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In Nineteenth-Century Montreal

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In Nineteenth-Century Montreal The Role of the Parish in Fostering Irish-Catholic Identity in Nineteenth-Century Montreal Rosdyn Trigger Department of Geography McGill University, Montreal A thesis submitted to the FacuIty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts August 1997 O Rosalyn Trigger 1997 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Ottawa ON KI A ON4 Canada Canada Your iüa Vorfe refëfence Our fi@ Norre réfdrence 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, han, distribute or seU reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fïlm, 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 droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom 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. Abstract This work focuses on the efforts of Montreal's Irish Catholics to maintain a cohesive ethnic community throughout the nineteenth century, and on the vital role that the national parish played in this process. The early community directed its attention towards institution building centred around Saint Patrick's church, which had been built for the use of Irish Catholics in the 1840s. Following the dismemberment of the extensive parish of Notre-Dame and the erection of smaiier Irish national parishes in the early 1870s' greater emphasis was placed on the creation of a wide variety of parish societies. By discouraging participation in Irish national societies that rehsed to subrnit to clencal authority, and by effectively fusing religious and national identification, the clergy ensured the success of parish-based organisation. Broader associations embracing the various Irish-Catholic parish societies were established, and participation in the Saint Patrick's day procession inscribed these affiliations in space. It will be demonstrated that the temtoiial and social evolution of parishes were intimately connected. Ce mémoire traite des démarches entreprises par les catholiques irlandais de Montréal au cours du dix-neuvième siècle en vue d'assurer une cohésion de leur communauté ethnique, et du rôle important de la paroisse 'nationale' dans ce cheminement. La communauté catholique irlandaise primitive prêtait une attention toute particulière à la construction des institutions concentrées autour de l'église Saint Patrice. Suite au démembrement de la paroisse étendue de Notre-Dame et l'érection des paroisses nationales plus rapprochées de l'individu, l'activité des catholiques irlandais s'est progressivement centrée autour des sociétés paroissiales. En décourageant la participation aux sociétés nationales irlandaises qui refusaient de se soumettre à l'autorité ecclésiastique, et en unissant les identifications religieuse et nationale, le clergé assura le succès de l'organisation basée sur la paroisse. Des associations plus larges des sociétés paroissiales furent encouragées, et la participation au défilé de Saint Patrice donna une dimension spatiale à ces afnliations. Je démontrerai que les évolutions territoriale et sociale des paroisses étaient intimement liées. Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge assistance received from severai individuais and institutions during the course of my research, and extend my gratitude to them. Monique Montbriand of the Archives de lu Chancellerie de l'Archevêché de Montréal and Mary McGovern of the Archives of St. Patrick's Basilica were particularly kind to me and provided invaluable help as navigators of their archives. 1 would also like to thank Fathers Jacques Leduc and Roiland Litalien of the Archives du Séminaire Saint-Sulpice de Montréal, their assistant Clarence Epstein, and Nancy Marrelli of the Concordia University Archives. I must also thank Michael Kenneaily, for providing me with contacts in St. Gabriel's parish, and Jean-François Parent, for his crash-course in the use of the Adobe Illustrator. I am also grateful for the services provided by the Bibliothèque Nationale da Québec, the Archives Nationales du Québec, and the Mctennan and Vanier Librarïes. The members of my farnily who 'volunteered' as proof-readers also deserve recognition for their assistance, as do Mathieu Doucet and Isabel Trigger for helping to translate the abstract. I take full responsibility for any errors that remain in the manuscript. 1would also like to acknowledge guidance provided by Professor Brian Ray, paaicularly during the initial stages of my project. While conducting this research I have benefited from a gant awarded by the Fonds pour la formation de chercheurs et l'aide à Lu recherche (FCAR). 1am very grateful for this support. I would Like to extend a special thanks to Professor John Zucchi for his encouragement and inspiration, without which my interest in Montreal's nineteenth- century Irish-Catholic community might never have been sparked. To Professor Sherry Olson, under whose supervision this thesis was written, I owe a profound debt of gratitude for her constant guidance, her incisive criticism of my work, and her willingness to devote time to sharing her own extensive knowledge of Montreal's historical geography with her students. Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................u. List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................iv List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 Argument and Objectives....................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology and Sources...................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature...................................................................................................... 9 Overview................................................................................................................................................ 9 Geographical History and the Concept of 'Place': A Framework for Analysis .................................... 9 Defining Ethnicity ................................................................................................................................ 16 The Historiography of the Irish in Canada ........................................................................................... 18 Montreal's Irish-Catholic Community ................................................................................................. 22 Religious Revival and the Transformation of the Parish ...................................................................... 26 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 3: Institution Building in the Early Irish Community..................................................... 30 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 30 A Suitable Place of Worship ............................................................................................................... 30 The Famine Migration and the Creation of Charitable Institutions...................................................... 33 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 4: Territorial Evolution of the Parishes........................................................................... 40 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 40 The Disrnemberment of the Parish of Notre-Dame .............................................................................. 41 Urban Expansion and the Erection of New English-Speaking Cathoiic Parishes ..... .. ......................... 56 St. Patrick's, St. Ann's, and St. Gabriel's: Parishes Divided? ............................................................ 63 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 5: Social Evolution of the Parishes .................................................................................... 70 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................
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