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Titre: Interview with Father Thomas Tou Interview, Part 1 of 2
Date : December 18, 2009
Donateur : Tou, Thomas
Sujet : Church and Faith, China, Chinatown, Clubs and Organizations, Domestic Work, Education, Exclusion, Family Life, Gender, Immigration, Language, Marriage and Dating, Work
Province : Quebec
Langue : ENG

Tou, Thomas

Father Thomas Tou was the first Chinese Catholic priest working in Montreal, Quebec. Born near Beijing, China in 1921, he was ordained in China before spending eight years in Rome studying Canon Law. While in Rome, the Archbishop of Montreal invited him to come and work in Canada. Father Tou recalls that when he arrived in Montreal in 1957, Chinese women were still scarce among the population. Over his long career, Father Tou has helped many Chinese newcomers navigate family life in Canada, regardless of their affiliation with the church. For example, in the late 1950s, he received special permission to perform marriages for non-Catholic Chinese couples. This allowance helped couples comply with the immigration regulation that admitted fiancées into Canada, provided the marriage occurred within a short period of time. During the operation of the Chinese Adjustment Program (1962-1973), he also helped many Chinese Montrealers correct their immigration status. This program granted amnesty to Chinese immigrants who had entered Canada with false documents. Although Father Tou retired in 1998, he continued to serve the community at the Holy Spirit Montreal Chinese Catholic Mission at the time of the interview.

In part one of a two-part interview, Father Thomas Tou explains how he became the first Chinese Catholic priest in Montreal, Quebec. He recounts the scarcity of Chinese women in the city at the time, and the changes he witnessed as more women arrived. Father Tou describes his role within the Chinese community in Montreal. He comments on family life for women in the 1950s and 1960s, noting the ways women handled the challenges of immigration and integration. At the end of the interview, he describes Chinatown in the 1960s and the living conditions for Chinese immigrants at the time.