Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/287

 POOR

241

POOR

tions of members of the same family and relatives according to the precepts of Christianity; (f) war against the passion for pleasure and a social legisla- tion guided by Christian principles.

Devas, Political Economy (London, 1892) ; Manning, Ser- mons on Ecclesiastical Subjects (London, 1873); Idem, The Eternal Priesthood (8th ed., London, 1883); Glen, The Poor Law (London, 1883); Ratzinger, Gesch. der kirchl. Armenpflege (Freiburg, 1884) ; Schaub, Die kathol, Caritas u. ihre Gegner (1909); Ehrle, Beitrdge zur Gesch. u. Reform der Armenpflege (Freiburg, 1881); LThlhorn, Die christl, Liehestdtigkeit in der alien Kirche (2nd ed., Stuttgart, 1882); Idem, Die christl. L. im Mittelalter (1884) ; Idem, Die christl. L. seit der Reformation (1890); MuNSTERBERG, Die Armenpflege (Berlin, 1897); PoscHER, System der Armenpflege u. Armenpolitik (3rd ed,, Stuttgart, 1906); Sallemand, Hist, de la charite (Paria, 1902).

T. J. Beck.

II. In Canada. — The Church of Canada has numer- ous charitable institutions. As early as 1638 the IJuchesse d'Aiguillon founded, at the instance of the missionaries, the Hotel-Dieu of Quebec, where the Hospitallers of the Mercy of Jesus have since devoted themselves to the care of the sick poor. They have also care of the General Hospital of Quebec (1693), the Sacred Heart Hospital (1873), and the Hotel- Dieu of Chicoutimi (1884). In 1642 Jeanne Mance

Communities

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'i

1 1

<

< 1

z

a: <

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'i

2

'i

2

< 3

3 3

«

►J z

2

3 5

4

1

5

1 a.' t-

Z 1

i

2 2

2

3

■9 2

1

12 12

12

6

'2 i

1 1

'2 7

6 1

7

Q

5 6

io

21 20

1

21

3 a

<

Brothers of Charity. . . Brothers of St. Gabriel. Brothers of St. Francis

Brothers of N. D. des

Fathers of St. Vincent

Hospitallers of the Mercy of Jesus. ..

5 28

9 10

26 28

35

2 26

3

1 1

2

'2

i 1

2

1 4

1

4

Hospitallers of St.

Sisters of Providence. Sisters of Good Shep- herd

4

Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of the Con- gregation of St.

1

1

1

3

1

Sisters of St. ioseph.. Sisters of Charity of

Providence

Sisters of Charity (St.

John, N. B.)

Sisters of Our Lady of

Charity of Refuge Sisters of St. Joseph

3

Daughters of Wisdom Little Servants of the

Dominican Sisters of the Infant Jesus

Little Franciscan Sis- ters of Mary ....

Franciscan Missionaries

Sisters of Perpetual Succour

Daughters of Jesus. .

Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi

Special Associations. ..

63

29 15

'1 63

66

.53

7

2 J

65

78

58 6

5 9

78

5 5

5

7

Total

5

6

6

6

8

Province of Quebec. . . Province of Ontario, , Prince Edward. New Brunswick, Halifax

4 2

i

7

2

1

2 5

3

2

2

Total

8

XII.— Itj

founded the Hotel-Dieu of Montreal, which in 1659 was confided to the Hospitallers of St. Joseph. Mgr de Saint- Vallier (who had already founded the Gen- eral Hospital of Quebec, and whose will contained the words: "Forget me, but do not forget my poor") in 1697 requested the Ursulines to found a hospital at Three Rivers. This hospital was placed in charge of the Sisters of Providence in 1SS6. The General Hospital of Montreal (founded 1694) was entrusted in 1747 to Mme d'Youville, foundress of the Grey Nuns. This congregation, whose object is the care of foundlings, orphans, the sick, the aged, and the infirm, was the origin of other independent communities engaged in the same work, namely the Grey Nuns at St. Hyacinthe (1840), the Grey Nuns of the Cross at Ottawa (1845), the Grey Nuns of Charity at Quebec (1849), and the Grey Nuns at Nicolet (1886). These communities, which are spread throughout Canada, accomplish wonderful works of charity in behalf of the poor. More recent foundations are allied with them, among the most important being the Sisters of Providence (founded at Montreal in 1843 by Mme Gamelin), who devote themselves to the spiritual and temporal relief of the poor and sick, orphans and aged, the visitation and care of the sick in their homes, dispensaries, refuges, and workrooms. They have eighty-five establish- ments. At Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec there is a society for the Protection of Young Girls, as also the Layette Society, an association of charitable women which assists poor families at the period of the birth of children. The above table, though necessarily in- complete, affords an idea of the number and variety of charitable activity in Canada.

The Church carries out these undertakings, at least in the Province of Quebec, almost entirely with the assistance of private charity. In 1902 the Hotel-Dieu of Quebec received free 1052 sick poor, whose stay at the hospital represented 30,892 days of board and treatment. The sisters receive from the Government an annual allowance of .S448, but nothing from the city, and they pay the water tax. In 1910 the Sisters of Charity of Quebec had 538 old men and women and 1704 orphans; they received .11498 from the Government and paid to the city $1050 for water. In 1911 the Government of Quebec granted a subsidy of .156,875.75 to charitable in- stitutions, Protestant as well as Catholic. In Ontario the Government pays 20 cents a day for 120 days and 7 cents a day for subsequent days for each patient admitted to a hospital; the cities also pay their quota. In 1909 the subsidies paid by the provincial Government to hospitals, infirmaries, and orphanages amounted to .8257,813.53. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was established at Quebec in 1846 by Dr. Joseph Painchaud. Conferences were formed at Montreal (1848), Toronto (1850), Ottawa (1860), and Hamilton (1866). The superior council for all Canada is located at Quebec. In 1896 it numbered 104 conferences; its receipts for the year equalled 864,000 and its expenses $53,000. During the past fifty years the Quebec conferences have ex- pended $577,069.98 on the poor. In 1909 the society numbered 97 French conferences with 4228 members and 59 English conferences with 1039 members. The receipts equalled $162,199.46 and the expendi- tures $126,316.12. Relief was given to 2900 families, composed of 11, .524 individuals. Besides visiting the poor in their homes, the society has organized patronages for the instruction of poor children and night shelters for the homeless, and finds homes with families for orphaned apprentices. In recent years it has been assisted by the Guignol^e collection made for the poor on Christmas Eve by the Association of Commercial Travellers. In 1910 this collection amounted to more than $8000.

Le Canada eccUsiasliiiuc (1910); Annuaire de I'Hdtel-Dieu d«