Remembering an Irish Priest and Poet

Since 1998 Canada has designated April as National Poetry Month “to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada’s culture”.

Last April we celebrated this event by sharing some of the poems Cardinal Carter had written and self published in his book The Poems of a Soul Friend.

These remain some of our staff favourites, however Cardinal Carter was not the only poet in the history Archdiocese of Toronto.

 

Photograph of Reverend James B. Dollard, from the introduction of Irish Lyrics and Ballads by James B. Dollard, 1917

ARCAT Reference Library 811 DOL 1917

 

Reverend James Dollard served as pastor in the Archdiocese at St. Columbkilles’s in Uptergrove and St. Monica’s and Our Lady of Lourdes in Toronto. He also wrote and published prose in his free time, specializing in sonnets and Irish ballads.

 

The Archives has three volumes of Rev. Dollard’s poems in our reference library. While these aren’t what we normally consider reference material, we are happy to have his poems available for researchers to access.

 

Dollard, James. Irish Mist and Sunshine: A Book of Ballads. Toronto: W.E. Blake, 1901. 

Dollard, James. Poems. Toronto: The Catholic Extension Society of Canada, 1910.

Dollard, James. Irish Lyrics and Ballads. Toronto: McClelland, Goodchild & Steward Ltd, 1917. 

 

Born in Kilkenny in 1872, many of his poems evoke a sense of longing for the Ireland of yore, often calling the country “Erin” in the style of romantic nineteenth century poets and Irish nationalists. While most of the poems are about Ireland, Father Dollard also wrote poems about Canada and religion.

 

Reverend Dollard was uncertain that his Irish ballads would be appreciated in North America, and yet the press offered high praise for his 1910 collection. Nathan Haskell Dole wrote in the Boston Book Culture that "Father Dollard's ballads have all the fire and dash of Kipling's with a firmer poetic touch," and Dr. Thomas O'Hagan in his Canadian Essays wrote: "I have no hesitation in pronouncing Father Dollard the best writer of Irish ballad poetry now living. "

Here is a sampling of poems from Rev. Dollard that are particularly relevant to this year’s National Poetry Month theme, “celebrating nature with poetry:”

 

In Erin.

A broken tower, an ancient cross,
  A brown, bare hill behind;
A sob and a sigh, where the stream flows by,
  A rustling of reeds in the wind.
(Lone whispering of reeds in the wind!) 

A crumbling gable, a ruined cot,
  Dank weeds that batten on the floor;
A gray bog nigh, where curlews cry,
  Like Banshee wailing at the door.
(Ah! The moaning of the Banshee at the door!)

A grim, black coast, and a wintry sea,
  A broken boat on the land,
A fitful caoine from lips unseen,
  Loud clamor of waves on the strand.
(Wild trouble of the waters on the strand.)

A flash of sunshine, a glint of green,
  A hamlet white in the vale;
A laugh and a song where the hurlers throng,
  God’s hope for the future of the Gael.
(Joy springs from the sorrow of the Gael.)
-

Dollard, James. Poems. Toronto: The Catholic Extension Society of Canada, 1910.

ARCAT Reference Library 811 DOL 1910
 

Lakes of the North.

Lakes of the North, flash out in sheed,
Of silver and engirdling green,           
        White birch and fragrant tamarac,
Your myriad beauties vainly screen.

Lakes of the North, how quaintly ring  
Those native sounds---Temiskaming,
Temagami of jewelled sands,
And deeply mirrored Couchiching !

Blue spaces of the happy sky,        
Reflected in your waters lie,          
           When in the hush of cloudless day,
The fretful loon makes eldritch cry!

God’s artist free --- the autumn air,      
The shore-line touches here and there,
    Till deep with gold and rubies set,
The bright wave burns --- a crystal rare.

Lakes of the North, though winter close
Your death-cold lips in mute repose,    
  Not all his icy breath can chill,
The glow your lover’s bosom knows. 
-

Dollard, James. Poems. Toronto: The Catholic Extension Society of Canada, 1910.

ARCAT Reference Library 811 DOL 1910



Song of the Little Villages.*

The pleasant little villages that grace the Irish glynns
Down among the wheat-fields,--- up amid the whins,
The little white walled villages crowding close together,
Clinging to the Old Sod in spite of wind and weather:

Ballytarsney, Ballymore, Ballyboden, Boyle,
Ballingarry, Ballymagorry by the Banks of Foyle,
Ballylaneen, Ballyporeen, Bansha, Ballysadare,
Ballybrack, Ballinalack, Barna, Ballyclare.

The cosy little villages that shelter from the mist,
Where the great West Walls by ocean-spray are kissed;
The happy little villages that cuddle in the sun
When blackberries ripen and the harvest work is done.

Corrymeela, Croaghnakeela, Clogher, Cahirciveen,
Cappaharoe, Carrigaloe, Cashel and Coosheen,
Castlefinn and Carrigtohill, Crumlin, Clara, Clane,
Carrigaholt, Carrigaline, Cloghjordan and Coolrain.

The dreamy little villages, where by the fire at night,
Old Shanachies, with ghostly tale the boldest hearts affright;
The crooning of the wind-blast is wailing Banshee’s cry,
And when the silver hazels stir they say the fairies sigh.

Kilfenora, Kilfinnane, Kinnity, Killylea,
Killmoganny, Kiltamagh, Kilronan and Kilrea,
Killashandra, Kilmacow, Killiney, Killanshee,
Killenaule, Killmyshall, Killorglin and Killeagh.

Leave the little villages, o’er the black seas go,
Learn the stranger’s welcome, learn the exile’s woe,
Leave the little villages, but think not to forget
Afar they’ll rise before your eyes to rack your bosoms yet.

Moneymore, Moneygall, Monivea and Moyne,
Mullinahone, Mullinavatt, Mullagh and Mooncoin
Shanagolden, Shanballymore, Stranorlar and slane,
Toberheena, Toomyvara, Tempo and Stabane.

On the Southern Llanos,--- north where strange light gleams,
Many a yearning exile sees them in his dreams
Dying voices murmur (passed all pain and care)
“Lo! the little villages, God has heard our prayer.”

Lisdoonvarna, Lissadil, Lisdargan, Lisnaskea,
Portglenone, Portarlington, Portumna, Portmagee,
Clonegam and Clonegowan, Cloondara and Clonae,
God bless the little villages and guard them night and day!

*All the names are genuine
-

Dollard, James. Irish Mist and Sunshine: A Book of Ballads. Toronto: W.E. Blake, 1901

ARCAT Reference Library, 811 DOL 1901

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.

Palm Sunday at the Cathedral

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the Second Sunday in Passiontide, the last Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week.

On this day, Christians celebrate the triumphal arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem one week before His resurrection. The faithful receive palm leaves which they use to participate in a ritual procession.

Here in the archives we have a wonderful series of photographs that show Cardinal Ambrozic celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in 2005. It's of course interesting to see the Cathedral before the renovation project, but these photographs also document some important Palm Sunday traditions:

• The vestment colours for Palm Sunday are red and white, symbolizing the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world.
• Crosses, statues and images throughout the cathedral are veiled in the purple as a reminder of Lenten penitence for the two weeks of Passiontide.
• Palm leaves and plants can be seen throughout the church. A cross made of palm leaves is hung from the pulpit, and potted palms decorate the front of the church.

Palm Sunday Mass  at St. Michael's Cathedral. Photographed by Suzanne Scarsone, 2005.

ARCAT OPRC Accession 2005-040

The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday is always the passion narrative, however which Book of the Gospel is read depends on the liturgical year. Below are Cardinal Ambrozic's notes for his homily for the Passion Story from the Gospel of Luke (Year C of the Liturgical Calendar). This is the same Gospel that will be read this Sunday:

Palm Sunday - C (2004)

A few remarks about Luke's Passion story:
1) Jesus as Martyr: he is the just man (the remark of the man crucified with him)
2) Jesus' compassion: he is sorry for the Daughters of Jerusalem and their children.
He is sorry for all of us knowing our weakness and sinfulness
He forgives: "Today you will be with me in paradise," "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"
3) He is our model : we are to follow him.
Simon carrying Jesus' cross behind Jesus.
A book published on the suffering of the Catholics of Oriental rite: Ukraine, Romania.

Cardinal Ambrozic Accession 2007-004 - Homilies, Palm Sunday.

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

Encapsulating & Mounting a Panoramic Photograph

A panoramic photograph was recently donated to us that features an impressive group shot of people standing in front of St. Patrick's Church, Toronto, during the 3rd German Catholic Convention of the Province of Ontario in 1937. Upon receiving the photograph, it was evident that it had been rolled up for quite some time due to its strong curl. In an effort to flatten the photograph while minimizing the risk of cracking, the photograph was placed in our humidification chamber and flattened. For more information and instructions on how to humidify and flatten an item, check out our previous blog post on the topic. 

 

After the process was complete, this is what I was left with:



While I was happy with the results, I was reminded that paper fibres have the ability to remember how they have been treated in the past. Therefore, I wasn't confident that this guy wouldn't attempt to curl himself back up again.

To ensure that the print remain flat, I decided to encapsulate it and mount it. Here's how I did it!

First, the supplies and tools you'll need:

A tape measure, archival-safe double sided tape, box cutter

Mylar sheet, foam core board

Mylar acts to keep the print flat as well as provide support. It also protects against fingerprints and its transparency allows the print to be viewed while in its enclosure. I chose a more sturdy foam core board to mount the print since I wanted to ensure that it would not curl again. If this is not a concern, you can opt for any kind of archival board.

First, you want to measure the panoramic photograph.

Next, you want to cut two identical pieces of Mylar that are large enough to cover the entire print with 5-8cm of extra Mylar on all sides.

I recommend taking this opportunity to clean any dust/debris from the Mylar sheets using any regular microfibre cleaning cloth:

Next, apply the double sided tape to one piece of Mylar. I recommend only applying tape on the long edges, that way the print is secured but you're still able to slide it in and out of the enclosure.

Once you put the second piece of Mylar on top of the first, you can slide the print into the sleeve you've created. Since it was a challenge to line up both pieces of Mylar perfectly, I ended up trimming the edges to clean it up.

After this, you can put double sided tape on the back of the encapsulated print along the two long edges and stick it to your mounting board.

Next, trim the excess mounting board from the print leaving as much space as you prefer. I decided to trim it so it aligned with the edge of the Mylar.

You've encapsulated and mounted a panoramic photograph! Feel free to label it and store it as you see fit. Since the photograph is secure and safe in its encapsulation, it can go directly on a shelf. If you encapsulate more prints, these can be stacked on top of each other with a protective board placed on the very top. Alternatively, an encapsulated and mounted print can be placed in secondary housing such as an archival box.

For more information on caring for panoramic photographs, check out this Kathleen A. Kinakin's Thesis on the topic.

Stand Up and Be Counted

In the variety of records available to historians and genealogists, censuses are among the most useful. They are a snapshot of the population at a particular time. The data can be overwhelmingly voluminous, but a lot can be learned both about the population and about individual citizens.

Though there were censuses as far back as ancient times, the first census in North America was completed in 1666 by Jean Talon, the Indendant of New France. He listed 3,215 people living in and around Quebec City, Montreal, and Trois-Rivieres, and used the information to plan how to make the population and economy of the colony grow.

After confederation, a census of Canada was taken every ten years starting in 1871. The first census was important to ensure the makeup of parliament accurately represented the population.

In 1931 Canada's first Dominion Statistician, Robert H. Coats, wrote to Archbishop McNeil to convey the importance of the general Census of Canada and to ask for his help in urging parishioners to participate. He highlighted that the information collected would only be used for statistical purposes because historically censuses had been used in some places to identify who to tax or who could serve in the military.

"The Census is the decennial stock-taking of the nation, designed to show from the widest angle the point that has been reached in the general progress of the nation. More particularly, it measures the human element in the state - their numbers, sex, age, conjugal condition, nationality, occupation, religions, etc., etc. ... It is not only the duty, but the legal obligation of all members of the community to answer all Census questions as fully and accurately as possible."

May 12, 1931

MN AH20.53
Archbishop McNeil Fonds

Governments aren't the only ones who use censuses to make plans for the people they represent. The Church also needs statistics to be able to responsibly and effectively allocate resources and enhance programming. In addition to using the civil census to track the population and demographics of an area, the Archdiocese also collects statistics about each parish.

The earliest example we could find of a bishop collecting statistical information about the area in his care was this 1827 document. Though it doesn't list the individuals in the area, it has the number of Catholic males and females under and over the age of 16 in South Western Ontario.

Return of the Roman Catholick (sic.) population of the Western District of the Province of Upper Canada for 1827.-

M AC21.01
Bishop Macdonell Fonds

There were several examples of documents like the one below, which was created for St. Paul's Parish in 1838. It tells us that in the area that St. Paul's served (the City of Toronto and area - 1,296 square miles!), the population is 2,500, of which about 750 generally attend mass. Under "Remarks," it notes that the people are "Labourers & poor mechanics - very few rich though several are respectable;" and of the church, "There is no school - no sacristy - no bell - Burying ground attached not well fenced."

 

Other pastors actually listed each family in an area, which is great for genealogists!

Census of Catholics on the Dundas Mission, page one

December 1833

M AC04.01
Bishop Macdonell Fonds

Some even went as far as to canvas Toronto neighbourhoods collecting information such as the name of the head of each family, the ages of the inhabitants, religion, and occupation. ARCAT has a few notebooks listing residents of the wards of St. David, St. Lawrence, St. James, St. George, St. Andrew, St. John, and St. Patrick. Below is an example of John Elmsley's 1847 list showing some Queen St. inhabitants.

1847 Census of St. Patrick's and St. James Wards

HO 13.43

ARCAT Holograph Collection

Library and Archives Canada has databases available on their website for searching censuses from 1926 and earlier. You can find information about your ancestors such as their levels of education, their employment, and the type of home they lived in. You can check that out on the Library and Archives Canada Website.

If you'd like to check out the Catholic "censuses" that we have here in the archives, check out our website for more information!

The Archdiocese of Toronto on the World Wide Web

 "...Now we have the Internet. The content of what we wish to tell remains the same: Jesus Christ and his Church."

These were the words of Cardinal Ambrozic when the Archdiocese of Toronto officially launched its first website back in 1999.

March 12th of this week marked the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web and Tim Berners-Lee first model of a hyperlinked, global information system. We thought it would be a fun opportunity to take a look back at the history of our online presence.

The Archdiocese of Toronto announced its website on December 16, 1999. In the press release announcing its launch, the Archdiocese described how archtoronto.org "offers visitors not only information on the parishes, social and other services, [but also] public statements and activities of the Archdiocesan community."

Here is what Archtoronto.org first looked like:

 Archtoronto.org Home page, 1999-mid 2000s

Captured on June 2004 by the Internet Archive

The website got a much needed update in 2006:

Archtoronto.org Home Page, 2006-2013

Captured January 2010 by the Internet Archive

And another in 2013:

Archtoronto.org Home Page, 2013-2015

Captured October 2013 by the Internet Archive

And was most recently updated in 2015:


Archtoronto.org Home Page, 2015-present

Captured June 2015 by the Internet Archive

The screenshots of our past websites were all taken from The Internet Archive Wayback Machine. The Internet Archive has saved archtoronto.org 496 times between October 13, 1999 and March 15, 2019. You can learn more about how the Internet Archive works, and the services they provide, here.

Here's to 30 more years of the World Wide Web!