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

 

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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.

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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.

Even Priests Can't Resist a Little Competition

PanAmania has swept through Southern Ontario, with events in 48 sports happening from Simcoe County to the Niagara Region.

Catholics have long recognized the importance of sports. In a homily in 2000 Pope Saint John Paul II said:

"Playing sports has become very important today, since it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity. Precisely for this reason, in recent years it has continued to grow even more as one of the characteristic phenomena of the modern era, almost a "sign of the times" capable of interpreting humanity's new needs and new expectations. Sports have spread to every corner of the world, transcending differences between cultures and nations.

"Because of the global dimensions this activity has assumed, those involved in sports throughout the world have a great responsibility. They are called to make sports an opportunity for meeting and dialogue, over and above every barrier of language, race or culture. Sports, in fact, can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love."

We were able to find a few sports shots in the archives:

While not an Olympic sport, bowling has been a part of the Pan Am games since 1991. This year's competition will take place from July 22-25.

Monsignor Jean Marie Castex bowls as part of the league at St. Ann's Parish, Penetanguishene in the early 1960s.
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The champions of St. Ann's, Penetanguishene Bowling League show off their trophies [1949-1964].
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Racquetball has been in the Pan Am games since 1995 and events will be taking place from July 19-26. The Squash competition has already taken place, with Canada receiving two silver and two bronze medals.

Priests-in-training compete in some kind of racket sport at St. Augustine's Seminary.
St. Augustine's Seminary Photo Collection

The Canadian men's baseball team is doing well in preliminary rounds. The medal games will be played on Sunday, and the women's competition will start on Monday.

Seminarians playing baseball on St. Augustine's grounds.
St. Augustine's Seminary Photo Collection

St. Matthew's Boy's Baseball Team, 1959.
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Field hockey games will be played throughout the two weeks of competition, but this is Canada, so it was easier for us to find pictures of ice hockey:

Students play hockey on the rink at St. Michael's College, 1917.
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Good luck to all of the athletes competing in this year's events!