A solitary pillar : Montreal's Anglican Church and the quiet revolution /

As the political, social, and linguistic context of Montreal has altered radically since the 1960s, many institutions, including the Anglican Church, have undergone stressful readjustments. A pillar of Montreal's once dominant anglophone society, the Anglican Church, with its trappings of a British past, became a beleaguered remnant as anglophone out-migration reduced membership. Seeking continued affirmation as their social and political role dwindled, Montreal Anglicans saw the Church as a last bastion of stability, clinging to tradition with elevated conservatism as the Church also introduced radical changes in liturgy and ministry. The study is strongest when the author presents materials from personal interviews and examines five parishes from the Montreal area. The scholarly paraphernalia of the dissertation are all too apparent. Lacking detailed familiarity with the politics of language and education in Quebec, not to mention the specifics of various Anglican prayer books, general readers will find the work occasionally heavy going. Libraries with a strong interest in Canada and recent church history will find the book a useful resource. Upper-division undergraduates and above. W. E. Eagan; Moorhead State University