Southern Ontario Church History

I'm writing a historical commentary on Southern Ontario for my Dad's charter flight service, and I'm frustrated because all the cool history I find out about, I'm not allowed to include, because it's controversial and people won't want to hear it.

I learned about how Toronto was called 'little Belfast' and how the Orange Order (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Order) had massive control of the politics of the city, and that every Mayor of Toronto was an Orangeman until the 1950s. This didn't go well with the huge Irish Catholic population, and the two had mini-wars.

I also learned out - totally by accident - about a man that reminded me of myself.



Sir Allan Napier MacNab, who was Prime Minister of Upper Canada in the 1850s (think Cardinal Newman, re-establishment of Catholic Hierarchy in England, and Anglo-Catholicism rising to popularity). Anyway, he was raised Anglican, but had a deathbed conversion to Roman Catholicism. His parish priest (Anglican) was so angry that he showed up in the dying man's room when the Catholic bishop of Hamilton had left the house, and claimed he had made MacNab reconvert to Anglicanism. People just couldn't believe he would go Roman.

When all the Church of England dignataries showed up for the funeral they were horrified to see that the Roman Catholic clergy were already there performing the ceremony. They say that as his family, the Bishop, and the priests walked one way together (mind you, a very small group), the Protestant politicians and clerics and the vast majority of the mourners went the other way, refusing to even attend a Catholic funeral.

One historian wrote: as his relatives fought over his possessions, the English and Roman churches fought over his body and soul.

Definately reminds me of me.

Sir Allan Napier MacNab, pray for me, another convert who has from time to time wavered from the efforts of Anglican clerics.

Canadian Church History

Yesterday was Canada Day, in commemoration of our Dominion founded on July 1, 1867. I wanted to post something, but I couldn't think of anything.

Today I decided to read some Canadian Church History that I found quite interesting. It is from a book called "The sword of Saint Paul : a history of the Diocese of Saskatoon, 1933-1983" by Duncan F. Robertson (http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=1027450).

I was reading about Western Canadian Catholicism and thinking about how Roman Catholic Metis (Native tribe that was genetically of half-French, half-Indian) lived in the wilds and the forests, and still practiced their faith. As someone who can rarely find confession, etc, this interested me, and as most know, my primary devotion is the Rosary.

So it was interesting when I read about Bishop Albert Pascal O.M.I, and his mission work with these people on the frontier. In 1876 he wrote of their practices:

"Several among them faithfully recite twice the beads every Sunday, as well as on on Fridays and days of fast and abstinence. When away from the priest and buried in the solitude of the woods, they gather up all their religious pictures, with which they decorate a tee pee, which for the nonce is transformed into a chapel. There they assemble to pray, and sing hymns in their language."

It makes me feel connected to the Canadian tradition of praying the rosary, that has gone back hundreds of years even in our relatively new state, and it makes me again wish I had a vocation to priesthood as I think of how those Metis Catholics had hymns to sing, thanks to the Missionary Jesuits who translated them into the vernacular. In any case, I hope to be one of those proud laymen, faithfully praying the rosary my whole life. If I can do that, I will have carried on the tradition.

May God advance his Church in our country, and may God save the Queen.