Benedict Labre House: 1952-1 966 The History of an Unufficial Lay Apostolate Patricia A. El Nolan A Thesis in The Department of Theological Studies Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada May 2001 Patricia A. E. Nolan, 2001 National Library 8ibiiitheque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la foxme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the &oit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Benedict Labre House: 1952-1 966 The History of an Unofficial Lay Apostalate Patricia A. E. Nolan In 1952 Benedict Labre House opened as a home of hospïtality for the poor and as a center for the lay aystofate. Situateci at 41 8 La GauchetiGre Street in St. Patrick's parish. Benedid Labre House served Montreal's marginalized residents. In 1954, a parallel mission. Patricia House, was established in Griffintown to assist marginalized wornen and their children. In 1955. Benedict Labre House moved into Grlntown, a small comrnunity in St. Ann's Ward, which was once the historical home of the city's lrish Catholic comrnunity. Benedict Labre Houe evolved out of a confluence of the theology and praxis of several American and Canadian lay movements. One of many lay organizations operating within Quebec dunng this period, this Catholic lay organization was not mandatecl by the church hierarchy. Despite its unofficial status. Benedict Labre House became known as a vital Cathdic lay organization. Through an informal approach to formation. this lay apostolate provided theological, spiritual and practical education to Montreal English lay Cathalics from 1952-1966. Key to Benedict Labre House in this period was the founding group, including Tony Walsh. and other lay people frorn Montreal's English Catholic community. This thesis seeks to demythologize Tony Walsh and Benedict Labre House through a critical analysis of the sources. Using rnany primary documents, sudi as newspapers, correspondeme and inte~ews,this historical accoun? seeks to examine the evolution of Benedict Labre House's lay theology. its theory and praxis during its founding. 1952-1955, its develapment,1955-1959, and its peak and decline in the Vatican II yean, 1960-1966. To my late parents. John Malcolm and Patricia Mary Nolan. the first lay Catholics in my life ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To Benedict Labre House, to those of its pstand its present, a special thank you. First to Cheryi Debanne, Director at Benedict Labre House, and to the Board for their support of this thesis and for access to the UNITY paper and other archival items. To John Bueli, Stephen Hagarty, Gerry Pascal, Richard Gariepy, William Lawlor, and George Cook. who were excellent guides to the sources and to the theological, spintual and emotional landscape of Benedict Labre House in tintes past I am also indebted to George Cook for the use of his private collection of Tony Walsh personal papers, conespondence and tapes. I must thank Dan Berrigan, because though he was unable to do an interview, he stood by his article, 'Modesty in lmmodest Times." A special thanks to bibliographer, Kevin OYDonnell,for sources on the Montreal Engfish Catholic community and to archivist, Phillip M. Runkel of the Dorothy Day-Catholic Worker Collection at Marquette University. Also, special thanks to Anne Golubowski, Religion and Theology tibrarian, Concordia University, and to Iibrarian Bernice üaronowski, at the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism. To al1 others whom I have inte~ewedand spoken with over the years. for the TRES paper and for this thesis: Jim Martin, Joe OIConnor, Margaret Power, Alice Amyot, Father Joseph Cameron, Robert OICallag han and Joanabbey Sacks, 1 extend my deepest gratitude. To my family and friends who supported me through this journey, I am greatly indebted. To Betty and Diane Sharon Williams, and to Fred and Emiîy Jones, your support and patience dunng the critical times made this project happen. A special thanks to Dorothy Williams, a Montreal historian, who shared with me her understanding of Montreal history and its demographics with a particular focus on St-Am's ward. She also provided advice about critical sources parüailar to southwest Montreal. I would also like b thank Linda Cormier, a teacher, always ready with her thoughtful insights about the history of Quebec and the francophone Catholic milieu. She directed me to sources on aie hi- of the Church and Quebec. To Lynn Gold, whose sharp wit and red pencil made this a better thesis. Finally, I am grateful for my thesis advisor, Doctor Parnela Bright. WithOut her inspiration and encouragement, I would not have had the courage to start nor to sustain mis project. Doctor Bright has shared her extensive knowledge of Church history and strongly supported the wriang of this community-based history. Her greatest ability was to draw out Me histotical narrative, and she encouraged me to develop an holistic understanding of the historical and theological context of Benedict Labre House. vii CONTENTS CONTENTS viii ABBREVIATIONS X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi CHAPTER 1 -INTRODUCTION 1 Mythology Methodology Sources CHAPTER 2 -PATH OF THE QUESTION CHAPTER 3 -THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT Theofogy of the Lay Apostolate American Unofficial Lay Movernents The Theological Position of Benedict Labre House Impact d Vatican II CHAPTER 4 -HISTORICAL CONTEXT l ntroduction Lay Movements and the Church CHAPTER 5 -EARLY DEVELOPMENT (1898 -1 952) Tony Walsh-Birth to Performance Early Years in Monlreal(1949 -1951) Pre-Founding Year (1 951-1 952) CHAPTER 6 -FOUNDING YEARS (1 952-1 955) EstaMishing a Lay Apostolate Early Forms of Public Relations Response of the Montreal Laity Formation CHAPTER 7 -DEVELOPING YEARS (1 9561959) Predominance of the Laity Heightened Profile viii CHAPTER 8 -THE VATICAN II YEARS (1 960-1966) lntroduction Pre-Vatican 11 (1 960-1 962) Mid-Vatican 11 (1962-1 965) Post-Vatican 11 (1 965-1 970) CHAPTER 9 -CONCLUSION SOURCES CONSULTE0 APPENDICES GLOSSARY BLH Benedict Labre House CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation DO-CW Dorothy Day-Catholic Worker J.E.C. Jeunesse Étudiante de Catholique J.O.C. Jeunesse Ouvrihre Chrétienne L0.C. Ligue Ouvri6re catholique/Catholic Workers' bague MUA Marquette University Archives SGW Sir George Williams University TGC Transcript in the hand of George Cook, Private Collection of George Cook. Ottawa. Ontario TRES Theological and Religious and Ethicai Studies Y.C.W. Young Christian Workers LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: Griffintown Population Decline 1941-1 971 Figure 2: Census DataOriffiritown Figure 3: Map of Griffintown CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Benedict Labre House, in swthwest Montreal. Quebec. was established as a Catholic house of hospitality for the poor, and as a center for the lay apostolate in 1952. This is a history of Benedict Labre House's founding. its development, its objectives. its network and impact. and its theory and praxis. Now situated at 308 Young Street. Benedict Labre House continues to thrive, sewkg and canng for the poor and rnarginalized of Montreal daily. Benedict Labre House. like the world around it, has evolved over its fifty years of service to Montreal's Cathdic corn munity. However, mis thesis will critically examine the evolution of Benedict Labre House's lay theology, its theory and praxis, only during its first fiieen years, from 1952 to 1966. At this writing. Montreal's English Catholic community is bereft of a comprehensive history. parücularly for the 20th centwy, and even les research has been done on Benedict Labre House itsel. Despite these shortcomings, this research will be the first attempt to combine chronological analysis with an analysis of the theology of the lay apostolate in the early lay initiatives of Benedict Labre House. To assist the post-Vatican II reader, there is a small glossary of terms relateci to the lay apostolate. Though this thesis is not intended to be exhaustive, l hope to stimulate further research into the stuûy of Montreal's English Catholic institutions, and to add to our understanding of anglophone lay movements in Quebec. Mythology peflnitlon and Use History and myth are intertwined. In fact, history often begins in rnyth.' What is mm? Webster defines myth as 'a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or a segment of a society." This definition is closely linked to the purpose of myth. which is a Vaditional story, of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain... a belief ."* At first glance, the dictionary definition dearly explains myth. However, when writing history, there are other dynamic processes at play. The historian must be aware of false belief and his own active agency. Arthur Lower believed that "the myth establishes its own version d history, partly by the colouring of fact. parg by deliberate suppression of umnrelcome facts." This is the misuse of half-truths to project a false image. Though historians do mate myths. any 'perversion of the evidence" simply to create a myth 'is an unpardonable sin for the historian" and clearly must be avoided." Despite his injunction, Lower rhapsodires about the exïgency and interconnectedneçs of myth and history.