Page 171 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

letter dated July 5, 1855, just after permissiun had finally bwn grantd
the Basiliaris to build a fouridation on Cluver EIill. and i ust four davs
prior to the actual commericeirierit uf operatioris, ~a'ther ~oulerin
bemoaned the inopportune tinie selwled 1)). the bifihop for a diocejan
financial drive in aid of a Catholic hospital. 'l'he iitipecunioua Basiliaiis
were at first denied permission to eollect in the Torotito diocese so a*
not to detract from the suecess of the hospital; this prohibition was
soori withdrawri in part. The dioceae, exeept the eity of Toronto, was
open to the solicitatiori of the Basilian Fathers.'"' The ewelnaiiiii of
Toronto as a source of revenue, deepite a later reprieve to the extent of
two annual Sniiday eollections, was a aorry blow. -4 high percentage
of the wealth of the relaiively poor dioces of Toronto was found in
the See city; the eountry areas were s~arsely w~tled and the niajoriiy
of the settlers were recent immigrants rvliose 1 esourees were vey limi ted.
Eveii if the piorieer people were finaneially well-toado, it would be mueh
niore diffieult io convirice theni 01 the nec eu si^^ of higlber Catholie edn-
cational facilities than the city.iolk. However. the urlan areas of Hamil-
ton, St. Catharines, Braritford arid London wtre amorig the eommunities
open to the Fathers' canvassirig and these promised frnitful returns.
Everi these hopes of the Coinmunity were shattered by the rieeds of the
bishop.
For severaI years Bishop Charhonnel had sought a eo-adjutor to
assist him in his many proble~ns.'~~' Hi9 ehoiee fell oii Father O'Dowd,
a Suloician f rom Motitreal. but desnite tlie e~isco~al influence bolstered
1 1
hy tio finpportitig letter3 'frum ~<;rne. tlie Sulpician priest refused to
accept the dignity. Not to be denied, the bishop then attempted to reduce
the size of hi3 unwieldy diocese: in this he was sueeessfuI, and the dioceses
of London atid Hamilton were earved out 01 the Toronto dioeese. Ori
Dececiber 3. 1835, Fathers Farrell and Pinsonneanlt were eonseera~ed
bishops of Hamilion and London, respeclively.c41) This reduction in
area of the Toronto dioee3e natnrally niade the financial problem facing
the Basilians mneh iriore Erave. Vanu cif the more lucrative centres were
now in the new dioceses, and thctefote not subject to Basilian collm-
ti ori~.
When Father Tourvieillc submitied a eircnlar to the bishop he con-
gratula~ed him on his undertakinps and eapeeially on "the cstablishment
It
of a new home for the aged - ihe House of Pro~idenee."(~~' was yet
another example of episeopal zeal, but it inereased the diocesan debt
and cuniiiderably reduced any help the Cornrnunity could hope to obtain.
The Clover Hiil property Iiad beeri oflered to the Jesuit Fathers on
condition that a large educa~ional establishment be erected : and when
the Soeiety failcd to aocept it, the proffered land reverted to MY. Elmsley.

(301 Rcv. 1. Soulerin, Lerrer to Rai. P. TourcieiUe, JuIy 5, 1855, p. 1.
(40) Ibid., July 15, 1853, p. 3.
(41) Bisliop Charhonnel, Pustord Idpiter, April 23, 1856, p. 1. (Prcsrned in
Arcliives of Archdiocese 01 Toronlo.)
(421 Letter îo BUhop Charbonnel, Octobcr 13, 1856, p. 1.