In Pursuit of Truth and Reconciliation

 

Any sincere search for truth and reconciliation with First Nations, Metis and Indigenous Peoples in Canada must include becoming acquainted with the Doctrine of Discovery. Most immigrants and Settler descendants in Canada have never even heard of it. Here is a short summary of the Doctrine of Discovery which you can download and read.

Doctrine of Discovery

Here is a presentation that I gave to an SSVP conference in March of this year (2024) after referencing Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."

Doctrine of Discovery Rescinded - Now what?

During the discussion afterwards it emerged that almost all of us had never before heard of the Doctrine of Discovery, and yet it is something that Indigenous People have been aware of for centuries. The United States Supreme Court in 2005, relying on a series of Indian law cases going back to 1823, specifically cited the Doctrine in its decision denying the right of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York to regain its territory. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in the 2005 decision: “Under the Doctrine of Discovery … free title to the land occupied by Indians when the colonists arrived became vested in the sovereign – first the discovering European nation and later the original States and the United States.” 

My purpose in sharing this was not to make us feel guilty, but to raise awareness with knowledge. We cannot tackle a problem unless we admit there is a problem and try to understand it. As Christians and Catholics our problem is, how can Colonial Settler descendants be justly reconciled with Indigenous First Nations in this present time? 

There is also a series of YouTube videos which I strongly recommend for further information. These have also been recommended by the SSVP ONRC Social Justice Committee and Indigenous Sharing Circle. Here are the links to YouTube.

Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen lands, Strong Hearts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQwkB1hn5E8&t=6s

TRC Part # 1 Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9tRe5aN0eE

TRC Part # 2 "We Are All Treaty People"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoZu6DYZYIQ

TRC Part # 3 The Residential Schools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlXuLs9s-ds&t=3s

TRC Part # 4 Apologies and The Churches
https://youtu.be/RWqdul1ZDfk?si=VlYkUPWHv28ro51o&t=6

TRC #5 Calls to Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi9euHR0YdI&pp=ygULVFJDIFBhcnQgIzU%3D

Please share these links with others whom you think might be interested.

September 27 – Memorial for St. Vincent de Paul

Reflection by Deacon Steve

“Set your hearts on the greater gifts…If I give everything I have to feed the poor…but have not love, I gain nothing. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.
Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known.
There are three things that last; faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.” 
 - 1 Cor 12:31-13:13

St. Vincent de Paul wrote, 

“Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity. Since she is a noble mistress, we must do whatever she commands. With renewed devotion, then, we must serve the poor, especially outcasts and beggars. They have been given to us as our masters and patrons.” (Correspondence, Paris, 1922 -1925)

Each time a “client’ is visited, know that you are seeing Christ “face to face” and likewise they see Christ “face to face” in you. Each time you go out on your visits you are a living testimony that charity is greater that any rule or teaching. You are a witness to how the Church’s teaching is to lead to charity. May that love you share return to you a hundredfold!

Have a blessed day and may God bless you and your families.

 - Deacon Steve

Reflections on the Canadian Martyrs

 

Today Canadian Catholics celebrated the Feast of the Canadian Martyrs, six priests and two laymen, all Jesuits: Jean de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Antoine Daniel, Charles Garnier, Noel Chabanel, René Goupil, Jean de la Lalande, Isaac Jogues. While the Catholic Church universally celebrates this feast on October 19, the Canadian Bishops decided to celebrate the feast on September 26, mainly because the Martyrs' Shrine in Midland is closed as from early October due to the cold Canadian weather. The Martyrs' Shrine is a historic site of pilgrimage which includes the famous Shrine Church, the Martyrs’ Hall and Education Centre, and 75 landscaped acres conducive to prayer and contemplation. Within the Church are the relics of St. Jean de Brébeuf, St. Gabriel Lalemant, and St. Charles Garnier.

The Feast of the Canadian Martyrs takes place just four days before September 30th, Orange Shirt Day since 2013, and since 2021, National Truth and Reconciliation Day: a Canadian day of memorial to recognize the atrocities and traumatic generational impact caused by the Canadian Indian Residential School system. The irony of the juxtaposition of these two days, just four days apart, is deeply poignant. The movie, "The Mission," comes to mind, where well intentioned and holy missionaries saw their work thwarted by the imperialistic and hegemonic actions of the Portuguese colonial power aided and abetted by the Doctrine of Discovery. The avaricious Portuguese king and his loyal subjects saw in the native Guarani people a cheap source of slaves.

In the Canadian case, however, the treachery and betrayal were worse. It was not Church vs State as in the movie. Regrettably, the Christian churches, especially the Catholic Church, eagerly stepped in to provide the human resources needed to run the Government mandated Indian Residential Schools. This presented as a much 'easier' way to gather converts to Christianity than the respectful, loving, compassionate way of the Cross demonstrated by St. Jean de Brébeuf and his Jesuit companions.

It would be very easy to be lulled into a romantic and pietistic spirituality that just looks at the faith and fortitude of the Canadian martyrs and their interior life, but goes no further. But that would be a betrayal of all that they lived and died for. They loved the people to whom they preached Christ, and Him crucified. Not only the Hurons but also the Iroquois who killed them. Take Father Isaac Jogues. After several months of captivity and torture, he was ransomed by Dutch traders and the Dutch Calvinist minister Johannes Megapolensis from New Netherland (later Albany). He returned for a time to France, but then sailed back to Quebec. In 1646 he and Jean de Lalande were killed during a visit to Ossernenon where he had been held captive. They had hoped to achieve peace between the French and the Mohawk Nation.

If these holy men would see today the strained relationship that is so evident between the Church and the peoples of the First Nations to whom they gave their lives, they would weep inconsolably. They would rush to be in the vanguard of the Church's efforts at acknowledging and confessing the truth of our failures, understanding the full impact of what we have done as a Church, seeking ways to make amends and restitution and facilitate healing, repeatedly asking for pardon and forgiveness.

Let us move beyond romantic piety. Let us ask Our Lord to inspire us with the same Spirit with which God energised and moved St. Jean de Brébeuf and his Jesuit companions. Let us ask the Lord Jesus Christ to show us what He would have us do this coming National Truth and Reconciliation Day/Orange Shirt Day. Wearing an Orange Shirt might already be a good start. Do you know the origins of the Orange Shirt? Do you know who Phyllis Webstad is?