Valley Jewish community celebrates Rosh Hashanah
LILA HOPE-SIMPSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
If are greeted with a “L’Shanah Tovah," this means “Have a good year!" There may not be a synagogue in the Annapolis Valley but that doesn’t stop the Jewish community from celebrating Rosh Hashanah.
The Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, begins at sundown on Sept. 24 and ends on the evening of Sept. 25 in 2014, ushering in the Jewish calendar year of 5775. This celebration includes the custom of sounding the “shofar’ or ram’s horn, and eating the symbolic apples dipped in honey for a sweet year. Cards are mailed and sent to friends and family, wishing them a L’Shanah Tovah, or good year. The translation means “May you be written down (in the Book of Life) for a good year." Another variation means “A good and sweet year."
The Jewish community in the Valley is an eclectic group of artists, actors, entrepreneurs, professors, physicians. students and retirees. Some are local and some are transported from other parts of Canada, the United States or Israel. This year the group gathered in Wolfville at the home of a retired teacher who just moved back after working for years in Toronto, to celebrate together and ‘nosh’ on desserts, apples and honey, cheese and crackers, challah and wine for toasting. Challah is a delicious braided egg loaf, often baked in round loaves for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize the continuity of life.
In Israel, pomegranates are popular at Rosh Hashanah, a symbol of our good deeds for the coming year, represented by the many seeds in the fruit.
This has been a particularly challenging year for Jews around the world, with turmoil in the Middle East and a rise in antisemitism, but on Rosh Hoshanah, Jews pray for peace.
Similar to the North American New Year, Rosh Hashanah represents a new beginning, a time to make resolutions and a time for introspection. At Rosh Hashanah, known by Jews as the High Holidays or High Holy Days, it is a time to reflect on the past and resolve to make amends and positive changes. It is a holiday about making p eace in the community and striving to be a better person.
It is indeed a holiday filled with hope and forgiveness.
Dipping apples or bread into honey symbolizes a sweet new year ahead, full of awe and possibility. But today in the Valley, Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to come together and celebrate with camaraderie and good cheer. A candle is lit for those who have passed away or could not be here, and prayers are recited.
The call of the shofar, or ram’s horn, symbolizes repentance and sacrifice. Jews pray for life, health and prosperity. The holiday is followed by a Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, with the tradition of fasting then culminating with a plentiful meal and a new beginning .
David Harrison, a familiar resident of Wolfville, recites the blessings. Originally from Scotland, David takes on a leadership role, with his deep rooted knowledge of Judaism, culture and religion. Here in the Valley, the Jewish community gathers to celebrate together, count their blessings, share in the Valley hospitality and harvest, and connect with each other. There is much merriment, laughter and catching up. On Riverview Avenue in Wolfville the mood is jovial as guests sip coffee, munch treats and enjoy the holiday and company. Everyone is pleased to celebrate together in this warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The group also gets together for Hannukah to share in the “Festival of Lights" with delicious potato latkes and shares the traditions of the Passover Seder, along with the occasional lunch squeezed in. But most importantly, there is a sense of community, family, friendship and tradition.
As the apple slices are dipped in honey, we can hear the exchanging of “L’Shana tovah!" to ring in the New Year with joy and the heartfelt hope for peace. At sundown, wine glasses are clinked to toast to each other’s health and well-being with “L’Chaim", “To life!" as a New Year begins.
The Jewish community in the Valley is an eclectic group of artists, actors, entrepreneurs, professors, physicians.
students and retirees.
Some are local and some are transported from other parts of Canada, the United States or Israel.
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The table is set for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
David Harrison dips an apple into honey to represent a sweet year.
Lila Hope-Simpson photos
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Canada's history defines who we are as a nation- a bi-lingual nation with over 200 cultures- as a WWII baby we saw the horrors of the victory of war and incredulous poverty as a winning nation. Our Canada school in the 40s and 50s was very european as we were born Citizens of the British Empire. The USA was very unknown as most of us travelled 2 europe and history, art, music, dance, literature was so intrinsic as was our basic Faith. In our days.... Catholics were outcasts and Jews were barely tolerated and Baptists never spoke 2 Anglicans or God Forbid Pentecostals.... etc.... am so proud of years of suffering on human rights, union and peaceful gains of women and girls (ONE BILLION RISING) disabled, aged, homeless etc... and ask u 2 carry the banner... BUT DON'T 4GET CANADA'S HISTORY.... or rewrite it... Women's Equality in Canada is one of the few nations on the planet that it is built in2 law- NEITHER USA OR UNITED NATIONS HAVE DONE SO.... be proud as Canadians and know your history embrace all of it.... the good, bad, ugly, indifferent, and kids matter.... imho
Canadian Armed Forces - Canadian Anthem
King Henry VII-England
King Henri III - France
Canada’s Christian Heritage
Brief History of Canada
Canada’s first inhabitants were
the native peoples, who crossed from Siberia to Alaska and migrated eastward
across the continent. The first Europeans to arrive were Vikings from
Scandinavia, who came to the eastern shores of the country approximately one
thousand years ago. The explorer John Cabot claimed
Newfoundland for the king of England in 1497. In 1534, Jacques Cartier claimed
another part of the land for the king of France. The colony was called New
France and was filled with missionaries, fur traders and farmers. In 1759,
British troops defeated French troops in the battle for control of New France.
British North America became the Dominion of Canada on July 1st, 1867, with
four provinces joining to form the new union. Over the years, the country grew
to include ten provinces and three territories. Canada remains part of the
British Commonwealth of nations, and as such is a fulfillment of prophecy (see GENESIS
35:11). The British and French contingents of Canada are both descended
from the tribes of Israel (see Christian History of Britain
and Christian History of France).
Image courtesy of the Department of Canadian Heritage The
founders of this country built Canada on the Word of God, as can be seen in
many examples. The name “Dominion of Canada”, the motto of
Canada, “He shall have dominion from sea to sea” and the
phrase on Canada’s coat of arms “A mari usque ad mare” (Latin for: From
sea to sea”) are taken from PSALM 72:8.When, in 1866, the fathers of Confederation were assembled to discuss the terms for uniting the Canadian provinces, Leonard Tilley - premier of New Brunswick - suggested the word “Dominion” from PSALM 72 for the new country. A letter signed by John A. MacDonald - Canada’s first prime minister - explained to Queen Victoria that the name was “a tribute to the principles they earnestly desired to uphold.” The last province to join Canada was Newfoundland whose motto is
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God”(MATTHEW 6:33).
Revivals and Christian Leaders
of the Past
The church with the most impact
in the late 1700’s and 1800’s was the Methodist church. As John Wesley had
sparked a revival by his preaching and teaching in Britain, the effects reached
out to the far corners of this British Colony. William Black is
named here as one out of many itinerant Methodist preachers who, in fair
weather and in foul - travelled through the sparsely populated Canada and
transformed society. Here is an excerpt from his journal from September 4,
1791("The Journal of Mr. William Black, in his Visit to
Newfoundland." The Arminian Magazine 15, 1792):“SUNDAY 4. I preached at CARBONEAR. The people sat with deep attention under the word. Many were much blessed, and silently melted down before the Lord. … An awful sense of the divine presence seemed to pervade every heart. Many were the weeping eyes, the falling tears, affectionate cries, and earnest prayers at the table and afterwards. Such backsliders were reclaimed, and restored to the favour of God again, and mightily filled with joy, as were the believers in general. There was a universal shaking among the people. The cries of the penitents, together with the songs of those who were converted, drowned my voice, so that it could not be heard. I attempted to sing, but still could not be heard. To see the very countenances of the people, was peculiarly moving. While distress and awe were painted on the cheeks, and flared through the eyes of those under conviction, inward joy and rapture sparkled in the eyes, and shone on the countenances of those who were lately brought out of darkness into the marvellous light of grace.”
In 1882 the Salvation Army began their work in London, Ontario, and many were converted from all walks of life. The work began with two young men, Jack Addie and Joe Ludgate, preaching and singing on street corners and market squares. In the early days, the neighbours complained of the marching through the streets with drums, inducing the City Council to forbid the use of drums. Knowing that two-thirds of all converts got saved through open-air meetings, Jack Addie prayed to God for guidance. Then he opened his Bible and read,
“And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee”(JEREMIAH 1:19). That night, Addie himself beat the drum in the march. When he was ordered in to court, he pleaded his own case and pointed out that he was not a lawbreaker, but that God had sent The Army to convert drunkards, thieves and lawbreakers. At that point, one converted drunkard jumped up and shouted, “Yes, here’s one right here” and this was followed by many others testifying that the power of God had changed their lives through the ministry of the Salvation Army. Jack Addie was sentenced, but it was never enforced!1 By 1887, five years from the start, the Salvation Army had reached the opposite side of the country – Victoria, BC. At the end of ten years, the Dominon Headquarters reported that “there are 264 Corps in the command of 452 officers.”2
The early part of the 1900’s saw the beginning of the Pentecostal outpouring in Canada. In 1906 Robert McAlister - a preacher in the Holiness Movement Church - heard about events taking place at a small mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles. He traveled to Los Angeles and attended the meetings taking place there. He received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues and received the power from on high to spend the rest of his life as a witness to what God had done. On arriving back in Canada, he joyfully spread the news, traveling extensively and preaching at evangelistic meetings and Pentecostal conventions. Many miracles and signs followed his ministry, as promised in MARK 16:15-18. Likeminded people were used by God to spread the Pentecost movement all over Canada.
Charles S. Price Another person who had a big impact in Canada was Charles S. Price, an American minister who received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at a tent meeting in California. In the 1920s, he traveled through major cities from British Columbia to Quebec preaching the Gospel and many Canadians were converted and saw God’s healing power.
The Old Ways
Most of our Canadian colleges and
universities were founded by Christians or had Christian principles. King’s College
in Nova Scotia, now known as Dalhousie University, was founded by the
Anglicans, and McMaster University by the Baptists, just to name a few.Our education system has a Christian basis. Egerton Ryerson was a Methodist circuit rider whose main aim was to “preach Jesus to the lost sons of men.” In 1844 he was appointed the superintendent of education for Canada West (Ontario). He stated that “youth should be furnished with right principles, as well as with right knowledge … the first requisite is the religious and moral knowledge of right and wrong; the next is an acquaintance with the history of mankind.” Ryerson is called the father of Canadian public education and made education accessible for everyone. The students used textbooks in which Christian values and loyalty to the constitution were included. The Ontario school system, a “Christian public school system”, became the model for most of Canada.
There were many moments in government history where God was given the honour. For example on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed that Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated on the second Monday in October and it will be “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.” The Canadian Bill of Rights, introduced in 1960, begins with, “The Parliament of Canada, affirming that the Canadian Nation is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God.”
Canada’s parliament buildings in Ottawa contain scriptures carved into the stones: EPHESIANS 6:13 is written around the altar in the memorial chamber:
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”PSALM 139:8-10 is found on the wall in the same room beside a list of wars in which Canadians have fought and on the outside of the Peace Tower, PSALM 72:8, PROVERBS 29:18a and PSALM 72:1 are all engraved.
Many people in high offices were outspoken Christians: John Robson, premier of British Columbia (1889-1892) was led by his conviction that the stability of society rested on converted individuals, whose consciences served as moral rudders, steering them in a responsible direction in their personal and social lives. Toronto was once called “Toronto the Good”. William Howland, Toronto’s mayor (1885-1886) had a twelve-foot banner on his office wall guiding him in his office:
“Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”Ernest Manning, premier of Alberta from 1943-1968, had a radio program called the National Bible Hour - with up to 600,000 listeners from across Canada each week - where he urged Canadians to live in the light of Jesus’ imminent return.
A Time of Transformation
Whereas many of our nation’s
leaders, including our founding fathers, stood for Christian principles, the
governments today are trying to change the laws of Canada to reflect the more
“diverse population” that lives in this country. These changes have resulted in
a moral decline in the country. Increases in violent youth crime, suicides
among young people and the number of single parent families are only a few
matters of concern.For example, The Lord’s Prayer is no longer recited in public schools. An amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada was made, introducing the words "sexual orientation" as a basis for protection from hate crimes. This means certain passages in the Bible could be considered “hate literature”. A man in Saskatchewan put a paid ad in a newspaper that had scriptures on the left and an equal sign with a picture of two men holding hands with a line through it. Suggesting that these scriptures meant “no to homosexuality”, he was ordered to pay $1,500 or serve time in jail. A Christian couple in Prince Edward Island who ran a bed & breakfast refused to allow two homosexual men to stay at their home because of their beliefs. They were forced to close down their business and pay $1,000 in damages to the men. Same-sex marriage has been legalised in Canada, and marijuana and prostitution could soon follow. Our Founding Fathers would surely be outraged to hear and see all that is going on in our once-Christian nation.
The Red Ensign, the old
Canadian flag The change that took place in Canada is well symbolised by
the change of the official Canadian flag in 1965 under prime minister Lester
Pearson. It was a conscious step to replace the Christian British heritage by a
modern man-made United Nations philosophy of diversity and multi-culturalism -
a trend that continued especially under Pierre Trudeau (1968-1984) and until
today. Of course, in a multi-cultural society, Christianity is only one out of
many religions. Modern Canada therefore has no other values but “diversity”.
Hope for Our Future If We Turn to
God
Our Canadian national anthem
includes the words “God keep our land glorious and free.” That was the reason why so many Canadians, under the Red Ensign, fought alongside Great Britain in the two World Wars. Many gave up their lives thus ensuring that we would live in a free land ruled not by tyrants but only by God’s laws. Canada’s only hope lies in returning to the values of old.
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls”JEREMIAH 6:16.
Further reading:
- S. M. Burgess, G. B. McGee, P.
H. Alexander (Editors), Dictionary of Pentecostal and
Charismatic Movements
- ‘Canada’s Christian Heritage’
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Canada
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A JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ACCOUNT OF HUMAN
DIGNITY. IN CANADIAN LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY. MARK PENNINGA. B.A., Trinity
Western University, 2004.
Britain’s Christian Heritage
The First People of the British
Isles
The early history of Britain can
be characterised by the arrival of successive waves of people, including the
Celts, Angles, Saxons, Danes and Normans. These peoples are primarily
descendents of Ephraim, one of the lost tribes of Israel, who according to
Biblical prophecy were to be gathered in the isles northwest of Israel (ISAIAH
49:12). The history of Britain really does reflect God’s promises to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: "... he(Manasseh)
also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother(Ephraim)
shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations …"(GENESIS 48:19) and this is the reason for Britain being called Great and why it formed the British Commonwealth. (See this article on National Israel and Judah for further evidence). The history of the Celts shows that they came from the Middle East and that they were skilled bronze workers and had expertise in agriculture, and a civilized society quickly developed in these Isles after they arrived.
God was re-gathering His people and preparing them to receive the Gospel directly from Jerusalem, shortly after Jesus died. The following sections show how the British people have been used since then to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Glastonbury Tradition
At the time of Jesus, the Isle of
Avalon (modern-day Glastonbury) was a major port, important in the trade of tin
mined in Cornwall. Joseph of Arimathea, the
Virgin Mary’s uncle, was a wealthy tin trader and it was to Cornwall that he
returned to found the first Christian church in Britain and to spread the
Gospel. It is to be noted that the Celtic converts were never part of the Roman
Catholic religion that was to later usurp Christianity. 
Despite
an earlier invasion attempt by Julius Caesar, the Romans did not come in
earnest until Emperor Claudius in AD 43. The Romans took over forty years to
conquer Britain and even then it was only ever a partial conquest, which was
almost reversed by the uprising led by Queen Boudicca (Boudicea) of the Iceni.
Early Christianity in Britain
When St. Alban
was martyred in the 4th Century in the city to later bear his name,
Christianity was a long established, but persecuted religion. Alban was a pagan
soldier in the Roman army, who sheltered a Christian priest fleeing
persecution. The soldier was so struck by the priest’s devotion to God and
blameless life that he became a Christian himself. When the Roman governor
heard of the priest’s whereabouts he sent soldiers to capture him. Alban then
disguised himself as the priest by using his cloak and was captured and
eventually executed.Christianity was soon to be amalgamated with the pagan religions to produce the compromised state religion of Roman Catholicism under Emperor Constantine, who was believed to have had a British Christian mother. By the 5th Century, the Romans had started to withdraw in the face of the invasions by the ‘pagan’ Angles, Saxons, Friesians and Jutes. Christianity then only survived in the Celtic fringes of Cornwall, Wales, Cumbria and Scotland. Ireland became Christianised through the efforts of St. Patrick, a British Christian, whose monastic Celtic Christianity was responsible for the conversion of the Celts of Scotland. The Celtic Christians of the Celtic fringe failed to evangelise the Anglo-Saxon ‘enemy’ due to the deep mutual hostility and ‘stubborn’ paganism of the invaders.
Celtic Christianity, through the efforts of Columbanus, spread to the continent and established monasteries in Gaul and even in Italy. Their disregard for the ‘authority’ of the local Catholic hierarchy undermined the ‘rule of the bishops’, while spreading a Bible-based Christianity, untainted by the pagan ‘compromises’ of Constantine’s church.
Rome’s response to this threat was twofold: One was to take over the monastic movement promoting the Benedictine tradition and displacing ‘other’ traditions; a process which took a number of generations and was put in motion by the Bishop of Rome, Gregory I. The second response in Britain was the ‘tactic’ later favoured by the Jesuits, in which kingdoms were ‘Catholicised’ by the ‘conversion’ of the elite. This resulted in the ‘English’ Anglo-Saxons becoming at least nominally Catholic under the preaching of the Roman Catholic missionary, Augustine.
A decisive step in this process in Britain was the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD, hosted by the king of the powerful Northumberland kingdom. In principle, the synod was about which method to use for dating Easter. The King’s choice of Rome’s method was based on the superiority of Peter as the ‘gatekeeper of Heaven’. The ‘superiority’ of Peter over British saints was exploited by Rome to impress a ‘superstitious’ elite that remained pagan in its attitudes to choose the church with the more ‘powerful’ patron saint. Rome spread its practices throughout Britain, although individual ‘traditions’ still continued within different monasteries and the Celtic Christian influence remained. The full ‘Romanisation’ would require invasion of its staunch allies, the Normans. The later Norman take-over of Ireland would in turn result in its ‘Romanisation’.
Christianity in Britain then had to wait for the great Reformers to break the yoke of Rome. These times were known as ‘The Dark Ages’, though they were not without some light …
Britain’s Christian Foundations
King Alfred the Great (849-899), although a Catholic, studied
the Bible and had the Gospels translated into the native tongue. His reign
became a ‘golden age’ in which he rebuilt churches, brought over foreign
scholars and sponsored a ‘renaissance’ of Christian learning. He was a lawmaker
who incorporated the ‘Ten Commandments’ and Christian principles into what
would later become the ‘Common Law’.The Magna Carta in 1215 AD was imposed on a weak king by his overpowering subjects, as a way to control the king’s powers. This charter set in law biblical principles that addressed the warning of the Lord found in 1 SAMUEL 8:11-17 to Israel when they asked to have a king. Here God warns Israel of how a king would tax them and seize their property.
Clause 39 of the Magna Carta states: “No freeman shall be arrested or imprisoned or dispossessed or outlawed or banished or in any way molested, nor will we go upon him, except by the lawful judgement of his peers and law of the land.”
The Magna Carta was also a decisive step towards a parliamentary system in which taxpayers, through their representatives, had a say over their taxation and how they are governed. Great Britain is indeed the oldest democracy in the world!
The Reformation
John Wycliffe (1320–1384). The first Bible in English
was translated by Wycliffe. He was known as the ‘Morning Star of the
Reformation’, as he campaigned against the corruption of the Church and
preached the Gospel to the common people at a time when few priests knew the
Bible. Because Wycliffe’s translation was before printing, copies were hand
written, limiting their ownership; mass ownership was possible for the later
translation by William Tyndale. The preachers, known as Lollards,
spread the Gospel using the Wycliffe translation. They were so successful that
nearly half the population of England accepted this new faith based on the
Bible rather than the ‘traditions’ of the Roman Catholic church and the
authority of the Pope.It was under King James I. (1566 – 1625) that Britain was first named “Great”. And it was this great monarch who wanted the Bible in the hands of the common man. He commissioned and authorised the book that is probably the most widely-read literary work of all times – the King James Bible. About 50 of England’s best scholars produced between 1604 – 1611 such a magnificent translation that even 400 years later it is far superior to all modern versions and has brought countless men and women to salvation and the knowledge of Christ.
The Church of England finally broke from Rome during the reign of Henry VIII, and took on many of the Bible-based protestant reformation teachings. This mainly resulted from Henry’s desire to secure a divorce from his out-of-favour wife. However, the true Reformation of the Church took place during his son’s (King Edward VI) reign. King Edward VI was known as the “The Most Godly King of England” and as the “British Josiah”; after the young king in the Old Testament whose reign saw the revival of faith. In 1547 at his coronation, the boy king Edward VI, when presented with the three swords of his three kingdoms said, “one sword is missing”. When asked which sword this was he replied, “the sword of the Spirit - the Bible”. From then on every monarch would swear the Coronation Oath while holding the Bible.
When Edward VI died, his eldest sister Mary became queen. She was later to be known as ‘bloody Mary’ for the mass martyrdoms of Christians during her reign as she tried without lasting success to make England Catholic once more. Two of her more famous victims were Bishops Latimer and Ridley. While being burnt at the stake Bishop Latimer turned to his younger colleague Bishop Ridley and told him, “Be of good comfort… We shall light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” The flame was never to go out, as God protected Britain from all attempts to extinguish it and Britain become a ‘light unto the world’ through the missionary movements of the Victorian period. As we will read, successive revivals and fresh moves of God were to be the hallmarks of British Christianity over the next 450 years. The British truly were “the people of The Book”. You can read about the many British martyrs who died for their faith in ‘Foxes Book of Martyrs’.
The Translation of the Bible
into English
In the 17th century, King James
ordered the translation of the Bible into English. Much of Tyndale's works
eventually found its way into the King James Bible, which, though the work of
54 independent scholars, is based primarily on Tyndale's translations. This new
Bible was named the "King James Version" and is considered to be the
best translation of the original to this day.
This
translation was to be chained to the pulpits of every church in the land and
was preached to all. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”(PSALM 119:130).
The key to the Protestant Reformation was the reading of God’s Word through mass ownership of Bibles translated into the native tongue and it transformed the people into a Bible-based society.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works"(2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17).
Many had their eyes opened to the Truth and amongst those were the Puritans who set sail for America seeking a new land to worship God, due to the persecution they experienced during this time of upheaval.
George Fox (1624-1691) was another who preached openly against the traditional religious and social practices of the day, and sought to awaken the nation. He became the founder of the ‘Religious Society of Friends’, commonly known as the Quakers. He would preach in market-places, in the fields, in appointed meetings of various kinds, or even sometimes in "steeple-houses" … Fox's preaching was grounded in scripture, but mainly effective because of the intense personal experience he was able to project. He was scathing about contemporary morality, and urged his listeners to lead lives without sin.
“A Guiding Hand”
Sir Winston Churchill once said that he had a "strong
feeling that some Guiding Hand" is in charge of Britain, that "we
have a guardian because we serve a great cause, and shall have that guardian as
long as we serve that cause faithfully." It is amazing how often Britain
has been miraculously delivered from foreign threats of attack …As Britain was used by God to spread His Word throughout the world, many Catholic European nations tried to invade and subjugate Protestant Britain. In 1588, His Most Catholic Majesty, Phillip II of Spain; the most powerful nation in Europe, tried to invade England by sending an ‘Armada’. The fleet was destroyed by a huge storm.
In 1805, Napoleon, the “master of Europe”, sent the combined fleets of France and Spain which were defeated by a smaller British fleet led by Lord Nelson.
During World War II six days of national prayer were called by the King and the Prime Minister, and each was a turning point in the War. In 1940, the British Army was evacuated through the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’, protected from the German air force by bad weather, and then retrieved from the beaches during an ‘unusual calm’ on the English Channel. ‘The Battle of Britain’ was then won despite the military superiority of Hitler’s forces.
God promised King David:
"Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime"(2 SAMUEL 7:10). This has literally been fulfilled in the history of Britain, which has not been invaded since 1066 AD, nearly 1,000 years!
The Great Awakening - A Changed
Society
During the agricultural and
industrial revolution, Wesley and Whitefield’s ministries, together with those
of other preachers, ushered in a period of great spiritual revival and
strength, the like of which had never been experienced in this country before.
Historians speak of it as ‘the great work of grace’ that transformed England
during one of the darkest periods of its history.George Whitefield (1714-1770) had a voice that could be heard “a mile away” and his open air preaching reached as many as 100,000 people in one gathering. He could paint word pictures with such breathless vividness that crowds listening would stare through tear-filled eyes as he spoke. Often as many as 500 people in his audience would fall and lay prostrate from the power of God.
John Wesley (1703-1791) is the founder of the Methodist Movement. His ministry was to spread the Gospel among the working classes who never went to church. He became famous for his constant travelling (he travelled over 250,000 miles on horseback), so as to be able to reach as many as possible with his open-air sermons. Methodist missionaries went on to travel all over the globe spreading the Word to the most isolated parts of the world.
The Nineteenth Century - Taking
the Light to the World
(MATTHEW 5:14).“Ye are the light of the world”
It was during the reign of Queen Victoria, at the height of the British Empire that the Bible societies flourished. Protestantism believed that “the Bible and the Bible only” was the foundation of their faith.
“The Lord gave the Word: great was the company of those that published it”(PSALM 68:11).
Many British missionaries carried the light of the Gospel to the world, such as Hudson Taylor who went to China, William Carey, whose mission was in India and David Livingstone who travelled into the heart of Africa. See the “Old Paths” historical section for more information.
Quakers and figures such as William Wilberforce led the campaign against slavery. The campaign eventually triumphed over the powerful business interests; resulting in slavery being abolished through out the British Empire. The Slave Trade by sea was stopped through the might of the British Navy, which halted the transport of black Africans to the USA, which then nearly declared war.
William Booth (1829-1912) was the founder of the Salvation Army that started out in the east end of London, preaching to the poor and the downtrodden, and eventually spread worldwide. Their catchphrase was “Blood and Fire” – and their whole-hearted devotion as “soldiers of Christ” led to the conversion of millions of people all over the world.
The Twentieth Century and the
Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh …”(ACTS 2:16-17). This outpouring of the Holy Spirit in these last days was manifested in Britain and there were many great moves of God in the first half of the 20th century.
The Welsh Revival of 1904 - The leading figure in the revival was Evan Roberts (1878-1959), which started when he heard another revival preacher, Seth Joshua, speaking on the necessity of being broken. During the service Evan cried out “Lord, bend me! Lord, bend me!” and that night he was indeed bent and broken by God. The following night Evan Roberts shared his testimony to some young people. All experienced the power of God and fell to the ground. This was the beginning of a revival in which 500,000 people were converted.
George and Stephen Jeffreys became the best-known Pentecostal evangelists in Britain. George is considered the most successful evangelist Britain has produced since John Wesley. They were the chief influence that brought into being the Pentecostal denominations of Britain. The work spread rapidly and against great odds, despite George Jeffreys and his evangelistic team experiencing many personal hardships. In some places persecution was fierce because of the uncompromising message that was preached. It came to be known as the ‘Foursquare Gospel Campaign’, because George Jeffreys concentrated his message on the four fundamental truths of the faith: Jesus Christ as the Saviour, Healer, Baptiser in the Holy Spirit and Coming King.
Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947), known as the ‘Apostle of Faith’, was mightily used by God. He was born to a poor family, was unable to read until his twenties, and became a plumber by trade. Smith’s ministry was characterised by his unwavering faith in God which resulted in countless instances of the sick being healed in his worldwide ministry.
Revival On The Hebrides - Between 1949 and 1952, a widespread revival swept through the islands in answer to the prayers of two elderly sisters. God's revival fire was such that sinners were unable to escape God's presence. Instrumental in this revival was the evangelist Duncan Campbell. He came to the Isle of Lewis to conduct a two-week evangelistic campaign and ended up staying for two years. The revival was to continue for another 30 years.
Moral Decline and Hope for the
Future
The United Kingdom today is in
deep decline. According to the social and economic trends, crime, family
breakdown, illegitimacy, infertility, drug-taking, debt, indecency and
perversion are rising in a manner that appears to be out of control. Decisions
from both European and British Courts are allowing bureaucrats, homosexuals and
feminists to impose their morality on the people of the United Kingdom.In northern Scotland, in Aberdeenshire, an area considered to be the ‘Bible-belt’ of Scotland, a donation of King James Bibles to a school was blocked by the local authorities because a parent objected. The grounds of the objection were that the ‘Trinitarian Bible Society’ was anti-semitic; a claim without foundation and sectarian as the society was formed in response to the inclusion of the Unitarians to the Bible Society.
Stories are appearing in the press of happenings ever stranger or perverse, weird or depraved. One could give no end of examples, and any we could give today would be trumped by others, worse in kind, by the time this reaches the reader.
In addition to a general moral decline there is a threat to traditional, Bible-based laws and declarations such as the Act of Settlement, the Coronation Oath, Trial by Jury and Habeas Corpus from Britain’s membership of an ever more intrusive European Union.
What then is the heart of the matter? The decline, both personal and national, is due to the fact that the people have largely turned their back on God and His principles.
People must wake up to their Christian heritage, turn back to God and make the Bible the centre of their lives.
“If my people, which are called, by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”(2 CHRONICLES 7:14).
https://www.cai.org/bible-studies/britains-christian-heritage
The Christian History of France
The Origin of France and of the
French people
The French are not a single,
homogenous people. France, once called “Gaul”, was settled by Celts who
migrated to the South of Gaul in 800 BC. These Celtic Gauls were in fact
dispersed Israelites, most likely from the tribe of Reuben.1 In
about 600 BC the Phocaeans, a Greek tribe, founded Massalia (Marseilles),
France’s oldest city, which also features France’s most ancient harbour.
Marseilles was populated by Celts, Greeks and even Phoenicians, and played a
crucial role in the development of trade with Greek cities, Northern Europe and
even the Atlantic, by which tin from England was transported. The Franks –
Germanic people from central Europe – then settled in France in the early third
century AD. Additionally, the Vikings from Norway, led by King Rollo in 911AD,
settled the area of Normandy, the “Northmen” eventually becoming the “Normans”.
They were also of Israelite descent. Thus the ethnic make-up of ancient France
was quite mixed, with a sizeable portion of the population descended from the
wandering and exiled tribes of Israel.
The First Christians in France
France received its Christianity
directly from Jerusalem in the first century BC. After Christ’s death,
Christians were persecuted in Jerusalem and in all cities of Palestine. Joseph
of Arimathea, Lazarus (resurrected by Jesus), Mary Magdalene,
and several other followers of Jesus were all exiled from Israel, and set
afloat by their persecutors in an oar-less boat without sail. The boat
miraculously reached an area near Marseilles (called today “Les Saintes Maries
de la Mer” or “The Holy Mary(s) from the Sea), where Philip had already settled
down and begun to preach the Word.2Joseph of Arimathea was the Virgin Mary’s uncle. He was a tin trader who was well known in Marseille, as his ship would stop there on its way to the tin mines in England. Joseph (with some other disciples) then continued northwards through Gaul, passing through Limoges and Roscoff and across the English Channel before finally reaching Cornwall, where he established the first Christian Church in England (see Christian History of Britain).
Philip (one of Jesus’ twelve disciples) had been given the responsibility of spreading Christianity in Gaul (France), and had commissioned Joseph of Arimathea to help him. Joseph and his group had been in Avalon (modern day Glastonbury, in Cornwall, England) for about four years. During that time, Philip’s disciples won people for Christ and started schools and churches. Philip had sent about 160 Christians from Gaul to be trained by Joseph. In return, Joseph sent many of the workers back to Gaul, including most of the original group that had come with him.
The first one he sent was Lazarus, who was sent to Massialia (Marseilles); Maximin who was “the rich young ruler” and one of the seventy sent out by Jesus, went to Aix. Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome (mother of James and John) and Mary, wife of Cleopas, went to Camargue; Eutropius went to Saintes (in Aquitaine) and later to Orange, Arles and Tarascon. Saturninus went to Toulouse; Martial went to Limoges and Parmenas (one of the deacons mentioned in ACTS 6:5) went to Avignon. Restitutus (the blind man healed by Jesus in JOHN chapter 9) also went to Aix; Zaccheus (who accompanied Joseph of Arimathea) settled in Rocamadour and Sergius Paulus, a deputy of Paphos (the
“prudent man”in ACTS 13:7-12) went to Narbonne. Many others who were sent as missionaries to Gaul/France could be mentioned. It should be noted too that Pilate was banished from Jerusalem to Vienne (South Lyon) in AD 38 and Herod Antipas was banished to Lyon in AD 39.3
The Dark Ages
In the following centuries, the
French Christians suffered greatly from the Roman Catholic persecutions, and
the faithful became increasingly isolated. The Roman Catholic religion, a blend
of Christianity and heathen festivals and practices, became stronger and
stronger over the following centuries throughout the Roman Empire, including
Gaul. The true Gospel was lost in most parts of France and Europe, wars raged,
and barbaric invasions muddied things further with their heathen religions,
superstitions and ignorance. All the Kings, including the most famous ones such
as Clovis and Charlemagne, supported the Roman Catholic church fully, which
took the true basis of the Gospel and the work of the disciples, and twisted
them into a cruel parody of what the Bible commands the church to be like. In
order to maintain supremacy throughout Europe, the Roman Catholic church would
persecute, imprison, torture and kill all those opposed to their doctrine.
Their victims throughout the centuries numbered into the millions. Yet even in
this dark time there were still witnesses in France for the Truth.
The Albigenses
The massacre of Bezier The Albigenses (also called
“Cathars”) originated in the area of Albi and Toulouse around 1100 AD.
A revival “wind” came from Eastern Europe, bringing the light of the Gospel to
the common man. The Albigenses were “reformers before the reform”, believing in
salvation through receiving the Holy Spirit and being changed by the Word. They
read the Bible in the common language (The Latin Vulgate ), which was forbidden
by the Roman Catholic church. As a result, they were accused of heresy for
using a non-Catholic Bible. They increased so rapidly that many cities were
inhabited exclusively by them, and several eminent noblemen embraced their
doctrines. Among the latter were Raymond VI, Earl of Toulouse, and the Earl of
Foix.Pope Innocent III thus initiated a crusade against them. He was helped by Simon of Monfort and the Northern Barons. The Albigenses were viciously tortured and killed, regardless of sex or age. In Bezier, those who refused to abjure their faith were taken in a storm of cruelty. The Catholic legate, during these infernal proceedings, enjoyed the carnage, and even cried out to the troops “Kill them, kill them all, kill man, woman and child. Kill Catholics as well as Albigenses, for when they are dead the Lord knows his own.” Bezier was reduced to a heap of ruins and 60,000 people were murdered.
Some of the Albigenses fled to the Piedmont area where the Waldenses also found refuge after suffering persecution from the Catholic Church. Despite the small number of Albigenses who escaped the persecutions, they kept firm in their faith.
The Waldenses
Many people place the Waldenses
as having started in the 12th century, but they date their lineage as being
much earlier. Their teaching can be traced back to the 4th century. Although
many churches along the centuries had already been brought under the power of
the Papacy, Bible doctrine was still preached in many of the churches of
Lombardy and Piedmont. Images were removed from churches, justification by
faith was preached, and purgatory and the use of relics and pilgrimages to
attain merit were rejected.In 1059 the churches in Northern Italy submitted to the pope, and though the plains were conquered, the mountains remained free. Those who did not want to submit fled into the Cottian Alps of North-West Italy. The Bible-believing churches held a strong evangelical testimony and were fiercely persecuted. Some of the Christians crossed the Rhine and preached the Gospel as far as Cologne, where they were branded as Manicheans, and many were burned at the stake.
In 1173, Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant from Lyon, France, was converted. Some say that he received his surname through his association with the Waldenses, who most certainly had an evangelical testimony before the time of Waldo. While a majority of historians name Peter Waldo as the originator of the Waldenses, the Waldensian ‘Noble Lesson’ dates from at least the year 1100, long before Waldo was born. Waldo was excommunicated in 1183, after being denied the right to preach. His followers were dispersed, and a number of them fled to the Waldensian Valleys. The great Dominican persecution of the Albigenses began in the 13th century. Many of these Christians also fled to Waldensian safety.
The importance of the Waldenses as a cause of the Reformation is often overlooked. They were evangelistic as well as being evangelical. They travelled throughout southern and central Europe, often disguised as peddlers, until they brought forth from their hearts treasures greater than the gems and silks they sold. They penetrated into Spain, and went as far east as Germany, Bohemia and Poland. Their footsteps can be traced not only by the evangelical churches that were founded, but by the stakes upon which many were martyred. The seed of the Gospel was often watered by the blood of those who had sowed it.
The Reformation in France and
the Huguenots
The persecution by the Roman
Catholics plunged France into spiritual darkness for several centuries. In 1517
Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of his church in Wittenberg,
Germany, criticizing Roman Catholic doctrines. This was the starting point of
the Reformation that spread throughout Europe. Calvin, a
French reformer convinced by Luther’s ideas, was forced to leave Paris and
stayed in Basle, Strasbourg and Geneva, where he settled in 1541 (see the Christian History of Switzerland). In France, the
followers of the Protestant faith were called Huguenots.
The Huguenot coat of
arms. The 4 hearts represents loyalty and the dove represents the Holy Spirit. After a long period of troubles in France, the Roman Catholic church, seeing they could not overcome the Huguenots by open force, began to devise how they might entrap them by subtlety, and that by two ways: first, by a pretend commission sent into the Low Countries, which the prince of Navarre and Conde was to command. The aim was merely to learn what power and force the Admiral de Coligny, one of the leaders of the Protestant Party, had under him, and who they were.
The second was by a marriage between the Prince of Navarre (who was Huguenot) and the king’s Roman Catholic sister, Queen Margot, to which were to be invited all the principal protestants of France. Even the Prince’s mother, the famous Jeanne d’Albret came to Paris. She fell sick shortly after her arrival and died within five days, not without suspicion of poison (the Roman Catholic king’s mother, Catherine de Medicis was an expert on that matter). Notwithstanding, the marriage still proceeded. All the protestant chiefs were invited by letter from the Roman Catholic king, which guaranteed safe passage to and safety within Paris. The trap was now set and the marriage took place on the 19th of August, 1572. Four days after this, the Admiral de Coligny, returning from the council table, was shot at with a pistol charged with three bullets, and wounded in both arms.
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
(24th August 1572)
Soldiers had been appointed to
different parts of Paris, to be ready at the command of the king. Upon the
watchword being given, they burst forth, slaughtering all the Protestants,
beginning with the leaders and the Admiral himself, who was cast out of the
window into the street, where his head was struck off, embalmed and sent to the
pope. His martyrdom had no sooner taken place, than the troops, with rage and
violence, ran about slaying all the Protestants they knew or could find within
the city gates. This continued many days, but the greatest slaughter was in the
first three days in which more than 10,000 men and women, young and old were
murdered.This massacre extended to other cities like Lyon, Orleans, Toulouse and Rouen, where the cruelties were, if possible, even greater than in the capital. In one month, 30,000 Huguenots were slain.4 When he was crowned king, Henri IV denied the Protestant faith and made compromises with the Roman Catholic Church. He brought peace back to the land in 1598 with the Edict of Nantes that granted religious freedom to the Protestants.3
One famous protestant leader, John Welch, son-in-law of John Knox, was exiled to France in 1606 for 14 years until Louis XIII attacked the area of La Rochelle. He was in St. Jean d’Angely, where it is recorded that he raised the dead; was protected from cannonballs when Louis XIII’s army surrounded the city; made the army flee and then even preached while the king was residing in the city, which was forbidden.5
Then came the Thirty Years War - a war waged by the Roman Catholic countries against those areas that accepted the Reformation.
The Revocation of the Edict of
Nantes and the Wilderness Period
In spite of the Edict of Nantes
which “officially” brought peace for Protestants for some decades, the Hugenots
were in fact still constantly persecuted. Children were taken from their
families, and fathers and preachers sent to the galleys or imprisoned, if not
executed. Many Protestants fled abroad (see histories of South Africa and Canada). King Louis XIV then argued that
considering there were no Protestants in France anymore, he could revoke the
Edict of Nantes, as it was no longer relevant.The Revocation (or cancelling) of the Edict of Nantes, signed by Louis XIV in 1685, caused more French Protestants to flee. Pastors were commanded either to leave the kingdom or be sent to the galleys as punishment. Furthermore, Protestant churches were closed down and destroyed.
Protestants were forbidden to praise God either in public or at home. For this reason many attempted to flee, but were captured and sent to the galleys as slaves. This was a very dark time for Protestants. Protestant children born after 1685 also had to be baptised by Roman Catholic priests. Those who had decided to stay assembled secretly in houses, but when this became too dangerous, they met in forests and in quiet, deserted places in the South of France. These meetings were called “wilderness gatherings”.3
In July 1702, the War of the Cévennes began, also called the War of the Camisards, which set a whole area (Montélimar-Le Puy-Montpellier) on fire from 1702 to 1704. The royal troops of Louis XIV tried to slaughter the population of this mountainous central area, where thousands of Protestants found refuge. This war was prolonged until 1710 with many tragic episodes, which included the famous "burning of the Cévennes" in December 1703. The War of the Camisards mobilized 20,000 men of the royal troops and resulted in the death of 25-30,000 men, women and children of both Catholic and Protestant confessions.
During the whole 18th century, persecution of the Huguenots continued. Their civil rights were abolished and faithful preachers and believers who did not want to compromise were sent to the galleys. About 250,000 French Protestants left France during that period, as the only choices they had were to convert to Catholicism, be deported or sent to the galleys, or to die. Thousands of tradesmen, professors, qualified workers, farmers, doctors, etc left France with their families and belongings and migrated to England, North Germany, Holland, Switzerland and even to South Africa or North America.
In 1787, Louis XVI proclaimed the Edit de Tolérance, which gave some liberty to the Protestants again. During the French Revolution, with the Declaration des Droits de l’Homme proclaimed in 1789, the Church and the state were separated and each person was free to choose their religion.
The Christian Awakening in the
Late 19th Century
The beginning of the 19th century
was quite tragic for France, with incessant wars. More than a quarter of the
French population died during the slaughters of the revolution and the
Napoleonic wars. During the whole century, the Roman Catholic religion was
still the most wide-spread in France and people had to wait for the peace
following the 1870 war (the first French-German war) to see the light of the
Gospel shine again. It came mostly from across the Channel, as missionaries
were sent from England to France (Normandy), and some areas like Chambon
(in the Cévennes, between St. Etienne, Le Puy and Valences in Southern France)
experienced revival. The people also rose up against the rigid protestant
institutions, which had grown cold and formal over time.The Chambon had a long protestant history, with the first preachers arriving there in 1491. Since this time, there was always a very strong and lively protestant influence that never ceased, despite persecution. Pastors also held “Wilderness gatherings” there during the 18th century. The Protestant children escaped Catholic schools and found themselves in unofficial schools run by courageous teachers. At the end of the 19th century, teaching farms were created to help city children and teach them about the Gospel. Those who went to these schools were taught how to work on a farm as well as to restore their faith and learn about the Word.
In 1881, the Salvation Army (see the Christian History of Britain) was established in Paris by Kate Booth, the 22-year-old daughter of General Booth (the second building was built in Le Chambon in 1882). Helped by three comrades of her own age, Catherine settled in the popular district of Belleville-Ménilmontant. The beginnings were hard as they suffered scoffing, gibes and uproars (Catherine was called "the Marshal's wife" by the Parisians). “Night after night, for six months, she stood out against a grimy wine-flushed audience of taunting ‘ouvriers’. At last, when they sought to convert a prayer meeting into a riotous dance, Kate turned the tide with a clever challenge: “Mes amis! I will give you twenty minutes to dance if you will give me twenty minutes to speak!” At once a dark handsome workman in a blue blouse leapt to his feet: “Citizens, it is only fair play.” Then, standing watch in hand, he timed their capering to the minute, before calling on Kate. Eighty minutes later, with her audience still spellbound, she knew that God has granted her a precious victory. Soon she was preaching nightly to crowds 400 strong: by year’s end, only a new hall on the Quai de Valmy, seating 1,200 could contain them.”6 The Evangelisation was accompanied by a great social work involving popular hotel trades, houses for vulnerable girls etc. Many stations of the Salvation Army were created throughout France.
Christianity in the Twentieth
Century and the Pentecostal Movement
From the beginning of the 20th
century until the 1930s, there were two main events in the Pentecostal movement
in France. One was brought about by the revival which took place in Wales at
the same time (see Christian History of Britain); people prayed and
worked to see the same revival in France. Many meetings were also held in an
alcohol-free hotel-restaurant, the "Blue Ribbon" in Le Havre (Normandy),
owned by Miss Hélène Biolley. Missionaries arrived there and Smith
Wigglesworth, the famous British evangelist, visited several times.
People received the Holy Spirit and were healed; they prayed for a revival in
France. Miss Biolley’s "Blue Ribbon" quickly became the Christian
evangelical centre in Normandy. Books were translated there (mainly from M.B.
Woodworth Etter), and those who were converted could then go to England to
Bible schools (such as the Elim Biblical Institute in London).
Douglas Scott and his wife In January 1930, Douglas Scott and his wife, newly married, arrived at Le Havre to learn French as they planned to move to the Congo as missionaries. Without waiting to learn the language, Douglas Scott immediately began to preach the Gospel. He held meetings, and people were baptised with water and received the Holy Spirit. Many were healed of various diseases. Converted alcoholics stopped drinking and thieves gave back the goods they had stolen. Until the late 1930s, baptism services were organized every 5th day. However, this small revival did not spread beyond Le Havre and was also limited in duration.
In general, there are very few Pentecostal or Evangelical churches in France, which has remained mostly Roman Catholic.
Conclusion
After the severe persecution
French Protestants have undergone throughout the centuries, France has now
become a “secular state”, which means that there is a clear separation between
state and religion. However, as the most established religion in France is
Roman Catholicism, there has been a growing suspicion toward Christian churches
in recent years. The 2002 “Anti-Cult Law” shows this very clearly. Since the
law’s implementation, true Christian churches have suffered persecution, since
no difference is now made between pagan sects and real Christians. Article 10
of the French Constitution states that “nobody should be troubled as to
their own ideas, including religious ones, as long as they do not disturb the
public order as established by the Law”. Although this was originally
intended for the protection of individual freedom of religion, it is now being
used to stop the spreading of the Gospel and to undermine freedom of speech,
making it an offence to tell someone they must obey the Bible to be saved in
eternity. As a result, France has slid into an ever-worsening state of sin and
corruption.We pray that the French nation turns again to the Bible that many of its people once believed in, and starts following God’s command as described in JEREMIAH 6:16:
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls …”
- 1. Valerie Martlew, A Remnant of Israel in France
- 2. John W. Taylor, The
Coming of the Saints, Coventant Publishers (1969)
- 3. a. b. c. Henry W. Stough, Dedicated
Disciples, Artisan Publishers (1987)
- 4. John Foxe, Fox’s
Book of Martyrs, edited by William Byron Forbush
- 5. Ethel Barrett, The
Man Who Couldn’t Be Stopped - John Welch
- 6. Richard Collier, The
General Next to God, The Story of William Booth and the Salvation Army,
Collins (1965)
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Jean Vanier’s Daddy -
This biography was written by George
Cowley and is just one of the 50 biographies beautifully illustrated in the
book Canada:
Portraits of Faith, published and edited by Michael D. Clarke. It is a priceless
treasure that I urge you to acquire.
Georges Vanier
1888-1967
1888-1967
“May almighty God in His infinite wisdom and mercy
bless the sacred mission
which has been entrusted to me … and help me to fulfil it in all humility.”
which has been entrusted to me … and help me to fulfil it in all humility.”
Picture Information
Canada. Dept. of National Defence / National Archives of Canada / PA-002777
Canada. Dept. of National Defence / National Archives of Canada / PA-002777
George Cowley
The announcement that General Georges
Vanier had been appointed the governor-general of Canada came at a meeting of
the Canadian cabinet in Halifax at which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
presided. Nation-wide, cheers erupted as the former soldier and statesman was
appointed the personal representative of the sovereign in Canada. As he took
the oath of office in 1959, Vanier said to Parliament, “My first words are a
prayer. May almighty God in His infinite wisdom and mercy bless the sacred
mission which has been entrusted to me by Her Majesty the Queen and help me to
fulfill it in all humility. In exchange for His strength, I offer Him my
weakness. May He give peace to this beloved land of ours and … the grace of
mutual understanding, respect and love.”
Georges Phileas Vanier was born in
Montreal in 1888, the son of a French Norman father and an Irish mother. He
grew up bilingual, earning a degree in church devotional fellowship, and began
a lifelong habit of daily communion. He contemplated entering the priesthood,
but when the First World War broke out he felt that his immediate duty was to
his country. He took a leading role in recruiting and organizing the first
battalion to be raised by and of French Canadians: the Royal 22nd Regiment, or
Van Doos.
Vanier was twice decorated for bravery. “I
sleep as ever on the fresh earth,” he wrote to his parents, “one day we shall
all go back to her.” Shortly after, he lost his right leg to a German shell.
After convalescing, he refused evacuation. “I simply cannot go back to Canada,”
he insisted, “while my comrades are still in the trenches in France.”
At war’s end, Vanier returned to Canada
and was made the commanding officer and later the colonel of the Van Doos. He
also met and married Pauline Archer (see PAULINE VANIER), a
vivacious young woman who shared his religious faith. In 1927, Vanier held the
rank of lieutenant colonel and was sent to Geneva as a Canadian military
advisor to the League of Nations disarmament: “I ask you to open your eyes to
human suffering, to direct your hearts to those who have not the strength to
ask for help. Let us go to them. They have already been waiting too long.” His
appeal fell on deaf, militarist ears, but his diplomatic skills won him a
posting in 1931 to the Canadian High Commission in London, where he remained
until 1938. In 1939, he was named minister at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.
Vanier’s warnings of imminent war soon
came true. Only after arranging the evacuation of Canadian nationals, and of
many other imperilled refugees, did he leave Paris in a dramatic escape by car.
He reached Bordeaux just ahead of the Germans and from there hitched rides on
Allied naval vessels to England.
With the fall of France, the Germans set
up a puppet regime known was the Vichy government. The Allied governments
initially supported this nominally independent regime, rejecting Vanier’s
warnings of its inevitable treachery. Vanier called in vain for the recognition
of French general Charles de Gaulle, who, from London, proposed to recruit a
free French army to continue the war against the Germans.
Vanier’s warnings were resented, and he
was banished to Canada to an insignificant job—until his forecasts of Vichy
treachery proved accurate. He was then returned to London as the minister to
the Allied governments in exile, rallying support for de Gaulle. In 1944, he
became Canada’s ambassador to France, the first ambassador to enter the newly
liberated country.
The war in Europe dragged on for another
six months. The Vaniers were consumed by the many issues resulting from five
years of war and dislocation. While Pauline helped settle the thousands of
returning deportees, Georges worked with the French government on international
agreements aimed at healing the wounds and the bitterness of war. He was
particularly moved by the plight of Jewish survivors, orphaned children, and
the elderly.
“It was on the road from Jerusalem to
Jericho,” Vanier declared, “that robbers stripped and wounded and left for dead
the poor traveller of the gospel. We seem hardly to have advanced since those
days: today millions have been stripped, wounded and left for dead on the
bloodstained roads of Europe. Is not each one of these our brother or our
sister?”
The Vaniers attended mass every morning.
In the bitterness of 1940’s and 1950’s Paris, they felt the need to add a daily
half hour of prayer and meditation together. Inner prayer, Vanier believed, was
a necessary wellspring for sensitivity to the needs of others. Indeed, he
rarely made any major decision without first considering its implications in
prayer. His biographer, Robert Speaight, noted that “he was a man who walked
with God.”
Vanier retired from diplomatic service in
1954, hoping to continue serving Canada in “some modest capacity.” The capacity
offered him in 1959—at age seventy-one—was to become Canada’s governor-general,
the first Quebec native so honoured. His first initiative was to convert one of
the state residence’s small upstairs bedrooms into a simple chapel.
Friends were concerned for Vanier’s
health, but he thrived. He set out to rediscover his country and visited every
corner of it. Wherever he spoke, he made stirring appeals to people’s hearts
and consciences.
In early 1967, Vanier’s heart showed signs
of weakening. His last official engagement was to address, form his wheelchair,
a delegation of students from the University of Montreal on the favourite theme
of his latter years: the importance of Canadian unity. Few figures in Canadian
history have better demonstrated, by words and deeds, the urgency and
sacredness of this cause. “The measure of Canadian unity has been the measure
of our success ... If we imagine we can go our separate ways within our
country, if we exaggerate our differences or revel in contentions … we will
promote our own destruction. Canada owes it to the world to remain united, for
no lesson is more badly needed than the one our unity can supply: the lesson
that diversity need not be the cause for conflict, but, on the contrary, may
lead to richer and nobler living. I pray to God that we may go forward hand in
hand.”
Shortly afterwards, on March 4, 1967,
George Vanier’s gallant heart, pressed to its limits for so long, quietly
surrendered.
This biography was
written by George Cowley and is just one of the 50 biographies beautifully
illustrated in the book Canada:
Portraits of Faith, published and edited by Michael D.
Clarke. It is a priceless treasure that I urge you to acquire.
Veni Veni Emmanuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRi1GDoaQu4
Latin Veni, veni, Emmanuel Captivum solve Israel, Qui gemit in exsilio, Privatus Dei Filio. Gaude, Gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, O Iesse virgula, ex hostis tuos ungula, de spectu tuos tartari educ et antro barathri. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, veni O Oriens, Solare nos adveniens, Noctis depelle nebulas, Dirasque mortis tenebras. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, Clavis Davidica, Regna reclude caelica, Fac iter tutum superum, Et claude vias inferum. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, veni, Adonai, Qui populo in Sinai Legem dedisti vertice In maiestate gloriae. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel.
English Come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that morns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, form ev’ry foe deliver them that trust Thy mighty power to save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death’s dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home, make safe the way that leads on high, that we no more have cause to sigh. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, o come, Thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law, in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
IDLE NO MORE CANADA-USA-MEXICO-AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND- Suicides- Residential (boarding) School Assimilation- 1800s- 1900s- here's the facts- our First People Matter, 10,000 years
BLOGGED:
IDLE NO MORE CANADA- One Billion Rising- Breaking the Chains- Global abuse of Aboriginals First Peoples- Canada/USA/Australia/New Zealand/Latin America - UNITED NATIONS SHAME- all politicans have betrayed Canadians 10,000 year peoples
IDLE NO MORE CANADA- MI'KMAQ MONTH IN NOVA SCOTIA- 11,000 years- We mourn Albino Moose murdered- must learn Mi'kmaq nature's way pls./Some fall fun Annapolis Valley/Good Books/Mi'kmaq traditions, history and videos
BLOGGED:
IDLE NO MORE CANADA- WAR 1812- it mattered- War of 1812 Bicentennial Highlights Unsung Aboriginal Heroes in Canada’s Creation
1960
Canadian Charter
blogged:
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: South Pole Wounded Warriors Allied Challenge-Incredible story and victory of 4 counries of Wounded Warriors - Antartica 2 South Pole- Victory run/walk success- in harshest climates- UK/Canada/Australia and USA- The Journey and success proving 2 a billion folks proudly- disabilities are abilities in disguise- did we make u proud- u surely did and do..Environmentalists could NOT make it.... u ran and walked it.... the world rejoiced and Santa and NORAD hugged u along the way.The Journey 2 Victory blogged daily- December 2013/O CANADA TROOPS- we love u so- honour
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/11/canada-military-news-nov24-true-patriot.html
1700 map of canada
Sir Francis Nicholson leads a British attack on Port Royal in 1710.
Nicholson’s conquest is successful; the French lose control of Acadia
and the British gain power over the territory that is now known as Nova
Scotia.
1700 map of canada
In 1534, Jacques Cartier arrived in what is now Canada and claimed the territory for the King of France, Francis I.
The riches he had expected to find were not easily accessed, so he
returned home. The French returned some 70 years later when Samuel de Champlain arrived, and this time, they were here to stay. They established control of the territory around Quebec, first through a fur-trading company, and then through a government established by Louis XIV. The French established the seigneurial system of land tenure, the Catholic Church and a thriving fur trade in the new territory.
The French control of Canada ended in 1760 with the fall of Montréal to the British. Under the Treaty of Paris, the French retained control of fishing rights in Newfoundland, acquired title to Saint Pierre, Miquelon, and regained control of its islands in the West Indies. On mainland, the British quickly established control, particularly in the merchant capital of Montréal, and expected an influx of British colonists soon after they took over. But the colonists did not come. Eventually, the British governor of Quebec, Sir Guy Carleton, convinced the British government that the population - which was predominantly French - should be governed according to familiar laws. As a result, in 1774, the Quebec Act restored French civil law, while maintaining British criminal law, and guaranteeing religious freedom for Roman Catholics. The Act, and the placement of such a large region under the jurisdiction of Quebec, infuriated colonists in the American Colonies. Propagandists fighting for the American Revolutionary cause used the information to promote action on the part of the colonists. A year later, two American armies invaded Quebec in a takeover - an act that helped ignite the American Revolution.
The French control of Canada ended in 1760 with the fall of Montréal to the British. Under the Treaty of Paris, the French retained control of fishing rights in Newfoundland, acquired title to Saint Pierre, Miquelon, and regained control of its islands in the West Indies. On mainland, the British quickly established control, particularly in the merchant capital of Montréal, and expected an influx of British colonists soon after they took over. But the colonists did not come. Eventually, the British governor of Quebec, Sir Guy Carleton, convinced the British government that the population - which was predominantly French - should be governed according to familiar laws. As a result, in 1774, the Quebec Act restored French civil law, while maintaining British criminal law, and guaranteeing religious freedom for Roman Catholics. The Act, and the placement of such a large region under the jurisdiction of Quebec, infuriated colonists in the American Colonies. Propagandists fighting for the American Revolutionary cause used the information to promote action on the part of the colonists. A year later, two American armies invaded Quebec in a takeover - an act that helped ignite the American Revolution.
The Facts Library
Confederation, National Symbols
and Emblems
Canada’s coat of arms, adopted in 1921, stands upon the Latin
phrase “A Mari Usque Ad Mare,” which when translated means “from sea to sea” a
reference to Psalms 72:8. The present design of the arms of Canada was drawn by
Mrs. Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority,
office of the Governor General of Canada, and faithfully depicts the arms
described in the words of the Royal Proclamation dated November 21, 1921. The
present design was approved in 1994 and shows a ribbon behind the shield with
the motto of the Order of Canada, “Desiderantes meliorem patriam” which
translates “They desire a better country” which stems from Hebrews 11:16. This
version replaces a former design drawn by Mr. Alan Beddoe.
Canada’s official motto “A Mari usque ad Mare” meaning “From sea
to sea” is based on Psalms 72:8, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” The first official use of this
motto came in 1906 when it was engraved on the head of the mace of the
Legislative Assembly of the new Province of Saskatchewan. The wording of the
motto came to the attention of Sir Joseph Pope, then Under Secretary of State,
who was impressed with its meaning. He later proposed it as motto for the new
design of the coat of arms, which was approved by Order in Council on April 21,
1921 and by Royal Proclamation on November 21, 1921.
Before the fall of 1983, July 1 was called “Dominion Day” which
was a recognition of the sovereignty of God. With only twelve Members of
Parliament present, the private members bill that proposed changing “Dominion
Day” to “Canada Day” was passed. The Canadian Parliament changed the name to
“Canada Day” within five minutes and without debate. On October 27, 1982 with
the granting of Royal Assent it became official.
Canadian’s In History
In 1533, Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence
River to Montréal. To commemorate the founding of Montréal, Cartier wrote in
his diary “…we all kneeled down in the company of the Indians and with our
hands raised toward heaven yielded our thanks to God.”
The “Father of New France,” Samuel de
Champlain, wrote in his diary about the natives, “…(the aborigines are)
living without God and without religion…I thereupon concluded in my private
judgement that I should be committing a great sin if I did not make it my
business to devise some means of bringing them to the knowledge of God.”
In 1886, William Howland ran for Mayor of Toronto. During his
campaign, Howland would urge voters, “Let us keep the city, a God-fearing city,
and I would rather see it thus than the greatest and richest city in the
continent”. He won and became Toronto’s 25th Mayor.
David Thompson, explorer and statesman, developed maps from his surveys between
1784 and 1812. Many of his maps are still being used today. Thompson’s words
give the reason he endured the physical hardship of exploration “so that these
physically impenetrable barriers may be traversed and the Gospel be spread.”
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, Premier of
New Brunswick and one of theFathers of Confederation, rose each
morning to start his day with prayer and Scripture reading. As the 33 fathers
gathered in Charlottetown to discuss and draft the terms of the British North
American Act, there are were many suggestions on what to call this new “United
Canada.” That morning, as Tilley read from Psalm 72:8, he became so convinced
that Canada should be a nation under God, that when he came down to the
Conference session, he presented the inspired “Dominion of Canada.” The other
Fathers readily agreed and accepted. Today, The following words hang in the
corridor near the confederation Chamber in Province House: “In the hearts of
the delegates who assembled in this room on September 1, 1864, was born the
Dominion of Canada. Providence being their guide they builded better then they
knew.”
The Education System
Bishop John Strachan,
a leader who helped form our public education system, stated that “the church
must continue to play a central role in education. You cannot divorce religion
from education because schools will inevitably reflect the philosophical and
religious or (irreligious) biases of those who direct them.”
Egerton Ryerson,
father of public education in Canada, wanted a “common patriotic ground of
comprehensiveness and avowed (or maintain) Christian principles.” He wrote the
textbook First Lessons in
Christian Morals which
was published in 1871. Ryerson clearly said that the Ontario school system was
to be a “Christian public school system.”
Many of our greatest Canadian universities were founded as denominational
seminaries to educate future church leaders:
-King’s College in Nova Scotia, now know as Dalhousie University,
was founded by the Anglicans.
-The University of Ottawa, founded by the Roman Catholic Church,
and one of Canada’s first bilingual Universities. (Corrected
as of December 14, 2010)
-McMaster University, was founded by the Baptists.
The Ontario Public School Act of 1896 stated that “It shall
be the duty of every teacher of a public school to teach diligently and
faithfully all of the subjects in the public school course of study; to
maintain proper order and discipline in his pupils in his school; to encourage
his pupils in the pursuit of learning; to include, by precept and example,
respect for religion and the principles of Christian morality and the highest
regard for truth, justice, love of country, humanity, benevolence, sobriety,
industry, frugality, purity, temperance and all other virtues.”
The Laws of The Land
In 1960, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker introduced the Canadian Bill of
Rights. It begins with, “The Parliament of Canada, affirming that the Canadian
Nation is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God…” The
Canadian Bill of Rights can be found here.
In 1981, Pierre Elliott Trudeau signed his name to the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter begins with, “Whereas Canada is
founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of the
law.” The Charter of Rights and Freedoms can be found here.
http://www.ccheritage.ca/facts/
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