Catholic Mission In Canada

‘There is joy in sharing the mission of Christ’

In January 2008, then Archbishop Emilius Goulet, P.S.S., of the Archdiocese of St. Boniface in Manitoba, invited our congregation, Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy, an indigenous religious congregation founded in Nigeria by Bishop Anthony Gogo Nwedo, C.S.SP., into the archdiocese to serve and administer pastoral duties to five missions.

St. Alexander Catholic Church is situated in rural Manitoba on the Sagkeeng First Nation Reserve where we minister, as well as four other missions: Grand Marais, Traverse Bay, Manigotagan and Hollow Water. Fort Alexander (Sagkeeng) and Hollow Water have about 40 parishioners while Manigotagan has about 10 families. Grand Marais is an all-year-round mission with about 80 people during summer whereas Traverse Bay has a summer chapel for about 95 members.

There is joy in sharing the mission of Christ. Despite the remote geographical location and social issues surrounding these rural communities, the people are open to God’s promises: “I will never forget you my people….”—Isaiah 49:14-15.

When Archbishop Goulet commissioned us to serve and attend to the pastoral duties in these communities, he said to me: “I can see you have the charisma to work for and be with these people—be happy and smile always.” These words have since inspired me and gave me zeal to serve the aboriginal community here.

Each morning when we wake up, we consecrate our activities to God. We let the Holy Spirit guide us through our day—from our prayer time (Mass), receiving those in need of spiritual assistance and visiting the sick, to preparing for funerals or visiting the youth at the local high school. We end our day with an examination of conscience and ask God for forgiveness for ourselves and for others. The gift of religious community living helps us to renew our vigour and spirit, for every day brings different challenges and needs.

I am pleased to experience the spirit of the people—I find many similarities to my tribal culture at home in Nigeria, so it was not difficult to adapt to the cultural and spiritual lives of the aboriginal people. Attending workshops such as “Returning to Spirit” and community spiritual gatherings has been of a great help to me. Urgent tasks keep us busy: bringing the sick, the aged and the young to have a closer relationship with God. We are blessed to have the assistance of the Sisters of Charity. They travel weekly from Winnipeg to prepare the children for the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. It is good to see the children responding so well in learning about their faith and trying to live it out. We have had a tremendous increase in the number of both the elderly and the youth coming back to Church. They are letting go of the effects of the residential schools, embracing a new spirit, and going forth with a new vision of the Church.

The parish and its missions have many needs—we struggle every day to maintain our buildings and land. Thanks be to God for Catholic Mission In Canada, they have been our major support. Last September, we reopened our church in Hollow Water which was burnt down in 2007 by fire. Through Catholic Missions in Canada, we rebuilt our church that now fills up to 150 people.

Meanwhile, we have some pressing needs to attend to: our church in Fort Alexander which was built in 1993 needs new paint and stucco repairs. St. Louis Church, built in the 1930s, is falling apart. The old building needs sand blasting and reinforcement.

Living with the cold weather has been the biggest adjustment for me. Until I set foot here, I had never seen snow. It was quite exciting to see it for the first time and to learn to drive in winter across frozen rivers and ice roads or to watch young children playing in the snow and tobogganing in the ditches. After experiencing the four seasons in Canada, I have come to anticipate the next season and the new experience it will bring.

Once more, I want to express my gratitude to Catholic Mission In Canada for supporting our Parish of St. Alexander and Missions and helping spread the Good News among the aboriginal community in fulfilling the mission of the Crucified Christ. As one family of God, let us always aspire to inspire others with good works and charity.

Father Augustine Ezediniru, S.M.M.M., associate pastor, assists pastor Father Malachy Ekezie, S.M.M.M., minister to St. Alexander and Missions parish, in the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, Manitoba.