CCHA, Historical Studies, 53(1986) 71-79
A Progress Report
of the Frontier Apostolate Movement
in the Diocese of Prince George, B.C.
by Edith E. DOWN, S.S.A.
University of Alberta
The
Frontier Apostolate Movement, as it exists today, was the creation of the Most
Reverend Fergus O’Grady, o.m.i., Bishop of the Prince George Diocese of British
Columbia. The idea to capture the story behind it was prompted by an interview
with the bishop; I quote:
The idea first came to my mind when I arrived as Vicar
Apostolic of Prince Rupert, which later became the Prince George Diocese. The
Catholic parents of the Indian territory asked for more Catholic schools. There
were only three at the time in the entire Vicariate. The apparent difficulties
include the fact that there was no assistance from the British Columbia
government. Besides, it was not possible to ask for financial help from the
people themselves, because they were faced with the personal problems of
pioneers trying to build their own homes. Then the thought came to my mind to
simply call for volunteers who would contribute their time and talent, first of
all to the construction of three schools. As a result, seventy-five young men
contributed their services to the construction of the schools and worked under
the able and efficient direction of Reverend Joseph Bogues, o.m.i. Then a call
went out for other volunteers to staff the classrooms, that by 1981 included
fourteen schools.1
This paper is limited to a description of the
boundaries of this northern diocese and its bishops. It further explores the
system of volunteerism that was adapted for the purpose of staffing an
alternative educational system. The general thesis of the completed study will
attempt to prove the hypothesis that the Frontier Apostolate Movement, over a
period of time, has proved itself to be an operable form of volunteerism.
The Diocese of Prince George, shown on the
accompanying map, includes the vast area between the fifty-third and
fifty-eighth degrees of latitude. The west is bounded by the Pacific Ocean and
Alaska and it includes the Queen Charlotte Islands. The eastern boundary is on
the 100th meridian. The territory covers an area of 135,000 square miles of
mountain, forest and ranch land.2 Of a population of 180,000,
12% are Roman Catholics.
The region was first opened to white
settlement by the completion, in 1914, of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway line
(now the Canadian National Railway) from Prince George to Prince Rupert. For
almost forty years the railway provided the main transportation link. The
completion of Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway) in 1952, though running close
to the rail line, encouraged new industry and population growth. The fishing
villages and supply stations along the Skeena and Bulkley valleys which had
been whistle stops on the railway became towns and cities almost overnight. Despite
the changes in transportation and the addition of air travel, the population
remained concentrated in a narrow corridor through the southern part of the
diocese.3
The history of the Roman Catholic Church in
the region parallels secular development. In 1862, when the fur trade was the
dominant feature of the economy and the native Indians the majority of the
population, the work of evangelization began in this territory which was then
part of the Athabasca-Mackenzie Vicariate. As the population increased, other
divisions occurred. Consequently, by 1908 the territory was divided once more.
The Holy See created the Prefecture Apostolic of Prince Rupert under the Right
Reverend Emille Bunoz, o.m.i., that included the present limitations plus the
Yukon Territory. In May, 1941, the Pro-Vicariate was limited to the present
boundaries.4 Until Bishop
Bunoz’s death in 1945, there was need of only two schools in the diocese. In
1917, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto had staffed the parochial school and
built a convent and boarding school in Prince Rupert. The same year, The
Sisters of the Child Jesus of Le Puys, France, had begun to staff the Oblate
Indian Mission school at Fort St. James on Stuart Lake. In 1922 this school was
transferred to the new federal residential building erected at Lejac, B.C.
In
1945, Reverend Anthony Jordan, o.m.i., was consecrated bishop of the diocese.
After an expansion of industry and a further population increase the bishop
collaborated with the Sisters of St. Ann of Victoria, B.C. to establish Sacred
Heart School in Prince George. In 1955, Reverend Fergus O’Grady, o.m.i., was
appointed bishop when Anthony Jordan was named Archbishop of Edmonton.5
The appointment of Bishop O’Grady coincided with rapid
urbanization at several centres in the diocese. Furthermore, there was an
increasing interest on the part of the Carrier Indians to have more education
for their children. This particular tribe has its own history of evangelization
by the Oblate missionaries. The majority embraced the Catholic faith. It is not
surprising, therefore, that the times dictated a need to address their demand
for further education.
As one of the first steps to cope with
these changes, Bishop O’Grady transferred the ecclesiastical headquarters from
Prince Rupert to the more centrally located city of Prince George. At the same
time the See was raised from a vicariate to a diocese.
When Bishop O’Grady was appointed to the
diocese, included in the duties of his office was his responsibility, as Church
leader, to promote the Christian education of youth. The foundations of
Catholic education have roots in the very essence of faith and religion. The
Church’s teachings have experienced evolution from the methodology of the Old
and New Testaments, from the doctors of the Church and the contributions of
the monasteries.
Furthermore, the means by which the belief
in education has maintained itself lies in the directives of the papal
encyclicals. For example, in the 1929 Encyclical of Pope Pius XI, he states:
Even though the
school does not constitute the only, or even the most important factor in
education, it still remains the common ground on which the family, the church
and the state must meet in the field of education. From the perfect functioning
of the school, depends in great part, the complete formation of the man and
therefore the progress or retrogression of civilization itself.6
In fact, since education
consists essentially in preparing man for what he must be and for what he must
do here below, in order to attain the sublime end, for which he was created, it
is clear that there can be no true education which is not wholly directed to
man's last end.7
These strong directives formed the
foundation upon which Bishop O’Grady based his plan of approach. The reality of
the situation in the Prince George Diocese required the building of schools and
a teaching and support staff to maintain them.
From the outset, in attempting a plan of
attack to meet the challenge, the Bishop proved himself not only a man of
foresight, but also a man of action. The basis of his approach was his
conviction that the education and Christian training of youth was the most
imperative challenge facing the Church. He also had a firm belief that the
Catholic community of faith is interdependent upon the parish, the home and the
civic neighbourhood. Only by addressing these elements could the Church fulfill
its mission.
By 1955, however, the traditional pattern
of staffing Catholic schools in British Columbia was changing rapidly. The
religious congregations of men and women, who from 1847-1960 dedicated their
lives to Catholic education, experienced a sudden decline in membership. Therefore,
the projections in 1955 indicated that the Church had to re-examine its
position as educator and explore new avenues that would allow it to continue
its mandate.8
A further complication was created by the
opening of this area through improved transportation. Cities like Prince
Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace, Smithers, Vanderhoof, Burns Lake, Fort St. James,
Prince George, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek attracted immigrants from various
European countries including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Holland and Germany. In
each of the cities where these newcomers settled, the percentage that were
Catholics was sufficient to produce instant parishes. Furthermore, parents
desired a Catholic education for their children. Added to this, the changing
attitude of the Federal government toward Indian education triggered an
immediate need to address the subject of Catholic education for them.9
The history of the subsequent construction
of thirteen grade schools and one high school in the diocese is beyond the
scope of this study. The early volunteers, however, who carried out the actual
work, are best described by one of them:
They were rugged
individuals with generous hearts, adventurous minds and pioneering spirits,
wielding D4’s, D7’s, bulldozers, cats, trucks and welding torches instead of
pens, pencils and typewriters.10
The whole group, including teaching personnel
and support staff, became part of the movement which has become known as The
Frontier Apostolate. The work of the clergy, the religious congregations of men
and women and lay teachers is not included in this study; their contributions
and influence have yet to be written. The name, “Frontier Apostolate,” emerged
from the geographical area of British Columbia that is frontier country.
A simple statement of what a volunteer is
includes a competent individual’s free will contribution made for the
betterment of society, based on an essential concern for one’s neighbour and
for which the individual has an emotional attraction.11
A cluster of one hundred nineteen
application forms, selected from an available 2000, was analysed in order to
determine their volunteer status based on the above definition.12 The detailed type
of application form required of each individual, retained on file and made
available, was very comprehensive and nothing essential to this study was
omitted. Forty-one items were coded on an 80-column format and the outcome of
this procedure indicated the following results:
TABLE 1 - Origins
of Volunteers
1. Continents
Africa Asia Australia Europe N. America S.
America
1 1 2 42 71 2
1% 1% 1.7% 35.4% 59.6% 1.7%
2. Countries
Canada England Ireland N. Zealand Nigeria Philippines
50 16 16 1 1 1
42% 14% 14% 1% 1% 1%
Scotland United
States Australia
9 24 1
7% 20% 1%
3. Provinces of
Canada
Alberta Br.
Columbia Manitoba N. Brunswick Nfld.N.T.
3 7 - 1 1 -
6% 14% - 1% 1% -
Nova Scotia Ontario P.E.I. Quebec Saskatchewan
1 31 1 4 1
1% 62% 1% 3% 1%
Europe and North
America provided the highest number of volunteers. Canada led the countries,
followed by the United States and then the British Isles. Within Canada, the
province of Ontario indicated the highest percentage. The sources for this, one
might think, represent centres in the province where established Catholic
educational institutions existed. This, however, is not the case. In the United
States, for instance, not one of the twenty-four states included contributed
more than three applicants. In Ontario, as well, the volunteers were from
various parts of the province.
The age groups among those tested ranged
over a large number of years:
Table II – Ages
of Volunteers
16 - 20 years 11 - 9%
21 - 30 years 86 - 72%
31 - 40 years 13 - 11%
40 - 60 years 9 - 8%
The work experience
factor ranged between one to fifteen years and all but one were employed at the
time of their commitment. At this particular period of time (1955-1978) there
was fair job security. As the teachers, especially, were from Catholic
institutions, the decision to make a two-year contract for missionary purposes
pretty well assured the individual of a job on return.
The selected volunteers were from 87
different cities of the world. There is no evidence that any one city promoted
the movement. Because of the nature of the project not only teachers, but also
persons from all walks of life with skills relevant to the need, could apply.
The selection offered 33 different occupations, including janitors,
electricians, bus drivers, plumbers and house parents. While the process was
open to all denominations, provided the individuals complied with the
philosophy and directives in the guide book The Call to Service, the
response was overwhelmingly Catholic. When an individual wrote for information
to the diocese, along with an application form the guide book was included.
This pamphlet states the purpose of the movement, its geographical location and
the areas to be filled. It explains in detail the required life style, the
program and the general requirements. A two-year commitment is recommended but
the individual is free to make a choice of more or less time. A two-thirds
majority chose two years, while one-third signed for one year. The cluster
selected indicated 33% men and 67% women had applied.
The following table indicates the
classification status of the group tested.
TABLE III – Status
of Volunteers
Brother 1 1
%
Divorced 1 1%
Married 38 32%
Nun 6
5%
Separated 1 1%
Single 68
57%
Widowed 4 3%
Married couples with children were
accommodated. In this specific group thirteen children accompanied their
parents. Members of religious congregations could also apply. Marital status
was two-thirds single to oneithird married. Twenty-four had spent two to four
years in a seminary and ten had spent time in a novitiate.
Academically, a high number qualified with
a college or university education. Their professional certificates were
evaluated and verified by the Department of Education for the province.
It is revealing how individuals first
discovered information regarding the movement.
TABLE IV– Knowledge
of the Movement through:
Advertisement 31
26%
Bishop O’Grady 8 7%
Nun 3 2%
Other volunteers 24 20%
Priest 19 16%
Religious Organization 2 2%
Speaker 2 2%
Vatican Council 1 1%
Word of Mouth 29 24%
As our society
knows “it pays to advertise.” In this instance, as well, it ranked as the
highest means of obtaining volunteers. The high percentage responding “other
volunteers” testified to the project’s credibility, as does, also, “word of
mouth.”
In the screening of possible social
problems, only one had a physical disability and three had had treatment for
alcoholism. A high percentage had experienced travel through the military, with
a lesser number having travelled for educational and/or business purposes.
Thirty-one different interests in non-teaching areas emerged, as well as a
variety of twenty-six hobbies.
The general theme that ran through the
replies to the query “Why did you apply?” is a desire to contribute to a need
of the Church in new territory through offering a personal contribution for
favours received. The benefits the individual hoped to accrue from the
experience were fellowship with other Christians, growth in spiritual maturity
and the opportunity to help build a Christian community.
In comparison with the definition of
volunteerism previously stated, the data accumulated on this sample places the
Frontier Apostle on a high level of commitment to service.
Of twenty-five volunteers interviewed, the
factors that gave them the most concern were:
– fears of the unknown
– diversity of geographical areas from
which they came
– cultural differences among themselves
and with those with whom they worked
– for teachers, the
implementation of a curriculum with which they were not familiar
– living a new life style.13
Despite these
difficulties, the subjects interviewed considered these problems as challenges
which they had committed themselves to accept.
The numbers who apply as Frontier Apostles
far exceed the demand (approximately 200 per year). This indicates that
volunteerism is a vital force within the Church. Other groups in the diocese,
including the clergy, supportive members of religious congregations and
salaried lay teachers, still contribute to the framework of the school.
Nevertheless, the added element of the Frontier Apostolate Movement makes the
whole project possible.
TABLE V - Number
of Frontier Apostles Who Came to the Diocese
1981-1985
Year Total Number Teachers Other Personnel Attrition
1981
47 27 20
3
1982 50 28 22 3
1983 55 25 30 4
1984 73
42 31 2
1985 47* 24 23 1
* Lower numbers in
1985 occurred because of the extended commitment of some in 1984.
This table, which
covers the last five years, indicates that even after thirty years (1955-1985)
there is a steady recruitment which meets the need. The very low attrition rate
is evidence of its stability.14
Further study of the movement will include:
* The
influence of the Frontier Apostles who have married and continue to work in the
system.
* A profile of individual apostles who have
made an outstanding contribution to education in the area.
* The means to upgrade teachers and
non-teachers in order to make the movement a Canadian societal achievement.
* Future directions for the Apostolate.