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May 16, 2022
The press release from Fanshawe Pioneer Village is on their Facebook page at this link.
The full text of the letter Bishop Fabbro sent to accompanying our donation is below:"On behalf of the Diocese of London, I am very pleased to offer our financial support for the relocation and restoration of the Fugitive Slave Chapel. Please find enclosed with this letter a cheque for $5,000.
The project to preserve the chapel will enable future generations to learn about this important part of Canadian history, the history of slavery in North America and the role that chapels like this one played in helping fugitive slaves settle after finding freedom in “the north.”
The whole history of the Underground Railroad needs to be known and promoted. We appreciate that our support will help preserve a house of worship that is a notable reminder of the importance of faith in the life of the people of that era as well as today.
The testimonies of escaped slaves often spoke of the strength they drew from their Christian faith, both during their enslavement and on the long journey north. They offered fervent prayers and sang deeply moving hymns seeking God’s protection as they struggled to find freedom. No longer threatened with captivity, they found a faith community in a far-away land which must have been a source of great comfort to them on their arrival here. We can imagine that it brought a sense of peace and hope to those who had endured such a harrowing journey and had experienced generation after generation of persecution and far too much of man’s capability for cruelty.
The Diocese of London is grateful for the opportunity to support this worthy project to help preserve the history of the Black communities that have existed in southwestern Ontario for over two centuries. I, and our people, look forward to visiting the restored chapel at its new home when the project is completed.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
L to R: Steering Committee Members Christina Lord, and Carl Cadogan; Bishop Fabbro; Pioneer Village Board Chair Tom Peace
Most Rev. Ronald Fabbro, CSB
Bishop of London
