Author:

Keywords:

Mission, Church History, 2203 Philosophy, 2204 Religion and Religious Studies

Abstract:

The present article seeks to investigate a neglected part of Belgian missionary history. In particular, it will study the role played by Belgian redemptorist missionaries in late 19th century Canada, and subsequently address the origins of the foundation of that same belgian redemptorist province's foundations in Ukraine. On the basis of previously non-used and newly accessible archival sources, we wish to reconstruct the evolution of the redemptorist's missionary expansion both on the territorial, linguistic and ritual/liturgical level. Since this has topic only scarcely been studied and most of the literature available is outdated, we aim at filling in this lacuna. Our study intends to portray the activities of the Belgian missionaries starting on a very minor scale, on French Canadian territory, then expanding to English-speaking Canadian regions, in a context of proselytism and struggle between denominations. Finally, we note a shift towards the establishment of a complex triangular structure, with the erection of vice-provinces of the oriental rite on both Canadian and Ukrainian soil. Thus, the story leads to an exchange between Belgians, Canadians and Ukrainians, becoming active in all three aforementioned regions. In this exchange, the congregation showed ample flexibility to adapt itself to the particular needs of Eastern European immigrants in West and Mid-Canada.