Posted on 6/21/2021 3:56 PM By Archdiocese Communications
From funding language immersion programs to setting up university chairs for Indigenous linguists, there’s no shortage of ways Canadian Catholics might serve Indigenous communities trying to recover their language
Posted on 6/16/2021 4:48 PM By Alan
Acknowledging God as giver of the gift is in itself an act of praise. Therefore, where it is deemed appropriate to offer a treaty land acknowledgment at an event held in a Catholic church or at a liturgical event hosted in a Catholic institution, the following formulation is to be used:
“We acknowledge that Treaty territory, on which we stand, is the ancestral traditional land of the Indigenous peoples, and is common home to everyone in virtue of God, our Creator’s, gracious gift.”
Posted on 6/10/2021 2:54 PM By Alan
Canada’s Catholic bishops remain committed to moving forward with a delegation of Indigenous people to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis by the end of this year.
Posted on 6/7/2021 3:42 PM By Alan
Anthropologist Dr. Scott Hamilton said in an interview that he believes his study provides important detail and context for a public grappling with the implications of the Kamloops news. Hamilton said the “mass grave” description “misses the point with the residential-school story,” a story that unfolded over more than a century and in which appalling conditions led to high death rates due to disease, the most devastating of which was tuberculosis.
Deceased students were often buried in simple graveyards near the schools because federal authorities provided no funding to send the bodies home or to conduct proper burials.
The result, Hamilton told The B.C. Catholic, was that the children were interred in de facto “pauper’s graves” with simple wooden crosses that have deteriorated and disappeared over the decades.
Posted on 6/4/2021 2:22 PM By Alan
We must acknowledge the role played by Catholic organizations in the residential school system. I recall my own testimony to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, given on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories:
“We apologize to those who experienced sexual and physical abuse in residential schools under Catholic administration. We also express our apology and regret for Catholic participation in government policies that resulted in children being separated from their families, and often suppressed Aboriginal culture and language at the residential schools.”
Posted on 6/4/2021 10:45 AM By Archdiocese Communications
The people of the Archdiocese of Edmonton share the deep pain felt by Indigenous Peoples, and indeed all Canadians, arising from the disclosure that what is believed to be the remains of 215 children were found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C.
The painful legacy of residential schools, many of which were originally under Catholic administration, reverberates to this day.
The name Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin, central Alberta’s first bishop, appears in a variety of contexts: on buildings, schools, and neighbourhoods. We acknowledge that it represents a controversial and mixed legacy. Although Bishop Grandin is rightly remembered for the many good things he accomplished, nevertheless the association of his name with the sad and tragic legacy of residential schools has rendered it for many people a reminder of very painful experiences.
The Archdiocese is ready to engage and work directly with First Nations, school districts, Franco-Albertan communities, the City of Edmonton, the provincial government and all stakeholders in an ongoing and meaningful conversation about the next steps.
We are committed and working towards finding a solution that is respectful to all parties involved.
Posted on 6/3/2021 1:52 PM By Alan
As members of the Catholic clergy and the Missionary Oblates, we feel deep sadness and shame at how some of our church ancestors became agents who implemented the government policies that traumatized and wounded Indigenous culture, communities, and families.
Posted on 6/1/2021 9:56 AM By Alan
In this short video, Archbishop Richard W. Smith speaks on the recent Kamloops Residential School site discovery.
Posted on 5/31/2021 12:45 PM By Alan
Today, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) published a statement following the report of a recent discovery of children’s graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.
Posted on 5/19/2021 1:53 PM By Alan
As Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle, focused on the work of reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and all Canadians, we want to renew and celebrate the Spirit of Pentecost. Still relatively new as a coalition, we are convinced of the importance of language, the challenges of unity in diversity, and the impossibility of progress in reconciliation in our Church and communities apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
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