Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
Opinions may vary as to the time when immigration will be once more at
its height, but all seem to agree on the certainty of the fact.[1]
Probably the British Isles will open the march in the onward rush to
Canada; Continental Europe will follow in their wake. Already the
various philanthropic and religious organizations are preparing to
welcome the new-comer to our Shores.
Misdirected and unsupervised immigration has been for the Church in the
past a great source of leakage. Here and there noble and zealous
efforts have been made to prevent these losses; but they were local and
spasmodic. It was only a few years previous to the outbreak of the war
that a Catholic Immigration Society for the Dominion was formed. The
Reverend Abbe Casgrain was its Founder and Director. Homes and
agencies were opened in every large city. Let us hope that this
Dominion-wide organization will once more soon become a reality. A
priest in full charge of its organization and responsible for its
efficiency is, we believe, the main condition of success. And indeed
immigration is in Canada one of those problems that over-lap the
boundaries of dioceses and provinces and call for the co-operation and
co-ordination of all forces. A leader, with the sanction and backing
of the Hierarchy, will be the binding link between the various helping
factors and will prevent immigration becoming "nobody's business" just
because "it is everybody's business." This method of an organized and
responsible unity will alone straighten out our line of defence from
Halifax to Vancouver, and pinch out the various salients of enemy
forces that are always and everywhere at work.
But who will carry out this leader's policy, once thought out and
approved of? As our Catholic Immigration Society is about to
reorganize its forces to meet new conditions, may we be allowed to
offer a suggestion? The Knights of Columbus have just finished the
great work of their "Army Huts." During the war and particularly
during the demobilization, they had trained secretaries, hotels,
recreation rooms, for the welfare of our soldiers. This work has
placed them in the field of "Social Service" and given them a standing
in the community at large. Now why could not that organization be
maintained and serve the purpose of Catholic Immigration?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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