Canada September 25, 2023
Normal slowly returns as NWT bishop celebrates Mass again
By Quinton Amundson
Mackenzie-Fort Smith Bishop Jon Hansen spoke to an “essentially full” St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral on Sept. 10, in front of Yellowknife Catholics eager to congregate after nearly a month of being deprived of their home and parish community due to the rampant wildfires.
“It was wonderful to see everyone,” said Bishop Hansen, who returned to the Northwest Territories’ capital on Sept. 8. “People were glad to return, and there was a real sense of relief among the people. There were a lot of smiles as they saw friends and neighbours again. We all had a shared experience to talk about.”
A main theme of Bishop Hansen’s homily during the return Mass was imparting how adversity can help people understand how being blessed with strong relationships amounts to greater splendour than a bounty of material goods.
“I spoke about the wealth of being connected to a supportive community,” said Bishop Hansen. “When we were forced to leave and had to look at our possessions to determine what to leave behind and what to take with us, we realized how little material possessions we need in our life and the strength of our networks and faith community is so important.”
Mackenzie-Fort Smith Bishop Jon Hansen
The regular pastor for St. Patrick’s, Father Marek Pisarek, is expected to return from evacuation following the phased re-entry plans unveiled for neighbouring Hay River and Fort Smith, the general public — including parish priests — that saw the green light to return on Sept. 17 and 18, respectively. Father Gordian Opera is the pastor of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Frt Smith, and Father Innocent Ukaegbu guides Our Lady of Assumption parish in Hay River.
Bishop Hansen told The Catholic Register that few parishioners approached him to discuss their trauma about their financial situation because they could not make a living for a prolonged period, but were mostly accentuating the positives about their forced sojourns.
“Surprisingly enough, people were overall very positive about the experience,” said Bishop Hansen. “They were supported by the communities where they found themselves. Many people were able to connect with family and loved ones they hadn’t seen for some time and rekindled those bonds. In the case where people had to be supported by strangers, mostly I heard about how wonderful these people were with how they reached out and were so giving.”
Bishop Hansen stayed with a niece, nephew-in-law and their children in Grande Prairie, Alta. He also visited his father, who resides in the northern Alberta city as well.
The hardest part of exile for Bishop Hansen and parishioners “was not knowing when it was going to end.” When a firm return date was announced, the bishop sensed he and others could then treat the remaining days away “like an extended vacation.”
The bishop intends to host forums in Hay River and Fort Smith in October to hear how Catholics in those communities navigated the evacuations.
Last month, a letter authored by Bishop Hansen detailing his exit out of the Northwest Territories captured the attention of North American Catholic dioceses and press outlets. He described driving through Enterprise, a hamlet that was over 90 per cent decimated by the raging inferno, as “ the closest image to an apocalyptic wasteland that I have ever seen.”
What visuals stood out to the bishop upon his return to Yellowknife? “The fire really did not affect the city except for smoke,” said Bishop Hansen. “While we were gone the forestry workers were able to create defensive barriers against the fire, which will serve us well into the future.”