1918 - "China Mission College"

The Archbishop of Ottawa, Charles H. Gauthier, authorizes Fr. John Mary Fraser to establish the “China Mission College” in Almonte, Ontario with the goal of training and sending priests to China.

Pictured: Façade of the China Mission College, c. 1918.

1921 - “St. Francis Xavier China Mission Seminary”

The College moves from Almonte to Scarborough and is renamed “St. Francis Xavier China Mission Seminary”.

Pictured: Formal opening of the new seminary, September 21, 1924.

1926 - China

The first Scarboro mission band – 3 priests – reaches Chuchow (now Quzhou), China. In 1929 they are joined by the Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, from Pembroke, Ontario. In addition to Catechetical and parish work, they operated dispensaries and medical clinics.

Pictured: Sr. Genevieve, a Grey Sister, with five children at dispensary, Lishui. c. 1932.

1940 - “Scarboro Foreign Mission Society”

With Vatican approval of the Society’s constitutions, they officially become the “Scarboro Foreign Mission Society”.

Pictured: First General Chapter, 1941

1947 - First Credit Unions

Scarboro helps establish its first credit unions in Yamasa and Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. The Society would go on to help start co-operatives to economically empower many of the communities they served.

Pictured: Fr. John McIver stands with community members in front of the Cooperative de Credito de Yamasa, which he helped establish, c. [1947-1950s].

1951 - Rebuilding Nagasaki

Msgr. John Mary Fraser helps rebuild Our Lady of Martyrs Church after it was destroyed by the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. The Society also establishes credit unions to help their Japanese communities recover in the postwar period.

Pictured: Msgr. Fraser in front of Our Lady of Martyrs Church in Nagasaki during its rebuilding, c. 1950-51.

1964 - Interamerican Cooperative Institute

Inspired by the Antigonish movement of the Canadian Maritimes, Fr. Harvey Steele founds the Interamerican Cooperative Institute (ICI) in Panama. The Institute provides leadership education and opportunities for collaboration to grassroots organizations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Pictured: Cooperative members from Peru and Haiti discuss the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean at the ICI, c. 1995

1976 - Ecumenical Forum

Fr. John Walsh is appointed the associate director of the traditionally Protestant Ecumenical Forum (now the Canadian Churches' Forum for Global Ministries), the first Catholic to hold the position.

Pictured: Fr. John Walsh, 1974

1978 - Commitment to Ecumenism, Justice, and Peace

The Sixth General Chapter mandates the support and participation in inter-church ecumenical efforts and calls for the establishment of an office devoted to the Society’s commitments to Justice and Peace. The Interfaith Desk, the precursor to the Interfaith Department, is founded in 1998.

Pictured: Members of the Sixth General Chapter, 1978.

1989 - Logging Protests

Scarboro priests Frs. Pat Kelly and Charles Gervais stand in solidarity with their community in Malabalay, Bukidnon against exploitative logging companies destroying the local ecosystem and economy.

Pictured: A protest against destructive logging corporations in the Philippines, c. 1989.

2000 - The Golden Rule

The golden rule poster is published by the Society. In 2002, in was put on display at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Pictured: The Golden Rule Poster was created by the Society’s interfaith consultant, Paul McKenna, in consultation with those from the 13 faith traditions represented.

2018 - 100^th Anniversary of the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society

The Society publishes a final, special edition of the Scarboro Missions magazine. They also establish the Msgr. John Mary Fraser Centre for Practical Theology at Regis College, part of the University of Toronto. The Institute aims to educate and promote inter-religious dialogue and cooperation.