Canada, Part 1

John Cabot claimed Canada for Henry VII of England and for the Catholic Church in 1497 and Jacques Cartier of France came to Canada in 1535.  However, it was not until Samuel de Champlain established Quebec City in 1608 that colonization and a permanent presence of the Catholic Church was established.  The Jesuits and other religious orders moved quickly to establish missions among the Native Americans.  Francois de Laval was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Quebec City in 1658 and became the first Bishop of Quebec City in 1674.  After the British took control of Canada from France in 1760, Catholics were allowed freedom of worship, but the British did try to control the Church including influencing the selection of bishops.  Catholics were granted greater freedom under the Quebec Act of 1774.  Today, Canada has 14.2 million Catholics, or 40 percent of the total population.  There are 18 ecclesiastical provinces in Canada.

Canada has several eastern rite dioceses.  The Ukrainian Church is large enough to have a separate province which will be discussed in Canada part 2.  The other Eastern rite diocese are:

·         Mar Addai of Toronto for the Chaldeans (established in 2011) is directly subject to the Chaldean patriarch.

·         Saint-Sauveur de Montreal for the Greek-Melkites (established in 1980) is directly subject to the Greek-Melkite patriarch.

·         Saint-Maron de Montreal for the Maronites (established in 1982) is directly subject to the Maronite patriarch.

·         Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto for the Slovaks (established in 1980) is directly subject to the Slovak metropolitan archbishop.

·         Mississauga for the Syro-Malabars (established in 2018) is directly subject to the Syro-Malabar major archbishop.

·         The Syriac Apostolic Exarchy of Canada (established in 2016) is directly subject to the Pope.

Anglican, Armenian, and Romanian rite Catholics in Canada are part of dioceses in the United States.

Today I will discuss the 8 ecclesiastical provinces that are in Quebec and the Maritime civil provinces.

Province of Québec (Quebec)

The province consists of east central Quebec.  The Vicariate Apostolic of New France was established in 1658.  The Diocese of Quebec was created in 1674 and it became the Archdiocese of Quebec with the creation of the Province in 1819.

The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec dates to 1647, although portions of it have been destroyed—by the British in 1759 and by fire in 1922.  Each time, the church has been rebuilt using the original plans.  The Cathedral Basilica has two towers and three Casavant Freres pipe organs.  The baldachin was designed by Andre Vermare.  The stained glass windows were crafted by the Meyer Company of Germany (depicting the life of the Virgin Mary) and the Champigneulle Company of France (depicting saints and angels).  A side chapel contains a large number of relics.  Pope Pius IX designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1874, the first in Canada.  See holydoorquebec.ca.

From Flickr and Wikipedia

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

·         The Diocese of Trois Rivieres was established in 1852.

·         The Diocese of Chicoutimi was established in1878.

·         The Diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere was established in 1951.

Province of Halifax-Yarmouth (Nova Scotia)

The province consists of the civil provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.  The Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth was created as the Vicariate Apostolic of Nova Scotia in 1817.  It became the Diocese of Halifax in 1842.  In 1852, it became an Archdiocese with the creation of the Province.  The name was changed in 2009 to reflect the suppression of the former Diocese of Yarmouth.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Halifax was originally built in 1820, but was expanded into a Gothic Revival building in 1869 by noted American Catholic architect/builder Charles Patrick Keely.  The church is made of granite and features a 189-foot tall steeple—said to be the highest in North America.  Pope Pius XII named it a minor basilica in 1950.  See catholichalifax.org.

From Snipview and Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

·        The Diocese of Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) was created in 1829.

·       The Diocese of Antigonish (Nova Scotia) was established as the Diocese of Arichat in 1844.  It became the Diocese of Antigonish in 1886.

Province of Montréal (Quebec)

The province consists of greater Montreal.  The Diocese of Montreal was established in 1836.  The Province was created in 1886 and Montreal became an archdiocese.

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral Basilica in Montreal was built between 1870 and 1894 and is modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  The Cathedral has a copper dome and a baldachin modeled after the Bernini masterpiece in St. Peter’s.  Several large paintings show episodes of Catholic history in Canada.  The Cathedral was designated a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1919, the fourth in Canada.  See diocesemontreal.org.

All are from Wikipedia

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

·         The Diocese of Valleyfield was created in 1892.

·         The Diocese of Joliette was created in 1904.

·         The Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil was created in 1933.

·         The Diocese of Saint-Jerome--Mont-Laurier was created in 2022.

Province of St. John's (Newfoundland and Labrador)

The province consists of Newfoundland and Labrador.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Newfoundland was established in 1784 and became the Vicariate Apostolic of Newfoundland in 1796, and the Diocese of Newfoundland in 1847.  It was renamed the Diocese of St. John’s in 1856 and became the Archdiocese of St. John’s in 1904 was the creation of the Province.

The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s was consecrated in 1855 and cost half a million dollars to build.  It follows a Roman basilica style, with two towers, and is made from Dublin granite and Irish limestone.  In addition to the main altar, there are seven side altars.  Pope Pius XII designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1955.  See thebasilica.ca.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

·         The Diocese of Grand Falls was established in 1856 as the Diocese of Harbour Grace.  The name was changed to Harbour-Grace and Grand Falls in 1958 and took on its current name in 1964.

·         The Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador began as the Apostolic Prefecture of Western Newfoundland in 1870 and became the Vicariate Apostolic of Western Newfoundland in 1892.  It became the Diocese of St. George’s in 1904 and acquired its current name in 2007.

Province of Moncton (New Brunswick)

The province consists of the civil province of New Brunswick.  The Archdiocese of Moncton was created in 1936 with the creation of the ecclesiastical province.

Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Moncton was built in 1939.  The parish was established in 1914 as a French Acadian parish.  Acadian artist, Claude Roussell, designed four white marble statues and two mural mosaics.  The stained glass windows show scenes of the civil and religious history of the Acadians.  See diomoncton.ca.

The top is from the archdiocesan website and the bottom is from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

·        The Diocese of New Brunswick was created in 1842 and became the Diocese of St. John in New Brunswick in 1924.

·        The Diocese of Bathhurst was established as the Diocese of Chatham in 1860 and acquired its current name in 1938.

·        The Diocese of Edmundston was established in 1944.

Province of Rimouski (Quebec)

The province consists of northeastern Quebec.  The Diocese of Rimouski was created in 1867.  It became the Archdiocese of Rimouski in 1946 with the creation of the Province.

The Cathedral of St. Germain in Rimouski is a neo-Gothic church made of gray stone that was completed in 1853.  The steeple has three bells and the Cathedral’s pipe organ was made by Casavant Freres.  See dioceserimouski.com.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

·         The Diocese of Baie-Comeau began as the Apostolic Prefecture of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1882.  It became the Vicariate Apostolic of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1905, the Diocese of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1945, the Diocese of Hauterive in 1960, and acquired its current name in 1986.

·         The Diocese of Gaspe was created in 1922.

Province of Sherbrooke (Quebec)

The province consists of southeastern Quebec.  The Diocese of Sherbrooke was created in 1874.   It became the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke in 1951 with the creation of the Province.

St. Michael Basilica Cathedral in Sherbrooke was completed in 1959, the same year that Pope John XXIII named it a minor basilica.  The Gothic Revival church has a 10-foot aluminum crucifix, stained glass windows depicting biblical events, and an oak statue of the Virgin Mary.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

·         The Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe was founded in 1852.

·         The Diocese of Nicolet was founded in 1885.

Province of Gatineau (Quebec)

The province consists of western Quebec.  The Diocese of Hull was created in 1963.  It became the Archdiocese of Gatineau-Hull in 1990 with the creation of the new Province.  It simply became the Archdiocese of Gatineau in 2005.

St. Joseph Cathedral in Gatineau serves as the Metropolitan Cathedral for the Province.  It was designed by Lucien Sarra-Bournet and constructed in the early 1950s.  See paroissestjoseph.ca.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

·         The Diocese of Amos was created in 1938.

·         The Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda was created in 1973.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include vicariates apostolic and prefectures apostolic—both are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.  The difference is that a vicar apostolic holds the rank of a bishop and the prefect apostolic is a priest, but not a bishop.  There is also a jurisdiction called a mission sui juris.  A mission sui juris may be part of a province and is often administered by a bishop of another diocese. 

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies.  For example, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch.  A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy and is led by an exarch. 

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell (although some basilicas do not display them).  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.