With the discovery of the bodies of at least 215 young children on the grounds of a former Residential School in Kamloops, we once again are reminded of the terrible legacy of Residential Schools in this country – and importantly, as Catholics in 2021, we are left to navigate our response to the situation.
Some observations on this. First, I am struck how difficult it is for many Catholics to navigate reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples as an issue. Among the politically and civically engaged Catholics I know, there’s a myriad of approaches.
Some, bluntly, try to avoid the issue entirely, not wanting to wade into a conversation where they feel like they, as Catholics, will be treated like the bad guys, or feel the shame of what happened, or feel like they have no defence to offer of the Church they love.
Others want to do something but don’t know what. They feel that just wearing an orange shirt is a woefully minimalistic contribution to the work of reconciliation.
Still others feel very hopeless, especially in light of other contemporary Church scandals. The disconnect between what we know the Church to be – the Bride of Christ, the force for hope and salvation in the world – and the realities of Residential Schools and the Church’s role in them, is hard to bear.
Many of us – I include myself in this – feel completely undereducated in the history and contemporary reality of these issues, without any context in how to address ongoing challenges like the perennial “Should the Pope apologize?” question.
Many want to do something to help, but the challenges of reconciliation and the contemporary, multi-faceted poverty and inequities of many of our Indigenous communities seem overwhelming.
All in all, we are left across the board with inadequate responses. Yet the reality remains – the material, spiritual and social state of many Indigenous communities is a national shame, and as Catholics always seeking to model our Saviour, we are called to action, going into the margins of humanity to encounter Christ and bring to the centre those who are suffering; making a contribution to the effort for justice in the way the Holy Spirit guides us.
We are called to atonement, to solidarity, to action, to true inculturation, to committing to this journey of reconciliation with our Indigenous neighbours, our brothers and sisters – children of God all, infinitely valuable, imbued with dignity too long and too often denied.”
As a lay apostolate committed to Catholic civic and political leadership, our efforts would have a massive gap unless we helped to form people to engage on reconciliation specifically. Any Catholic in political life, in Canada especially, is going to have to confront this issue in some way.
I once had an Indigenous colleague who, in response to the feeling of helplessness arising from the enormity of the challenge of reconciliation, made a good suggestion: organizations in Canada should look seriously at committing to one or two of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls-to-Action, specifically those that the organization has the expertise or mission wherein a tangible contribution would be possible.
At the thoughtful prompting of one of Catholic Conscience’s closest collaborators – Sabrina Chiefari with the Sisters of St. Joseph – we’re thinking about the potential of building out some resources for Catholics discerning the question, “What must we do?” when it comes to reconciliation.
Here’s what we are considering:
- Putting together a compilation of resources for Catholics who want to become better educated on the history of these issues and want to better understand reconciliation. We think this is an important component, to direct Catholics to resources that will leave them feeling empowered, rather than media narratives which can leave Catholics with many mixed feelings;
- Assisting Catholics and Catholic organizations in discerning which of the TRC Calls to Action they could commit to. Specifically, which ones fit with their pre-existing mission and expertise and could be effectively integrated into their own work. Obviously, this fits well with our mission to offer formation for effective and engaged Catholic citizenship;
- Potentially, some Conscience Conversations with key voices from a Catholic perspective on how Catholics can productively move forward on reconciliation.
We are not experts in reconciliation. Perhaps what I’m describing already exists, either from a secular perspective or a Catholic perspective. If you have thoughts or ideas on this subject, please share them with us. We are still discerning. If we do proceed, we want to do so thoughtfully and prudentially. We also want to ensure that we consult with and engage the support of Indigenous individuals who are actively involved in Reconciliation work and can help us provide the best possible supports for the project.
My hope in this is to help Catholic Canadians feel like they can productively engage in this issue, and can make a positive contribution – allowing them to do something, instead of just abiding in the painful realities of the history and the contemporary situation.
Brendan Steven is executive director of Catholic Conscience. He can be reached at [email protected].
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