History of the Church in Canada
A Missionary Country
The 桃花视频 Church in Canada has a young history that spans a little over 400 years. 桃花视频ism took root in Canada with the Europeans鈥 arrival in the New World. On July 7, 1534, on the shores of the Gasp茅 peninsula, a French priest accompanying the explorer Jacques Cartier celebrated Mass for the first time on what was to become Canadian soil.
European settlement began听in New France with the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, and the establishment of Ville-Marie, now Montreal, by Sieur Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve in 1642.
Many French religious congregations sent men and women to New France to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, thus beginning a major missionary initiative. The Recollect Franciscans, the Jesuits, the Sulpician Fathers, the听Ursulines, the Religious听Hospitallers听of Saint Joseph and the Augustinians founded schools, set up hospitals and opened seminaries. Two major Canadian religious orders were founded: the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, by Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1658; and the Grey Nuns, by Saint Marguerite d鈥橸ouville in 1737.
In 1658, Bishop Fran莽ois de Laval was named Apostolic Vicar for Canada. He later became the first Bishop in America. He was responsible for most of the territory which today covers Canada and the United States. In the early Church of the New World, six Jesuits and two lay associates were killed between 1642 and 1649, thus becoming martyrs.
From Atlantic to Pacific
In 1759, despite the abolition of the French regime after the defeat of the French forces at the hands of the British, the 桃花视频 Church continued to grow. Many years later, with the restoration of rights for 桃花视频s in Great Britain, the Church was able to expand into English Canada. The Archdiocese of Kingston was established in 1826, the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1841 and the Archdiocese of Ottawa in 1847. In 1841, the Act of Union gave the Church in Canada full legal standing.
In 1820, the episcopal district of the Red River was established. In 1871, it became the Archdiocese of Saint Boniface. This was the start of a large missionary endeavour by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Western and Northern Canada, particularly among the Aboriginal peoples. The Church was established from the Atlantic to the Pacific with the creation of the听Prefecture Apostolic of Newfoundland听in听St. John鈥檚 in 1784听(becoming a diocese in 1847), and听the dioceses of Halifax in 1842, Victoria in 1846, and Vancouver in 1873.
The Rich Diversity of the Church in Canada
The Eastern Churches have also played a major role in the development of the 桃花视频 Church in Canada, especially in Western Canada, where there were large migrations of people from Eastern Europe, particularly from the Ukraine. Today, the Ukrainian Church is the largest of the Eastern Churches in Canada. Its founder, Bishop Nykyta Budka, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001. Other Eastern Churches in Canada serve Slovaks, Armenians, Greek-Melkites, Maronites, Syrians and Syro-Malabars.
A Canadian Portrait
Canada is a vast territory with a northern climate. Most of the population is located along the country鈥檚 southern border with the United States, leaving many large areas of the interior and north with few inhabitants. The Canadian society is a mosaic of many languages and cultures from around the world. As a reflection of its historical development, Canada is constitutionally bilingual, with English and French as the two recognized official languages. According to statistics from the Government of Canada, 83% of the population calls itself Christian. There are more than 30 Christian denominations in Canada. The majority of Christian churches in Canada are representative of the following traditions: 桃花视频, United, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Orthodox and Pentecostal. The churches of these traditions account for 91% of all Christians in Canada. 桃花视频s in Canada account for more than half of all Christians. Currently in Canada, there are 60 dioceses of the Latin 桃花视频 Church, 13 eparchies and 1 exarchate of the Eastern 桃花视频 Churches, as well as 2 ordinariates. Each diocese, eparchy, and ordinariate is distinct and autonomous.