The "Imagine" Reality Check: Universities

  The very first universities had a religious basis, with the first three universities ever founded and still in existence being in the Islamic tradition.  Morocco, Egypt and Iran each have a university whose origins go back to the years 859, 970 and 1065, respectively.  Natural sciences and religious studies did not conflict with one another at such schools.

   The next universities to be established outside the Middle East were the University of Bologna (1088 in Italy) and the University of Paris (1096 in France).  These later dates, however, are a bit misleading.  These institutions did not just spring up without a context.  The University of Bologna arose as a centre of the study of law: church law as well as Roman law [1].  Furthermore, the places that become European universities in the 11^th and 12^th centuries started out as cathedral-based schools.  Here bishops had taken responsibility for teaching the next generation of priests and church leaders from at least the 6^th century A.D.  by teaching them the Bible and doctrine but also literacy in Latin grammar.  The University of Paris was anything but secular when it first opened.  It was divided into four sections: Arts, Medicine, Law and Theology, but before attaining a legal, medical or theological degree all students had to complete the liberal arts course of study [2].  In the same way, cathedral schools were also the precursor of Britain’s prestigious Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

   Turning to the “new world,” Harvard was established in 1636 and the College of William and Mary began in 1693, both while America still consisted of a collection of colonies.  Harvard was founded by a group of Puritans who had arrived in Massachusetts just sixteen years earlier.  They recognized the importance of education for the future of the colony and its proper development.  The motto they chose was “Veritas,” Latin for truth.  Its first benefactor, John Harvard, died one year after coming to the new world, but he gave his complete library and half of his estate to the fledgling institution.  In gratitude, it was named in his honour.  The College of William and Mary’s charter said it was to be a “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences.”  Thomas Jefferson attended this school about 70 years after its founding, and at that time all but one of the professors on staff were clergymen. That small fact indicates that higher education and Christian faith were not seen as incompatible during the years around American Independence.

   In New France (now the largely French-speaking part of Canada) Jesuit priests accompanied settlers and adventurers in the early 1600’s.  They established basic schools widely; within 50 years they also had a central institution of higher education to prepare young men to the Jesuit priesthood.  Laval University proudly traces its heritage back to 1663 but on its public site makes no mention of the faith commitment of its first founders.  Montreal’s Concordia University, founded in 1848 as Loyola College, had a similar origin. [3]

   The oldest English speaking university in Canada is located in the Maritimes: the University of New Brunswick.  It was founded in 1785, about a decade after the American Revolution by British refugees, who did not favor cutting ties with the Empire and thus moved northward.  The initial goal of such a school was to give youth a “virtuous education” in the following areas: Religion, Literature, Loyalty and good Morals. It set out to offer enrolment to students regardless of the particular church denomination they might belong to, but it was largely run by Anglican-based leadership. [4] 

   Coming at last to Ontario, Canada, there are now 19 public universities to which students can apply via one centralized system.  Of these, fourteen had a clear faith-based origin, as explained on the “history” section of their websites.  Two examples from the nation’s capital would be appropriate even though they were founded 94 years apart:

1)       University of Ottawa started out in 1848 as the College of Bytown founded by a Roman Catholic bishop.  He handed over the control of the school to the society of Mary Immaculate.  In 1965 this religious institution was renamed St. Paul’s University and the name University of Ottawa was given to the liberal arts program.  St. Paul’s University continues to be affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

2)      Carleton University in Ottawa began in 1942 and boasts being the first “non-denominational” university in Ontario.  That does not mean it set itself up against faith, but that it would not favour any particular Christian background.  The YMCA of Ottawa was instrumental in establishing this school at a time when “YMCA” meant more than a pool and fitness club.  Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was a community centre that engaged youth in integrating faith in different aspects of life.

   Universities as institutions where young adults can learn specialized skills and take their place in society are highly respected in the West.  The pioneering effort of churches and visionary church leaders cannot be underestimated.  The funds raised to construct the first buildings did not come from government grants but from grass roots people (some of whom had wealth to share) who felt that moral and constructive learning for future generations was important.  Without that heritage starting in Europe, would we really have these schools of excellence today?  While most Western universities have currently shifted their focus away from faith, they would not exist at all if we had a world with no vestiges of religion.

[1] Gerald L. Gutek A History of the Western Educational Experience.  (1995), p. 100-101

[2] http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/University_of_Paris

[3] http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jesuits/

[4] http://www.unb.ca/aboutunb/history/historicalsketch.html

Montreal Musings 5: Lessons Learned

   When one of my uncles heard we had spent a week in Montreal, his first comment was, "Very educational."  He was so right on many levels.

• We learned about the unique culture of a cosmopolitan city through walking the streets, shopping at stores and riding the subway system with its residents.  Living in an apartment alongside regular year-round residents made for a more authentic experience than could be obtained by staying at a hotel.  We knew that sundown was approaching on Friday evening as a parade of orthodox Jews went by on their way to a Sabbath service in the neighbourhood.  The daily experience was augmented by a 20 minute multi-media show at the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum which told the story of this city since its founding as both a mission and fur trade junction.
• One line from the history of Montreal multi-media show that struck my husband and me was "The evening news replaced evening prayers."  Despite the towering basillicas and street names with religious references, the province of Quebec prides itself on being secular.  It was pointed out to us that Quebec is a legitimate mission field where only 1 percent of its population is evangelical.  Mali in West Africa shares the same statistic!
• Our visit to the Biodome, at the site of Expo '67 was a fantastic way to learn about and see all kinds of creatures, from the familiar otter and porcupine to the exotic capybara (rainforest) and three types of penguins.  We gained a fresh appreciation for the diversity of God's creation.

  If you read the first post of this series, you may have been wondering what we did with the $50 that had been given to us.  We used $20 to repair the toilet at the volunteer apartment, and the rest we passed on to a homeless shelter in Montreal. Soli deo gloria.

 Narrow street approaching the harbour.  Horse-drawn vehicles were used for tourists.

Real king penguins in their snowy and rocky habitat at the Biodome

Montreal Musings 4: Prayer for Seafarers

   On Thursday at the centre, the chaplain rang a bell at 9 pm for evening prayers even though only one of the seafarers present was a Christian.  All the rest were Hindus.  Our family joined in the chapel so we could experience this devotional time and to show the young man that he was not alone in his faith.
   Here is part of the liturgy that was used:

"O God, I ask you to take me into your care and protection, along with all those who sail in ships.  make me alert and wise in my duties.  Make me faithful in the time of routine, and prompt to decide, and courageous to act in any time of crisis.  Protect me from the dangers and perils of the sea.  And even in the storm, grant that there may be peace and calm within my heart.  When I am far from home, and far from loved ones, and far from the country which I know, help me to be quite sure that wherever I am, I can never be beyond your love and care.  Keep me true to my loved ones and help them to be true to me.  And every time we have to part, bring us together in safety and happiness again at the end of my contract.  This I ask for your love's sake.  Amen"

   So often we take for granted that there will be products on the shelves at all our favourite stores. While many of these goods are produced locally, a good deal are imported and come by the cheapest transportation method possible, cargo ships.  Really, this is nothing new, as I learned from an exhibit at a Montreal museum about the trade in tea from the 1600's onward.  We do well to remember the individuals who leave their families for extended periods of time to make things possible in our global economy.

Montreal Musings 3: A Family Affair

   In January when my husband and I arranged to volunteer at the Seafarer's Centre in Montreal we were looking for a service opportunity that could involve all the ages in our family.  Quite often service trips are set up for youth only or adults only, and we were hoping that we could do something memorable all together.
   The Seafarer's Centre agreed to take us and provided us with a one-bedroom apartment for the duration of our stay.  Since our volunteer work takes place during the evenings, we have adjusted our regular meal times and bed times this week.  Yet all of this allows us to be together, and each one can contribute uniquely.
   Most of the people who come to the Seafarer's Centre are men who are in the Port of Montreal for as little as three days to unload and reload cargo.  It is a place to relax and get off the ship.  Last night, what was special was that there was a whole family (father, mother, daughter and son) from India that came to the centre.  What a joy it was for me to see my daughters interacting with the children, who spoke very good English!  Part of our shift last night the place was completely empty and we may have wondered what we were doing that had any value.  However, being ready and available made it possible to positively touch the twelve people who did pass through.  Just by being there, we were told, we are also an encouragement to the regular staff.
   Most of those who come to volunteer at the Seafarer's Centre from out-of-province are seniors, so coming as a family with children stands out.  Maybe someone else out there will be inspired to take a family service trip or seek out volunteer work that embraces a whole family.

Montreal Musings 2: A Different Kind of Canada Day

   Canada Day in Montreal is quite different than it might be in other places.  July 1st is a convenient day off  that serves as "Moving Day" for many Montreal residents, as one-year apartment leases usually expire or begin.  The traditional fireworks display does take place at the harbour in the old city.
   We began the day hoping that food stores would be open on a statutory holiday and were not disappointed.  An authentic Jewish bakery was our destination for fresh bagels and a well stocked IGA gave us a clue that we are staying in a Jewish district with its many Kosher products.
   Next, we walked to Saint Joseph's Oratory, a building dedicated to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.  Impressive and topped with a dome, the oratory is built on a hill.  Wood carvings of the 12 apostles in groups of three were at least 2 metres off the ground and at least 3 metres tall could be found in the basilica.
   At 4:00 pm we took the subway (Metro) to our first shift at the Montreal harbour as volunteers.  The Mariner's House is a drop-in centre for those who work on ships.  Among other things, I helped patch a long distance phone call to Indonesia and sold food, drinks and souvenirs to people from Montenegro.  My son played pool with a seafarer from the Philippines.  My husband had an extensive conversation with a Romanian electrical engineer. 
   Montreal does have fireworks on Canada Day (at the harbourfront), but we decided to forego them so we could head back to our lodgings before the rush.  It was a late night, all going to bed after 11 pm.  This holiday Monday was full, but one to be remembered.

Montreal Musings 1: "Put this to good use"

   Yesterday an experience left me feeling as though I was in one of Jesus' parables.  The parable I am thinking about is the one where servants are entrusted with particular amounts of money and expected to invest the money to produce a good return.  It can be found in Matthew 25 entitled "The Parable of the Talents" in some Bibles.
   Yesterday we attended a church service in Cornwall, Ontario.  After the worship my husband began chatting with a member of the congregation who took a great interest in our plans for the week.  When this gentleman heard that we were on our way to Montreal to do volunteer work at the Ministry to Seafarers and also discovered my husband's work at a food bank, he asked many questions in addition to sharing insights of his own.  As we were departing, he reached into his pocket and handed my husband a crisp $50 bill and the request to "put this to good use" this week.
   This is not the kind of thing that happens to a person everyday!  And yet, in a way, it does happen to us everyday.  The point of the parable Jesus told was that we have all been given talents and gift, opportunities and resources that we are to put to good use.  We are attempting to live this out in a unique way, away from our regular community.  But as servants of the Master, it should be our everyday goal.