WHO ARE THE QUAKERS?

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Canada.

Founded by George Fox during the seventeenth century, the Religious Society
of Friends began as a fellowship of people seeking to regain the original
way of life and spiritual principles of the early Christians. They
dispensed with all outward religious forms as being unnecessary. Instead
they worshipped on the basis of silence to that they might hold individual
communion with the presence of God dwelling in their midst. They denied the
use of violence for any cause and upheld the ideals of simplicity and
integrity in daily life. They believed that the spirit is present in every
person and, as a result, they treated each other and all people with equal
respect, no matter their position, age or condition. These principles
remain today. The emphasis on tolerance and understanding towards others of
different views or traditions is important to Friends. Business affairs are
carried out in an atmosphere of worship. Decisions are reached on a basis
of unity, or the matter is laid by for another time.

There are about 240,000 Friends in the world, gathered into local
communities called Meetings. These are grouped into Quarterly of Half
Yearly Meetings and finally into Yearly Meetings of which there are at
present.Every three years, Quakers come together at an International
gathering called a Triennial Meeting. Each local Meeting is, however,
autonomous and shows a varied spectrum of viewpoints and outlooks, for the
Quaker is an individual searching after Truth. Presently there are about
2500 members and attenders in Canada.

Victoria Monthly Meeting today is a vibrant community of approximately 150
children and adults of all ages carrying on a living tradition.