Deacon Alfredo Monacelli (Victoria) and Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie, O.M.I., waiting for the closing Eucharist to begin.
Close to a hundred delegates gathered at Newman Theological College in Edmonton last summer for a Directions in Aboriginal Ministries conference. This meeting was jointly sponsored by the college and the Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops through their Ad Hoc Committee on Aboriginal Ministry.Delegates came from Northern Ontario through to British Columbia, and from all three territories. The conference was organized on the themes of aboriginal spirituality, aboriginal ministry and issues facing aboriginal people.
The comment, “A Common Desire to Move Forward,” comes from a delegate’s evaluation of the conference, and sums up for me a number of significant points at this conference.
First, there was a desire expressed by several delegates that we move forward to the reconciliation phase of the residential school issue, acknowledging the abuses, the evil it manifested, and the pain that it has caused.
Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie, O.M.I., of Keewatin-Le Pas, and former Chief Harry Lafond in a presentation entitled “Making the Right Move,” provided a historical context for the encounter of aboriginal people and European newcomers in general and for residential schools in particular. Some delegates spoke briefly of their experience of residential schools and their desire that we not forget what happened, but that we move on to the reconciliation process. A few spoke of the challenge at public gatherings surrounding the residential school issue in speaking both as aboriginal people and as Catholics.
Archbishop Lavoie outlined the reconciliation process that was being proposed, and expressed the hope that more and more clergy, religious and laity would consider participating in “Returning to Spirit,” a proven healing program that moves people beyond victimhood, builds bridges between cultures, and brings about reconciliation.
A second desire was to place aboriginal spirituality and Christianity into a substantial dialogue, and to be open as to how these two powerful influences in people’s lives might move forward together.
Sister Eva Solomon, C.S.J., spoke of “interculturation,” a process she described as Christian and non-Christian traditions engaging “in a mutually respectful dialogue.” She said this allows the very best of each tradition “to enrich and challenge each other in the process of recognizing the presence of the Triune God in their midst prior to Christianity and particularly through the person and gospel of Jesus.” Using Scripture and Church documents within the traditional teaching method of the medicine wheel, she showed how this dialogue has already begun and how it might be furthered.
Jesuit Father Carl Starkloff explained how the early Church in its encounter with other cultures (Germanic tribes) adopted parts of their spiritual beliefs and practices into the Church of that time.
Finally, there was a desire expressed by all delegates that we move forward together, aboriginals and non-aboriginals. People expressed their appreciation for the openness of the delegates present, the feeling that each person had been heard and acknowledged, and that we were all engaged in this great task of evangelization together.
Participants were particularly grateful for the opportunity to speak with bishops, priests and deacons directly. In addition to Archbishop Lavoie, they were able to dialogue with Archbishop Daniel Bohan of Regina, Archbishop Gérard Pettipas, C.S.s.R., of Grouard-McLennan, Bishop Gerald Wiesner, O.M.I., of Prince George, and bishop-elect of Mackenzie-Ft. Smith Murray Chatlain, as well as a number of priests and deacons. They valued the traditional ceremonies and celebrations organized by Father Garry LaBoucane, O.M.I., for being particularly meaningful and spiritually uplifting. These ceremonies and celebrations were expressions of this unity and growing understanding that we were sharing with one another.
As a teacher who does not come from an aboriginal background, I appreciated the significance of the medicine wheel not only for teaching but for theological reflection. We were called together each day by the drum into the circle. We all introduced ourselves in this circle when we began, and offered our comments on the conference in the circle at the end. On many occasions, we were taught using aspects of the medicine wheel; for example, up, down, east, south, west, north and within. It was in the circle that we celebrated our morning prayer, traditional ceremonies, and our closing Mass. We not only learned about the medicine wheel and traditional teachings, but we had an opportunity to experience these teachings and their power as well.
Our hope was to bring together aboriginal and non-aboriginal people who, united by a common faith, would look with new eyes at the meaning and implication of aboriginal cultures meeting the Gospel. As Sr. Solomon said, “We are only into the first, second and third centuries of aboriginal spirituality’s encounter with Christianity. Historically, our aboriginal communities are much like the early Church after the time of the apostles.”
(Dr. Dan Kingdon is director of the religious education and summer programs at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta.)
