Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

E. 

In 1947 the Archbishop of Cologne wrote to his countrymen in Canada to ask for assistance for the people in his area who were suffering as a result of the Second World War.

MG EN03.01
Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

F. 

The youth of St. Elizabeth Parish were invited to a disco dance in 1977.

G. 

This 1875 note is explaining a few facts about Canada, including how many Catholics are members of the cabinet (il gabinetto) and senate (il senato).

L AD04.77
Archbishop Lynch Fonds

H. 

This 2002 bulletin comes to us from Sacred Heart of Jesus (Ye Su Sung Shim) Parish.

ARCAT Parish Collection

I. 

A 1954 circular for Canadian Catholics hailing from a particular Baltic State.

MG EN06.08
Cardinal McGuigan Fonds

J.

A page from the 2013 Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan, which is fully available in six languages and summarized in 30.

Available on the Archdiocese of Toronto Website: www.archtoronto.org/Pages/plan-summary.aspx  

Scroll down for the answers!

To find a mass in all of these languages and more, you can use the Find a Parish tool: https://www.archtoronto.org/contact-us/find-a-parish

Answers:

A. Chinese (Traditional)

B. Polish

C. Croatian

D. Slovak

E. German

F. Hungarian

G. Italian

H. Korean

I. Latvian

J. Tamil

Obscure Ecclesiastical Objects 101: The Results are In

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our quiz here on Blogger, as well as on the Archdiocesan Instagram and Facebook pages. We were very impressed by your knowledge. A+ work!

#1: Chrism Oil Stock
This container is used to hold holy oil. The engraved letters "S.C." indicate that the oil in this container was Chrism (Sanctum Chrisma), which is used to anoint candidates for confirmation and holy orders, and during various blessings. Oil stocks generally come in a set of three, to hold the above mentioned oil, the oil of catechumens, and the oil of the sick. All three of these oils are blessed at the chrism mass on the morning of Holy Thursday.

This particular oil stock is sterling silver, and was made circa 1875 by the Benziger Brothers of New York.
AF22

#2: Bugia

This gilded, handled candlestick was used with a beeswax candle during mass. It was held by a server or attendant to the right of the book that a prelate was reading from during some liturgical celebrations.

This bugia was donated to ARCAT by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd and is dated to the 1920s.
AF83

#3: Sick Call Lamp

This candle holder with hurricane glass and bell set was meant to be used during sick calls to indicate that the blessed sacrament was being carried from the church to the home of the sick person.

This item dates to the 1920s.
AF88

#4: Sanctus Bells

The sanctus bells are so named because they were originally rung during the mass in two places: during the sanctus, and at the consecration. Because the mass was said in Latin, the bells were used to help the congregation understand when Christ became present in the consecrated sacrament.

This set of chimes dates from the 1920s.
AF91

#5: Thurible

The thurible is an incense burner that is swung on chains by the thurifer during the mass. The use of incense goes back to ancient Judaism, and helps to create an atmosphere of reverence and sacrifice.

This item dates to the 1880s, and was donated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto.
AF163

#6: Incense Boat

The vessel that holds the incense that goes in the thurible.

This item also dates to the 1880s and was donated by the Sister of St. Joseph.
AF164

#7: Sanctus Gong

The sanctus gong has the same purpose as the sanctus bells, but is rarely used today.

This item was donated by the Congregation of St. Basil and was used in their chapel at Clover Hill, Toronto.
AF237

#8: Pyx

Pyxides are containers used to carry the Blessed Sacrament when communion is given outside of the mass; for example, during sick calls. The pyx above is pictured with its carrying case, which would be tied around the priest's neck.

AF296

#9: Pax

The pax - also known as a pax-brede, pax-board, paxillium or osculatorium - dates from medieval times. Instead of the sign of peace, the kiss of peace was used. The pax would be passed around to the faithful to be kissed, and would often depict the crucifixion, the ressurection, the ascension, or the agnes dei.

This pax belongs to the Congregation of St. Basil, and dates from the late 1800s.
Courtesy of the General Archives of the Basilian Fathers

#10: Communion Paten

The communion paten is a precious metal plate with a handle. It is held under the chin of a person receiving communion to catch any stray particles of the blessed sacrament. It was more commonly used when communion was received on the tongue.

This communion paten was donated to the Sacred Objects Exchange.
SOX189

Obscure Ecclesiastical Objects 101: Final Exam

At colleges and universities across the country, classes are wrapping up and students are getting ready to take their final exams. We felt inspired to come up with a quiz for you, dear readers.

Below you will find photos of objects from our collection. Some may be recognizable, but some won't be as familiar to you. See how many you can name, and come back next week for the answers. Good luck!

#1.
AF22

#2
AF83

#3
AF88

#4
AF91

#5
AF163

#6
AF164

#7
AF237

#8
AF296

#9
Courtesy of the General Archives of the Basilian Fathers

#10
SOX189