A Solitary Pillar: Montreal's Anglican Church and the Quiet Revolution

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, Japan Foundation Fellow 1991-92, and the author of
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered:
Leo Kennedy’s Story.

Threatened by social unrest and frightening uncertainties, beleaguered
populations may turn for support to institutions they have learned to
trust. The role of the Anglican Church in helping Montreal’s
anglophone community deal with the social and political upheaval
following the Quiet Revolution is examined by Joan Marshall at both the
diocesan and the parish levels.

Marshall, an assistant professor of geography at Carleton University,
calls her study “an almost intuitive exploration of the meaning of
community for anglophones in Quebec.” She grew up struggling to learn
French while living in small, semi-rural, predominantly English-speaking
communities in Quebec. Marshall identifies with the anglophones who have
chosen to stay in Quebec and feels “a love for the province that
transcends definition in terms of landscape, language or culture. Quebec
is home.”

The study is divided into two parts: “A Minority Church in
Transition” and “The Five Parishes.” Parish data were collected
from individual vestry books regarding attendance, membership, and
contributions. Interviews became an important research tool, along with
the author’s personal experiences as participant-observer in the five
parishes. These have led to significant insights about the role of
organized religion for communities caught in stressful change.

A minor theme is the inclusion and exclusion of women. Marshall notes
that while the majority of regular worshippers are women, it was men who
were wardens, sidesmen, and collectors of the offertory. She concludes
that the Church is failing to come to terms with the urgent need to
change its relationship with women, and also with youth.

A Solitary Pillar is a quiet and thoughtful historical study written
from an unusual angle. Marshall’s style is clear, pleasant, and
personal.