Truth & Reconciliation
National Day of Truth
and Reconciliation
September 30
National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21
National Indigenous History Month
JUNE
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
September 30, 2024
This Saturday, September 30th marks the 3rd National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. With several events already taking place, we encourage parishioners to take time this week for prayer, reflection and education. We all share a responsibility to take meaningful steps with Indigenous people and communities on the path to true reconciliation. Below are just a few of many events being held throughout various communities to participate in and commemorate this important day.
St. Kateri Parish Orange Shirt Day – September 29th
On September 29th, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The parishioners of St Kateri and Aberdeen Mennonite Church will gather at the St John’s Park Healing Forest to mark Orange Shirt Day and to express together our commitment towards the work of promoting the uncovering of truth about the history of Indigenous-settler relations on this land, and our commitment towards just and honourable reconciliation.
The healing forest is at the north end of the park, near the corner of Main and St John’s Avenue
The ceremonies will open with a sacred fire, smudging, drumming and a pipe ceremony. It will conclude with a Sunday Eucharist and “feast” of finger food. The ceremonies (not including the food) are expected to last about 2 hours.
To view pictures from the Truth and Reconciliation Ceremony at St. Kateri Parish a couple weeks ago, click here
Manitoba Museum: Orange Shirt Days – September 28-30
THREE DAYS OF FREE ADMISSION TO ALL AREAS!
No tickets required. Please enter by the Main Street doors. Capacity in the Planetarium and Science Gallery is limited.
To honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Manitoba Museum is pleased to provide complimentary admission to the Museum Galleries, Science Gallery, and Planetarium from Saturday, September 28 to Monday, September 30.
Orange Shirt Days at the Manitoba Museum features special, all-day programming focused on the history of Indian Residential Schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action. Please join us for a time of learning and reflection offered in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
For more information, click here
Truth & Reconciliation Day at FortWhyte Alive
September 30th
In honour of Truth and Reconciliation Day, you are invited to take part in story reading, orange shirt paper crafts, and visit our information booth. It will be on September 30th, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. We welcome participants to put up felted orange shirts near the Info Desk to raise awareness.
As always, FortWhyte Alive offers complimentary admission to all Indigenous visitors who would like to spend time connecting with nature at FortWhyte Alive.
For more information, click here
Circle of Love at St. Amant
September 27th
St. Amant is inviting all to attend their Circle of Love, Learning, Healing, and Friendship, being hosted on Friday, September 27th. A sacred fire will be lit at sunrise with activities to follow into the afternoon.
For more information, click here
“Every Child Matters Walk” at Marymound
September 30th
Marymound is hosting many activities for staff and youth, and the public is invited to attend a Truth and Reconciliation flag raising September 30th at 2:00 p.m. with a drum song, then proceed to their annual “Every Child Matters Walk” through Kildonan Park.
For more information, click here
The Southern Chiefs Organization
The Southern Chiefs Organization has compiled a list of over a dozen ways to mark the day. Be sure to check the list often, as there are events happening all this week and into the next.
For more information, click here
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National Indigenous Peoples Day – June 21, 2024
On June 21, we recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada.
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An Evening of Learning & Dialogue – November 15, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Featuring Metis Scholar Dr. Suzanne M. Steele and a Fiddling performance
St. Ignatius Parish will be hosting an evening of learning & dialogue featuring Metis Scholar Dr. Suzanne M. Steele presenting on Li Keur – Riel’s Heart of the North, as part of the ongoing dialogue circles between St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indigenous Parish and St. Ignatius Parish. For more information or to register, contact Thomas Novak: 204-287-8583 or Carmela Castellano Sinclair at [email protected]
Our parish Truth and Reconciliation committee recommends the following resources:
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act
A good resource to learn more about the history of our indigenous people and their relationship with Canada. Understanding the Indian Act itself is a good way to begin to recognize the basis for so many lingering issues.
Indigenous Canada
A free online course through the University of Alberta. This 12-lesson study explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of indigenous peoples living in Canada.
click: Learn more or Register for the course
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click: Children Memorialized in Living Waters Columbarium
click: Statement from Archbishop Gagnon on the Kamloops Residential Schools
click: Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Statement – Delegation to the Holy See
click: Archbishop Gagnon confirms Pope to receive Indigenous delegation
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National Indigenous Peoples Day – June 21
On June 21, we recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada.
click: Learn more and How you can Participate – Gov. of Canada website
JUNE – National Indigenous History Month
June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
click: Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc.
click: Learn more and How you can Participate – Gov. of Canada website
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Archdiocese of Winnipeg
Solidarity Fund for Truth, Healing and Reconciliation – Now Accepting Applications
In a pastoral letter on November 23, 2021, the Most Reverend Archbishop Gagnon announced the establishment in our Archdiocese of the Solidarity Fund for Truth, Healing and Reconciliation. This is an initiative of the Archdiocese of Winnipeg to establish a fund to assist with programs designed for healing and reconciliation among residential school survivors and their families.
In early 2022, the Canadian Catholic Bishops established the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund. This fund was established in response to the commitment to raise $30 million toward healing and reconciliation and to ensure the highest standards of transparency and good governance. It is overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of Indigenous leaders. The Fund is compromised of the contributions pledged and collected by the Dioceses of Canada.
In the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, once a detailed request is made, the request is reviewed by a committee of local Indigenous elders. If approved, the request is forwarded to the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund, where the Board also reviews the request.
The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund is a registered charity, and recipients of monies from the Fund must also be registered charities.
click: Visit the Winnipeg Archdiocese Webpage for more Information
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Vatican formally rejects the Doctrine of Discovery that allowed colonial-era seizure of Indigenous lands – March 30, 2023
“The Vatican met one of the long-standing demands of First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups in Canada by repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery and the associated papal decrees that had been used to legitimize the colonial-era seizure of Indigenous lands…”
click: See the Full Article on the Globe and Mail website
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Land Acknowledgement unveiled for Manitoba Catholic Schools – February 22, 2023
Last Friday, Manitoba Catholic Schools celebrated their annual “Catholic Schools Day” at St. Paul’s High School. The day consisted of fellowship and professional development for our educators and staff, focusing on Truth and Reconciliation.
Fr. Vijay of St. Kateri Indigenous Church said Mass in the morning. In the photo below, you’ll see the Land Acknowledgement created for our Catholic Schools.
The Manitoba Catholic Schools Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee commissioned Rosalyn Boucha of Rose and Bee Design to create the artwork to accompany the MCS’s land acknowledgment to be hung in each of our schools. It symbolizes our continued journey of Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
“That We May Walk Together” – Pastoral Letter from the CCCB
Ottawa, ON – “On 8 February 2023, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following four pastoral letters on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Intended as a framework for local engagement with Indigenous Peoples, the letters are the fruit of many months of listening, encounter, and dialogue with them, including through Listening Circles, the Indigenous Delegation to the Vatican in April 2022, and Pope Francis’ Apostolic Voyage to Canada in July of the same year.”
click: View the Four Pastoral Letters via the CCCB webpage
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‘A Penitential Pilgrimage’ – Pope Francis in Canada
Coverage of the Papal Visit to Canada by Salt and Light Media
Videos, Articles, Itinerary and Resources
click: Salt and Light webpage
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Vatican Confirms Papal Visit to Canada Program: July 24 – 29, 2022. A Visit of Healing, Hope & Reconciliation
The Vatican has released additional details regarding the Papal Visit to Canada, July 24-29, 2022. The Pope’s visit will provide an opportunity for him to listen and dialogue with Indigenous Peoples, to express his heartfelt closeness and to address the impact of residential schools in Canada. The papal visit will also provide an opportunity for the shepherd of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to connect with the Catholic community in Canada.
The Holy Father will travel within Alberta (based in Edmonton) from July 24-27, followed by a visit to Quebec City and Ste. Anne-de-Beaupré, July 27-29. Pope Francis will visit Iqaluit, Nunavut the afternoon of July 29 before returning to Rome.
Drawing on the theme, “Walking Together”, the Holy Father’s journey of reconciliation, healing and hope includes visits to a former residential school, Indigenous pilgrimage sites, two public Masses and a mix of private and public events. There will be tickets available (free) for a limited number of events, all of which will be broadcast and accessible via livestream.
For ticket information, to volunteer or learn more, visit www.papalvisit.ca (English) or www.visitepapale.ca (French). Please continue to pray for the health of Pope Francis and for all those engaged in the ongoing healing and reconciliation journey.
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Truth & Reconcilation Resolutions
Church apologies and reconciliation
58. We call upon the Pope to issue an apology to survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.
59. We call upon church parties to the settlement agreement to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their respective congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary.
60. We call upon leaders of the church parties to the settlement agreement and all other faiths, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual leaders, survivors, schools of theology, seminaries, and other religious training centres, to develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy, and all clergy and staff who work in Aboriginal communities, on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right, the history and legacy of residential schools and the roles of the church parties in that system, the history and legacy of religious conflict in Aboriginal families and communities, and the responsibility that churches have to mitigate such conflicts and prevent spiritual violence.
61. We call upon church parties to the settlement agreement, in collaboration with survivors and representatives of Aboriginal organizations, to establish permanent funding to Aboriginal people for:
- Community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects.
- Community-controlled culture and language revitalization projects.
- Community-controlled education and relationship-building projects.
- Regional dialogues for Indigenous spiritual leaders and youth to discuss Indigenous spirituality, self-determination, and reconciliation.
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click: An update from Archbishop Richard Gagnon regarding the Papal Visit to Canada
click: Archdiocese of Winnipeg Truth & Reconciliation webpage
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Indigenous Peoples Meeting with Pope Francis
On Friday, April 1st, the historic visit of the Indigenous peoples of Canada to the Vatican was brought to completion with a powerful conclusion.
Gathered together, the Holy Father addressed all three delegations representing the Métis, Inuit and First Nations peoples. His summation of his visits with each delegation indicates a Pope who has listened and heard, and who has set the Church on the path to genuine Truth and Reconciliation.
click: Watch a video of CBC News’ coverage of the meeting
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Pastoral Letter to Parishioners from Fr. Darrin
June 25, 2021
Dear Parishioners,
There is no doubt that the most recent findings of the unmarked graves at two Residential Schools in western Canada have become a great cause for sadness, anger and shame as it so closely touches our Catholic history.
Even though we know that the sins of the parents do not pass on to the children, this legacy affecting our mission and ministry has marked our integrity and ability to continue to preach a gospel of hope, of life and of justice for all.
As a priest who has given over 30 years in ministry, I find it very difficult to comprehend these most recent discoveries as well as continue to minister under the dark cloud of the overall clergy sexual abuse crisis that has prevailed for simply too long. It has been extremely trying to continue to present a church still filled with more goodness than bad, more hope than despair, more holiness than sin.
I know as faithful parishioners that you too have carried and continue to carry similar burdens as you strive to remain committed to the church, pass on your faith to your children and grandchildren, and keep your head held high as Catholics in the world today.
More than ever, how easy and justifiable is it for all of us to “throw in the towel”, to revoke our membership and association with the church.
As we continue to work through these most difficult days and confront yet again the sinful saga of our church, compounded with our isolation from one another due to the pandemic, we must ask ourselves what is it that God is asking of us?
I still believe that God is working in our church and that God is walking with us through these days of darkness and despair. I believe that God needs each and every one of us to be more committed than ever to walk the walk of suffering, pain and reconciliation, not only for ourselves and this present generation, but also for generations to come. If we do not stay steadfast to do the hard work in building a new church from the inside out, then we will miss the important role that Christ is calling us to as his disciples at this time in history.
I firmly believe that a new church is on the horizon. One that may be healed from the sins of its past, however, will also have its own struggles and sins to contend with.
A church that will continue to know the paschal mystery of Christ’s own life, death and resurrection. I believe that there will be future disciples like us, who will also be tasked with the same responsibility to bridge the gap that will mark their own world experience.
My dear parishioners, today I write you this brief message in the hope that it will bind us together even more with a spirit of urgency to create a community that will bring hope, peace, truth and reconciliation. May we continue to be committed to “transforming the world by unconditional love and sacrifice”.
In Christ,
Fr. Darrin
