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Canada has a varied religious heritage, both Catholic and Protestant. The country was founded by Catholic France. It was then conquered by the English with their Anglican religion. The Scotts with their own Prtotestant religious tradition played an important part in the early history of British Canada, both in Montreal and Nova Scotia. The Catholic Church became more diverse in the 19th entury with the arrival of Irish Catholics as a result of the Potato Famine Some French-speaking Canadians are in fact Irish. When they arrived from Ireland in 1847, many were deseased on ships. On arrival at Québec and Montréal, they were landed at Grosse-Isle in the St-Lawrence River to be kept away from giving typhus to Québec and Montréal residents. One study indicates that of 100,000 immigrants, 5,293 died at sea, 3,389 at Grosse-Isle, 1,137 at Québec, 4,021 at Montréal. [Lachine and St-Jean] They do not detail deaths in Upper Canada . Today, a memorial recalls this event at Grosse-Isle. Many immigrant children who lost their parents were adopted by other Catholics, mainly French-speakers. The children commonly kept their Irish family names like Mulroney, Murphy, and Ryan. Claude Ryan, a famous journalist at Le Devoir and Québec liberal politician. Brian Mulroney, a former Prime Minister of Canada was from Irish descent . Being Anglophone and Catholics, the Irish played a key role in Québec even if relations between Irish Bishops from Ontario where often in disputes with French-Canadian Bishops of Québec. The Irish Bishops were more open to innovation than conservative Québec. Expanded European migrantion to both America and Canada after the Americam Civil War brought with it and even more varied religious landscape. Emmigration from central and Eastern Europe in the late 19th century brought many Orthodox Christians to Canada. The first Orthodox Christians came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they were soon followed by immigrants from Russia.
The country was founded by Catholic France. Early Scottish immogrnts were also Catholic. The Catholic Church became more diverse during the 19th century with the arrival of Irish Catholics as a result of the Potato Famine Some French-speaking Canadians are in fact Irish. When they arrived from Ireland in 1847, many were deseased on ships. On arrival at Québec and Montréal, they were landed at Grosse-Isle in the St-Lawrence River to be kept away from giving typhus to Québec and Montréal residents. One study indicates that of 100,000 immigrants, 5,293 died at sea, 3,389 at Grosse-Isle, 1,137 at Québec, 4,021 at Montréal. [Lachine and St-Jean] They do not detail deaths in Upper Canada . Today, a memorial recalls this event at Grosse-Isle. Many immigrant children who lost their parents were adopted by other Catholics, mainly French-speakers. The children commonly kept their Irish family names like Mulroney, Murphy, and Ryan. Claude Ryan, a famous journalist at Le Devoir and Québec liberal politician. Brian Mulroney, a former Prime Minister of Canada was from Irish descent . Being Anglophone and Catholics, the Irish played a key role in Québec even if relations between Irish Bishops from Ontario where often in disputes with French-Canadian Bishops of Québec. The Irish Bishops were more open to innovation than conservative Québec.
Protestants were not involved to any major extent in the Canaduan colony of New France. The French monarchy succesfully supressed the sizeable Protestant minority (17th century). And Pritestants were not allowed to migratye to the colonies. The British of couese did allow Protestants into their area od modern Canada--the Husson By Colony and the Maritimes. With the French and Indian War nd the British victory, all of Canada was open to Protestants. While the first Scottish tgo arrive were Catholics, soon the dominant Scottish group became Presbyterian. Many but not all English immigreants were Anglican.
Canada was then conquered by the English with their Anglican religion.
Mennonite came to Canadac primarily from two places, Switzerland (via Pennsylvania) and Russia. Because of repression in Switzerland and Germany sought refuge in places safer places. Some went to America where the idea of religious freedom was growing. Swiss Mennonites did not migrante to Canada while it was under French control because of French repression of Protestants. The British seizure of Canada in thge French and Indian War (1756-63) changed the situation. Swiss Mennonites established communities in Pennsylvania, a colony where the idea of religious freedom was implanted at an early point by Quaker Willianm Penn. The Mennites first arrived in Pennsylvania (1683). As they spoke German theu were not identified locally as Swiss, but the Pennsyvania Dutch. (Deutsch mean Germany was confused by English speaking Americans with the Dutch.) Later at about the time as other groups of Mennonites began settling in Russia, some of the Swiss Mennonites began moving from Pennsylvania to "Upper Canada" (modern Ontario). The Mennonites were attracted to Canada, by large expanses of inexpensive land. Some were also attracted by British rule. (Here we are not entirely sure what the afvabtages of British rule was. Perhaps our Canadian readers can provide some insight. ) Presumably the cultural autonomy conferred on French Canadians may have been a factor. The first Swiss Mennonite families departed Pennsylvania after the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) and the achievement of independence. The first few families were followed by more Mennonites draw by letters from the first famikies. The Mennonites call the migration the 'Trail of the Conestoga'. Like Americans moving west, they traveled north in covered wagons (1785-1825). They settled in Niagara Peninsula and along the Grand River of what is now Ontario. Many established farms in Waterloo County. Benjamin Eby founded Ebytown, now called by the more British-sounding Kitchener (1807). About 2,000 Mennonites made the trek, most from Pennsylvania. Some Amish families in Pennsylvania followed the Mennonites to Ontario. Mennoites also established colonies in western Canada (Manitoba). As Russian policies changed toward the Folksdeutsche in the 19th century toward an effort at Russification, some Mennonites moved to Canada. Large numbers who remained in Russia were subsequently killed ordied in deploable condition when Stalin during World War II exiled the Folksdeutsche from their Volga farms to Siberia (1941).
The Scotts with their own Prtotestant religious tradition played an important part in the early history of British Canada, both in Montreal and Nova Scotia.
Expanded Europeam migrantion to both America and Canada after the American Civil War brought with it and even more varied religious landscape. Emmigration from central and Eastern Europe in the late 19th century brought many Orthodox Christians to Canada. The first Orthodox Christians came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they were soon followed by immigrants from Russia. The first Orthodox immigrants came from Halychyna (Galicia) and Bukovina, eastern areas of the Empire. They reached Canada in 1894. As they were farmers, their goal was the great Western prarie where immigrants could homestead. The first Orthodox immigrants settled southwest of Edmonton in Alberta. The area was known as Rabbit Hills. More Orthodox immigrants came in 1896. They settled northeast of Edmonton in the (Edna) Star and Limestone Lake area which was named Wostok. The Canadian Government granted the immigrants 160 acres of free land
for a registration fee of only $10. The settklers in Alberta built log cabins finished with sod roofs. Further east the immigrants built sod houses. The communities that developed felt isolated in that there was at the time they arrived no Orthodox church in Canada.
Lachine and St-Jean, unknown title
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