This speech was delivered on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples – the national Indigenous parish in the Archdiocese of Edmonton. The speech is published with the permission of Fr. Andrzej Stendzina, OMI, Provincial Superior, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Lacombe Canada. The ministries of Oblate priests took them to remote northern missions, First Nations communities and inner-city parishes.
As Provincial of OMI Lacombe Canada, I stand here today very conscious that the story of the Oblates and Indigenous peoples in this country is a long one. It reaches back through generations. And it is a story that cannot be told simply.
There has been friendship and trust, missionary dedication and service. There have been relationships that have lasted for generations. But there has also been suffering and harm.
The Oblates were part of the residential school system. Indigenous children, families and communities experienced harm in institutions in which Oblates served. Families were separated. Languages and cultures were wounded. Trust was broken. That truth is part of our history. We cannot change what happened. We cannot undo the harm that was done. But we can acknowledge it honestly, accept the responsibility that belongs to us, and allow that truth to shape the way we live today.
And perhaps that is where reconciliation becomes more than a word. For me, at the heart of reconciliation is relationship.
Reconciliation is not simply an apology that was made, a financial commitment that was fulfilled, a statement that was issued, or a chapter of history that we can eventually declare closed. All of those things are important. But reconciliation must become relationship. And relationships require truth. They require listening, patience and respect. They require the willingness to remain with one another even when the conversation is difficult.
Here at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, Pope Francis reminded us in 2022 that reconciliation is not simply an agreement that keeps everyone happy. Christ reconciles by bringing together those who have been separated. That is a demanding understanding of reconciliation.
For us as Oblates, it means being willing to hear painful truths about our history without immediately trying to explain ourselves. It also means allowing the whole story to be told—without using the good to hide the harm, but also without allowing the harm to erase every friendship, every act of service and every good relationship that has been part of our shared history. Perhaps reconciliation asks us to be able to hold that whole story together.
There is something more. If reconciliation is about relationship, that relationship cannot be one-sided. It cannot simply be about what we as Oblates believe we should do for Indigenous peoples. We also need to listen, to learn and to receive. We need to allow Indigenous people themselves to help shape the relationship we build together. That kind of relationship is mutual. It does not erase the past. It allows the truth of the past to change how we relate to one another today.
For OMI Lacombe Canada, that must shape our present and our future. It must affect how we minister, how we prepare Oblates for ministry, how we listen to Indigenous communities, and how we make decisions as a Province. It must teach us not to assume that we already know what others need from us. We need to ask. And sometimes we need simply to be present. That is why a gathering such as this one matters.
Today we are not simply talking about reconciliation. We are here together. Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Elders and Church leaders. Oblates, parishioners and friends. We are listening to one another. We are praying together. We are sharing this sacred space. And when this service (on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) is over, the relationship must continue.
As Provincial, I cannot say that OMI Lacombe Canada will always know exactly what the next step should be. We will not. We will make mistakes. There will be difficult conversations. There may be moments when we understand our history differently. But there is something that I believe we can commit ourselves to: We will remain in the relationship.
We will continue to listen and to learn. We will continue to tell the truth about our history. And where trust has been damaged, we will continue the patient work of rebuilding it. Not because we want to protect the reputation of the Oblates. Not because we want someday to declare that reconciliation is finished. But because these relationships matter. They matter to us as Oblates. And we want them to grow into relationships that are honest, respectful, mutual and life-giving.
The history we share cannot be rewritten. But the relationship we share is still being written. And that gives me hope. Not an easy hope that pretends the wounds of the past have disappeared, but a Christian hope that believes God can bring life even from wounded places. A hope that believes truth, received with humility, can lead us into deeper and more honest relationships. And a hope that reconciliation is not only about looking backward.
It is also about choosing how we will walk forward. Together. With truth. With humility. With patience. That, I believe, is part of the work of reconciliation entrusted to us as Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It is not work that we finish today. It is a relationship we choose to continue. And to that relationship, OMI Lacombe Canada remains committed.
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