Truth and Reconciliation

On our path towards Truth and Reconciliation as both a church and a country, we acknowledge that there are more questions than answers at this time especially in the midst of discoveries of unmarked graves being found regularly. The Archdiocese of Toronto has compiled many statements, articles and resources from both religious and secular sources. While nothing can take away from the horrors that were experienced, we hope these resources are a starting place for your own understanding. The landing page can be found here.

News

September 30th, Fr. Rico presided at a Mass of Reconciliation – along with many parishioners – to ask God’s forgiveness for the wrong done to those of Indigenous backgrounds.  Prayers were said as well as monies and shoes raised that were donated to the “save the evidence” campaign.

Further, on October 21, Senator Brian Kon of the Niagara Region Metis council made a presentation to our parish on the History of Residential Schools. Those who attended enjoyed the presentation and the video can be found on the parish YouTube channel.

During Advent, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)  hosted their Journey through Advent Video series. In 2021, it was themed towards walking with our First Nations, Inuit and Metis brothers and sisters

The series was offered as a tool for reflection during this Advent season, as we continue to walk with Indigenous Peoples on the path of healing and reconciliation.  The series in English can be found here: https://www.cccb.ca/evangelization-catechesis-catholic-education/video-resources/journey-through-advent/

On December 7th, an announcement was made regarding the upcoming Indigenous Delegation to Rome, December 12-20, 2021 and its postponement. The update can be found by clicking Delegation to Rome

On January 31st, the CCCB announced the creation of a new registered charity to handle the Indigenous Reconciliation fund. This was followed up with an announcement on February 1st that the First Nations, Inuit and Metis delegation will now be meeting with the Pope on the week of March 28th-April 1st. For the official announcements, click here and here.

UPDATE

Catholics across the country are invited to join in collective prayer as a delegation of Indigenous survivors, Elders, knowledge keepers and young people travel to Rome to meet with Pope Francis from March 28 – April 1, 2022. The journey, organized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, represents an important moment in the ongoing journey of healing and reconciliation. As announced in October of 2021, the delegation will also help inform the planned pilgrimage of the Holy Father to Canada at a future date. For more information, please visit www.cccb.ca