CANADA
241
CANADA
Two Mountains (7.5 families); in (he Diocese of Valley-
field, the Iroquois Catholic centre of Saint Regis.
These, however, are exceptions. The real missions
of Canada at present are in the North-East, along the
coast of Labrador: in the North on the shores of Hud-
son Bay: and especially in the Nbrth-West, in the
immense territories which stretch from Ontario to
the Lower Mackenzie and Alaska. In the North-
East the vicariate Apostolic of the Gulf of St. Law-
rence, confided to the Eudisf Fathers, contains 12,000
Catholics: among them some Eskimo, Nascapi, and
Montagnais. ministered to by twenty missionaries.
To the West there are a number of missions in the
Dioceses of Pembroke, Peterborough and Sault
Sainte Marie. The Oblate Fathers, the Jesuits, and
secular priests rival one another in their efforts to pre-
serve and extend the Faith in the region between the
Great Lakes and James Bay.
Lastly there are the missions of the North-West and British Columbia, the most important of all. They comprise the ecclesiastical province of St. Boni- face, and. with the exception of Vancouver, that of Victoria, in both of which the Oblate Fathers have many prosperous missions. The secular clergy, the pioneer missionaries of British Columbia, are still in charge of most of the inhabitants of Vancouver Island: as the country is becoming more thickly populated, the number of secular priests is increasing in British Columbia and in the province of St. Boniface. These provinces include the Dioceses of St. Albert,
New Westminster, and Prince Albert, and two vica-
riates Apostolic: Athabasca and Mackenzie- Yukon.
Most of these ecclesiastical divisions are under Oblate
bishops, with about 230 Oblate Fathers, assisted by
lay brothers of the same congregation. A hundred
secular priests and a large number of religious of both
sexes are scattered throughout the North-West, their
numbers having been considerably augmented by the
latest persecutions in France. The Christian Indians
belong to the Algonquin race, and are commonly
known as Kristinous or Cree, though they call them-
selves Nehivourik. According to a recent estimate
they number 45,000. British Columbia contains
26,000 Indians, but, of a different race. The devo-
tion of the missionaries also extends to the numerous
half-breeds in the "Far West", and to the settlers
of every race and nationality. In these immense
regions, which in 1S4.3 had only one bishop and six
priests, there was in 190S a hierarchy of seven bishops
and nearly 400 priests, regular and secular. There
are over 150,000 Catholics, with more than 420
churches, 150 schools, and many charitable institu-
tions. This wonderful progress is due chiefly to the
work of the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate.
The history of the evangelization of the North- West
is one of the most interesting in the annals of Catholic
missions, and its final page has not yet been written.
(See Oblates.)
Conclusion.— Of the tables given below, Table I will enable the reader to form an estimate of the progress
TABLE I
Catholics
Anglicans
Presbyterians
Methodists
Baptists
Catholics
Anglicans
Presbyterians Methodists
Baptists
Catholics
Anglican*
'i* nans Methodists Baptists
Catholics
Anglirans
'i 1 nans Methodists Baptists
Ontario
167,695
223.365
204.148
213,365
45,353
258.151
311,559
303,374
350,373
61,539
274.166
462,264 86,630
320,839
366,539
117,749
591,503
106.680
358.300
3N5.999
153,1 17
654.033
106,047
390,304
367,937
177,386
666,388
116,281
Quebec
746,854
44,682
38,470
21,199
4,403
943.253
63.487
43.735 30.S44 7.751
1,019,850
62.449
46,165
34,100
8.686
1,170,718
68.797 50.287 39.221 8.853
1.291.709
- , ir j
52.673
39.544
7,901
1,429, 260
81.563
5S.013
42,01 1
8,393
Nova Scotia
69,131
36,115
72.924
23.593
42.643
86,281
17.711
88,755
34,167
62.941
102.001
55.143
103 :,:v.< 40.871 73.430
117.487
60.255
112.488 50.811 S3.761
122.152
64.410
108.952 54.192 83.122
129.578
66.107
106,381 57,490 74,860
New Brunswick
82,283
12,776
36.652
25.636
57.730
96.016
15,481
38,852 29,856 70,597
109.091
16,768
42.888
34,51 1
M.662
115,061
43,095 40.639 35,504 79,649
125.698
41.767
39,496
35,973
Ml. SOS
Prince Edward Island
Catholics
Anglicans
Presbyterians
Methodists
Baptists
27.147
6.530
20.402 4,934 2.900
35,852
6,785
25,862 7,865 3,450
40.442
7.220
29.579
11.070
4.371
17.115
7.192
33,835
13.485
6.226
47,837
6,646
33,072 13.596 6,265
45.796
5.976
30.750
13, (02
5,898
Manitoba
British Columbia
North-West Territories
1881
1S91
1901
1881 1891
1901
1881 1891
1901
Catholics
Anglicans
Presbyterians
Methodists
Baptists
11.297
14.292
9.470
9.449
30,852
38,977
28 127
16,112
35.672
65.348 49.936 9,148
10.043
7.804
4.095
3.516
434
20,843 33.639
23,619 40,689
15,284 34,081
14,208 25.0 17
3,098 8,471
4.443 13.008
3,166 14,166
501 12,507
461 7.980
29 1.555
39,653
31 659
30,087
26,636
5.926
III.— 16
