Pope reaches out to Pentecostal believers
Pope Francis has become the first pope to visit a Pentecostal church, pressing his outreach to evangelicals who represent Catholicism’s greatest competition for Christian souls around the globe.
Francis flew by helicopter Monday to visit the under-construction Pentecostal Church of Reconciliation in Caserta. He met privately with a Pentecostal preacher who is an old friend, Giovanni Traettino.
Speaking to some 350 Pentecostal faithful, he apologized for Catholic persecution of Pentecostals during Italy’s fascist regime and said there was unity in diversity within Christianity. (AP)
VATICAN CITY
JULY 27, 2014
Pope Francis speaks of first world war
centenary and says his thoughts are on the Middle East, Iraq and Ukraine in
particular
Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) 2014
Wednesday, March 5
Ash Wednesday-By Jon Jakoblich
Ash Wednesday Mass
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, celebrated next on March 5, 2014. The name “Ash Wednesday” comes from the blessed ashes that are applied to the forehead of the faithful who receive them as a sign of the beginning of the season of Lent, the season of penance and preparation for Easter.
Being marked with ashes is a public acknowledgement that one is a sinner, as we all are.
Ash Wednesday History
In the fourth century, public penitents dressed in sackcloth and were sprinkled with ashes to show their repentance. The practice of public penance gradually fell into disuse from the eighth to the tenth centuries. Our current celebration of Ash Wednesday began to develop in the eleventh century where it had become customary to receive ashes at the beginning of Lent. The Christian use of ashes is rooted in the Jewish custom of sprinkling ashes on the head as a sign of repentance.
Contrary to popular belief, Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation although it is a spiritually and liturgically significant celebration which sets the penitential tone for the next six weeks before Easter.
Significance of Ashes
The ashes are a symbol of penance and reconciliation, which are used in the Catholic Church not only on Ash Wednesday, but also in the rite for the consecration of an altar and the dedication of a church. The ashes are the burnt palms used on Passion Sunday/Palm Sunday of the previous year. Many parishes allow for you to bring back your palms so that they may be used on the next Ash Wednesday.
Distribution of Ashes
On Ash Wednesday, ashes may be distributed during Mass, usually after the homily, or outside of Mass. When done outside of Mass ashes are distributed as part of a Liturgy of the Word. Ashes are typically placed on ones forehead in the shape of a cross. The traditional formula for placing the ashes on the forehead is, “Remember you are dust and will return to dust,” however, “Turn away from sin and live the gospel” is typically what is said today. Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence from meat.
http://www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/ash-wednesday/
-------------------
The Holy Rosary
I
finally think, always praying and am so thankful that POPE FRANCIS IS WAKING UP
THE WORLD 2 WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN SUCH DIRE POVERTY
... on this day... our Pope Francis- asking us 2
embrace each other.... and calling out to our gay brothers and sisters with
love and devotion saying,- who are we 2 judge u as we embrace each other and
the world - help the innocents - feed them, clothe them, help them with
shelters, education... a life...the poorest of the poor, education 4 each and
all- basic freedoms and basic decency and respect 2 each other.. Our Mother
Church- helping and loving each and all... life is messy..... embrace the
poor.. always. Pope Francis speaks against FRACKING- Water is more precious than Gold...
-----------------
POPE FRANCIS UPDATES- JANUARY 2014
Pope Francis' Gentle
Revolution: Inside Rolling Stone's New Issue
The times they are
a-changin’ at the Vatican
January 28, 2014 7:15 AM ET
Pope Francis on the cover of
Rolling Stone.
Pope Francis on the cover of
Rolling Stone.
Stefano Spaziani
Sarah Palin has described
Pope Francis as "kind of liberal." Rush Limbaugh has used the phrase
"pure Marxism" to describe the pope's idea that a modern
"culture of prosperity" has deadened people to the miseries of the
poor. And many more conservatives have questioned his comment on homosexual
priests – "Who am I to judge?" So just who is Pope Francis?
Read our full cover story on
Pope Francis here now
Rolling Stone sent
contributing editor Mark Binelli inside the Vatican to deliver a portrait of
His Holiness, a man who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio 77 years ago in Buenos
Aires, for the cover story in our new issue (on stands Friday). What he learned
was that Pope Francis is making a noticeable break from Vatican tradition,
facing political issues head on and presenting a more all-inclusive attitude
toward human rights – and that Catholics are appreciative.
In less than a year since
his papacy began, Pope Francis has done much to separate himself from past
popes and establish himself as a people's pope. Francis chose not to reside in
the papal palace, but to stay in the Vatican guest house, freeing himself of
the insulation of Vatican clergymen. He opts to ride around town in a Ford
Focus instead of a chauffeured limo. He pays his own hotel bills and keeps his
agenda. And, while Binelli was in Italy, he told a congregation in the piazza
that was weathering a storm that he wished he could come down to be with them.
"He seems to really mean it," Binelli reported.
Beyond Pope Francis: 10
conservatives who have gone liberal
A Vatican insider commented
on the way Francis has opted for privacy and independence in a way his
predecessors haven't. "John Paul II and Benedict both had an inner circle
so this is very disconcerting to the people on the inside," he told
Rolling Stone. "Does Francis have a war room? No, probably not. But who is
he talking to back there? No one really knows."
Beyond offering a friendlier
alternative to Benedict XVI – his predecessor, who was the first pope to resign
from his post in 700 years and who had a far more draconian outlook on
homosexuality – Pope Francis has begun investigations into possible corruption
within the church. He has explored ways to deal with the problem of pedophilia,
looking into ways to take measures and counsel victims.
"Francis is already
changing the church in real ways through his words and symbolic gestures,"
Father Thomas J. Reece, a senior analyst at the left-leaning National Catholic
Reporter told Rolling Stone. "He could sit in his office, go through canon
law and start changing rules and regulations. But that's not what people want
him to do."
Since the papal election,
attendance at papal events in the Vatican have tripled to 6.6 million people,
Binelli reports. Through quotations from Vatican experts and an engaging
biography that shows how the pope struggled through dark times to emerge as the
frontrunner for papacy, Rolling Stone presents the pope as a man tied to
religious tradition on one hand and fighting to bring the church into a new era
with the other. As the cover suggests, "The times, they are
a-changin'."
Also in this issue: Tim
Dickinson on how the U.S. exports global warming, Jonah Weiner profiles 12
Years a Slave director Steve McQueen, Stephen Roderick catches up with David
Crosby and David Kushner reports on the dead end on Silk Road.
Look for the issue on stands
and in the iTunes App Store this Friday, January 31st.
--------------
Water more precious than
Gold.... NO FRACKING...
Pope Francis: "Thou
shalt not frack!"
Pope Francis holding up
anti-fracking t-shirts following a meeting with a group of Argentinian
environmental activists to discuss water and fracking issues. The shirts read
“No To Fracking” and “Water Is More Precious Than Gold.”
Meet the Newest Anti-Fracking
Activist: Pope Francis.
I haven't seen this covered
prominently here, but thought it's worth a mention when the guy with a direct
line to 1.2 billion people's ears says that it's not cool to frack. This week
the Twitterverse went ablaze when Pope Francis met with Argentine filmmaker
Fernando “Pino” Solanas (La Guerra del Fracking -- The Fracking War) and
environmental activist Juan Pablo Olsson at the Vatican to discuss fracking and
water pollution. Olsson posted the photo of himself, Solanas and Pope Francis.
Next Up For Pope Francis:
Anti-Fracking Activist?
Finally, a logical pope. If
your belief tells you that God gave us the Earth to be stewards of, then
injecting millions of gallons of water and chemicals into the ground to
fracture massive rocks for their extra oil and gas and in the process
threatening the air we breathe, the water we drink, the communities we love and
the climate on which we all depend, seems like a really bad idea.
For a pope who has
demonstrated that he is able and willing to connect some serious dots by coming
out against poverty, inequality, and bigotry, stepping into the environmental
arena is the next logical move. After all, it is the poor and underprivileged
who have not only been taking the brunt of industrial pollution and
environmental degradation that comes with the fossil fueled life but are also
at the forefront of suffering the consequences of climate change. He reportedly
told the group he "is preparing an encyclical about nature, humans, and
environmental pollution."
I'm really digging on
Francis who is actually living up to his name as the patron saint of the poor.
What I didn't know is that St. Francis was named the patron saint of ecology by
John Paul II in 1979, because of his theological connection to poverty.
“It is my hope that the inspiration of
Saint Francis will help us to keep ever alive a sense of ‘fraternity’ with all
those good and beautiful things which Almighty God has created,” Pope John Paul
II later explained. “And may he remind us of our serious obligation to respect
and watch over them with care, in light of that greater and higher fraternity
that exists within the human family.”
And, of course, simply by
pissing off Sarah Palin you know you're moving humanity in the right direction.
According to one report of the meeting, His
Holiness's concern was "clear" when hearing about the Chevron deal in
Argentina and other environmental disputes in the region. On Tuesday, Sarah
Palin said she was shocked by the pontiff's "liberal" statements.
Wait 'til she hears about his new role as the face of Argentina's
environmentalist movement.
Pope Francis to visit the Holy Land |
Pope Francis will make his first trip to the Holy Land, visiting Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem from May 24 to 26.
Last updated: 05 Jan 2014 13:19
|
Pope Francis has made many appeals for peace in the Middle
East, calling for "a just and lasting solution." [Reuters]
|
| Pope Francis said he will make his first trip to the Holy Land, visiting
Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem over two days from May 24. The pontiff made the announcement on Sunday while addressing crowds gathered in St Peter's Square for the traditional Angelus prayer. "In the climate of joy typical of this Christmas period, I would like to announce that from May 24 to 26, God willing, I will carry out a pilgrimage to the Holy Land," he said. Francis said the date of the announcement, January 5, was significant because it "commemorates the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople," that happened 50 years ago. Their meeting in 1964 in Jerusalem led to the rescinding of the excommunications of 1054 that caused the Great Schism between the churches of the East and West. During the visit, the Pope Francis said he would hold an "ecumenical meeting with all the representatives of the Christian Churches in Jerusalem" at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem, venerated as the place where Jesus was buried. Francis was invited to visit the Holy Land by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who said he would "walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ." The 77-year-old pontiff has made many appeals for peace in the Middle East. During his meeting with Abbas, he called for "a just and lasting solution" to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Bethlehem mass Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot has reported Francis will celebrate a high mass in Bethlehem. The daily said Israeli authorities were unhappy with the brevity of the visit and the fact that the prelate will not celebrate mass in Israel, but in the West Bank, in the Palestinian territories. Francis made no mention of plans to hold a mass in Bethlehem in his Sunday announcement. Unconfirmed information from Roman Catholic sources in the Holy Land had earlier indicated a possible papal visit to a refugee camp for Syrians in Jordan. Israel and the Vatican first established full diplomatic relations in 1993, but have been engaged in years of thorny diplomatic negotiations over property rights and tax exemptions for the Catholic Church. The Vatican used the term "State of Palestine" for the first time in January 2013. |
----
Pope Francis to visit the Holy Land in May 2014!
In what will be his first visit to Israel, Pope Francis will be following his predecessor’s footsteps, Pope Benedict, who visited Israel back in 2009.
As experienced on that 2009 visit, there are likely to be huge crowds of Christian pilgrims in attendance, even though Pope Francis is officially visiting for a quickie only – May 24-26.
Pope Francis is expected to visit Bethlehem and Yad Vashem, with another couple of stopovers also likely. We can point the Pope in the direction of the must-see Christian sites in Israel, just in case he’s not sure…
Francis recently wrote that the Catholic Church holds “the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has never been revoked.”
-------------------
Pope FrancisPope Francis on Saturday met with the participants of the 26th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, meeting under the theme “Proclaiming Christ in the digital age.”
Pope Francis said the rise and development of the internet raises the question of the relationship between faith and culture.
Looking back to the first centuries of Christianity, the Pope pointed out Christians encountered the “extraordinary legacy” of Greek culture.
“Faced with philosophies of great profundity and educational methods of great value – although steeped in pagan elements, the Fathers did not shut them out, nor on the other hand, did they compromise with ideas contrary to the Faith,” Pope Francis said. “Instead, they learned to recognize and assimilate these higher concepts and transform them in the light of God’s Word, actually implementing what Saint Paul asks: Test all things and hold fast to that which is good.”
He said this also applies to the internet.
“You must test everything, knowing that you will surely find counterfeits, illusions and dangerous traps to avoid,” Pope Francis said. “But, guided by the Holy Spirit, we will discover valuable opportunities to lead people to the luminous face of the Lord. Among the possibilities offered by digital communication, the most important is the proclamation of the Gospel.”
He said it is not enough to acquire technological skills, however important. He said the internet must be used to meet “often hurting or lost” real people and offer them “real reasons for hope.”
“The announcement [of the Gospel] requires authentic human relationships and leads along the path to a personal encounter with the Lord,” he said.
“Therefore, the internet is not enough; technology is not enough,” Pope Francis continued. “This, however, does not mean that the Church's presence online is useless; on the contrary, it is essential to be present, always in an evangelical way, in what, for many, especially young people, has become a sort of living environment; to awaken the irrepressible questions of the heart about the meaning of existence; and to show the way that leads to Him who is the answer, the Divine Mercy made flesh, the Lord Jesus.”
http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.ca/2013/12/pope-francis-use-internet-to-offer-real.html
-----------------------
“Veni Veni Emmanuel” (Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel” in English) is one of the most solemn Advent hymns. The melody may perhaps be a old Jewish-Christian Hanuka liturgy chant from the 5th century. It is believed that the final form of the traditional music stems from a 15th Century French processional for Franciscan nuns, but it may also have 8th Century Gregorian origins. . The text is based on the biblical prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called “Emmanuel” meaning “God With Us”.
Veni Veni Emmanuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRi1GDoaQu4
Latin Veni, veni, Emmanuel Captivum solve Israel, Qui gemit in exsilio, Privatus Dei Filio. Gaude, Gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, O Iesse virgula, ex hostis tuos ungula, de spectu tuos tartari educ et antro barathri. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, veni O Oriens, Solare nos adveniens, Noctis depelle nebulas, Dirasque mortis tenebras. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, Clavis Davidica, Regna reclude caelica, Fac iter tutum superum, Et claude vias inferum. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, veni, Adonai, Qui populo in Sinai Legem dedisti vertice In maiestate gloriae. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel.
English Come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that morns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, form ev’ry foe deliver them that trust Thy mighty power to save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death’s dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home, make safe the way that leads on high, that we no more have cause to sigh. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, o come, Thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law, in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
Veni Veni Emmanuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRi1GDoaQu4
Latin Veni, veni, Emmanuel Captivum solve Israel, Qui gemit in exsilio, Privatus Dei Filio. Gaude, Gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, O Iesse virgula, ex hostis tuos ungula, de spectu tuos tartari educ et antro barathri. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, veni O Oriens, Solare nos adveniens, Noctis depelle nebulas, Dirasque mortis tenebras. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, Clavis Davidica, Regna reclude caelica, Fac iter tutum superum, Et claude vias inferum. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, veni, Adonai, Qui populo in Sinai Legem dedisti vertice In maiestate gloriae. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel.
English Come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that morns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, form ev’ry foe deliver them that trust Thy mighty power to save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death’s dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home, make safe the way that leads on high, that we no more have cause to sigh. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, o come, Thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law, in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
---------------------
Man of the people brings new vibrancy to the church, parishioners say
By Tom Parry, CBC News Posted: Dec 24, 2013 4:27 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 24, 2013 4:27 PM ET
► Pope Francis holds his 1st Christmas Eve mass
>The Vatican radical: James Carroll on Pope Francis
>Pope Francis is Time's Person of the Year
>Pope Francis lauded by gay-rights magazine on 77th birthday
The last Sunday before Christmas was cold and grey in Ottawa, with a storm bringing in snow and freezing rain.
Despite the weather, the hearty parishioners at St. Patrick's Basilica downtown filed in, stamping snow off their boots, for morning mass.
Outside the basilica, Glen Goss stopped to admire the nativity scene on the front lawn. He also paused to speak about a subject that's caught the attention of Catholics and non-Catholics alike: the new pope. Goss calls him an honest and true man.
"The previous pope was a significant intellectual and also a very holy man," Goss said.
"But Francis is more a people's man."
That sentiment is common among parishioners.
"He's more into the ordinary people and that's what we're striving for in our church," said Jovy Salas as she hurried in for mass.
Pope Francis has caused a stir within the church in Canada and around the world. Since becoming Pope in March, Francis hasn't changed church doctrine, but he has set a new tone at the Vatican.
He's rejected many of the luxuries that go with his title and focused instead on caring for the poor. He has railed against unbridled capitalism and invited homeless men to breakfast to celebrate his birthday.
Observers say the new style is making a difference in the way the church is perceived.
Pope Francis's common touch is part of his charm and what appeals to many Roman Catholics. (Claudio Peri/Pool/Associated Press)
"What's most attractive about Francis is the simplicity and the authenticity of his own witness. People get it," said Prof. Catherine Clifford of St. Paul University in Ottawa.
"He's cutting through the jargon of things and really communicating the heart of the Gospel message in a very direct way."
Person of the Year
Francis has become something of a media sensation. Time magazine named him its Person of the Year for 2013. So did The Advocate, a leading gay rights journal. Church leaders are welcoming the good publicity and positive headlines.
"I would say it certainly gives us some breathing room," said Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"I think what is happening now generally is that there's a more kind of openness to the possibility that the church might have something to offer to this world. And I'm very glad that there's this openness, because I personally believe that the church has much to offer to this world," he said.
Pope Francis gets a kiss during his visit at the Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital in Rome, on Dec. 21. The pontiff visited the hospital's chapel and met with young patients and their families. (Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press)
The question that remains is whether Francis can draw in Catholics who have drifted away. No figures are available for Canada, but some churches in Europe have reported a spike in attendance. For some, though, the numbers are secondary.
"I don't think it's just a question of how many people are at mass. You can have a church full of the standing dead," said Mary Jo Leddy, a theologian and lecturer at the University of Toronto.
"But it's the sense of joy and sense of life that you get in conversations among Catholics now. There's something fresh. There's something really exciting that's happening. And none of us know quite what it is. We're as surprised by this Pope as anybody. And maybe he's surprising himself."
Challenges remain
The Catholic Church, of course, still faces significant challenges. They include a legacy of sexual abuse and coverup as well as doctrine and practices that critics say exclude women, gays and other members of society.
For now, the focus is on the new face of a new Pope. The fundamental change some are looking for may still be a long way off. Outside St. Patrick's Basilica, however, there's no mistaking a sense of optimism.
"I was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church and lots of times I found it very routine," said parishioner Rose Bechamp.
"But since Pope Francis has entered the picture, there is a new vibrancy," she added.
"If you came to church on Sunday, you would see for yourself."
---------------------
Francis has changed tone, perception of church ‘in an extraordinary way’
DAVID BAUDER ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Time magazine selected Pope Francis as its Person of the Year on Wednesday, saying the Catholic Church’s new leader has changed the perception of the 2,000-year-old institution in an extraordinary way in a short time.
The pope beat out NSA leaker Edward Snowden for the distinction, which the newsmagazine has been giving each year since 1927.
The former Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected in March as the first pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit.
Since taking over at the Vatican, he has urged the Catholic Church not to be obsessed with “smallminded rules" and to emphasize compassion over condemnation in dealing with touchy topics like abortion, gays and contraception.
He has denounced the world’s “idolatry of money" and the “global scandal" that nearly one billion people today go hungry, and has charmed the mass es with his simple style and wry sense of humour. His appearances draw tens of thousands of people and his (at)Pontifex Twitter account recently topped 10 million followers.
“He really stood out to us as someone who has changed the tone and the p erception and the focus of one of the world’s largest institutions in an extraordinary way," said Nancy Gibbs, the magazine’s managing editor.
The Vatican said the honour wasn’t surprising given the resonance in the general public that Francis has had, but it nevertheless said the choice was a “p ositive" recognition of spiritual values in the international media .
“The Holy Father is not looking to become famous or to receive honours," said the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. “But if the choice of Person of Year helps spread the message of the Gospel — a message of God’s love for everyone — he will certainly be happy about that."
It was the third time a Catholic pope had been Time’s selection.
John Paul II was selected in 1994 and John XXIII was chosen in 1962 .
In Argentina on Wednesday, Padre Toto, one of the many “slum priests" the pope supported for years as archbishop of Buenos Aires, praised Time magazine’s s election .
“I think the recognition o f Time magazine is good news, because Pope Francis embodies one of the values of a church that’s more missionary, closer to the people, more austere, more in keeping with the gospel," Toto said.
“He had the genius of knowing how to express this sense of the church and hopefully his way of being will catch on with other p olitical leaders, business executives, sports figures. His leadership is inspiring ."
Besides Snowden , Time had narrowed its finalists down to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and gay rights activist Edith Windsor, whose Supreme Court case led to the fall of the Defence of Marriage Act, which prevented same-sex couples from federal benefits.
President Barack Obama was Time’s selection for 2012. Time editors make the selection.
The Holy Father is not looking to become famous or to receive honours.
Rev. Federico Lombardi Vatican spokesman
Pope Francis listens to a speaker during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday. Pope Francis has been selected by Time magazine as the Person of the Year.
ALESSANDRA TARANTINO • AP
-------------------
Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi, or "to the city and to the world," message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday, December 25. Francis spoke to tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans in the square below. He said he was joining in the song of Christmas angels with all those hoping "for a better world," and with those who "care for others, humbly."
---------------------
Pope Francis lauded by gay-rights magazine on 77th birthday
Pontiff has birthday breakfast with four homeless people
Thomson Reuters Posted: Dec 17, 2013 7:45 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 17, 2013 9:58 AM ET
The Advocate magazine said it gave Francis the honour because, although he is still against homosexual marriage, his pontificate so far had shown "a stark change in [anti-gay] rhetoric from his two predecessors".
It hailed as a landmark his famous response last July to a reporter who asked about gay people in the Church: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?"
The Advocate noted that the Catholic gay organization Equally Blessed called the phrase "some of the most encouraging words a pontiff has ever spoken about gay and lesbian people."
The Vatican has stressed the Pope's words did not change Church teachings that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are.
Still, the gay community and many heterosexuals in the Church have welcomed what they see as a shift in emphasis and a call for the Church to be more compassionate and less condemning.
The Advocate said no one should "underestimate any pope's capacity for persuading hearts and minds in opening to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) people".
-----------------------------
Pope Francis
travels to home of namesake saint
October
4, 2013 - 6:26pm NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pope
Francis smiles during his meeting with cloistered nuns at the St. Chiara
Basilica, in Assisi, Italy, on Friday. Pope Francis broke bread with the poor
and embraced the disabled on a pilgrimage to his namesake’s hometown. (AP)
.
ASSISI,
Italy — Pope Francis broke bread with the poor and embraced the disabled on a
pilgrimage to his namesake’s hometown Friday, urging the faithful to follow the
example of the 13th-century St. Francis, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute
lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.
According
to tradition, God told St. Francis to “repair my house,” and the first pope to
take the saint’s name has made clear that he sees that as his own mission as
well.
For
Francis, that means reaching out to the most marginalized among the church’s
1.2 billion followers, reforming the broken Vatican bureaucracy, and allowing
the faithful to shake things up in their dioceses — even at the annoyance of
their bishops — if that’s what it takes to better spread God’s word.
After
all, the pope said, St. Francis was a radical himself in his complete devotion
to his faith — a model that can serve Catholics today.
Here
are the main goals Pope Francis has set out for his church, highlighted during
his visit to the hilltop town of Assisi, whose native son has inspired his
papacy:
A
CHURCH ‘THAT IS POOR AND FOR THE POOR’
Francis
had lunch with a group of poor at a soup kitchen after demanding that the
faithful “strip” themselves of their worldly attachment to wealth, which he
said is killing the church and its souls. He delivered that exhortation during
the most evocative stop of the day, in the simple room where St. Francis
stripped off his clothes, renounced his wealth and vowed to live a life of
poverty. Since becoming pope in March, Francis has made it clear that one of
his principal objectives is a church that is humble, looks out for the poorest
and brings them hope. The “slum pope,” as he is known because of his work in
Argentina’s shantytowns, recently denounced the “idolatry” of money and
encouraged those without the “dignity” of work.
A
CHURCH THAT WELCOMES AND DOESN’T JUDGE
Francis’
first stop in Assisi was to an institute that cares for gravely disabled
children, who in the words of the director are often seen as “stones cast
aside,” invisible and neglected by the world. Francis caressed and kissed each
child, saying their “scars need to be recognized and listened to.” It was part
of the simple message of love that he has brought to others often considered
outcasts, such as drug addicts and convicts. His “who am I to judge?” comment
about gays over the summer was another reflection of this message of merciful
welcome.
It
represented a radical shift in tone for the Vatican. Catholic teaching holds
that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, so Francis was
making no change in doctrine. But church teaching also holds that gay acts are
“intrinsically disordered” — a point Francis has neglected to emphasize in
favour of a message of inclusion.
A
FEMININE CHURCH
Francis
has called for a greater role for women in the governance of the church, while
ruling out female ordination. He says the church itself is female, that Jesus
Christ was married to the church and that Mary is more important than all the
apostles. On Friday, Francis paid special attention to the women of the church,
visiting the cloistered Sisters of St. Clare, an order founded by one of St.
Francis’ followers. In the Basilica of St. Clare, Pope Francis told the nuns
that they must be mothers to the church and be joyful. “It makes me sad when I
find sisters who aren’t joyful,” he lamented. “They might smile, but with just
a smile they could be flight attendants!” He showed that same sense of humour
later when he told a story about a mother who lamented that her 30-year-old son
still hadn’t gotten married — a reference to a generation of Italian men who
seem unwilling to move out: “Signora,” Francis recalled telling her. “Stop
ironing his shirts!”
A
CHURCH THAT IS ‘MESSY’ AND GOES OUTSIDE THE SACRISTY
St.
Francis was considered a radical disobedient for having renounced everything
and given himself entirely to his faith, but that’s just the type of radical
witness Pope Francis wants for today’s Catholics.
Francis
told Argentine pilgrims during World Youth Day in July to make a “mess” in
their dioceses and shake things up. He hopes the church will stop being so
inward-looking, and instead go out to the peripheries to spread the faith, just
like St. Francis. The pope’s first trip outside Rome was to Lampedusa, a
southern Italian island closer to Africa than the Italian mainland. His eulogy
for all migrants lost at sea denounced a “globalization of indifference,” a
prescient message given Thursday’s shipwreck off Lampedusa that killed scores
of migrants.
As
black mourning ribbons hung from Assisi’s banners, Francis proclaimed Friday “a
day of tears.”
A
CHURCH THAT WORKS FOR PEACE AND CARES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Assisi
is known for its message of peace, drawing people of all faiths — and no faith
— for annual peace pilgrimages to the basilica dominating the hill and its
magnificent frescos by Giotto and Cimabue. The town takes its cue from St.
Francis, who preached a message of peace and care for nature. But Pope Francis
lamented Friday that the saint’s message is often misunderstood, “sweetened”
into something he didn’t represent. A Vatican spokesman put it this way: “Too
often his message is lost and we reduce his role to that of a gentle, whimsical
hippie who fed birds, smelled flowers and tamed wild wolves.”
Pope
Francis said the saint’s message was to truly “love one another as I have loved
you,” calling for an end to all the wars in the Middle East, especially Syria.
About
the Author»
NICOLE
WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
----------------
Even God is getting angry....“Water is more precious than gold.”..Pope Francis
POPE FRANCIS- The pope visited Solanas and posed for a picture holding an anti-fracking T-shirt, along with one that bore the slogan, “Water is more precious than gold.”
Pope Francis speaks out against fracking and environmental devastation
Friday, November 29th, 2013 By Ilaria Bertini
http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2013/11/29/pope-francis-speaks-out-against-fracking-and-environmental-devastation/
POPE FRANCIS- The pope visited Solanas and posed for a picture holding an anti-fracking T-shirt, along with one that bore the slogan, “Water is more precious than gold.”
Pope Francis speaks out against fracking and environmental devastation
Friday, November 29th, 2013 By Ilaria Bertini
http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2013/11/29/pope-francis-speaks-out-against-fracking-and-environmental-devastation/
----------------
AND...
IN CANADA...
AND.... see... we told u gay brothers and sisters...
back in the 60s and 70s..... in Canada... we would change our world..... and we
have.... as long as people care about people....equally.....
LIKE
POPE FRANCIS- IT'S ABOUT ACCEPTANCE- WHO
ARE WE 2 JUDGE- Am Roman Catholic... my father's family left Ireland in 1100's
for France and came 2 Canada- Lawn, Placentia Bay- Newfoundland in 1632 as
fishers of the sea..... not a darn thing but bare hands, raw courage, a Bible
and a work ethic 2 inspire and be grateful of what we have 2da. We hunted paedophiles back in the 80s... we
also moved on knowing that our Catholic Faith is our life and EVIL was not
going 2 ruin the purity that is our Christian Faith..... and have had laws in
place since 1969.... Canada is about the oldest country on the planet with such
cultures and embraceing 200 cultures and 2 official languages..... our military
has been accepted 4 over 20 years... we walk, fight and die 4 each other on the
battlefields.... r kids matter folks.... Like Sidney Crosby says.... on
stepping up so honestly and honourably.... I am Canadian... it's just who we
are..... as kids we grew up accepting everybody.... as ... equal.
Proud
day....
Canadian
bishop explains attendance at installation of new openly gay military Chaplain
General
by
Peter Baklinski-Thu Oct 03, 2013 19:54 EST
OTTAWA,
October 2, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canadian Bishop Donald Thériault, Bishop
of the Military Ordinariate of Canada, says that, whatever his personal
reservations about his openly homosexual lifestyle, Brigadier General John
Fletcher, the newly installed Chaplain General of the Canadian Armed Forces,
was the right man for the job.
“He
was the only one with the experience at all levels, and, as they say, crossing
all the T’s, as he went along. And so there’s no question about his being the
one person in the Canadian Forces in the Chaplaincy who was ready for that
position,” said Thériault.
-------------------
AM
ROMAN CATHOLIC.... in the summers a group of us travel around 2 the different
Christian churces.... and praise our Lord and Saviour- sharing our love of Christ with all our
friends, community, our Canada... and have done this since the 80s..... we love
our gay brothers and sisters... and like Pope Francis says...
If
u have love in your hearts 4 each other on this planet and care for our poor,
homeless, aged, helpless, our children and nurture each other.... who are we 2
judge - God loves us each and all...
and
that... was his response....and also 2 respect other pure religions... true
religions... Peace of Christ everyone... on this beautiful day... as we pray as
friends and have since 2001 4 our Nato sons and daughters... and why many of us
are actually on these sites...
THIS
INCREDIBLE MAN OF GOD.... DR. S.M. LOCKERIDGE.... STOLE OUR HEARTS AND
REFRESHES OUR SOULS...
THAT'S
MY KING-... Catholic Christian Symbol
-IRNI (LATIN: IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDAEORVM TRANSLATES- Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews)
....YOU
CAN'T OUTLIVE HIM.....AND YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HIM...... Oh Praise the
Lord... Our Lord and Saviour...Jesus Christ
Dr.
S.M. Lockeridge -That's My King: Do you know him? -
1976 sermon in Detroit
The
Purpose (Get Up Weary Soldier)
-----------------------
My
father's family came 2 canada via Ireland and France - they left Ireland in 1100s and journeyed 2
France and came 2 Canada as fishers in 1632- Lawn, Placentia Bay,
Newfoundland... which later- much... became part of Canada.
Roman
Catholic Church
Roman
Catholic Church, see CATHOLICISM.
TRADITIONAL
LATIN MASS- FEAST OF SACRED HEART
Traditional
Latin Mass filmed on the Feast of the Sacred Heart in the small chapel of the
International Seminary of Saint Cure d'Ars, Flavigny, France, in 1999. The
seminary is the Society of Saint Pius X's second European seminary. Typically
seminarians spend their first year of spiritually there before leaving for
Ecône, Switzerland, to complete their training.
The
film presents the ceremonies of the Missa Solemnis or Solemn High Mass with
Gregorian chant and polyphonic motets, notably Casciolini's setting of Panis
Angelicus. Some local customs take place during the Mass. For example, birettas
are not worn and the Domini Non Sum Dignus is recited aloud by all present.
More astute listeners might also notice the French pronunciation, which is
perhaps not the ideal.
This
film has been available on the Internet for quite some time encoded in a very
low quality format. I have encoded the video here from an original source at
the highest quality possible given the size restrictions at Youtube.
Unfortunately this has resulted in a slightly blurred picture and mono sound
rather than stereo. Apart from the addition of captions, the film remains
unchanged.
COMMENT: The treasure of the True Roman? Catholic
Church.. not the Vatican 2 sect that we see now
APOSTLE'S
CREED- FOUNDED ON EVERY CHRISTIAN FAITH
The
Apostles Creed
A
prayer of Faith in the teaching of Jesus and His Church.
I
believe in God,
the
Father Almighty,
Creator
of Heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the Virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died and was buried.
He
descended to the dead.
On
the third day, He rose again.
He
ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
Holy Catholic Church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
life everlasting. Amen.
Schubert
- Ave Maria (Opera)
A
brief video depicting a portion of the Tridentine Latin Mass held at Our Lady
of Assumption Church in Windsor, Ontario. From YouTube.
CATHOLIC
/ Catholicism
The
Greek word katholikos, meaning "general" or "universal,"
refers most commonly to the CHRISTIANITY that is in communion with the pope and
the Church of Rome, that is, the beliefs and practices of a Catholic Church.
The modern ecumenical movement often refers to all Christians as sharing in the
church's Catholicism, which is derived from the universal headship and reign of
Christ. (Many Protestant denominations include the word "Catholic" in
their creeds, referring thereby to the Christian Church as a whole.)
The
term is not biblical: St Ignatius of Antioch (d about 110 AD) was the first
person known to have referred to the "Catholic church." St Vincent of
Lerins (5th century) later defined the Catholic faith as "that which has
been believed everywhere, always, and by all." In the church's belief, God
is the creator and father of all, and God the son (Christ) has a universal
kingdom, the church. The earliest Christian churches, established amid great
linguistic, cultural and ethnic diversity, regarded themselves as constituting
one holy Catholic church of Christ.
PHOTO
Roman
Catholic Mass at Igloolik
The
mass among the Inuit retains elements of Inuit society and tradition (Corel
Professional Photos).
The
Roman Catholic Sacraments
The Roman Catholic Church recognizes 7
religious acts, or sacraments: baptism, normally of infants; confirmation; the
Eucharist (communion), celebrated centrally in the mass (public worship) and
offered only to the baptized; confession, which involves the petitioner's
penance and absolution by a priest; ordination (admission to one of 3 clerical
ranks); marriage; and unction (anointing), normally administered only if the
recipient is seriously ill or death is imminent.
Government
of the church is by a hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons under the
authority of the pontiff (supreme priest), or pope, who is bishop of Rome and
the head of the Catholic Church. The government of the church is located in the
Vatican in Rome. Cardinals are archbishops or bishops appointed by the pope,
and upon the death of a pope they are responsible for electing the next pope.
Each bishop is the head of a diocese and is responsible, among other things,
for ordaining new priests. Priests are responsible for their individual
parishes and congregations. The doctrine of apostolic succession holds that the
spiritual authority vested in the apostles by Christ has descended in unbroken
succession to the present pope, bishops and priests, who possess this authority
in varying degrees. All clergy must be male. The church has numerous CHRISTIAN
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES of both genders; members commit themselves to chastity,
as do priests and bishops of the Western rite.
Since
the early centuries of Christianity, Easter, which commemorates Christ's
resurrection, has been the central feast of the liturgical calendar. Easter
Sunday occurs following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The holy
week begins with Palm Sunday, one week before Easter Sunday, and is the
anniversary of Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem. On the Thursday before
Easter Sunday, Catholics commemorate the Last Supper followed by Good Friday,
the day of the crucifixion. Over time, other seasonal and thematic feasts have
been added; in contemporary Catholicism, Christmas (feast of the birth of
Jesus) and Epiphany (feast of the early manifestations of Christ's divinity)
have been highlighted along with Easter as the central feasts of the year. The Feast
of the Epiphany is celebrated on the first Sunday after Christmas (see
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS).
In
2001, Statistics Canada reported that 12 936 910 Canadians (46%) identified
themselves as Catholic, and Roman Catholics (the Western rite) represented 12
793 125 Canadians (43.2%). This survey also reported that almost 50% of
Canada's Roman Catholics lived in Québec, where they accounted for 83% of the
province's population, the highest proportion in Canada. (Census data must be
treated with care; identification with the church does not necessarily imply
active membership.)
Immigration
of ethnic groups who are Roman Catholic has substantially contributed to the
population in Canada and represented 39% of immigrants who came to Canada
before 1961. This proportion increased to 43% of those who arrived between 1961
and 1970, however, this proportion dropped to 23% of immigrants who came to
Canada between 1991 and 2001. Despite the number of Roman Catholic immigrants,
and the fact that Roman Catholics remain the largest religious group in Canada,
their numbers are declining.
Early
History of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholicism came to what is now Canada
with the first European explorers but was slow to establish itself. Whether
Jacques CARTIER really was accompanied by chaplains in 1535, Catholicism did
not take hold until Samuel de CHAMPLAIN persuaded the French church to act on
his pro-settlement campaign. Circumstances favoured the missionary spirit that
led to a Canadian Catholic Church; these included the interest of the papacy
and the religious orders in the New World; the end of the religious wars in
France; the reforms following the Council of Trent, which regenerated the
French church; and the enthusiasm of the devout for missions abroad. Supported
by noble benefactors and the French clergy, members of the RÉCOLLET Franciscan
order established themselves in Québec in 1615, followed in 1625 by the
Jesuits. The missionaries went home to France during the English occupation of
1629-32, but then returned in force (although, by order of Cardinal Richelieu,
only the Jesuits were permitted to resume their work).
This
young Canadian church was devoted almost entirely to evangelizing native
peoples. Without neglecting the increasing number of settlers in NEW FRANCE,
the JESUITS (and later the SULPICIANS) concentrated on living with the natives.
The accounts of their labours, published in the JESUIT RELATIONS, helped them
to hold the interest of Catholics in France. Generous donations funded the Jesuit
college (1635); the SILLERY reserve (1637); the URSULINE Convent school (1639)
run by MARIE DE L'INCARNATION; the HÔTEL-DIEU (1639); and VILLE-MARIE (1642),
where the same institutions as those in Québec were established. The church
supported the colony and was dominant even in politics, with the Jesuit
superior often supplanting the governor.
Everything
had changed by the 1650s. In 1648-50 the IROQUOIS destroyed HURONIA, and with
it the Jesuits' most promising mission, STE-MARIE AMONG THE HURONS. Thereafter
the Jesuits worked in scattered missions among the native peoples, but they had
to devote increasing attention to the growing French population. The church
received its first prelate (senior clergyman) in 1659. Though François de LAVAL
was only vicar apostolic (ie, acting bishop where no hierarchy exists), he had
sufficient jurisdiction to co-ordinate the establishment of the necessary
institutions, including the SÉMINAIRE DE QUÉBEC. After New France's
reorganization in 1663 as a royal colony, the church had to accept state
intervention in joint questions (eg, establishment of parishes) and purely
religious ones (eg, regulation of religious communities); in return, it could
count on state support, which included money. The first diocese was established
in Québec in 1674.
Gradually
a distinctive Christianity developed. It was homogeneous, because Protestants
were allowed into the colony only for brief visits (see HUGUENOTS). Most
members of the population practised their faith, following the severe Catholicism
developed primarily by Monseigneur de SAINT-VALLIER (see JANSENISM). The parish
was the backbone of religious life and was financially administered by church
wardens (the only elected officials in New France), who were usually influenced
by the parish priest. In 1760 Canada had about 100 parishes, most of them run
by diocesan clergy (84 members), of whom four-fifths were Canadian-born. The
priests were assisted by 30 Sulpicians, 25 Jesuits and 24 Récollets, and over
200 nuns belonging to 6 communities who were responsible for educational and
welfare activities. These communities of men and women could offer their
services free because the king had granted them lands and financial support.
This equilibrium, which characterized church-state relations from 1660 to 1760,
was vulnerable to the changes in the balance between the forces that composed
it.
The
Church Under British Rule
After the CONQUEST of 1759-60, the Catholic
Church of Québec, already weakened by the effects of war, had also to deal with
new British and Protestant masters (see PROTESTANTISM). The new authorities
were expected to favour the Church of England (see ANGLICANISM) and attempt to
convert their new Catholic subjects. The free exercise of the Catholic rite was
guaranteed in the terms of the surrender; although the practices were only
tolerated by the British, gradual freedom for Roman Catholics soon evolved.
Nevertheless, the British interfered in the nomination of bishops and sometimes
priests, and required the clergy to communicate certain government documents to
their parishioners. The QUEBEC ACT of 1774 further guaranteed free exercise of
Roman Catholicism and made it easier for Catholics to enter public office. To
protect the newly won freedoms the bishops preached obedience (in varying
degrees), led their people in opposition to the American invaders of 1775 and
sang hymns of thanksgiving for British victories over the French in the
AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
In
other parts of present-day Canada, the French church had established missions
in the Maritimes by the early 17th century and in Newfoundland by mid-century,
but non-francophone Roman Catholics soon settled in these areas as well. Late
in the 17th century IRISH Catholics began to arrive in Newfoundland, which was
under Québec's jurisdiction until 1713; that year France ceded Newfoundland to
Britain by the Treaty of UTRECHT, and ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the
island passed to the vicar apostolic of London. In 1796 Newfoundland became a
separate diocese under Bishop J.L. O'Donel.
Growth
of the Church
In the late 18th century many Scottish Roman
Catholics settled on PEI and in Nova Scotia. For various personal, political
and ecclesiastical reasons, however, the church there and in the other settled
parts of present-day Canada, excepting Newfoundland, remained under the
jurisdiction of the bishop of Québec until 1817; that year Nova Scotia was made
a separate vicariate apostolic under Bishop Edmund Burke. Thereafter, new
vicariates and dioceses appeared as settlement spread. The growth of the church
in Anglophone Canada was spurred especially by the arrival in the 19th century
of large numbers of Irish immigrants.
By
the early 19th century, numerous Catholics in LOWER CANADA [Québec], especially
the rising professional class, had distanced themselves from their church.
Priests could not direct the populace as they had done before, and people began
to neglect their religious practices. Church authorities thwarted efforts from
secular denominations and won official recognition from the bishop to encourage
education (including religious vocations), and revive the Catholic faith. But
the 323 priests could not meet the needs of Québec's 500 000 inhabitants and
could no longer count on the support of male religious communities, which
(apart from the Sulpicians) had disappeared, or of female ones, which were in
difficulty. The Parti PATRIOTE (founded 1826), which had mass support, proposed
a liberal program that alarmed the clergy and began a Protestant-style
proselytism, primarily around Montréal. The beleaguered bishop of Québec won
the nomination of a Montréal auxiliary, Monseigneur Jean-Jacques LARTIGUE, who
became bishop of Montréal in 1836. Lartigue condemned the REBELLIONS OF 1837
but, because of this support for the government, he temporarily alienated
himself from his people.
The
church was as badly shaken as the rest of society by the insurrection's
aftereffects, but it was the first to recover. Under the dynamic new bishop of
Montréal, Monseigneur Ignace BOURGET (installed in 1840), the clergy assumed
increasing power. Bourget set out to "Christianize" and
"regenerate" society, applying the ideas of his predecessor and using
the populist sermons of the French Monseigneur Charles de Forbin-Janson (see
EVANGELISM) to advantage. Bourget made full use of the religious press that was
run by skilled laymen; he headed fund drives in the city and made begging trips
to Europe. He worked for the people, allying his church with Rome on liturgy, theological
studies and devotions. He supported campaigns for public morality (eg,
TEMPERANCE campaigns and the fight against "evil" literature led by
the Oeuvre des bons livres and the Cabinets de lecture paroissiaux), ran a
social-assistance program for the poor, the sick, the orphaned and the
handicapped, and preached social mutual assistance. The Montréal example was
followed throughout Québec, though often to a lesser degree.
During
the same period a sharp increase in religious vocations led to more and
better-served parishes; the number of dioceses (10 in 1900) rose with the
birthrate. The priests, now more numerous, often involved themselves in secular
activities and seemed to run everything in Québec. Parishes periodically called
in specialists (Jesuits, Oblates, Redemptorists, Dominicans and Franciscans) to
preach at spiritual-renewal missions. The lay response seemed satisfactory:
most people were now practising and an elite could even be called devoted.
Catholicism
in both English and French Canada was aligned with international Catholicism,
whose leadership was becoming progressively more defensive and fearful of
post-revolutionary (American and French) Western society. During the early 19th
century sectarian violence grew, as demonstrated by the brawling of Irish
Catholics with Irish Protestants (see ORANGE ORDER) on several occasions in
Upper Canada, and by the fighting involved in the so-called SHINERS' WAR of the
1840s. Catholic churchmen saw the social upheaval resulting from INDUSTRIALIZATION
and URBANIZATION as the work of the devil, the French Revolution, FREEMASONRY,
SOCIALISM and laissez-faire capitalism, and they urged the faithful to return
to a stable Christian social order such as that prevailing in the Middle Ages.
The
Catholic Church and the Schools
One social area in which the church was always
active was education. Catholic clergy throughout Canada were pioneers in early
19th- century education, establishing small local schools with teachers whose
primary concern was the moral education of their charges. But toward
mid-century the state began to provide schooling, thus moving into an area of
social concern that had been a church responsibility for centuries. The first
school Act (1841) of the PROVINCE OF CANADA was aimed at establishing a
Christian but nondenominational school system. However, political realities
ensured that Canada East (Québec) soon developed a dual confessional school
system (Catholic and Protestant), whereas Canada West (Ontario) allowed the
creation of a divided, state-supported school system, one section being
nondenominational (public), the other confessional (SEPARATE SCHOOLS). The
latter soon became largely Roman Catholic. In subsequent decades other
provinces modelled their school systems on either the Québec or Ontario
standards. As the state took over the schooling of Canadians, the confessional
and Catholic schools obtained recognition in law.
During
the second half of the 19th century, the Canadian Catholic hierarchy was
determined to strengthen its Catholic schools, while public-school promoters
argued that their "public" schools alone should enjoy the support of
the state. There ensued lengthy and virulent controversies such as the NEW
BRUNSWICK SCHOOL QUESTION of 1871, the MANITOBA SCHOOLS QUESTION of the 1890s
and the NORTH-WEST SCHOOLS QUESTION at the turn of the century; the ONTARIO
SCHOOLS QUESTION of 1912-27 was not only a fight between English Protestants
and French Catholics, but also the result of a power struggle between
French-Canadian and Irish-Canadian clerics within the church.
Other
parts of Canada experienced similar quarrels as ethnic groups struggled for
church control, but in the process some clerics learned to value diversity and
to respect one another. Meanwhile, the church had founded numerous
denominational institutions of higher learning. A number of Canadian
UNIVERSITIES originated in this way, including theUNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA and the
University of St Michael's College (Toronto). In most cases, their
administration has passed gradually into secular hands.
As
the church increased its influence on society, especially in French Canada,
some clergy were tempted by politics. Imbued with ultramontane principles (see
ULTRAMONTANISM), and fearing reforms being suggested by the Liberal Party, the
Québec clergy accused that party's supporters of Catholic liberalism and
denounced them at election time. In 1871 laymen supported by Bourget and
Monseigneur Louis-François LAFLÈCHE published an election manifesto, the
Programme catholique, which could have led to religious control of the
provincial Conservative Party. The strong reaction of 3 bishops (Archbishop
Elzéar-Alexandre TASCHEREAU, Monseigneur Charles LaRocque and Monseigneur Jean
Langevin) and of politicians doomed the project and made public the split
between moderate and intransigent ultramontanists ("Programmists").
In
1875 the groups united in a virulent denunciation of Catholic liberalism; in
1876 the election results in 2 provincial ridings were annulled because of
"undue influence" by the clergy. Tension grew between church and
state. Rome was consulted, and it sent an apostolic delegate, Monseigneur
George Conroy, to re-establish harmony between the prelates and force them to
declare that their condemnation of Catholic liberalism had not been directed
against the Liberal Party. Clerical intervention in politics was thereafter
more discreet.
During
the latter 19th century Québec Catholicism discovered a missionary vocation
that persists today. Nuns, priests and brothers first established missions in
the rest of English Canada (including the present-day Prairie provinces and
Northwest Territories) and the US, and then throughout the world (see also
MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES). Initially the Oblate missionaries from France, and
Canadian clergy (mostly from Québec), founded, and strongly supported,
missions, infirmaries and schools throughout the Prairies, BC and the North.
The church was active in broader social concerns as well. Various 19th- century
sociologists had recognized that new forms of society, with new needs, were
being created by growing industrialization and urbanization. Protestants
responded to the new "social question" with the SOCIAL GOSPEL
movement.
By
the 20th century, Québec Catholicism was preoccupied with social concerns.
Aware of the problems created by the new technology, migration to the cities,
and challenged by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, the clergy
developed a SOCIAL DOCTRINE to guide the new society. In Québec the Jesuits were
particularly active through the École sociale populaire. Their Programme de
restauration sociale (founded 1933) was the main inspiration for the political
movements ACTION LIBÉRALE NATIONALE, BLOC POPULAIRE CANADIEN and, to a lesser
degree, the UNION NATIONALE. They supported and directed Catholic trade unions
formed from 1907 to 1920, credit unions, co-operatives and every kind of
league, each of which had Roman Catholicism as its main characteristic.
Moreover,
the church in Québec continued to control education. Secular activities left
only about 45% of the clergy for parish duties. This disequilibrium posed few
problems, since the province's clergy kept growing: 2091 in 1890, 3263 in 1920,
5000 in 1940 (a ratio of 567, 578 and 539 parishioners to each priest),
exclusive of religious communities. The faithful were guided by their priests
and in their religious practice emphasized parish missions, PILGRIMAGES and
provincial, regional and local conferences. CATHOLIC ACTION helped to form
"new" Catholics, whose methods disturbed traditionalists and
sometimes led to conflict with clergy.
In
Canadian Catholicism's commitment to sociopolitical activity, doctrine and
moral teaching were stringent, and political and social involvement was
uncompromising. The GREAT DEPRESSION of the 1930s again tested the readiness of
Catholics to deal with major social problems. The hard times that gave birth to
the CO-OPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH FEDERATION also saw the beginnings of the
Catholic ANTIGONISH MOVEMENT. Many Catholic bishops condemned the CCF because
of its socialist characteristics. True to its tradition the church was
generally conservative, supporting the status quo and uneasy with change. WORLD
WAR II brought with it an increasing awareness of the outside world among Canadian
Catholics, and made the church appear to many Catholics to be too
self-sufficient and complacent.
From
1850 to 1950 Catholicism became highly centralized and disciplined; while
regular worship had become habitual for most Canadian Catholics, it had done so
in the form of an increasing number of devotions set in a framework of intense
and colourful piety. Devotion to the papacy had intensified after 1850,
culminating in 1870 when the dogma of papal infallibility was defined, and
successive Popes strongly encouraged special devotions, eg, to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, the Virgin Mary or Saint Joseph. The Catholic Church built upon
centuries-old customs in nurturing various forms of piety, such as the Rosary,
the scapular, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Forty Hours;
pilgrimages became popular, both to shrines in Europe and the Holy Land and to
various shrines in Canada. The crucifix adorned most Canadian Catholic homes,
and wayside crosses and shrines were erected in massively Catholic areas. This
intense piety would dissipate only after 1960.
Canadian
Catholicism emerged from WWII as a church triumphant, as is suggested by the
pageantry surrounding the 1947 Marian Congress in Ottawa and the installation
ceremonies of Archbishop Paul-Émile LÉGER in Montréal in 1950. But the
conservative administrations of Pope Pius XII and US President Eisenhower ended
in the late 1950s, and the new liberal spirit emerging in the Western world
began to affect the church in Anglophone Canada.
In
Québec the changes were more extreme and jarring than they were elsewhere in
Canada. WWII and the postwar period were a time of profound transformation for
all Québec. Traditional values, even religious ones, were challenged by people
wanting an expansion of missionary and community values, an increased lay role
in the church and a warmer welcome for the positive values of the modern world.
Some groups, eg, the Faculté des sciences sociales of UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL and the
Commission sacerdotale d'études sociales, proposed modern solutions to social
problems. They were in the forefront of opposition to the Duplessis government
during the 1949 ASBESTOS STRIKE and inspired a collective pastoral letter of
1950 that expressed a new sensitivity to labour and to women.
Until
1959, however, Catholicism in Québec still wore the face of a conservative
institution. Then the QUIET REVOLUTION of the 1960s forced the church to face
some weaknesses. In just a few years, a wind of change produced both the
declericalization of society (welfare, health and education passed from church
to state control) and the secularization of institutions (eg, Catholic trade
unions shed their confessionality to become the CONFEDERATION OF NATIONAL TRADE
UNIONS), and associations, social clubs, universities and the state all adopted
religious neutrality. At the same time, much of the population ceased attending
worship services on Sunday, and there was a break with traditional morality,
especially in sexual matters, a major exodus of members of the clergy and of
religious orders, and a sharp drop in religious vocations. The hierarchy and
the clergy as a whole seemed overwhelmed, and kept prudent silence.
The
renewal of Catholicism after 1960 was also apparent in the church's new
openness to other Christians and other religions. Catholics, Anglicans,
LUTHERANS and other Protestants cooperated in certain missionary activities, in
social justice endeavours and in local and regional pastoral initiatives.
The
Church and Vatican II
In 1959 Pope John XXIII announced the
convening of an ecumenical council, and the Catholic faith throughout the world
began to seek new forms of expression and witness. In Vatican Council II
(1962-65) international Catholicism was caught up in a whirlwind of change and
challenge that sought to revitalize all areas of Christian concern, from
theology to political action, from spirituality to administration, from
ecumenism to moral codes. A number of Canadians (eg, Cardinal Léger, theologian
Bernard LONERGAN and humanitarian Jean VANIER) emerged as leaders of the
aggiornamento (modernization movement) in various spheres of activity.
The
church in Canada could no longer rely on social custom and constraint, as it
had done in the past, to ensure church attendance or to influence government
decision making. The effects were particularly marked in Québec, where the
Quiet Revolution coincided with the church's international renewal. The
loosening of these ties to society led to a decade or more of generalized
confusion for many Canadian Catholics. Those who had attended mass every Sunday
fearing the pain of sin learned the importance of personal responsibility in
attendance at worship. Those who saw the cleric as "another Christ"
discovered that he was also human. Those who were concerned over sexual sin as
"the only sin" discovered the importance of loving God and one's
neighbour. Churchmen learned to share some authority and Catholics were called
upon to take some responsibility.
One
sign of Catholic renewal was a softening of the teaching on marriage. Before
1960 a Roman Catholic needed special permission to marry a non-Catholic, and
the non-Catholic partner was required to agree, in writing, that the couple's
children would be educated in the Catholic faith. After Vatican II the church
discovered the primacy of conscience and the real Christian faith of many
non-Catholic Christians. This led to less stringent disciplinary dictums, many
Catholic pastors now acknowledging that the children born of a mixed marriage
are best raised in the church of the more committed Christian partner. The
ecumenical campaign was strengthened in the process.
Indeed,
Vatican II and the papal documents that followed in its wake constitute a
milestone in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. New bridgeheads were
established on the shores of a postmodern world whose links with the Christian
church had been deteriorating since the 17th century. The fear of the world
that characterized so much of previous spirituality became an open-hearted
movement towards contemporary humanity. There was greater emphasis on the
church as a people of God, and less on the dominant hierarchy; the laity made
some advances (although in the early 1980s Canadian women were lobbying for
access to the hierarchy through women's ordination); Protestants were promoted
in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church from the rank of heretics to that of
"separated brethren"; the developing nations were given their due as
an area of major concern to the church; the scarecrow of socialism became
acceptable ideology under certain circumstances; and the treatment reserved for
linguistic, cultural and political minorities was recognized as a valid test of
the quality of governments.
Forms
of worship changed as well after Vatican II, and many of the changes centered
on the renewed emphasis on the people as the principal constituent of the
church. Although communion remains the focal point of the mass, it is not
linked as closely to individual confession as it formerly was. Priests now
conduct mass facing the people, and the Latin of the Tridentine rite (the Latin
Mass used until the introduction of the current Mass by Vatican Council II) has
given way to vernacular languages. The practice of preaching and interpretation
of scripture has been revived, and lay members of the congregation participate
more fully in the various aspects of the worship service. There is also a
resurgence of congregational singing and popular hymnology. At the same time,
certain features of popular piety (eg, benedictions, stations of the cross)
have virtually disappeared (see also CHARISMATIC RENEWAL).
In
the wake of Vatican II the Canadian Catholic Church reassessed its attitude
toward "other" linguistic and cultural groups. For instance, in early
Ontario and English Canada the leadership of various Catholic churches had been
largely French or French Canadian (there was no francophone bishop in the
Maritimes before 1912). As an English-speaking (largely Irish) hierarchy came
to the fore in these areas, ethnolinguistic polarization developed
simultaneously in the ranks of the hierarchy and in Canada generally. The
result was a Canadian Catholic Church that pretended to be united, but was in
fact separated on English-French lines. While Rome preached bilingualism for
the Canadian church, Canada's bishops indulged in their own brand of
ethnocultural warfare.
The
new spirit that prevailed after 1960 led Canada's Catholics to reassess their
attitudes. At the centennial of CONFEDERATION (1967) as well as on several
other occasions ranging from the adoption of Québec's charter of the French
language (1977) to Canada's constitutional debate (to 1982), the bishops of
Canada, Québec and Ontario issued a series of statements on the question of
minority language rights and the status of French and English in Canada. For
the first time in a century, the leaders of Canada's Catholic church were
constructively coming to grips with an issue that had long divided them. The
Canadian Catholic Church had practised bilingualism before Confederation, a
policy that had served it well in evangelizing much of Canada, and it returned
to this policy. Given the church's numbers and geographic distribution, the
language policy contributed immensely to French-English understanding in
Canada. Today Canada has 34 dioceses in the French sector, and 37 dioceses
belonging to the English sector.
The
turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s dramatically affected ecclesiastical
institution: the network of parishioners and parishes remained virtually
intact; the organization of religious communities of men and women rethought
their objectives; confessional schools and some private colleges expanded; a
new plan for parish action and greater lay participation in religious
activities thrived. The episcopacy more frequently joined in ECUMENICAL SOCIAL
ACTION, and took positions on such topics as BIRTH CONTROL and ABORTION (1977,
1981) and the economic crisis (1982). But it is perhaps at the level of popular
religion that the continuity and the hopes are most visible, given (among other
things) a new interest in scripture, the continued popularity of pilgrimage and
the growth of charismatic religion, the multiplication of small groups
interested in spirituality, and the emergence of Catholic interests. For more
than 100 years Protestants had outnumbered Catholics in Canada; however, by
1971, for the first time since Confederation, Catholics outnumbered
Protestants.
The
rapidly changing Canadian church experienced a climactic event in September
1984 when Pope John Paul II visited Canada. This pontiff, who was seen by more
people than all other popes combined, was the first reigning pope to set foot
in Canada. He visited many regions, preaching a gospel of peace, reconciliation
and disciplined belief. To fulfill a promise made to the residents of Fort
Simpson, NWT, where he was unable to land because of fog, he returned in
September 1987.
During
the 1990s, the rejuvenated pride of Canada's aboriginal people led them to seek
SELF-GOVERNMENT, better living conditions and more equitable treatment from the
government of Canada, as well as public apologies and financial compensation
from the institutions that had abused them in the past. A primary target of
their grievances is RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, institutions that had been funded by
the government of Canada and directed by Canada's leading Christian churches.
An estimated one-third of Canada's aboriginal children spent some time in a
residential school from the 1880s to the 1960s, a time when these schools were
practically the only avenue available to aboriginal children seeking an
education. Two-thirds of the residential schools were administered by the
Catholic Church and entrusted to the Oblate Fathers. The latter have had to
deal with allegations of physical, emotional or sexual abuse of resident
children by some of the staff of the schools. Several cases are before the
courts. Canada's bishops and the Oblate religious order, not to mention other
churches, have responded by publicly expressing their regret for any wrongdoing
and harm they may have caused the aboriginal people, and offering to
participate personally and financially in the healing process of the victims.
Yet compensation remains a thorny issue, given that the allegations pertain to
events that would have occurred more than a half-century ago.
In
the 1990s, a renewed Canadian Catholic Church faced more daunting challenges.
The drop in church attendance, the widespread questioning of Catholic moral
teachings, the dearth of new vocations to the priesthood and the religious
life, and the waning of church influence in public life have caused many
faithful to give serious thought to their faith. The simultaneous chaotic
growth of NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS, new age thinking, secular values and new
fundamentalisms, movements that frequently challenge or deny the ordered world
of traditional Catholicism, contribute to changes in attitudes. Yet some
remember that the triumphant Catholic religious world that they grew up in was
a temporary phase in Christian history. (See EVANGELICAL AND FUNDAMENTALIST
MOVEMENTS.)
In
2004, the Catholic Conference of Bishops reported 80 active and 59 retired cardinals,
archbishops and bishops in 5 681 parishes and missions in Canada. Nearly 6 000
diocesan priests, more than 3 500 religious order priests and approximately 2
300 religious brothers and sisters serve Catholics in Canada.
NIVE
VOISINE and ROBERT CHOQUETTE
Eastern
Rite Catholic Churches
A small but important segment of Canada's
Christian population belongs to the Eastern Catholic or Eastern Rite churches,
which trace their theological, canonical and spiritual traditions to the early
Christian culture of the Eastern Mediterranean world. As distinctive ecclesial
entities, the Eastern Catholic churches emerged only after Christian unity had
succumbed to a centuries-long process of estrangement, culminating in the
defeat of the Greek city, Constantinople, by Western crusaders in 1204 and the
establishment of a Latin patriarchate, with the tacit support of Pope Innocent
III. With the exception of the Maronite Catholic Church and the Italo-Albanian
Catholic Church, which claim always to have been in communion with the bishop
of Rome, all Eastern Catholic churches originated from Western missionary
efforts to return Eastern Christians to the immediate jurisdiction of the
papacy, or, in the case of the Bulgarian Byzantine Catholic Church, from a
spontaneous desire for union with Rome.
Throughout
their history, Eastern Catholics have struggled to maintain their own
traditions against the Latinization or absorption into the Latin (ie, Western
or Roman) Church and have sometimes experienced hostility from their parent
Eastern ORTHODOX Church and the Oriental Orthodox churches. The negative
effects of Latinization are most evident in the collapse of traditional Eastern
forms of monastic life, which have been supplanted by Western-style religious
orders, and in the liturgy. For Eastern Christians in Canada (and the US), the
prohibition of married parish clergy, dating from the 19th century, is perhaps
the most painful reminder of Latinization.
Although
in union with Rome, each Eastern Catholic church remains distinct, particularly
in liturgical practices and devotional life. Eastern Catholics celebrate their
faith in one of 5 different rites: the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Chaldean,
Armenian and Byzantine rites. Historical circumstances, especially the persecution
and suppression of Eastern Christians in the Ottoman and Russian empires and in
the former Soviet Union, forged an unbreakable bond between religion and
ethnicity that helped Eastern Christians to survive but now hinders future
growth outside their traditional homelands. In keeping with the theological
understanding of the church current at the time of their establishment, Eastern
Catholic churches frequently were reduced to the status of a mere rite in the
larger Roman Catholic Church. The Second Vatican Council and subsequent papal
pronouncements have corrected this, so that today Eastern Catholic churches are
treated as sister churches of the Roman Catholic Church.
In
1990 the Code of Canons of the Eastern churches was promulgated by Pope John
Paul II. According to this document, Eastern Catholic churches may be grouped
into 4 types:
1.
patriarchal;
2.
major archiepiscopal;
3.
metropolitan; and
4.
other churches.
A
patriarch is elected during the periodic meetings of the synod of bishops of a
particular church. After his election and enthronement, he requests communion
from the Pope. A major archbishop is elected in the same manner as a patriarch,
but before he is enthroned, his election must be confirmed by the Pope. The
Pope names metropolitans (a bishop with authority over other bishops) after
consulting a list of candidates presented by the bishops of a particular
church.
The
Maronite Catholic Church traces its origins to disciples of the fourth-century
monk Saint Maron in Lebanon. By the eighth century this largely
monastic-centered community elected a bishop as their head. During the twelfth
century the Maronites came in contact with Latin Christianity thanks to the
Crusaders, and in 1182 they formally confirmed their relations with Rome.
Lebanon remains the home for most Maronite Catholics. In Canada, the bishop of
the Eparchy of Saint-Maron de Montréal leads some 80 000 adherents in 14
parishes. The Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, dating from the 15th century,
comprises 2 dioceses in southern Italy and the monastery of Santa Maria di
Grottaferrata south of Rome.
In
the wake of the Council of Florence in 1439, groups of Armenian, Coptic and
Syrian Christians entered into short-lived unions with the Roman Catholic
Church. These churches were revived in the 18th century: the Armenian Catholic
Church in 1742, the Coptic Catholic Church in 1741, and the Syrian Catholic
Church in 1782. A small apostolic exarchate of Armenian Catholics exists in
Canada, and there are 8 Coptic Catholic parishes throughout the country. Syrian
Catholics, centered in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, currently have no official
presence in Canada. Other Eastern Catholic churches include the Chaldeans
(1553), the Syro-Malabars (1599), the Ethiopians (1626), the Melkites (1744),
the Ukrainians (1595-1596), the Ruthenians or Rusyns (1646), the Romanians
(1700), Byzantine Catholics of Krizevci in the former Yugoslavia (1777), the
Bulgarians (1861), the Syro-Malankarans (1930), the Hungarians (1912), the
Greeks (1911) and the Slovaks (1968).
Members
of Christian Orthodox groups represented 1.6% of Canada's population in 2001;
Statistics Canada reported that this was a 24% increase over 1991. Numerically
significant in Canada are the Melkite, Slovak and Ukrainian Catholic churches.
The
Greek-Melkite Catholic Christians are organized under the bishop of the Eparchy
of Saint-Sauveur de Montréal (created in 1984) and number approximately 43 000
adherents across Canada. Slovak Catholics received their own diocese in 1980,
when Pope John Paul II created the Eparchy of Saints Cyril and Methodius of
Toronto, originally under the care of Bishop Michael Rusnak. There are 7 parishes
for approximately 10 000 members in Canada.
The
Ukrainian Catholic Church is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic church in Canada
with roughly 150 200 faithful in more than 350 parishes. Brought by Ukrainian
immigrants at the end of the 19th century, the church received its first bishop
in 1912 when Pope Pius X appointed Nicetas Budka to the episcopate. The head of
the Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops is located in Winnipeg and he oversees
the Canadian metropolitan province, consisting of 5 dioceses (eparchies): the
metropolitan see of Winnipeg, and the eparchies of Edmonton, Toronto, Saskatoon
and New Westminster. Religious orders contribute significantly to the spiritual
life of Ukrainian Catholics, and include the Order of Saint Basil the Great or
Basilian Fathers, Redemptorist Fathers, Studites, Basilian Sisters, Missionary
Sisters of Christian Charity, Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, and Sisters
of St Joseph.
Theological
education of clergy and laity is assured by the church's own Holy Spirit
Seminary in Ottawa. The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptyts-ky Institute of Eastern
Christian Studies was established in 1992 as part of the Faculty of Theology of
Saint Paul University in Ottawa and offers specialized studies in Eastern
church history and theology. A scholarly journal, Logos, gives Ukrainian and
other Eastern Catholics a strong voice in the academic world.
T.
ALLAN SMITH
Authors
contributing to this article:
Author
T. ALLAN SMITH, NIVE VOISINE AND ROBERT CHOQUETTE
Suggested
Reading
Robert Choquette, "The Oblate Assault on
Canada's Northwest" (1995); Charles H. Lippy et al, "Christianity
Comes to the Americas, 1492-1776" (1992); Terrence Murphy et al, eds,
"Creed and Culture: The Place of English-Speaking Catholics in Canadian
Society, 1750-1930" (1993); R.G.Roberson, The Eastern Christian Churches:
A Brief Survey (1993, 1999); L. Cross, Eastern Christianity: The Byzantine
Tradition (1988).
Links
to Other Sites
The
Holy See
The official website of the Holy See.
Seasons
of New France
A superbly illustrated site that explores the
role of the Catholic church in the development of the religious, social, and
economic institutions of New France. From the Musée de la civilisation and the
Virtual Museum of Canada.
Musée
Marguerite-Bourgeoys & Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Bon Secours
The website for the historical
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum in
Montreal. Crowning an ancient promontory above the Saint Lawrence River, once a
favoured Amerindian campsite, a 300-year-old chapel, a museum of history and an
archaeological site invite you to hear what they have to say about the people
who founded Montreal.
Lac
Ste Anne Pilgrimage
The website for the annual Lac Ste Anne
Pilgrimage, the largest annual Catholic gathering in western Canada. Located on
the shores of Lac Ste Anne, the pilgrimage grounds has been declared a national
historic site.
Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops
The website for the Canadian Conference of
Catholic Bishops, the national assembly of the Bishops of Canada.
Church
Affairs During the French Settlement at Placentia (1662 - 1714)
An essay about early attempts to establish
religous institutions under French colonial rule in the Placentia region. From
the website "Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland and Labrador."
Canadian
Corporation for Studies in Religion
A virtual community for the academic study of
religion in Canada, with current news, job listings, feature articles, and
information about scholarly publications in the field.
Quebec
monk declared saint for his 'boundless charity'
A 2010 CTV News story about the newly
canonized St. André Bessette.
Tridentine
Latin Mass
A brief video depicting a portion of the
Tridentine Latin Mass held at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Windsor,
Ontario. From YouTube.
George
Ryerson
A biography of George Ryerson, militia
officer, teacher, Methodist preacher, and Catholic Apostolic minister. From the
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.
----------------
LATIN
PRAYERS
THE
PRAYERS OF THE ROSARY
Sign
of the Cross:
In
nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
Apostles'
Creed:
Credo
in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum,
Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus
ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,
descendit ad infernos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos,
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et
mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum
communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam.
Amen.
The
Lord's Prayer:
PATER
NOSTER, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat
voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis
hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus
nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
The
Hail Mary:
AVE
MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus
fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis
peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
Glory
Be:
GLORIA
PATRI, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et
semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Oratio
Fatimae (The Fatima Prayer)
Domine
Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferiori, perduc in
caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent.
Hail,
Holy Queen:
SALVE
REGINA, Mater misericordiae. Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te
clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te Suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac
lacrimarum valle. Eia ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad
nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium
ostende. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.
V.
Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genitrix.
R.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
ANGELUS
(Latin)
V.
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
R.
Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
Ave
Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus
fructus ventris tui Iesus. * Sancta Maria, Mater Dei ora pro nobis
peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
V.
Ecce ancilla Domini,
R.
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
Ave
Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus
fructus ventris tui Iesus. * Sancta Maria, Mater Dei ora pro nobis
peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
V.
Et Verbum caro factum est,
R.
Et habitavit in nobis.
Ave
Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus
fructus ventris tui Iesus.* Sancta Maria, Mater Dei ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
V.
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix,
R.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, Angelo
nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et
crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum
nostrum. R. Amen.
ANGELUS
(English)
V.
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R.
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail
Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with Thee: blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.* Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for
us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
V.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
R.
Be it done to me according to Thy word.
Hail
Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with Thee: blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.* Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for
us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
V.
And the Word was made flesh,
R.
And dwelt among us.
Hail
Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with Thee: blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.* Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for
us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
V.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let
us pray.
Pour
forth, we beseech Thee, Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known
the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, by the message of an angel, so by His
Passion and Cross we may be brought to the glory of the Resurrection. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
R.
Amen.
PSALMUS
129: DE PROFUNDIS (Latin) —
to
be said while processing to the refectory
De
profundis clamavi ad te, Domine:
Domine,
exaudi vocem meam:
Fiant
aures tuae intendentes,
in
vocem deprecationis meae.
Si
iniquitates observaveris, Domine:
Domine,
quis sustinebit?
Quia
apud te propitiatio est:
et
propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit
anima mea in verbo eius:
speravit
anima mea in Domino.
A
custodia matutina usque ad noctem:
speret
Israel in Domino.
Quia
apud Dominum misericordia:
et
copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et
ipse redimet Israel,
ex
omnibus iniquitatibus eius.
Gloria
Patri, et Filio,
et
Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut
erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et
in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
PSALM
129: DE PROFUNDIS (English) —
to
be said while processing to the refectory
Out
of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: * Lord, hear my voice.
Let
Thy ears be attentive * to the voice of my supplication.
If
Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: * Lord, who shall stand it?
For
with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: * and by reason of thy law, I have
waited for Thee, O Lord.
My
soul hath relied on His word, * my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From
the morning watch even until night, * let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because
with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
And
he shall redeem Israel * from all his iniquities.
Glory
be to the Father and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.
As
it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.
Roman
Catholic Church History
A
Brief History of the Roman Catholic Denomination
By
Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide
As
the apostles of Jesus Christ spread the gospel, they provided the beginning
structure for the early Christian Church. It is impossible to separate the
initial stages of the Roman Catholic church from that of the early Christian
church.
After
Jesus died, Simon Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, became a strong leader in the
Jewish Christian movement. Later James, most likely Jesus' brother, took over
leadership. These followers of Christ viewed themselves as a reform movement
within Judaism yet they continued to follow many of the Jewish laws.
At
this time Saul, originally one of the strongest persecutors of the early Jewish
Christians, had a blinding vision of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, and
became a Christian. Adopting the name Paul, he became the greatest evangelist
of the early Christian church. Paul's ministry, also called Pauline
Christianity, was directed mainly to Gentiles rather than Jews. In subtle ways,
the early church was already becoming divided.
Another
belief system at this time was Gnostic Christianity, which taught that Jesus
was a spirit being, sent by God to impart knowledge to humans so that they
could escape the miseries of life on earth.
In
addition to Gnostic, Jewish, and Pauline Christianity, there were already many
other versions of Christianity being taught. After the fall of Jerusalem in 70
AD, the Jewish Christian movement was scattered. Pauline and Gnostic
Christianity were left as the dominant groups.
The
Roman Empire legally recognized Pauline Christianity as a valid religion in 313
AD. Later in that century, in 380 AD, Roman Catholicism became the official
religion of the Roman Empire. During the following 1000 years, Catholics were
the only people recognized as Christians.
In
1054 AD, a formal split occurred between the Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox churches. This division remains in effect today.
The
next major division occurred in the 16th century with the Protestant
Reformation.
Those
who remained faithful to Roman Catholicism believed that the central regulation
of doctrine by church leaders was necessary to prevent confusion and division
within the church and corruption of its beliefs.
•
Learn more about the History of the Catholic Church.
(Sources:
ReligiousTolerance.org, ReligionFacts.com, AllRefer.com, and the Religious
Movements Web site of the University of Virginia.)
--------------
4
CATHOLIC KIDS- PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY
The
Rosary is not only a mental prayer, but also a vocal prayer in which we
meditate on the virtues of the Life, Death, Passion and Glory of Jesus Christ
and His Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary.
The
rosary owes its origin to St. Dominic.
It
is a humble prayer that many sinners owe their conversion to.
1.
Hold the cross of the Rosary in your right hand and bless yourself with the
Cross, saying, "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen."
2.
Still holding the Cross, say, The "Apostles' Creed."
3.
On the first large bead after the Cross, say the Our Father;
On
the next three small beads, say the Hail Mary, for the virtues of Faith, Hope
and Charity; after the third Hail Mary, say "Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen."
4.
Then announce the first mysteries.
Recite
the "Our Father" on the large bead, followed by 10 "Hail
Mary's" on the smaller beads, then say, the "Glory Be" for each
decade of the Rosary. There are five decades for each Mystery.
After
each Mystery, recite the "Fatima Ejaculation"
"
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell; lead all souls
to Heaven especially those who are most in need of Thy Mercy."
Click
here for a picture version of the Mysteries of the Rosary
The
Joyful Mysteries:
(Said
on Mondays and Saturdays, the Sundays of Advent,
and
Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)
1.
The Annunciation (Humility)
2.
The Visitation (Fraternal Charity)
3.
The Nativity (Love of God)
4.
The Presentation (Spirit of sacrifice)
5.
Finding in the Temple (Zeal)
The
Luminous Mysteries (Mysteries of Light):
(Said
on Thursdays)
1.
The Baptism of the Lord (Sacrament of Baptism)
2.
The Wedding of Cana (Fidelity)
3.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom (Desire for Holiness)
4.
The Transfiguration (Spiritual Courage)
5.
The Institution of the Eucharist (Love of Our Eucharistic Lord)
The
Sorrowful Mysteries:
(Said
on Tuesdays, Fridays throughout the year;
and
daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)
1.
Agony in the Garden (True Repentance)
2.
Scourging at the Pillar (Mortification)
3.
Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage)
4.
Carrying the Cross (Patience)
5.
The Crucifixion (Final Perseverance)
The
Glorious Mysteries:
(Said
on Wednesdays and the Sundays from Easter until Advent)
1.
The Resurrection (Faith)
2.
The Ascension (Hope)
3.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Zeal)
4.
The Assumption (Happy Death)
5.
The Coronation of B.V.M. (Love for Mary)
The
Hail Holy Queen (said after the completion of the five mysteries)
Hail!
Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our Hope. To thee do
we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious
advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us
the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement! O loving! O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray
for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.
Let
Us Pray
O
God, whose only begotten Son,
By
His life, death and resurrection has purchased for us
The
rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that
Meditating
upon these mysteries in the most Holy Rosary of
The
Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and
Obtain
what they promise: through the same Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
For
the intentions of the Holy Father, recite one "Our Father," one
"Hail Mary," and a "Glory Be."
In
the name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Ghost. Amen.
--------------------
CANADA
TRANSLATION OF BIBLE- FIRST PEOPLES- 10,000 YEARS- ONE OF THEIR LANGUAGES
Bible
translations into Inupiat
The
complete Bible has been translated into three of the dialects of Inupiat
language (Greenland, Labrador and Inuktitut (East Arctic)), the New Testament
in two more and portions in another.
The
Ethnologue lists five major Inuit dialects: Eastern Canadian, Western Canadian,
North Alaskan, Northwest Alaskan and Greenlandic. Each of these dialects have
at least a New Testament translated. Even though Inuit language is very spread
out it is rather arbitrary to decide where to draw the lines of dialects. Labrador
and East Arctic/Baffin Inuit are both the same dialect according to Ethnologue,
but both have their own translation of the Bible in their own orthographies.
Labrador/Eastern
Canadian (ike)[edit]
Benjamin
Kohlmeister's harmony of the gospels was published in 1810 in London by W.
McDowall. Kohlmeister also translated the entire gospel of John (mostly
extracted from the harmony) and this was published later in 1810, also by W.
McDowall, at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. 1000 copies
were published. This was very well received and Kohlmeister's translation of
the other three gospels was published in 1813. C.F. Burghardt may have been
involved in the 1813 publication.
A
version of the Acts and Epistles prepared by the labour of the Moravian
missionaries was published by the Society in 1819 and in 1826 a complete
edition of the New Testament left the Society's press in London. In 1839 a
revised edition of the Acts Epistles and book of Revelation was completed.
Psalms
was published in 1826 and again in 1830, and Genesis in 1834. The complete New
Testament was published again in 1840, followed by the Pentateuch which was
published in London in 1847, Proverbs and the prophetical books were published
in 1849.[1] The whole Old Testament was published before 1867.
A
version of the gospels and Acts was printed in Stolpen by Gustav Winterib for
the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1876.
Even
though the whole Bible had been translated by 1867, it had never been published
as a whole book. The Moravian Church in Newfoundland & Labrador and the
Canadian Bible Society partnered together to revise the whole Bible in the
Labrador dialect, and to publish it as one volume.[2] It was officially
launched on January 20, 2009.
----------------
Christianity
in Canada
Christianity,
a major world religion, and the religion of some 80% of Canadians. Believers
hold that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in the first century AD, as
presented in the Bible and in the Christian tradition, are central to their
understanding of who they are and how they should live. As the Messiah, or the
Christ (Gk christos, "the anointed one," or "the one chosen by
God"), Jesus was to restore God's creation to the condition intended by
its creator, and especially to restore order among God's chosen Jewish people,
saving them from the deadly disorder into which sinful behaviour had brought
them.
Jesus'
first followers included some fishermen, a rich woman, a tax collector and a
rabbinical student - a diverse group of enthusiasts who scandalized their
fellow Jews and puzzled their Greek neighbours. They claimed that Jesus had
accomplished his redemptive mission by submitting himself to execution as a
state criminal and later rising from the dead. They argued that he was thus
revealed to be both human and divine, and they invited all, not just Jews, to
join them in living as members of the Church (Gk kuriakon, "that which
belongs to the Lord").
(courtesy
Maclean's)
Influence
in Secular and Spiritual Worlds
Christianity gradually became interwoven with
the histories of numerous nations, especially in Europe, and developed its own
history, gaining and losing influence in both secular and spiritual worlds and
surviving serious schisms within. Today the major divisions of Christianity,
all well represented in Canada, are Roman CATHOLICISM (12.3 million adherents,
1991c), the Eastern ORTHODOX tradition (387 000 adherents) and Protestantism
(9.8 million adherents). They have similar calendars of the church year, and
all celebrate Christmas and Easter as the major feasts.
Sacraments
(religious acts regarded as outward signs of spiritual grace) are practised by
most groups, although most Protestants view only baptism and communion
(Eucharist) as sacramental, whereas the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches
include as sacraments baptism, confirmation (chrismation), Eucharist, penance,
extreme unction, holy orders (ordination) and matrimony.
RELIGION
is a response to ultimate questions, and it makes ultimate demands. What
Christian in Canada can be said to be truly religious? Many Canadians are
serious Christians, but although there is certainly a plurality of religious
standpoints in modern Canada, there is no general acceptance of pluralism, even
within the Christian community itself.
All
Christians look to the Bible, but Christians live different lives in the light
of the Gospel, and Canadian Christians are far from a consensus that all ways
are legitimate and worthy. Nor do all Canadian Christians commit themselves to
the same degree.
Until
the mid-20th century, public rhetoric and fundamental laws took it for granted
that Canada was a Christian country, but since the 1950s there has been a
significant shift away from Christian language in public life to more general
affirmations that Canada is a country that recognizes "the supremacy of
God," as the Constitution Act 1982 puts it. Buddhists and other nontheists
chafe at even this mild declaration. But such vague public theism may wither
away by the end of the 20th century.
History
in Canada
Ville-Marie [Montréal], named in honour of
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was founded in 1642 as a mission station by Roman
Catholics caught up in the great 17th-century religious revival in France. The
island on which the mission stood had been named Montréal for the Italian home
of a cardinal who helped sponsor Cartier's explorations of 1535. (The origin of
the name was later ascribed to "Mont Réal" - mountain of the king -
in honour of the king of France.)
Although
one should not romanticize such beginnings, it is true that many early settlers
of NEW FRANCE were motivated in part by religious concerns. MARIE DE
L'INCARNATION, the URSULINE nun who was a source of civil and spiritual
strength to Québec 1639-72, understood herself as a founder of a "New
Church" rather than of a "New France." Later in the 17th century
the colony passed effectively into the hands of the king, officially "His
Most Christian Majesty." In practice, royal direction proved less
Christian than secular.
18th
Century
During the 18th century, both French and
British governments took for granted the European tradition that political
stability depends in part on the people's allegiance to one church, carefully
established as an arm of the royal government. European kings were known as
"vicars of Christ" long before the pope assumed that title, and many
colonial administrators saw their own role in a religious light. But the notion
of an "established church" was difficult to realize in Canada.
In
the first place, the established churches themselves, Roman Catholic and then
Church of England (see ANGLICANISM), lacked the financial and human resources
to bind together a scattered pioneer society. Secondly, Catholic and Anglican
bishops often had agendas differing from those of the politicians. Thirdly,
people often turned for inspiration to religious leaders such as the mystical
revivalist Henry ALLINE, who shunned political involvement. Fourthly, from the
common people's personal experience came religious responses and convictions
only incidentally related to the rubrics laid down by church leaders; eg, the
Acadians' "white mass" (mass without a priest), the curiously pagan
healing practices of Scottish Highland settlers, and the home devotions and
supernatural tales of French Canadian peasants.
Finally,
the consolidation of Canada under the British Crown, effected by the Treaty of
Paris in 1763, created a political entity comprising a highly diverse
collection of Christians. To the existing Catholic population of Lower Canada
[Québec] were added English-speaking immigrants of all kinds: sundry Protestant
dissenters from England, northern Europe and the US; Catholics and Protestants
from Ireland; Catholics and PRESBYTERIANS from Scotland. Clergy trained in the
home country often accompanied the immigrants and, like the priests of LC,
fought to hang on to their flocks and their distinctive traditions.
Early
19th Century
During the early 19th century, independent
religious revivals in LC, the Maritimes and Upper Canada [Ontario] greatly
strengthened the hands of those churches that were opposing the feeble efforts
of the Anglican establishment to reproduce in Canada the hegemony it had
enjoyed in Britain.
Mid-19th
Century
"By the middle of the 19th century,
public Christianity" was taking shape. Universities, founded by particular
churches in order to train indigenous clergy, received public support and began
to admit students from all religious backgrounds, even while retaining their
peculiar denominational leanings. There developed public school systems
officially committed to producing "Christian citizens"; outside
Québec they were Protestant for all practical purposes, and English-speaking
Catholics struggled to support private schools with little help from government
(see SEPARATE SCHOOLS).
There
arose a public rhetoric that was often biblical (eg, Canada was called a
"Dominion" because the term is found in Psalm 72:8) and laws
pertaining to personal morality reflected popular Christian standards. The
public calendar was marked by Christian holidays, particularly Christmas and
Easter, and Sunday was traditionally a day of rest.
Within
Québec the Catholic majority and Protestant minority came gradually to a
workable living arrangement, perhaps because Catholic numbers were balanced by
Protestant economic power. Elsewhere, mainstream Protestants such as Anglicans,
METHODISTS, Presbyterians, BAPTISTS and CONGREGATIONALISTS came to an
accommodation but frequently had acrimonious disputes with the Catholic
minority.
George-Étienne
CARTIER'S dream of a Canada stretching from sea to sea with provinces evenly
balanced between Protestant and Catholic, as Upper and Lower Canada had been,
foundered in the wave of westward migration from Protestant Ontario and the sad
results of the RIEL rebellions. French Canadian society adopted a defensively
nationalist outlook (see FRENCH CANADIAN NATIONALISM), turning inward to
consolidate a Catholic homeland while leaving the rest of Canada to more
Protestant imaginings.
By
mid-19th century both Protestant and Catholic leaders began to realize that
they faced a common adversary: cities were beginning to attract more and more
Canadians. Small-town parish and congregational organization failed to sink
roots in the modern city with its cosmopolitan morality, its anonymity,
separation of home and workplace, specialization of tasks and complex economy.
In
response all the churches began to stress the importance of a well-trained,
professional clergy and to develop special programs for children - in Québec
the clergy gradually replaced lay people teaching in the schools, and elsewhere
the SUNDAY SCHOOL movement took hold. The local congregation or parish remained
the fundamental unit of organization, but church newspapers and lay
organizations based on particular occupational groups or age ranges went beyond
the parish.
The
YMCA, for example, transcended traditional Protestant church boundaries, and
the ST-JEAN-BAPTISTE SOCIETY transcended traditional Catholic diocesan
boundaries. Church buildings became imposing, permanent and expensive
structures, funded largely by prosperous church members (see RELIGIOUS
BUILDING). Working-class Canadians then came to be seen as the object of
missionary activity, which was sometimes directed through downtown missions.
Urban
Threat to Traditional Christian Ways
The urban threat to traditional Christian ways
brought Protestant and Catholic leaders together in support of the Lord's Day
Act of 1906 (proclaimed 1907; see LORD'S DAY ALLIANCE OF CANADA). Respect for
Sunday, the "Lord's Day," was hallowed by custom in rural society,
but in urban society it could only be maintained by law.
Many
of the furthest-reaching modifications to the Act, permitting more amusement
and labour on Sunday, occurred during the 2 world wars. The changes were
justified as necessary to the success of war efforts "to defend Christian
civilization." Some responses to urbanization were even more defensive.
For
example, the Catholic Church encouraged its people to shun the
"Protestant" cities and Protestant New England in order to transform
the wilderness of northern Québec into a Catholic, rural civilization. This
"colonization movement" was more successful in novels such as Jean
Rivard and Maria Chapdelaine than it was in practice.
But
there were often positive and unexpected results from such defensive responses
- eg, the efforts of many Christian temperance organizations, Protestant and
Catholic, which culminated in Canada-wide PROHIBITION during WWI. After the war
the legislation withered away, but meanwhile the Protestants of the WOMAN'S
CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION formed the core of a movement that finally won the
vote for women in 1918 (see WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE).
Protestants
often began in the TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, then moved on to broader concerns,
ultimately forming part of the SOCIAL GOSPEL movement which spawned Protestant
social activists ranging from those who stayed firmly within church structures
- eg, Nellie MCCLUNG and novelist C.W. GORDON - to others - J.S. WOODSWORTH and
T.C. DOUGLAS - who found the left-wing CO-OPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH FEDERATION
less inhibiting.
Catholic
social activists were more likely than their Protestant counterparts to stay
within church-affiliated groups, such as the various CATHOLIC ACTION
organizations and the ANTIGONISH MOVEMENT.
Mid-20th
Century
By mid-20th century Québec was so highly
clericalized that nearly half its Catholic priests were engaged in full-time
work outside the traditional parish: teaching, guiding Catholic labour unions
(see CONFEDERATION OF NATIONAL TRADE UNIONS) and administering social services,
etc. Catholic lay people had a great respect for the clergy but they were not
puppets of the priesthood, as many Protestants thought.
The
vitality of anticlerical jokes and songs, and the largely spontaneous
generation of popular devotions such as a PILGRIMAGE to Brother André's shrine,
demonstrated considerable independence from the hierarchy. The lay elites that
formed in the worlds of politics and journalism included Henri BOURASSA,
Maurice DUPLESSIS and André LAURENDEAU - Catholics who could scarcely be described
as "priest-ridden."
The
Christian communities of the early 20th century suffered many tensions. Among
English-speaking Protestants, the disputes that arose over the value of the
Bible as history and over church involvement in social action sometimes created
new institutional divisions (eg, the Baptist schisms of the 1920s and the
student divisions of the 1930s leading to the Student Christian Movement and
Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship) and sometimes encouraged solutions that
buried the disputes, unresolved, in silence. The Catholic consensus was rarely
disturbed, but when it was, the results were briefly spectacular (eg, in the
ostracism of Jean-Charles HARVEY).
Most
Protestant tensions were obscured by a series of movements toward union, starting
in the mid-19th century and climaxing in the 1925 foundation of the UNITED
CHURCH OF CANADA. Jesus' call to unity (eg, in John 17:21), together with the
practical advantages gained by pooling scarce resources in a vast land and
together with the Canadian tradition that the churches have a public role, have
made this trend toward unity a characteristic of Canadian church history.
It
is remarkable that, although Canada's population is based on immigration from
many different lands and cultures, almost two-thirds of its citizens claim to
belong to 3 churches: Roman Catholic, United and Anglican. Nevertheless,
diversity has thrived, largely as a result of the influx of numerous cultural
groups and of ideas from outside Canada. Ukrainians, Romanians and others have
brought various Orthodox Church traditions with them. MENNONITES and others
with ANABAPTIST roots immigrated, as did LUTHERANS, chiefly from Europe;
MORMONS came from the US.
JEHOVAH'S
WITNESSES and SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS are well established, and HOLINESS
CHURCHES, such as the SALVATION ARMY, have a long history in this country.
Transdenominational movements are active as well: in the early 20th century,
PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENTS crossed Protestant denominational boundaries, and more
recently CHARISMATIC RENEWAL has attracted both Protestants and Catholics. The
CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST), though considered a denomination, is
committed to the ultimate unity of all Christians across denominational lines.
Post-WWII
In the wake of WWII, church leaders were
confident in the strength of the churches: attendance at weekly services was
high, and the resources that once went into war could now be devoted to
building the peace. But in the 1960s, church attendance and vocations to the
ordained ministry fell off sharply, most dramatically in Québec, but elsewhere
as well.
The
1970s
In the 1970s it became apparent that
conservative EVANGELICAL AND FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCHES, whose membership made up
only a tiny slice of the population as a whole, were attracting as many Sunday
worshippers as all the mainstream Protestant giants combined. The reason may
lie in the nature of modern society in which, generally speaking, public life
is secularized and religious life has become private.
Secularization
To secularize is to treat something as
belonging to the world, rather than to God, and to judge the worth of things
according to their usefulness in human activity. For example, the Lord's Day
Act is regarded as valuable because it gives workers a weekly rest and
therefore increases productivity, not because it honours God; religious
education is good because it produces well-behaved citizens, not because it
cultivates a person's love of God.
Christians
have frequently adopted purely secular values in the course of defending public
Christianity. Virtually every contemporary Canadian author who writes about the
awe and wonder experienced in human life has only scorn for modern churches -
an indication, perhaps, that few Canadians expect to find that which is
"holy" in the churches.
People
have come to think of themselves as "real" or "themselves"
only in private. Elsewhere they take on roles dictated by the institution that
sustains them: eg, the same person will behave in markedly different ways in
school, at work, at a political rally or in a sports arena. Only in the privacy
of the home does the individual think that the real self emerges. Within this
private segment of modern life religion has become lodged.
The
movement of religion into the individual's private life helps to explain why
religion in Canadian public life has gradually become secular or has simply
eroded, why church attendance is seen to be less and less important, and why
private religious practices (eg, watching evangelical TV programs, reading
religious paperbacks or magazines) are more widespread than ever in Canadian
life.
The
few public issues seen to be clearly religious are closely tied to this private
world of home and family: ABORTION, the use of alcoholic beverages, OBSCENITY,
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE, sex education, etc. People who tell the census taker that
they are "Christian" generally want to be married and buried in a
church setting, but they often feel no urgent need to take a larger part in the
life of the institution with its tradition of public responsibility.
Changing
Contours
Nevertheless, Christianity remains, its
contours constantly changing. The Bible is still the basic reference point for
all Christians, though they often differ widely as to how it is to be
understood. International Christianity continues to influence what happens in
Canada: leaders of the World Council of Churches and the pope have visited
Canada, and Canadians follow their doings through the secular media; most
religious broadcasting in Canada originates in the US; candidates for the
ministry often journey abroad for their theological education.
At
the same time, Canadian scholars such as Northrop FRYE, Bernard LONERGAN and
Wilfred Cantwell Smith are familiar in Christian circles around the world.
The
local parish or congregation continues as the basic unit of Christian
organization in modern Canada, but the variety of views within congregations is
often as significant as the divisions between the denominations to which the
congregations belong.
The
more liberal Christians often find support in the activities of their
denominational leaders, particularly those working in central offices, and tend
to view the conservatives as too private; the more conservative Christians tend
to view the liberals as too secular. Between these groups lies the broad
"middle" of church membership, perhaps less intensely involved in the
churches' institutional life, but providing stability at the centre.
Co-operation
among the churches is channelled through several Canada-wide coalitions devoted
to ECUMENICAL SOCIAL ACTION, but members of local congregations often feel
alienated from these coalitions with their relatively progressive stances. In
addition, public prayer meetings frequently bring Christians together during
urban crusades led by travelling EVANGELISTS, or on special occasions such as
Good Friday and Remembrance Day when ceremonies are held with local clerical
leadership.
The
Eucharist (Communion or Lord's Supper, the ritual sharing of bread and wine
that commemorates Jesus' crucifixion) is seldom celebrated at such
interdenominational gatherings, since the particular ways of celebrating that
central and nearly universal rite remain closely linked with denominational
identity. But modern Christians in Canada are much more likely than their
ancestors were to take part in another denomination's Eucharist, drawn by
friendship or marriage to members of that congregation, and there are few
clergy who would deny them access.
Furthermore,
these Christians are now much more likely to be favourably aware of the
doctrines and practices of JUDAISM, ISLAM, HINDUISM, BUDDHISM, SIKHISM or the
BAHA'I FAITH, and possibly even of NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS, as practised by
other Canadians.
Private
Nature of Religious Life
To the extent that Canadian Christians have
accepted the secularization of public life and the increasingly private nature
of religious life, they have made a working accommodation to the peculiar
nature of modern society. But the accommodation is inconsistent with a
tradition whose favourite prayer says, "Thy kingdom come," and takes
for granted that a kingdom is no merely private matter. It is also inconsistent
with the fundamental nature of religion itself, which aspires to knit
everything together into one ultimately meaningful pattern, and which demands
that things be holy as well as useful.
Therefore
it seems likely that Christianity will persist as a useful thing proper to the
private lives of many Canadians, but challenged from time to time to be open to
that which is holy and to be active in that which is public.
See
also BIBLE SCHOOLS; CANADIAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP OF
CANADA; CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES; CANADIAN BIBLE SOCIETY; CALVINISM;
MILLENARIANISM; PACIFISM.
Author
TOM FAULKNER
Suggested
Reading
Terrence Murphy, ed. A Concise History of
Christianity in Canada (1996); J.W. Grant, The Church in the Canadian Era
(1972); R.T. Handy, A History of the Churches in the United States and Canada
(1977); J. Moir, The Church in the British Era (1972); Nive Voisine et al,
Histoire de l'Église catholique au Québec (1608-1970) (1971); H. H. Walsh, The
Church in the French Era (1966).
Links
to Other Sites
Canadian
Council of Churches
The Canadian Council of Churches is the
largest ecumenical body in Canada, representing churches of Anglican, Eastern
and Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, and Roman Catholic traditions.
Lutheran
Church Canada
The official website of the Lutheran Church in
Canada.
United
Church of Canada
The official web site of the United Church of
Canada, the largest Protestant denomination in Canada.
Anno Domini : Jesus Through the Centuries
This beautifully illustrated Virtual Museum
website focuses on the life and teachings of Jesus and his impact on Western
culture.
The
Bishop Who Ate His Boots
This site profiles the exploits of Bishop
Isaac O. Stringer and other missionaries who journeyed to the harsh regions of
Canada’s Far North. From the Virtual Museum of Canada.
The
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The website for the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Canada. Offers an overview of church doctrine and a selection of
online documents about various religious issues.
Anglican
Church of Canada
The official website of the Anglican Church of
Canada. Offers an overview of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of
Canada, current news about church programs and more. Also provides access to
full text articles from the “Anglican Journal.”
The
History of King's County
An online digitized copy of "The History
of King's County." From the "Our Roots" website.
Canadian
Corporation for Studies in Religion
A virtual community for the academic study of
religion in Canada, with current news, job listings, feature articles, and
information about scholarly publications in the field.
Christian
pilgrims flock to Holy City for Good Friday
Watch a video clip depicting throngs of
Christian pilgrims walking the route tradition holds Jesus took to his crucifixion
in Jerusalem's Old City on Good Friday. From YouTube.
Christian
pilgrims flock to Holy City for Good Friday
A brief video clip showing pilgrims taking the
traditional Good Friday walk along the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Suffering, the
route taken by Jesus as he carried the cross on which he was to be crucified by
the Romans. From YouTube.
How
the Easter Date is Determined
A summary of various systems used to calculate
the date for Easter and related annual Christian observances. From
timeanddate.com.
The
Significance Of Easter Lilies And Other Blooms
See brief descriptions of the symbolic
attributes of the Easter Lily and other popular flowering plants. From the
Canada Floral Delivery website.
Season
of Easter
This article covers some of the key elements
of the Season of Easter. From the website for St. Andrew's United Church in
Toronto.
Easter
A brief history of the Christian celebration
of Easter from the Grace United Church, in Barrie, Ontario.
Edmonton
Interfaith Centre for Education and Action
The website for an Edmonton organization that
works towards building bridges of understanding and respect between our diverse
faith communities.
---------------------
THE
OLD LATIN VERSION- THE BIBLE
The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
1.
The Motive of Translation
2.
Multiplicity of Latin Translations in the 4th Century
3.
The Latin Bible before Jerome
4.
First Used in North Africa
5.
Cyprian's Bible
6.
Tertullian's Bible
7.
Possible Eastern Origin of Old Latin
8.
Classification of Old Latin Manuscripts
9.
Individual Characteristics
10.
Value of Old Latin for Textual Criticism
1.
The Motive of Translation
The
claim of Christianity to be the one true religion has carried with it from the
beginning the obligation to make its Holy Scriptures, containing the Divine
message of salvation and life eternal, known to all mankind. Accordingly,
wherever the first Christian evangelists carried the gospel beyond the limits
of the Greek-speaking world, one of the first requirements of their work was to
give the newly evangelized peoples the record of God's revelation of Himself in
their mother tongue. It was through the Septuagint translation of the Old
Testament that the great truths of revelation first became known to the Greek
and Roman world. It is generally agreed that, as Christianity spread, the
Syriac and the Latin versions were the first to be produced; and translations
of the Gospels, and of other books of the Old and New Testament in Greek, were
in all probability to be found in these languages before the close of the 2nd
century.
2.
Multiplicity of Latin Translations in the 4th Century
Of
the earliest translators of the Bible into Latin no record has survived.
Notwithstanding the careful investigations of scholars in recent years, there
are still many questions relating to the origin of the Latin Bible to which
only tentative and provisional answers can be given. It is therefore more
convenient to begin a study of its history with Jerome toward the close of the
4th century and the commission entrusted to him by Pope Damasus to produce a
standard Latin version, the execution of which gave to Christendom the Vulgate.
The need for such a version was clamant. There existed by this time a
multiplicity of translations differing from one another, and there was none
possessed of commanding authority to which appeal might be made in case of
necessity. It was the consideration of the chaotic condition of the existing
translations, with their divergences and variations, which moved Damasus to
commission Jerome to his task and Jerome to undertake it. We learn particulars
from the letter of Jerome in 383 transmitting to his patron the first
installment of his revision, the Gospels. "Thou compellest me," he
writes, "to make a new work out of an old so that after so many copies of
the Scriptures have been dispersed throughout the whole world I am as it were
to occupy the post of arbiter, and seeing they differ from one another am to
determine which of them are in agreement with the original Greek."
Anticipating attacks from critics, he says, further: "If they maintain
that confidence is to be reposed in the Latin exemplars, let them answer which,
for there are almost as many copies of translations as manuscripts. But if the
truth is to be sought from the majority, why not rather go back to the Greek
original, and correct the blunders which have been made by incompetent
translators, made worse rather than better by the presumption of unskillful
correctors, and added to or altered by careless scribes?" Accordingly, he
hands to the Pontiff the four Gospels to begin with after a careful comparison
of old Greek manuscripts.
From
Jerome's contemporary, Augustine, we obtain a similar picture.
"Translators from Hebrew into Greek," he says (De Doctrina
Christiana, ii.11), "can be numbered, but Latin translators by no means.
For whenever, in the first ages of the faith, a Greek manuscript came into the
hands of anyone who had also a little skill in both languages, he made bold to
translate it forthwith." In the same context he mentions "an
innumerable variety of Latin translators," "a crowd of
translators." His advice to readers is to give a preference to the Itala,
"which is more faithful in its renderings and more intelligible in its
sense." What the Itala is, has been greatly discussed. Formerly it was
taken to be a summary designation of all the versions before Jerome's time. But
Professor Burkitt (Texts and Studies, IV) strongly urges the view that by this
term Augustine designates Jerome's Vulgate, which he might quite well have
known and preferred to any of the earlier translations. However this may be,
whereas before Jerome there were those numerous translations, of which he and
Augustine complain, after Jerome there is the one preeminent and commanding
work, produced by him, which in course of time drove all others out of the
field, the great Vulgate edition, as it came to be called, of the complete
Latin Bible.
LITERATURE
Wordsworth
and White, Old Latin Biblical Texts, 4 volumes; F.C. Burkitt, "The Old
Latin and the Itala," Texts and Studies, IV; "Old Latin VSS" by
H.A.A. Kennedy in Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (five volumes);
"Bibelübersetzungen, Lateinische" by Fritzsche-Nestle in PRE3;
Introductions to Textual Criticism of the New Testament by Scrivener, Gregory,
Nestle, and Lake.
Thomas
Nicol
--------------
JUDAISM - CANADA
Judaism
is the religion of the JEWS. Its origins were in ancient Israel, where the
sacred text of the Hebrew Bible was understood to be God's revelation. The
Bible's core is the Torah-the 5 books delivered by God to the Jewish people at
Mount Sinai through their liberator, teacher and prophet Moses. The other
sections of the Bible- the books of the prophets, histories and ethical
works-are based on the centrality of the Torah.
View
a brief video of the traditional shofar sounds and their names. From YouTube.
Video
not working? Report a broken link.
In the centuries following the destruction of
the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD during the unsuccessful struggle for
independence from the Roman Empire, the rabbis, the religious teachers of the
Jews, compiled additional sacred texts-the Mishnah, and the Palestinian and
Babylonian Talmuds. Later rabbis added more commentaries and legal codes. The
rabbis taught that Mishnah and Talmud were "oral Torah"-given to
Moses at Sinai, but only written down when their oral transmission was
jeopardized by the destruction of the Temple.
The
original "written Torah," the later texts of the "oral
Torah," and other sacred writings served as "a portable
homeland," a comprehensive text-based holy way of life which would preserve
the Jewish people and their faith in their period of exile. The rabbi's role in
this way of life was to be a legal scholar, whose knowledge of the law would
guide daily life. Judaism was understood to be about much more than prayer,
synagogue, fasts and festivals. The Judaism based on the written and oral Torah
also concerned itself with family, business, civil and criminal law; the court
system by which these were legislated and enforced; and the philosophies and
world-views which gave meaning to the presence of the Jews in history. Thus
Judaism developed as a framework for religion, society and culture.
Biblical
Judaism developed as a challenge to traditional pagan beliefs and practices.
Christianity and Islam self-consciously developed as successor religions to
Judaism. While revering Judaism as the original revelation, they have also
portrayed Judaism as the religion rejected by their later revelations. Bizarre,
hostile portraits of Judaism have been accompanied by humiliation, expulsion
and violence. The vilification of Judaism has been present in Canadian society,
but has diminished as a broad consensus on religious tolerance and pluralism
has become part of Canadian culture. The National Council of Christians and
Jews provides a framework for promoting religious tolerance and
Jewish-Christian dialogue. There are tentative movements towards a
Jewish-Moslem dialogue. (See also ANTI-SEMITISM; PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION.)
While
the United States maintained the separation of church and state since its
founding, Canada's founding arrangements recognized Catholic and Protestant
group rights. Members of minority religions, however, could become full
citizens. With the exception of the important area of education, where some
provinces give full public support to confessionally based Christian schools
systems while equivalent support is not available to non-Christian schools,
religious minorities in Canada now enjoy the rights and privileges of all
Canadians. This degree of equal status under the law is far beyond the
experience of Jews before the 19th century.
The
opportunity to participate as equals in an open society has been a challenge to
Jews and Judaism. An open, competitive economy gave immigrants a chance to work
their way out of poverty. It also encouraged deviation from ritual prohibitions
which limit economic opportunity, such as the prohibition against working on
Saturday and other Jewish holy days. Mandatory education placed Jewish children
in public schools which intentionally aimed to transform them into good
Canadians, where children of immigrants studied science, history and literature
unknown to previous generations of Jews. Most who went on to higher education were
impressed by the cosmopolitan culture of western intellectuals. As participants
in a developing consumer society, Canadian Jews were encouraged to devote their
leisure hours to shopping and entertainment rather than the pious communal
activities mandated by their tradition. In response to these challenges, a few
Jews took the route of an abrupt break with Judaism. The more common response
was to combine some degree of fidelity to Judaism, the comfort of traditionally
based family and communal ties, and the drive for acceptance and integration
into Canadian society.
Demography
Jews are mainly urban, concentrated in the 3
large metropolitan centres. The largest number are in Ontario, especially
Toronto. Montréal, where the first Canadian SYNAGOGUE was established and which
was for many years the largest Canadian Jewish community, remains a centre of
Jewish life. Vancouver's Jewish population has been growing. In religious
affiliation and practice, the Jewish community of Montréal is the most
traditional, while that of Vancouver is the least.
The
Canadian census counts Jews as both an "ethnic group" and a
"religion." In the 1991 census, approximately 318 000 Canadians
reported their religion as Jewish. Jewish organizations estimate a total Jewish
population of about 356 000, including those who reported themselves on the
1996 census as Jews by ethnic group but with "no religion." Most of
the minority who report themselves as belonging to the Jewish "ethnic
group" but having "no religion" are not completely separated
from religious knowledge and observance. Because of the close relationship
between religion and other aspects of Jewish identity, they usually have some
religious education, participate in events which blend religious observance
with extended family ties, and observe, in their own ways, Jewish life-cycle
events.
Branches
of Judaism
The branches of Judaism that have developed as
a response to the new place of Jews in modern society are all represented in
Canada. Orthodox Judaism, which maintains the divinely revealed character of
both written and oral Torah, requires adherence to a highly distinctive way of
life. Conservative Judaism, which developed in the United States at the Jewish
Theological Seminary, interprets Torah in a more flexible way, allowing its
adherents to share in Canadian social, cultural and educational institutions
while professing complete continuity with an ever-evolving tradition. Reform
Judaism, while respecting traditional sources of wisdom and inspiration,
explicitly rejects the divine revelation of the oral law. Reform Jews observe
practices such as the dietary laws or Sabbath restrictions only on an optional
basis.
Early
Jewish immigrants to Canada came mostly from places where only Orthodox Judaism
was practised. Almost all Canadian synagogues whose origins go back to the turn
of the century were founded as Orthodox. Holocaust survivors who immigrated to
Canada included Hasidim, Orthodox Jews whose study of mystical texts is
combined with a high degree of separation from outside cultural influence, who
successfully established communities in Montréal and Toronto. North African
Jews who immigrated in the 1950s established Orthodox synagogues, mainly in
Montréal, with a few in Toronto. At present, Orthodox congregations remain
numerous. The orientation of Canadian synagogues towards Conservative Judaism
was gradual, often taking place in the second or third generation after
immigration. Canadian Jews are now most likely to be affiliated with
Conservative synagogues. The Reform movement was limited until the early 1950s
to 3 congregations in Canada, but has also grown considerably and is well
established as a major branch of Canadian Judaism. A few synagogues belonging
to the smaller Reconstructionist movement, which is based on the concept of a
Jewish religious civilization, are also found in Canada.
Institutions
In their personal lives, Canadian Jews are
less involved with the theological differences between the branches of Judaism
than with the synagogues and schools which are the foundations on which the
branches of Judaism rest. Synagogues are the property of the congregation.
Congregations choose the branch of Judaism with which to affiliate and normally
choose a rabbi from the rabbinical seminary of that branch. Affiliation
fluctuates with the life cycle; it is most common when children are in primary
school. In larger cities, congregations compete for members. The rabbi's role
has become less legal and more pastoral, shaped by a population used to
"shopping around," who are sometimes seeking spiritual bearings in a
dangerous and complex world and sometimes seeking only a pleasant setting for
life-cycle rituals and socially required infrequent appearances.
De
Sola, Abraham
De
Sola, Abraham
Abraham
de Sola was an influential rabbi in Montréal in the 19th century (courtesy
McGill University Archives).
Jewish schools rival synagogues as centres of
religious activity. Almost all Jewish schools are under religious sponsorship;
the large majority of Jewish children will receive at least a few years of
Jewish education. Jewish schools are of 2 types-schools which meet for several
hours a week outside of public school hours and schools which students attend
in place of public schools. The schools which complement public school are
almost always sponsored by congregations. In the past generation, private
Jewish alternatives to public school, called "day schools," have
grown considerably. Day schools follow a double curriculum, typically with half
the day spent on the provincially mandated curriculum and half the day spent on
Judaica. Judaica includes text study-Bible, and in some places Talmud-Hebrew
language, Jewish history and religious practices. Orthodox Zionist, Orthodox
non-Zionist, Conservative and Sephardic (teaching the religious and cultural
traditions of the Jews from North Africa) day schools are found in both
Montréal and Toronto; in Toronto, Reform and Labour Zionist day schools are
also available; Montréal maintains a day school founded as a Yiddishist school,
which teaches French, English, Hebrew and Yiddish. In smaller communities, such
a broad choice is not available.
The
Orthodox are represented in Jewish education in numbers far beyond their
proportion in the community because Orthodox Jews require a detailed knowledge
of ritual, place a stronger value on the study of Jewish texts, are more
willing to sustain many years of private school tuition, and have less
difficulty with separation from Canadian culture. On the other hand, Judaism is
taught in the secular Zionist and Yiddishist schools. Students educated in
these schools will be in settings where Judaism is practised, and Judaism, as a
historic framework of Jewish life, is part of their cultural background.
After
high school, there is considerable opportunity for part-time religious study;
some continue full-time study of Talmud and other texts in Orthodox yeshivot.
Jewish Studies has entered the university curriculum at McGill University,
Concordia University, York University, the University of Toronto and the
University of British Columbia.
Ritual
Practices
The branches of Judaism differ in their
standards for distinctive ritual practices. Most Jews are selective in their
practices, not strictly adhering to the standards of the branch with which they
identify. Common practices are family seders on the first 2 nights of Passover,
which commemorates the liberation from slavery in Egypt; synagogue attendance
on the New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), along with
fasting on the latter; lighting candles on Friday night before a family meal;
and candle lighting on Hanukkah, which commemorates the successful Jewish
revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC.
Commonly
observed life-cycle practices are ritual circumcision at 8 days, marking the
entry into the covenant between Jews and God; celebration of a child's 13th
birthday with a synagogue bar mitzvah for boys and bat mitzvah for girls;
weddings with a rabbi officiating; and religious funerals followed by
internment in a Jewish cemetery.
Even
though traditional practices which impinge upon participation in Canadian life
have been abandoned by most, Canada's Jews wish to invest their identity with
transcendent meaning. Most contemporary Jewish practice stresses the importance
of family and people. With an increasing number of Jews marrying spouses born
outside the faith, study of Judaism for the purpose of conversion has become
much more common; conversion involves joining family, community and people as
well as the religion. A significant minority of Canadian Jews retain high
levels of ritual practice out of choice, indicating the power of Judaism to
answer questions of meaning and morality and to meet the needs for a supportive
community and transcendent experiences.
Judaism
and Peoplehood
Attachment to the Jewish people has a
religious dimension. In Judaism the people, as a group, carry the sacred
message. The Holocaust and the establishment of the state of Israel are powerful
symbols to Canadian Jews. A mythic Israel (not entirely identified with the
political state) appears as a phoenix rising out of the ashes of Auschwitz, the
symbol of ultimate evil. These events function as sacred stories, endowing
Jewish peoplehood with transcendent meaning.
Judaism
and Community
Members of synagogues are almost always
members of other Jewish organizations, some religious, some not. The Talmud
says, "All Jews are responsible for each other." Even among Jews who
are unaffiliated or who consider themselves secular, responsibility to the
Jewish people is felt as a moral obligation.
The
specifically religious institutions of Canadian Jews are integrated into the
broader community. Congregations are members of the Canadian Jewish Congress
and of the Jewish federations found in local communities across Canada. Jewish
federations raise funds on behalf of homes for the aged, social work agencies
and other Jewish social welfare services. These agencies work co-operatively
with the religious institutions of Canadian Jews. Federations also raise funds
for Jewish education, sometimes devoting a large part of the local budget to
this responsibility.
Judaism
and Zionism
Just as peoplehood and religious commitment
are intertwined, the Zionist movement has a religious dimension. Zionism had
strongly secular beginnings, rejecting the teaching that only prayer and moral
purification would lead to the end of Jewish exile. The movement, however, was
supported by a great many Jews who followed traditional Jewish rituals and were
members of synagogues. Zionism's pragmatic call for a place of refuge for
persecuted Jews and the promise in the Torah that the Jews would be a free
people in the land of Israel were powerful incentives. The Zionist movement had
a strong popular following among Canadian Jews from the time of its
organization in the late 19th century.
Currently,
each branch of Judaism sponsors its own Zionist organization, which promotes
ties to Israel within the branch and the interests of the branch within the
Zionist movement. The Conservative and Reform Zionist organizations support the
development of their movements in Israel by encouraging philanthropy, travel,
study and aliyah (moving to Israel) within their own frameworks. Canadian Conservative
and Reform Zionist organizations also join in the lobby to modify the
imposition of Orthodox standards on the Israeli public and the considerable
state support in Israel which is available only to Orthodox institutions.
Orthodox Zionism has been particularly effective at creating links between
Canadian Jews and Orthodox institutions in Israel. Orthodox Jews are more
likely than other Canadian Jews to travel to Israel, send their children to
study and to make aliyah themselves. A minority within Orthodox Judaism object
to the national obligations which accompany Zionism; they work co-operatively
with their counterparts-the non-Zionist Orthodox Jews who live in Israel.
Judaism
and Social Movements
Canadian Jews, like American Jews, have been
well represented in social movements to ameliorate the suffering of the poor
and oppressed. This activity can be seen as growing out of the Jewish religious
heritage, with its prophetic vision of justice and universal peace.
In
sum, the dynamics of Canadian Judaism lie in the tension between the commitment
to participation in Canadian life and the commitment to retention of Jewish
identity. The strategies used to balance these two commitments vary, leading to
a community which is ideologically pluralistic but socially integrated.
Canadian Jews interpret the heritage of Judaism in different ways, yet they
share a common life and expect to share a common future.
See
also JEWISH WRITING.
Author
STUART SCHOENFELD
Suggested
Reading
Irving M. Abella, A Coat of Many Colours: Two
Centuries of Jewish Life in Canada (1990); Jack Lightstone and Frederick B.
Bird, Ritual and Ethnic Identity: a Comparative Study of the Social Meaning of
Liturgy and Ritual in Synagogues (1995).
Links
to Other Sites
Passover:
A Montreal Haggadah Supplement
A contemporary supplement to the age-old
Haggadah, which recounts the story of the Exodus that is read during the Seder,
the festive meal at the heart of the celebration of Passover. Explains the
symbolism of the rituals and traditional foods consumed during the holiday.
From the Canadian Jewish Federation.
Open
Hearts - Closed Doors: The War Orphans Project
This multimedia Virtual Museum website
recounts the poignant stories of orphaned Jewish children from Europe who were
admitted to Canada after surviving the Holocaust.
Toronto's
First Synagogues
A brief illustrated history of Toronto's first
synagogues and leaders of the local Jewish community. From the Ontario Jewish
Archives.
Too
Close to Home
An online learning guide that examines the
history of anti-semitism and fascism in Canada during the 1930s and 1940s.
Scroll down to the "Table of Contents" for key topics. From the
Vancouver Holocaust Centre.
Jewish
Holidays
An illustrated guide to Jewish Holidays from
the Chabad-Lubavitch Media Cente.
Temple
and rare cache of sacred vessels from Biblical times discovered at Tel Motza
An article about the discovery in Israel of
rare evidence of the religious practices and rituals in the early days of the
Kingdom of Judah. From the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Canadian
Corporation for Studies in Religion
A virtual community for the academic study of
religion in Canada, with current news, job listings, feature articles, and
information about scholarly publications in the field.
Vancouver
Holocaust Education Centre
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre is a
teaching museum and a leader in Holocaust education in British Columbia. See
the menu on the left for information about current events, learning resources,
and links to their outstanding virtual exhibits.
Canadian
Centre for Diversity
This site offers educational resources that
focus on celebrating diversity and inclusion in Canadian society.
The
Four Traditional Shofar Blasts
View a brief video of the traditional shofar
sounds and their names. From YouTube.
Passover:
A time of learning through food
An article about the eight-day celebration of
Passover, which commemorates the time that Moses led the ancient Jews out of
enslavement in Egypt. From The Calgary Journal.
Introduction
to the Seder Plate
An illustrated guide to preparing the items
for the Seder plate, the centrepiece of the Passover table. From chabad.org.
------------------
Leonard
Cohen - Hallelujah
"Hallelujah"
I've
heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
There was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Maybe there’s a God above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who has seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah
---------------
Islam-
CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA
Islam
is one of the major religions of the world and is estimated to be the
fastest-growing religion in Canada and worldwide. Its 1.6 billion adherents are
scattered throughout the globe, though concentrated most densely in South and
Central Asia, the Middle East, and North and East Africa. The word
"Islam" is derived from the Arabic root s-l-m, which carries a range
of meanings including submission, obedience, surrender and peace. Followers of
Islam, called Muslims (Moslems), believe that Islam is the religion of God
(Allah), and was revealed to a succession of prophets including Abraham, Moses,
Jesus and Muhammad for the guidance and benefit of humanity. Followers of
earlier prophets are, therefore, considered to be believers in the same divine
message as Muslims.
View a television news story about the
observance of Ramadan in Canada. From YouTube.
Video
not working? Report a broken link.
In ideal terms, to accept Islam is to choose
to live life according to the revealed will of God, to surrender oneself to His
mercy and judgement, and to strive to maintain righteousness in the world.
Individual and communal obedience to the tenets of the faith, coupled with
Islam's message of equality among people, is thought to facilitate the
elimination of social discord. The teachings of Islam are grounded in the Book
of Allah, the Qur'an (Koran), the scripture Muslims believe to have been
revealed by God through the angel Gabriel, in Arabic, to the Prophet Muhammad
between 610 (when he was 40 years old) and 632 AD (the year of his death).
These teachings guide Muslims in their practices and beliefs of Islam.
Muslims
are expected to live up to the demands of Shari'a, which refers to the rights
and responsibilities expressed by an intricate legal-ethical system constructed
and refined over the centuries. The Shari'a is derived primarily from the
Qur'an and the example of the prophet Muhammad (known as the Sunna), and
defines what is halal (permissible), and haram (prohibited). Although Islam has
no clergy and no sacraments, it does require certain ritual practices in
obedience to God's commandments. Often referred to as the "Pillars of
Islam," there are 5 acts of worship incumbent on all believers: a
testimony of faith, regular prayer, an annual charitable donation, fasting
during the holy month of Ramadan, and a pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca
(city in Saudi Arabia) once during a Muslim's lifetime. To avoid a spiritually
empty formalism, and to facilitate the adherent's personal development, each
act is to be approached with a conscious purification of intent meant to remind
the worshipper of his or her relationship to God.
Acts
of Worship
The shahadah (affirmation of faith) is a
succinct and comprehensive testimony of faith; it is to be affirmed by all
Muslims and recited often, and its implications to be acted upon. The Arabic
formula translates to "I bear witness that there is no god but God and
that Muhammad is the messenger of God." It attests commitment to a strict
monotheism, and specifies that the revelation to Muhammad is the final truth.
It is whispered in the ear of the newborn to remind the child of a primordial
covenant made by each individual with God, and in the ear of the deceased in
preparation for the questioning of the grave.
Salat
(ritual prayer) is prescribed for all believers 5 times a day (at dawn, at
midday, in the afternoon, at dusk and in the evening). The prayers are
performed while facing toward Mecca, and stamp daily life with a steadfast
devotion to God. The prayers are to be preceded by a purity of heart, mind and
body, and therefore ritual ablutions are required. The prayer involves
liturgical recitations while standing, bowing and kneeling.
Zakat
(alms-giving) is perceived as an act of purification. Repeated passages in the
Qur'an indicate that prayer and almsgiving are irrevocably bound together as
central acts of worship. One's commitment to God is incomplete without this
fulfillment of responsibility toward the community. The annual payment or
charity required by Shari'a (Islamic law) is assessed at 2.5% of one's total
assets, and is to be given to the poor, orphans and widows, or charitable
causes.
During
sawm (fasting during the lunar month of Ramadan, 29-30 days) believers have a
small meal before sunrise, then refrain from food, drink and sex from dawn to
dusk. The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The
celebration of the feast known as Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, and the
first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. (See RELIGIOUS
FESTIVALS.) Fasting is a time of repentance and discipline; it binds the
community together in a shared experience of deprivation as well as gratitude
and celebration at the end of the day.
Hajj
(the pilgrimage to Mecca), for believers who can afford it, is incumbent on
believers at least once during their lifetime. It commemorates the memory of
Abraham's unwavering obedience to God as demonstrated by his willingness, upon
God's command, to sacrifice his son - widely considered by Muslim tradition to
have been Ishmael, and not Isaac. The ceremony begins with the pilgrim's
repentance to God, and seeking forgiveness from family and friends before the
journey. The male pilgrim then dons two pieces of white cloth symbolizing the
universal brotherhood (umma) of which he is a part, as well as the spiritual
renewal to which he aspires. A female believer's pilgrimage is no different in
terms of motives, intentions and significance, but the particular dress code is
set aside in view of Islamic requirements of hijab (headscarf). The pilgrimage
tracks and re-enacts prominent moments believed to have occurred in the life of
Abraham and his family. In addition to abstention from worldly pleasures, the
pilgrim participates in a meditation at Mount Arafat, a ritual pelting of the
devil (symbolized by a post at the spot in which Satan is believed to have
appeared to Abraham to dissuade him from carrying out his duty), the
sacrificial offering of an animal (in commemoration of the Abrahamic
sacrifice), the trimming or shaving of the hair on his or her head (again, in a
spirit of sacrifice), walking between the mountains of Safa and Marwa (reflecting
Hagar's desperate journey in the desert in search of water for Ishmael before a
well sprung open for her), and circumambulation of the Kaaba, the central
building built by Abraham and Ishmael in devotion to their Lord, which now
forms the centrepiece of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
The
Islamic house of worship, the mosque, is often characterized by a large, open
interior and a dome-shaped roof with a minaret or tower from which the muezzin
(Muslim official or crier) calls the faithful to worship. Mosques are
nondenominational; all Muslims are welcome. Prayer services are conducted daily
from the mihrab, a semicircular niche in the wall facing Mecca, but on Fridays,
preceding the midday prayers, the Imam or Khateeb delivers a sermon from a
pulpit known as a minbar as the congregation sits on carpets in the centre of
the building, facing him. The first Canadian mosque was the Al Rashid Mosque,
built in Edmonton in 1938, now relocated to the historic Fort Edmonton Park.
Other mosques and centres were not organized in major urban areas until the
1950s and 1970s. Mosques are generally managed by the congregation. (See
RELIGIOUS BUILDING.)
The
Creed of Islam
The essential credal statement of Islam as it
appears in the Qur'an specifies belief in God, his messengers, his books, the
angels and the Last Day. God represents the Lord of the world and is revealed
through nature and history. Humanity was provided guidance through prophets and
messengers beginning with Adam and ending with Muhammad. Certain messengers
were entrusted with a scripture (eg, Moses with the Torah, Jesus with the
Gospel). To prevent changes to the scripture, Muslims believe the Qur'an, God's
revelation to Muhammad, must be affirmed and preserved - not only recorded on
paper, but also memorized in its entirety by believers. The Qur'an teaches that
God created the angels out of light, and that some have specific tasks. For
example, the archangel Gabriel brings revelation, while Izrail is the
"angel of death," and Israfil sounds the horn announcing the Last Day
and the Resurrection. Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgment all humans
will give account for every intent, thought and act. The righteous will be
rewarded in Paradise (or, the Garden) while the sinful will be consigned to the
Fire.
Islam
in Canada
The Islamic mosaic within Canada is the
consequence of a variety of factors including changes in Canadian IMMIGRATION
policies, as well as economic and political upheavals affecting Muslims in
other countries. The 1871 census recorded only 13 Muslims in Canada. Their
number increased to 645 by 1931, mostly due to immigrants from Lebanon,
Albania, Syria, Yugoslavia and Turkey. The influx of immigrants after the
Second World War raised the number to 33 370 by 1971. The majority of this wave
comprised highly educated, westernized professionals who came to settle in
Canada to share in its economic prosperity. They were mostly from Lebanon,
Syria, Indonesia, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and the
Indian-Pakistani-Bangladeshi subcontinent. From 1966 to 1970, thousands of
unskilled labourers of Indo-Pakistani background immigrated to escape
discrimination in East Africa and Britain. More recently, Muslim immigrants
have included unskilled workers from southern Lebanon, Somalia and the Balkans fleeing
their war-torn countries, as well as political REFUGEES from Iran and
Afghanistan.
Early
Muslim settlements were concentrated in Ontario and Alberta, with a shift into
Québec in the 1930s. Most Muslims arriving in Canada since the 1960s settled in
urban areas, with more than 70% now concentrated in the Toronto, Montréal, and
Vancouver metropolitan areas; the number approaches 80% if Edmonton and Calgary
are included. The national 2001 census identified Muslims as the fastest
growing religious group in Canada with 579 640 Muslims throughout the country -
approximately 2% of the total population - belonging to a wide range of ethnic
cultures and speaking a variety of languages. In 2001, approximately half of
all Canadian Muslims had immigrated in the preceding decade, while a comparable
number were either Canadian-born, or had immigrated previously. The 2006 census
did not tabulate figures based on religious denomination, but it is believed
that these trends have continued.
Islamic
Denominations
A large majority of Muslims, both in Canada
and globally, adhere to Sunni Islam, while the remainder follow Shi'i Islam.
The differences between these two denominations reflect early
religious-political divisions in Islamic history. While both are guided by the
Qur'an and the teachings of Muhammad, Shi'i Muslims believe that Ali, the
Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, was designated as his immediate political and
spiritual successor, and that this authoritative leadership (known as the
Imamate) was restricted thereafter to the lineage of Ali. Both groups affirm
that the revelation through prophets has ceased; however Shi'is accept Imams as
divinely ordained leaders capable of providing a continuing source of Muslim
doctrine since the death of the Prophet.
There
are other divisions within these denominations. Twelver Shi'is, commonly
referred to as "Twelvers," believe that the Imamate culminated in the
twelfth Imam, who disappeared in 874 AD, while Isma'ilis believe in a
succession of Imams continuing through his lineage to the present day under the
leadership of the Aga Khan. Other important Islamic groups in Canada include
Sufis (followers of the mystic traditions of both Sunnism and Shi'ism), as well
as sects that are deemed non-Islamic by the majority, such as the Druze, the
Alawis and the Qadyanis.
For
Sunni Muslims, Canada offered a special challenge since this group lacked
structured leadership. Efforts to organize have historically occurred primarily
at the local level; however, there have been important efforts at the national
and continental levels. The Federation of Islamic Associations in the US and
Canada was formed in the 1950s by second-generation Muslims of ARAB background.
In 1962, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) was formed to instil Islamic
consciousness in Muslim students in North America. Some MSA alumni in Canada
formed the independent Council of Muslim Communities of Canada (CMCC) in 1972;
however, the council disbanded within a decade. The council attempted to
integrate Muslims of other ethnic and linguistic groups. Its objectives
evolved, and the council formed links between Canadian Muslims and other
national and international groups to organize youth camps, provide scholarships
for Muslims, and publish textbooks and books on Islam. Today, a comparable role
is occupied by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). As the Muslim
community has diversified, so have the functions and types of organizations
representing it. In Canada, political advocacy groups have grown and developed
within the Muslim community to support its members and to safeguard the rights
of Muslim citizens. Among such groups are the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN), the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC), the
Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) and the philanthropic Olive Tree Foundation.
The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) focuses on advancing discussions and
interpretations of Islam that differ from mainstream Muslim religious beliefs.
Challenges
Immigrants have often found it difficult to
incorporate Islamic practices into their lives because of the pressures of an
environment that is traditionally Christian and at variance with familiar
customs. There are, for example, no public reminders for the daily prayers, and
special arrangements often have to be negotiated with employers or schools to
accommodate prayer times and religious holidays. Some modern Muslims question
the need to pay the zakat since the Canadian government cares for the
disadvantaged, and the Islamic prohibition of usury raises concerns regarding
transactions involving interest payments, which are a routine component of
Canadian economic life. Islamic dietary restrictions concerning the way meat is
slaughtered and against pork and alcohol are often seen as impediments to
social integration.
A
strain between Muslim communities and the larger Canadian society regarding
male-female relationships has sometimes been evident since traditional Muslim
cultures often expect particular gender roles that are not found in modern
Western societies. Religious groups including Muslims argued that the secular
legal system did not adequately include the laws and traditions of their faith.
In 2003 and 2005, public debates were held in Ontario regarding a proposal from
a Muslim organization to facilitate Muslim access to private arbitration based
on Shari'a beliefs. Women's groups, legal organizations and the Muslim Canada
Congress were alarmed at the implications this could carry for vulnerable
members of the community. Ontario's Arbitration Act allowed "faith-based
arbitration" when it was agreed to by all parties involved in the
arbitration, which allowed people to choose to settle civil disputes such as
divorce, custody, and inheritance outside the formal court system.
Concerns
were raised that faith-based arbitration would not adequately or fairly support
women, may not fully comply with international human rights standards, and did
not include different interpretations of religious law, and it was questioned
whether the rulings could be applied under Canadian law. The controversy
motivated Premier Dalton McGuinty to appoint Marion Boyd (former
Attorney-General and former Minister Responsible for Women's Issues) to study
the risks and suggest recommendations. Boyd recommended that private
arbitration under religious law be continued, however she also recommended
safeguards to protect vulnerable parties. A public backlash against the
recommendations prompted the premier to ban all religious arbitration.
In
Québec in 2007, debates over accommodating immigrants and what constituted
"reasonable accommodation" were sparked when the small town of
Hérouxville passed a code of conduct for immigrants or "new arrivals"
that included a rule that prohibited stoning women. The town's exaggerated code
of conduct for immigrants and the description of "dominant norms" for
people living in the rural community were revised after Muslim women from the
Canadian Islamic Congress met with representatives from the town council.
Conflicts between religious requirements and Québec's secular society prompted
Premier Jean Charest to appoint prominent academics Gérard Bouchard and Charles
Taylor to study the concept and limits of "reasonable accommodation"
in Canadian society. Bouchard and Taylor focused on religion and the role of
interculturalism in Québec (as opposed to the multiculturalism identified
within English Canada), and the increasingly diverse identity of Québec
society.
Islam
in Canada Today
Debate about Islam, Canadian multiculturalism
(or interculturalism), and diversity have been complicated by global politics
and events, in particular the attacks on the United States on 11 Sept 2001, and
the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The global situation has fomented
distrust between Muslim communities and government agencies. Related to this
climate, Statistics Canada reported that in 2006, among the 220 hate crimes
motivated by religion, 21% of offences were against Muslims (Islam).
Islamic
community organizations have made efforts to reach out to other religious and
community groups. During the 1980s, Islam West Associates promoted mutual
understanding between Muslims in Canada and all other Canadians. More recently,
efforts have been made to acquaint Canadian society with the Islamic
contribution to culture, science and art through exhibits at some of the
nation's largest museums. A permanent collection of art and artifacts from the
Muslim world will be housed at The Aga Khan Museum, slated to open in 2013 in
Toronto. In 2007, the CBC premiered Little Mosque on the Prairie, a sitcom depicting
the travails of a small Muslim community in rural Saskatchewan. An earlier
documentary (Me and the Mosque) directed by Little Mosque creator Zarqa Nawaz
illustrated the role of women in Canadian mosques, and described the emerging
awareness among second-generation Muslim Canadians of the need to blend their
religious heritage and Canadian sensibilities.
Author
YVONNE Y. HADDAD Revised: JUNAID QUADRI
Suggested
Reading
Michael A. Koszegi and J. Gordon Melton, eds,
Islam in North America (1992); S.A. Nigosian, Modes of Worship (1981); E.H.
Waugh, B. Abu-Laban and R.B. Qureshi, eds, The Muslim Community in North
America (1983); Y.Y. Haddad and J.I. Smith, eds, Muslim Communities in North
America (1994); B. Abu Laban, "The Muslim Community of Canada," in
Muslim Minorities in the West, ed. S.Z. Abedin and Z. Sardar (1995); E.H.
Waugh, et al, ed, Muslim Families in North America (1991); A.F. Yousif, Muslims
in Canada: A Question of Identity (2008); Natasha Bakht, ed, Belonging and
Banishment: Being Muslim in Canada (2008); R.B. McGown, Muslims in the Diaspora
(1999); S.H. Razack, Casting Out: The Eviction of Muslims from Western Law and
Politics (2008); J. Zine, Canadian Islamic Schools (2008).
Links
to Other Sites
INDEPTH:
ISLAM
This CBC feature report provides an
introduction to Islamic religion, Ramadan, Shariah law in Canada, the Shia and
Sunni believer groups, and much more.
The
Islamic World to 1600 Tutorial
The Islamic World to 1600 Tutorial is a
multimedia introduction to the first millennium of Islamic history. Focuses on
Muslim beliefs and practices, the history of the Islamic world from the 7th to
the 17th centuries, and more. From the Applied History Research Group at the
University of Calgary.
Muslims
A profile of the Muslim community in Canada.
Part of the "Diversity Watch" website from Ryerson University.
Canadian
Corporation for Studies in Religion
A virtual community for the academic study of
religion in Canada, with current news, job listings, feature articles, and
information about scholarly publications in the field.
Canadian
Centre for Diversity
This site offers educational resources that
focus on celebrating diversity and inclusion in Canadian society.
The
West Asian Community in Canada
A profile of Canadians of West Asian origin
from Statistics Canada.
Ramadan
Celebration in Canada
View a television news story about the
observance of Ramadan in Canada. From YouTube.
The
Islamic Society of British Columbia and Masjid Al-Hidayah & Islamic
Cultural Centre
The website for the Islamic Society of British
Columbia and Masjid Al-Hidayah & Islamic Cultural Centre.
An Intellectual History of Islam in India
Read the full text of Aziz Ahmad's scholarly
work "An Intellectual History of Islam in India." From the
questia.com website.
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THANKS
RUSSIA 4 THE SHARE.... and respecting our troops like we respect yours :-)
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?????? ? ??????????? Canadian troops in Afghanistan (Russian and Canadian translat.)
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WOUNDED
WARRIORS- THE SOUTH POLE CHALLENGE- 2013
WWTW
South Pole Allied Challenge Launch 2013
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WOUNDED
WARRIORS- THE SOUTH POLE CHALLENGE- 2013
WWTW
South Pole Allied Challenge Launch 2013
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