The Canadian Portrait Gallery - Volume 3 (of 4)Dent, John Charles
History
The Canadian Portrait Gallery - Volume 3 (of 4)
Dent, John Charles
Canada -- Biography
Bishop Bond, Dr. Oxenden's successor in the See of Montreal, was born at
Truro, a seaport of the county of Cornwall, England, in the year 1815.
He received his education partly in Cornwall, and partly in London, at
various public and private schools. He was a diligent student, and
displayed much fondness for, and proficiency in, the classics, as well
as considerable aptitude for elocution. In his early youth he emigrated
from England to the Island of Newfoundland, where, after a brief period
spent in secular pursuits, he studied for holy orders under the
direction of Archdeacon Bridge. In 1840, under the advice and influence
of the late Rev. Mark Willoughby, he proceeded to Quebec, where, upon
the completion of his studies, he was ordained Deacon; and in 1841 he
was ordained Priest at Montreal, by the late Right Rev. George
Jehoshaphat Mountain, Bishop of Quebec. Immediately after his ordination
he again proceeded to Newfoundland, where, on the 2nd of June, in the
last-mentioned year, he married Miss Eliza Langley, with whom he
returned to Montreal. For some years subsequent to his ordination he was
a travelling missionary, with residence at Lachine, near Montreal. Under
instructions from Bishop Mountain he organized several missions in the
Eastern Townships, and in addition to his clerical duties interested
himself in organizing schools in connection with the Newfoundland School
Society, establishing eleven in the township of Hemmingford alone. In
1848 he was appointed to the large and important parish of St. George's,
Montreal, as assistant to Dr. Leach. His connection with that parish
subsisted without interruption for a period of thirty years. He
successively became Archdeacon of Hochelaga, and (later) Dean of
Montreal. While holding the office of Dean he took an active interest in
the Volunteer force, being chaplain of the 1st or Prince of Wales's
Regiment. He was out at Huntingdon during the raid of 1866, and in 1870
marched with the regiment from St. Armand's to Pigeon Hill.
On the 1st of July, 1878, the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden, who had held
the bishopric of Montreal since 1869, resigned his position; and on the
16th of January following (1879) Dean Bond was elected as his successor
by the Synod of the Diocese. His consecration took place in St. George's
Church, Montreal, on the 25th of January, 1879, in the presence of the
Bishops of Fredericton, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Algoma, Ontario and
Niagara; the consecration sermon being preached by the Right Rev. John
Travers Lewis, Bishop of Ontario. He was installed in the Episcopal
Throne, in the Cathedral Church at Montreal, on the day following his
consecration, upon which date he likewise performed his first Episcopal
act by administering the rite of confirmation in the church of his old
parish of St. George's.
[Illustration: WILLIAM BENNETT BOND, signed as W. B. MONTREAL]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account