Quakers open their doors to the public

The open house, which will start at approximately 12:30 p.m., will take place in the sunroom, where the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers, regularly worship. This special information meeting is a chance for others to learn about Quaker beliefs and practices, and to ask questions in an informal, conversational setting over food and coffee.

The Quaker faith was founded in 17th-century England, but came to North America soon after; William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, was a Quaker. There are records of Quakers in the Eastern Townships in the early 1800s, and the faith soon spread into Montreal. The Montreal Monthly Meeting, so named from the monthly business meeting the members of the Meeting hold, has been gathering for their weekly prayers at the Greene Centre since 2002.

“We really like it there,” said Jacques Loranger, Clerk of the Montreal Quakers. “It’s the best location we’ve had so far ... our attendance has about doubled [since 2002].”

The first Quakers were Christians, but many contemporary Quakers — including, Loranger estimates, a slim majority of Canadian Quakers — have adopted a ‘universalist’ stance, and hold or accept non-Christian beliefs. Thus there are Jewish Quakers, Buddhist Quakers, and Wiccan Quakers.

“Quakers believe there is that of God in everyone,” says Loranger. “God speaks to us in ways we can understand. What makes sense to us may not make sense to an Arab, or to someone living in a tropical forest.”

It can be hard to sum up the beliefs of the Society of Friends. Loranger says that “People ask me ‘What’s a Quaker?’ — It’s a difficult question to answer ... [We] believe that there is that of God in everyone. That all life is sacred. That violence in any form is wrong, or goes against the will of God.” There is no central doctrinal authority in Quakerism. Loranger notes that “Quakerism is not a fast-food religion. No-one’s going to tell you what to believe in ... Coming to terms with one’s faith is a personal thing, and often takes a long time.”

Quakers avoid hierarchies, instead reaching group decisions by finding a unity of opinion, which they believe is most likely to reflect God’s will. Put simply, according to Loranger, “no-one can tell anyone else what to do.” The Montreal Meeting is affiliated with a smaller community of Quakers, and sends a delegate to an annual Canadian Meeting, but none of these groups exercises authority over another, and Loranger points out that nothing is decided by the simple rule of the majority: “Even at the Canadian level, there’s never a vote. We try to achieve unity.”

Quakers meet for prayer every week. In un-programmed groups, like the Montreal Meeting, there’s no priest or prayer leader. Instead, the worshippers sit in silence as they arrive, praying, meditating, in some cases reading from the Bible or other relevant texts; as Loranger puts it, “waiting in silence for the still small voice of God within.” At times a Quaker may feel impelled to speak to the meeting. Says Loranger, “we meet in silence until someone is moved to speak, which we call vocal ministry. Sometimes a whole hour can go by without vocal ministry and sometimes we have a fair amount ... [we] expect the presence of God will speak through us.” As clerk, Loranger closes the meeting after roughly an hour.

The Montreal Meeting begins their worship at 11 a.m. every Sunday in the solarium. The April 22 open house will follow right after the regular meeting for prayer. All are welcome every week, but the open house provides an extra chance for newcomers to learn about the Quakers and their beliefs. Centre Greene is located at 1090 Greene Ave., south of Dorchester Boulevard.