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The Origins of St. Paul the Apostle Maltese-Canadian Parish
By George F. Pace
Among the arrivals of 1913 we find Ganni Zammit, Tony Sicluna, Manuel Borg, Joseph Vassallo, J. Camilleri and many others. Most of the early settlers attended the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Dundas and St. Patrick Streets. The early settlers, being mostly uneducated, felt the need to have a Maltese priest to take care of their spiritual and material welfare. In 1922 the Maltese Canadian Society of Toronto was formed and as a group looked at every avenue to bring a Maltese priest over, at least once a year. Through the years some visiting priests from the United States must have visited Toronto occasionally. During 1916 a Maltese priest, Fr. Tabone, S.J. visited the Maltese in Toronto and John Zammit used to mention the visit of Fr. Fulgentius, A Capuchin. In 1925 Father Alphonse Cauchi, an Augustinian who was teaching in Philadelphia, visited Toronto for the first time. This was a blessing for the Maltese congregations who crowded Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church to hear his sermons, seek his help and fulfill their religious duties. Since that time the Maltese had no other ambitions than to have Father Cauchi among them for good. For a few years Father Cauchi was able to visit the Maltese Congregation once a year. By the year 1928 the congregation numbered about 600. During that year’s visit by Father Cauchi a meeting was called at St. Patrick’s Hall. The Maltese Congregation pledged themselves to give one dollar a month for the erection of their Parish Church. Archbishop Neil McNeil saw their faith in God and approved their project. At this time permission was granted to Father Cauchi to say Mass at St. John The Baptist Church on Dundas Street and GareVale Avenue. Father Cauchi stayed in Toronto as permanent Pastor. Full of enthusiasm, the congregation started looking for two plots in west Toronto. The hard times of the depression did not mar their unflinching courage and all lent a hand in the construction of a basement church. It was not a large church. It lacked many things. It was the beginning of a large congregation. It united al the Maltese people of Toronto. It kept the seed of the faith planted by St. Paul alive, and the parish became a reality on September 8, 1930, Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady and a national feast of Malta - "Il-Vitorja." Father Cauchi passed away on October 2nd, 1943. During Father Cauchi’s sickness, Father T.B. Fulton, at present Bishop of St. Catherine’s was sent as his assistant. Father Vincent Egan was appointed administrator after Father Cauchi’s death. His successor was Father D.J. O’Neil who administered the parish until 1951. During 1948 large groups of Maltese immigrants arrived in Toronto. Father Lawrence Bonavia, O.F.M., was a welfare officer with one of these groups. He was sent to the Franciscan parish of Saint Agnes on Dundas Street. On September 8th, 1951, he was appointed Pastor of the Maltese church. The congregation soon responded to his call to renovate the Sanctuary and improve the parish organizations. With the growth of the Maltese community, the need for a larger Church became urgent. 1955 commemorated the Silver Jubilee of the basement Church. What would be more benefiting this event than the erection of a new church worth of traditions of the Maltese people? On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Church, September 8th, 1955, Father Lawrence based his sermon on the theme: When the day of the Jubilee comes, it shall be sanctified to the Lord, Lev. XXII, v.21. His Eminence, James C. Cardinal McGuigan in his message for the event said such an anniversary quite naturally brings to mind the good days of the past, when you have prated together and worked together to build up a spiritual home for the Maltese people of Toronto. At the present time you are building a new church. There is no finer way to than God for Hi s providence in the past and to look for His Blessings in the future than to enter whole heartedly into this great task. On November 27, 1955, Father Lawrence Bonavia, delegated by His Eminence the Cardinal and assisted by Father Albert Vella and Father Emidio Cremona, two other Maltese Franciscans, led the faithful to the site of the new church. This marked the laying of the cornerstone. Enclosed in the cornerstone was a small copper box containing a parchment document commemorating this event, the rope of the Franciscan Order and an envelope with the coins if different nations, some dating back to the times of the Grand Masters of Malta of 1687. An inscriptions on the stone around the Maltese Cross read: St. Paul the Apostle Maltese Church, Franciscan Fathers.
Like the seed planted by St. Paul on the Island of Malta, the Maltese Parish in West End Toronto is still growing and flourishing.
Postscript by Father Raymond Falzon, O.F.M.During the pastorship of Father Jimmy Zammit, O.F.M. the Sacrificial Giving Program was introduced as stewardship by the community was encouraged. The Church was dedicated by Archbishop Aloysius Ambrozic on September 8th, 1990, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Parish. In 1991 the Parish Council defined the parish mission statement to provide direction for all we do at St. Paul’s a s a community.
HISTORY AND REFLECTIONS ON THE HISTORY OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH ON THE OCCASION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MALTESE NATIONAL PARISH IN TORONTO.
John P. Portelli
As we all know the old St. Paul's Church ("the basement Church" as many still refer to it) was built in 1930. But the effort and inspiration to have a permanent Maltese priest among the Maltese immigrants in Ontario goes back to 1914. The connection between the development of the Maltese community in Canada (particularly Ontario) and the support from the Catholic Church was present from the early days. Maltese priests very early realized the need of the Maltese to have the presence of a Maltese priest among them. And it is very obvious that the Maltese immigrants themselves longed to have a Maltese priest with them here. For example, in 1914 a Maltese living in Toronto wrote a rather moving letter on behalf of the 200 Maltese in the city to the Archbishop of Toronto in which this person pleaded with the Archbishop to help them get a permanent Maltese priest. The first Maltese priest to assist the Maltese in Toronto was Fr. Anton Tabone S.J. who lived in Guelph, Ontario betwen 1914-1916. During those two years Fr. Tabone came to Toronto and conducted missions. In 1916 when he left Canada, his work was carried on by Fr. Fortunato Mizzi O.F.M. Cap. and Fr. Aurelius Catania who worked with the Maltese in Brantford, Ontario at least from 1917 to 1920. The work of Fr. Mizzi, who lived in Ottawa, is crucial to the establishment of the Maltese Church in Toronto. Fr. Mizzi worked hard to make a case for the Maltese to have a permanent Maltese priest in Ontario. Given that many of the Maltese did not speak English, he was concerned that they would not be able to fulfill their religious needs and duties. The Maltese had devised a way to confess through the aide of an interpreter and yet still maintain confidentiality. Not only had these new Maltese immigrants to cope with the reality of a large unknown city, severe winter conditions, and new employment, but they also had to adjust to a different way of fulfilling their religious needs. Fr. Mizzi was concerned about the well-being and the spiritual needs of these Maltese. For 6 years he visited the Maltese in Ontario at least once a year to preach missions and hear confessions. His communications with the Archbishop of Toronto and the Bishop of Malta kept the proposal for a Maltese mission in Toronto open. His visits to Toronto encouraged the Maltese to keep their zeal for their faith. Through the assistance of Fr. Mizzi, in 1922 Fr. Fulgenzio Grech, O.F.M. Cap. came to Ottawa. During the two years he spent in Canada, Fr. Grech conducted missions for the Maltese in Toronto. It was on one of these occasions that Fr. Grech encouraged and assisted a group of Maltese men to found a society which eventually became known as the Maltese Canadian Society of Toronto. This Society was partly set up with the aim of attempting to create the support needed for the Maltese to have a permanent priest in Toronto. The work of this society was influential in making the case with Archbishop McNeil of Toronto to assist Fr. Cauchi in becoming the first pastor of the Maltese National Parish. Fr. Cauchi visited Toronto for the first time in 1925 to conduct a mission for the Maltese. Through the support of the Archbishop of Toronto and the perseverance of the Maltese, Fr. Cauchi came to live in Toronto on a permanent basis in July 1929. Needless to say, the Maltese of Toronto were thrilled with the advent of Fr. Cauchi amongst them. It was now possible for them to have a church of their own -- a Maltese Church, with a Maltese pastor who spoke their own language, and could serve as both a religious and community leader. And Fr. Cauchi fulfilled all these roles with great love, humility, and dedication. On his arrival, Fr. Cauchi had a difficult task ahead of him. The Maltese were spread throughout the city and it was not easy to have them all in one location. In contrast to other ethnic groups, the Maltese population in Toronto was not large and hence this meant limited financial support. It was also the beginning of the depression. Notwithstanding all these adversarial conditions, Fr. Cauchi, with the support of the energetic men of the Society and their families, managed to buy land in the Junction and built the basement church which was officially opened on the 7th September, 1930. According to the records the first to be baptized in the old church were Paulina Bonello, Alfredo Borg, Paolina Lucarda Micallef, and Paulina Giuseppa Micallef on 7 September, 1930. The first recorded Maltese marriage in the old church was that between Joseph Sapiano and Dolores Schembri on 27 November, 1930. The first few years were not easy. Notwithstanding the sacrifice of the 100 Maltese families registered in the parish, as well as the simple, and by all accounts, poor way of life Fr. Cauchi lived, it took the parish about 7 years to pay the mortgage. And yet, in November 1938 the newly built parish hall adjacent to the church was officially opened. This hall was the site of many events organized by the church, and meetings for Maltese Associations. The feast of St. Paul had been celebrated in the parish at least since 1932. The Holy Name Society of the Parish was established on the 10th of February, 1938. By 1943, when Fr. Cauchi died in October at the age of 63, the parish was well established. Many of the Maltese who had lived in other parts of the city moved closer to the Church, which in many respects, became the centre for the Maltese community in Toronto and the surrounding areas. During his last year, Fr. Cauchi was assisted by the young priest Rev. Fr. Thomas Fulton who later became Bishop of St. Catharines. In a conversation I had with Bishop Emeritus Fulton, he commented as follows on Fr. Cauchi: "There is no doubt of Fr. Cauchi's holiness of life and his utter dedication to his ministry as a priest and pastor. He was father to the people in the full sense of the word. Without doubt Fr. Cauchi was revered by the Maltese community. He was the undoubted leader of the Maltese community in Toronto and the surrounding area. People came to him with their problems, whether about immigration matters, or their jobs, or the schooling of their children or whatever, and he did all he could to help them." No wonder that the Solemn Requiem Mass for Fr. Cauchi was celebrated by Cardinal McGuigan himself and over 50 priests. For a year after Fr. Cauchi's death the parish was administered by Rev. Fr. Vincent Egan, and between 1944 and 1951 the pastor was Rev. Fr. Daniel O'Neill. The next important stage in the development of the parish revolves around the precious contribution of the energetic Rev. Fr. Lawrence Bonavia who arrived in Canada in 1948. After serving as an assistant pastor at St. Agnes Church, in 1951 the Franciscan Minors of Malta agreed to take care of the Maltese Parish and Fr. Bonavia was appointed pastor. This was a very timely move as the number of Maltese immigrants to Canada henceforth increased quite rapidly and steadily. And so did the needs of the parishioners. By 1953 Fr. Emidio Cremona and Fr. Albert Vella had joined Fr. Bonavia in the parish. It is impossible to mention all the achievements the parish made under the direction of Fr. Bonavia who was pastor until 1970. During this time, again with the assistance and support of the parishioners, the new church was built and officially blessed on 8 September, 1956. Many were the Maltese who assisted in the construction and decoration of the new church. The names of the families and organizations who contributed in an exceptional manner are mentioned on the plaque on the right hand side of the foyer. The loan to build the new church was fully paid by February, 1959 -- an exceptionally record time. Shortly after, plans began for the building of the new hall and the new rectory which were completed in 1960. Besides these important accomplishments, Fr. Bonavia and his associates assisted the Maltese in many ways besides their religious needs. Once again, the work of these energetic priests demonstrated in practice how religion, community and social work can assist each other. The legacy of these priests was kept up by the succeeding pastors: Fr. Lewis, Fr. Ellul Vincenti, Fr. Grech, Fr. Boffa, Fr. Edward Zammit, Fr. Jimmy Zammit (the only pastor of this Church who was born in Toronto and raised in this parish), Fr. Raymond Falzon, Fr. Paul Attard, Fr. Camilleri and last, but not least, Fr. Paul Galea who, together with his associate Fr. Anthony Vella, was the last administrator of the parish under the direction of the Franciscans. At the end of the pastorship of Fr. Zammit the Church was dedicated by Archbishop Aloysius Ambrozic, on 8th September, 1990, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its foundation. As we all know, in February 1999, the Missionary Society of St. Paul generously agreed to take over the direction of the Church. Several of us Maltese-Canadians were concerned that the Maltese National Parish would be lost. But thanks to the dedication and generosity of Fr. Mark Demanuele, pastor, and Fr. Dominic Cachia, associate pastor, we are able today to be here and celebrate the 70th anniversary of this church as a Maltese-Canadian Parish. This occasion, as Fr. Mark has stated on several occasions, gives us the opportunity to look back and learn from our roots with the hope of a prosperous future. We know from the brief history of this church that on several occasions the Maltese and the priests who courageously directed them for so many years had to struggle to achieve their worthy aims and dreams. With an honest belief in God, a sense of community, and hard work they managed to overcome the obstacles they faced. On this earth, there is no perfect or easy community of faith. A community is always built on a struggle. In our case we have the solid foundation of our predecessors. We need to learn from their story. As we know from their story, a community needs to rejuvenate itself and adjust to the needs and circumstances without giving up on the Catholic beliefs and the connections with our Maltese roots. There are different ways how these connections and revivals can be achieved. But it is imperative that we understand and encourage our younger generations. If we wish to maintain our Maltese parish, while welcoming others, we have to ask what we can contribute, and encourage our children to do the same especially by our example. Seventy years ago, there were only about 600 Maltese in Toronto. Although few in numbers, their strong will, hope and faith lead to the existence of this community that we today partake in. Imagine what we can achieve today with much larger numbers and the strong foundation of our predecessors. May God bless us all and our spiritual leaders and the many who assist them in their work. We thank God for their presence amongst us and we pray that under their direction this unique parish continues to flourish. Note: This talk was delivered at St. Paul the Apostle Church, Toronto, as part of the celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Church. This celebration was also part of a week of activites, Malta Week, organized by Fr. Mark Demanuele MSSP, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish. Pastors’ History
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Groups of Maltese immigrants started arriving in Canada around the turn of the century, 1900-1910. The first immigrants lacked many things: "Uneducated and poorly clad, with very little money, the immigrants from Malta were not ready for the rigors of the Canadian winter", from Man and Means, Early Maltese Emigration by Fr. Lawrence E. Attard. It is true that they lacked these things, but it must be equally true, that they were fortified with their faith - faith given to our forefathers by the Apostle Paul when he was shipwrecked on the Island of Malta, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five years ago. Father Lawrence Attard continues, "It is estimated that between January and July of 1913 some four hundred and seventy-one Maltese had left for Canada." Some of these same emigrants are still alive today, others have passed away.
The new church was opened officially on April 29, 1956. It was officially blessed by the Rt. Rev. Francis V. Allen, Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, on September 8th, 1956 at 3 o’clock. Most of the statutes and woodwork inside the church was done by Maltese artisans - the Statues in Malta, the woodwork in Toronto. Part of the site of the new church, a lot measuring 45 x 130 feet was a hall, Malta House, which was purchased in 1945 at a cost of $35 per square foot.
