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February 5, 1806
FIRST MEETING OF THE BENEVOLENT IRISH SOCIETY
On this day (February 5, 1806) the first meeting of the Benevolent Irish Society (B.I.S.). was held at the London Tavern, St. John’s. The Society was founded for the relief of the poor by a group of 78 Irishmen.
As the seal and motto the BIS chose the figure of St. Patrick bearing the cross surrounded by the inscription - “he that gives to the poor, lends to the Lord.”
The Benevolent Irish Society was unique in that it was nonsectarian and offered assistance to the needy regardless of their religion. The founders of the Society were among the first generation of permanent residents in Newfoundland. They included politicians, businessmen and clergy who played significant roles in the political, economic and spiritual growth of the developing colony.
The headquarters of the BIS is located on Harvey Road. As a 200th Anniversary legacy project the B.I.S. opened a museum on Saturday, February 3, 2006. The official opening of the Museum also included the placing of a time capsule of BIS historic materials in the corner stone of the Irish Hall on Harvey Road.
Membership continues to be open to adult residents of Newfoundland who are of Irish birth or ancestry, regardless of religious persuasion.
The Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese will have a number of archival documents on exhibit in Talamh an Éisc – The Fishing Ground , an exhibition that introduces the Irish peoples who have been in Newfoundland and Labrador since the late 1600s, the exhibit explores the communities they built and celebrates the contributions they made to life here in Newfoundland and Labrador. The permanent exhibit will open in The Rooms on March 18, 2009.
Join the members of the B.I.S. for their annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 17, 2009 that commence with a procession from their club house on Harvey Road to the Basilica Cathedral for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass..
For more information on this and other related subjects contact the Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese. www.stjohnsarchdiocese.nf.ca
Other “Archival Moments” will be posted at this site on a regular weekly basis. If you have friends or colleagues who would like to receive these "archival moments" please send us their e mail address or forward this moment to them from your desk!!
Larry Dohey
Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s
P.O. Box 1363
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5M3
709-726-3660
E-mail: archives@nf.aibn.com
We hope that you have enjoyed this archival moment.
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