Recently the practice has arisen of making a public acknowledgement of Treaty land at the beginning of civic events. The motivation is the desire to reach out to the Indigenous peoples of Canada in reconciliation and friendship through an acknowledgement…
by Rev. Raymond J. de Souza Somehow a story about hundreds of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School became a story about what Pope Francis should do, not a story about the lives lost or why Prime…
The Value of Work – Year of St. Joseph Reflection w/ Dcn. Steven Defer We honour St. Joseph this year as an Archdiocesan family. St. Joseph is the symbol of human work, especially as the Catholic vocation to serve each…
A meeting between Pope Francis and a delegation of Canadian Indigenous people at the Vatican is being planned and expected before the end of the year. A statement from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said the pastoral visit will…
There has been considerable media coverage and discussion in recent days following the discovery of children’s remains at the former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.. The discovery has reopened a painful wound for many in our country. It has identified…
After his Angelus address June 6, Pope Francis led hundreds of pilgrims and visitors in St. Peter’s Square in a moment of silent prayer for the Indigenous children who died in Canadian residential schools and for their grieving families.
Pope Francis’ new ambassador to Canada has often defended the rights of Indigenous peoples around the world and earlier this year noted they were being hard hit by the ongoing COVID pandemic. The pope has named Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič the…
Terry O\’Neill Canadian Catholic News When the Chief of the Kamloops Indian Band announced on May 27 that researchers had located the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, she said the discovery…
Exclusive interview with Chief Wilton \”Willie\” Littlechild and Archbishop Richard Smith on reconciliation Chief Littlechild, former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations, attended 3 different residential schools over a span of 14 years. He was also…
Chief J. Wilton \”Willie\” Littlechild and Archbishop Richard Smith met this week in Maskwacis, and are offering this joint statement on the Kamloops Residential School discovery, and on reconciliation. Chief Littlechild is a former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of…