Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
Little by little the Ruthenian Church in Canada is emerging from its
first chaotic state. The visit of Mgr. Septeski to Canada, the
appointment of the Very Reverend N. Budka as Bishop of all the
Ruthenians in Canada, marked a turning-point in their history.
Authority is, in the Church of God, the only great vital centre from
which proceed true order and permanent development. The war, it is
true, complicated the Ruthenian issue. We all know what difficulties
the Ruthenian Bishop had to face during this trying period, under what
dark clouds of ungrounded suspicion he lived. But the most painful
feature of this long and cruel ordeal was the absence of sympathy and
the lack of co-operation in those from whom, as a Catholic Bishop, he
had a right to expect them.
_The Period of Assimilation_
The period of settlement has passed, and already a young "CANADIAN"
generation has sprung up sturdy, thrifty, progressive from the
transplanted Ruthenian stock. The numerous children of that prolific
race are gradually passing from the home into the schools and from the
schools into the community life of the country. This Slavic race is
striking deep roots in Canadian soil, particularly in our Western
Provinces. The loss of faith has been heavy, we believe, especially in
our large cities. Naturally, allowance must be made for the drift-wood
which always follows the tide of immigration. In our rural centres, be
it said to the praise of that simple-minded people, and to the
confusion of the enemies of their faith, the great majority have kept
their allegiance to the Church of their baptism. But, where the "bogus
mass," the false priests and "Moscovite money" have failed, the
neutralizing process of a so-called "Canadianization" may succeed. The
flank envelopment has often a greater success than the frontal attack.
This leads us to dwell on another phase of the Ruthenian problem.
In the history of the human race there is nothing more complicated than
ethnic assimilation. It is a slow, delicate and, in many cases, very
dangerous process. In the laboratory of the world many explosions are
due to the ignorance of what we would call "human chemistry." "One
cannot play with human chemicals any more than with real ones. We know
by experience that at times they are _fulginous_ and ready to break
into open flames." But there are two elements which have to be treated
with the greatest care: Religion and Race. They are the two _foci_ of
the ellipse in which moves history; the two shores between which
oscillates the tossing tide of humanity. Lord Morley calls them "the
two incendiary forces of history, ever shooting jets of flame from
undying embers." This explains why the soil of history is so volcanic,
so filled with burning lava which time itself has not cooled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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