CANADA DAY

In the last month I have been travelling around Ontario and last week I was in Calgary, Alberta. Our country is massive and oh so varied in topography. The Rockies were the backdrop when we visited Stoney Nakoda First Nation. So breathtaking!

I have been doing some reading about Canadian history in relation to Canada and the First Peoples on Turtle Island. It is not a history to be proud of or to be bragging about. Initially the Europeans that landed on the East coast were welcomed and freely given hospitality by the First eoples, but attitudes based in white supremacy soon became activated in the relationships between the nations. Recently Canadians experienced a similar attitude when the American President proposed that Canada become the 51st state. I heard only bitter rejection of the idea.

We are celebrating 158 years as a nation. We know much more of the true history of our land than we did at the turn of the century. We need to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation. The Indigenous peoples of Canada have shared their stories of Indian Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG); it is time for us to step up, to work toward real change. We are all treaty people. Let us claim our broken heritage and begin the process of healing!

Let us pray:

Jesus, in your name, people came to this land seeking a future full of hope.

During this Jubilee year, we are called to be Pilgrims of Hope. The journey toward complete reconciliation may be long, however, reaching out a hand to our Indigenous brothers and sisters in friendship, healing and compassion can begin a new history for the next generations. Amen.

Pat Carter, CSJ is a disciple, a teacher and an advocate for the poor. She has been a Sister of St. Joseph for more than half of her life and loves to use words to inspire faith and laughter. She is a cantor at her parish of St. Jerome’s in Sault Ste. Marie.