Indigenous History Month?

 

TRC Call to Action #59

As Indigenous History Month starts drawing to a close, let's ask ourselves what new thing did I learn about Indigenous history this month?
It's not too late to learn at least one new thing.

Do you know anything about the Catholic Church's role in colonization?
... about the history and legacy of residential schools?

Do you know why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary?

Do you know what a treaty is in Canada?

Do you know that the first formal treaty between the British Crown and Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island (North America) is considered to be the Two Row Wampum, established with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) in present-day upstate New York? This agreement dates back over 400 years.

Two Row Wampum.
Image credit: https://www.onondaganation.org/culture/wampum/two-row-wampum-belt-guswenta/

Do you know that all of us in Canada, Indigenous First Nations peoples as well as Colonial Settler descendants, are treaty people, and still bound by the subsequent treaties that were made between the British Crown and the First Nations of Turtle Island?

A Vincentian View of the Indian Act of Canada

By Terry McCann.

Views in this video are the personal opinions of the author and do not officially represent those of any organisation.

A critique of the Indian Act of Canada from the perspective of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Canada.

This video is a follow-up recording of a workshop presentation that was given in Sarnia at the Ontario Regional Council Spring AGM of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP), Canada. It explores from a Vincentian perspective what some elements of the Indian Act of Canada might mean for non-Indigenous Canadians. The presentation is primarily targeted for Canadian Catholics, especially Vincentians, but should also be of interest generally to non-Indigenous Canadians.

The presentation is in four parts:
 1. What is the Indian Act of Canada?
 2. What are its historical roots?
 3. A look at some social consequences of the Act that are or have been systemic causes of poverty, and therefore should be of concern to members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Canada (Vincentians.)
 4. A look at some considerations for a Christian, and Vincentian Response.

This video is most beneficially viewed in a group setting, even with just two people, followed by discussion.

It has become evident to me (the author) that for most Canadian Catholics, including clergy and religious, the perception is that the need for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is primarily because of abuses that occurred at Residential Schools, exacerbated by subsequent 'cover-up'. The perception is that these abuses were perpetrated by some 'bad apples', and covered up by their ecclesiastical superiors - something that the average Catholic feels they were not responsible for, and so can ignore. Hence today's plague of indifference. I wanted to correct this distortion of our history.

Thus, focus is on the Indian Act itself and a moral evaluation of the role that the Catholic Church played in its justification and implementation, as perceived by many Indigenous People and the public generally, which begs the question: What now? I deliberately did not want to end by offering simplistic solutions or offering ameliorating defences, but rather to get people talking. There is a lot more excellent material that I could have added, but was reluctant to do so for reasons of length and losing focus.

Comments or other feedback on this video can be sent to the author in email: terrycmccann@gmail.com

Remembering Pope Francis – A Shepherd to the Poor

 

By Linda Dollard, National President, SSVP Canada
reprinted from Chez Vincent Bulletin

How exciting it was to see the white smoke in Rome on May 8! How exciting it was to hear Pope Leo XIV’s first address and blessing to the People of the world!

Thank you to the Holy Spirit for guiding the Cardinals in their choice. Let us pray for Pope Leo XIV as he leads his flock, bringing peace and unity and hope to the poor and marginalized.

We will always remember Pope Francis for being a Pope for the People and going out to be with the people in the streets to meet them where they were.

How fitting that Pope Francis was able to give the Easter Blessing in St. Peter’s Square before dying the morning of Easter Monday. He is now home with Our Lord.

In his World Day of the Poor messages, Pope Francis poured out his heart to those on the margins, and to those who serve them. In 2021, he wrote, “The poor, always and everywhere, evangelize us, because they enable us to discover in new ways the true face of the Father.” Those of us involved with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul know the truth of those words. We encounter Jesus in the trembling hands of the hungry, in the fear of a single mother who does not know how she will be provide for her children, and in the loss of hope of someone about to lose their home.

Pope Francis was not content to merely speak about the poor — he went to them. He visited hospitals, refugee camps, prisons and homeless shelters. His actions loudly reinforced his words: “We are called to discover Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.” (World Day of the Poor, 2017)

In a letter to the Superior General to celebrate 400 years of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Pope Francis stated, “The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is an extraordinary force for good in the service of the poor, with hundreds of thousands of members worldwide.

We thank God for the gift of his life. We thank Pope Francis for all that he did reaching out to the poor and bringing us World Day of the Poor.

During this Jubilee Year, let us be Pilgrims of Hope!

Linda Dollard, National President