News

Announced this morning (Oct 27), Pope Francis has accepted an invitation to come to Canada to further faciliatate the process of healing and reconciliation with Indigneous peoples. We are so excited about this milestone achievement in the process of dialogue and moving forward. Further information can be found here. This is in response to the request of the Bishops of Canada, the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the Truth and Reconcilation Commission’s Article 58:

“58. We call upon the Pope to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools. We call for that apology to be similar to the 2010 apology issued to Irish victims of abuse and to occur within one year of the issuing of this Report and to be delivered by the Pope in Canada.”

Please join us in praying for the success of this landmark event.

Our Associate Pastor, Fr. Mark Blom, and our Elder, Fernie Marty, have shared their reactions to this wonderful news in a radio interview. You can find the interview here.

VIDEO: World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

VIDEO: Chief Littlechild and Archbishop Smith’s statement on Kamloops and Reconciliation

Chief J. Wilton “Willie” Littlechild and Archbishop Richard Smith met this week in Maskwacis, and are offering this joint video statement on the Kamloops Residential School discovery, and on reconciliation.

Chief Littlechild is a former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations. He was also a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a member of the 1977 Indigenous delegation to the United Nations, and worked on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada, Alberta Order of Excellence, and Queens Counsel.