Canadian Friends Historical Association

Category: Events

  • Registration Now Open for Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists

    Registration Now Open for Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists

    Registration for this year’s Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists (CQHA) is now open. The conference is taking place online June 24–26 and is free for everyone to attend. Information on the conference can be found here, and you can register directly here.

    The conference will take place between approximately 11:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT each day with built in time for breaks, and will be held over Zoom.

    Presentations at CQHA, organized into thematic sessions, address aspects of Quaker history across all time periods and locations. Since this year’s program builds on the postponed 2020 conference that would have taken place at Earlham College in Indiana, the program includes several presentations related to Quakers and the American Midwest. In addition, CQHA has been able to take advantage of the virtual format to invite colleagues from several continents to participate in a series of special sessions on historiography and archives in Quaker historical studies. To view the conference’s full program, click here.

    CQHA is a biennial conference which operates under the auspices of the Friends Historical Association (FHA) which focuses on the history of Quakers and Quakerism. It is organized by a steering committee appointed by the conference group during the biennial concluding business session.

    Assemblee des Quakers a Londres by A. Moubach, 1727-1738
  • New to the Website

    New to the Website

    A few new changes have come to CFHA’s website. Our events page has been updated with more information about Friendly Fridays. These free sessions are ongoing and new participants are always welcome! If you’re interested in attending a Friendly Fridays session and delving into the journal of George Fox, you can find more information and register on our events page.

    We also have a new donate page, which now lists three different options for donation. CFHA receives the support of many members and individuals who volunteer their time and talent. However, it is only through the generous financial contributions received from donors that allows us to cover overhead costs while maintaining free public access to our transcriptions, publications, and programs.

     

  • Save the Date: Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists to be Held Online

    The biennial Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists (CQHA) will take place virtually this year between June 24–26. Operating with the support of the Friends Historical Association, the CQHA focuses on the history of Quakers and Quakerism. This year’s conference will be free for all to attend.

    Registration will open by the end of March, though you can check the CQHA website for updates on registration and program details.

    The 2018 conference, held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, featured excellent presentations on diverse topics ranging from Quaker spirituality, transatlantic politics, persecution, discipline, and enslavement. Past programs can be found here.

    “Assemblée des Quaquers à Londres” by A. Moubach, 1727-1738

  • Friendly Friday Session on October 30th

    The Friendly Friday sessions are held via Zoom starting at 1:30 PM, every other Friday. The next session will be held on Friday, October 30th. Subsequent sessions will be held on Friday November 13th and 27th, and Friday December 11th.

    For each session the appropriate passages of the Nickalls edition of the Journal of George Fox are provided to session participants on-screen. The passages are marked to identify short individual paragraphs or portions which individual members volunteer to read aloud. Comment, question, and discussion follow each reading to reveal the richness and depth of the life and experience of George Fox.

    Registration for Friendly Friday is required to allow distribution of the Zoom meeting invitations. Registration is only required once, and can be made by clicking the registration link provided in the Friendly Friday blog post on the CFHA website www.cfha.info, or by contacting [email protected].

  • Join us for ‘Friendly Friday’ on October 16th

    Please join the Canadian Friends Historical Association in a “Friendly Friday” discussion of George Fox’s journal. This Zoom session will run on Fri. Oct. 16, from 1:30-3 pm. In the course of a little more than an hour, our group covered the first 8 pages of the Journal. We will pick up where we left off this coming Friday, and new participants are welcome to join us. Sessions will continue every other Friday through to December.

    It is really easy to register–just submit your name and email address in the following link and submit. You’ll then be prompted “review your registration” which will then take you to a confirmation page. No need to be a member of CFHA to join.

    Here’s the link to register:

     https://cfha.b.civicrm.ca/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=3

    Here’s more: “I attended the session on Oct. 2. The reading was sent out in advance, and it caught my interest in learning more about George Fox and his experience. During the session, we read a section from Fox’s journal, and then stopped for discussion along the way. I’m so glad to have attended this session because it helped me deepen my knowledge of a foundational text to understand what led up to the development of the Religious Society of Friends and to compare and contrast this with our modern Quaker experience. Donna Moore”

  • Robynne Rogers Healey to Speak at Freedom Forum’s Series on Faith, Race, and Civil Rights

    Freedom Forum Institute is hosting the fifth program in their series, “Religious Resolve: Stories from Our Past, for Our Future,” on the Grimké sisters. The panel, “The Grimkés Speak Out on Faith, Race, and Civil Rights,” will take place Sunday, October 11th, at 3:00 pm (EST).

    The panel includes Dr. Healey’s discussion of Quaker sisters Angelina and Sarah Grimké and the complexities and contradictions of religious life in 19th and 20th century America. Rev. Perzavia Praylow will present the story of Rev. Francis Grimké, a prominent African-American clergyman and civil rights activist.

    For more information on the panel and to register for this free event, see https://www.freedomforum.org/event/religious-resolve-stories-from-our-past-for-our-future-program-5/

    Angelina Grimké (1805-1879), Library of Congress.
    Sarah Grimké (1792-1873), Library of Congress.

     

  • Friendly Fridays launching this Friday, October 2nd – Join Us For An Introduction To The George Fox Journal

    CFHA is pleased to announce that the ‘Friendly Friday’ program presentations will launch Friday, October 02, 2020 at 1:30 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time (Toronto).

    Everyone is welcome to participate. Sessions will be held via Zoom, and will typically last approximately an hour.

    The first set of sessions will be of particular interest to anyone seeking an understanding of the spiritual experiences, epiphanies, and testimonies as related in the Journal of George Fox. These came to form the foundational principles of the Religious Society of Friends.

    Although the Journal of George Fox has served for centuries as the creation account of the Quakers, it is relatively little read among contemporary Friends. Many find the book difficult and lengthy. It is nonetheless richly rewarding and relevant to contemporary seekers. This is especially so for the first 40 to 50 pages. These include the context and content of all of George Fox’s foundational “openings” and formative experiences through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. It will be our objective to read and discuss this portion of the Journal.

    Photo of George Fox from the
    Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-pga-11433).

    The readings and discussion will be facilitated by CFHA Co-Chair Gord Thompson. The text of the Journal has been broken into short manageable readings for willing participants to read aloud. Experience has shown that short readings followed by discussion, questions, and comments allow a thorough unpacking of the text. Our aim is to foster a personal tone of sharing which facilitates individual and collective understanding. It is anticipated that 5 or 6 sessions will see us through the essential first chapters. These will be scheduled for every other Friday following October 2nd, through to early December. Ideally most participants will be able to take part in all sessions, but even occasional participants will find the experience worthwhile.

    Those interested in participating are asked to register here via the link provided in order to receive the Zoom meeting invitation and admission to the session.

    Event link: https://cfha.b.civicrm.ca/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=2

    Please note that readings will be based on the John Nickalls edition of the Journal of George Fox. Text annotated to identify the respective individual readings will be provided to participants. If you have any questions please contact [email protected].

  • Reminder! AGM this Saturday, September 26th

    A reminder that the CFHA’s Annual General Meeting is this Saturday, September 26th. The program portion beings at 11am Eastern time and will feature Quaker historians Stephen W. Angell and Ben Pink Dandelion. The business portion of the AGM will follow.

    For last minute additions, register at https://cfha.b.civicrm.ca/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=1 and contact [email protected] for any additional information.

  • Stephen W. Angell and Ben Pink Dandelion to speak at the CFHA Annual General Meeting

    Stephen W. Angell and Ben Pink Dandelion to speak at the CFHA Annual General Meeting

    Exciting news!

    The executive committee is thrilled to announce that our speakers for the CFHA Annual General Meeting to be held on September 26th will be Ben Pink Dandelion of the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Bournville, England, and Stephen W. Angell of the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.

    Ben and Steve have been instrumental in the explosion of interest in Quaker history and other aspects of Quaker studies in the past ten years. They have led the way in working with a number of university presses, and have encouraged scholarship in a way that has fundamentally changed the scholarly landscape in Quaker studies.

    We have invited Ben and Steve to speak about their experience in reframing Quaker studies, the impact of the scholarship that is being done, and the ways that scholarship reaches both the academic community as well as interested lay researchers and well-read Friends. Along with our speakers we will inquire about the role for a group like the CFHA in this larger discussion, and ask how we through CFHA can better support the work of academic researchers, genealogists, and Canadian Friends.

    We hope you will be able to join us for this important program. Ben and Steve will speak beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the business portion of the AGM will follow. Please RSVP to the link below:

    https://cfha.b.civicrm.ca/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=1

    Please note that there is no charge to register and only contact information for member verification is collected when you register. Individuals not currently in membership are welcome to become members before the meeting, or to attend as guests. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to attend as a guest, or if you require additional information.

  • Save the Date! AGM Planning Underway

    new logo

    As set out in the Canadian Friends Historical Association governance, the Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held on a weekend towards the end of September. This year’s AGM will take place on September 26th, 2020. Please save this date!

    We can expect some changes thanks to Covid-19. The main meeting room at Friends House in Toronto has been booked, but it is too early to know whether an in-person AGM will be possible. Look for updates in the coming weeks.

    It is very likely that even if an in-person meeting is possible a virtual component will also be included. This will allow members from the Maritimes to the Pacific to take part in the proceedings.

    We are striving to prepare year-end reports, minutes of last year, etc., into a ‘documents in advance’ package. This will be distributed far enough ahead of the meeting to facilitate efficient conduct of business and our typical friendly convivial gathering. We look forward to welcoming everyone in September.