Catholic Mission In Canada

This past April, during Holy Week, I had the pleasure of visiting the fly-in mission of Sacred Heart, in Pukatawagan, Northern Manitoba. It was my privilege to celebrate the ceremonies of the Sacred Triduum and Easter Sunday with our native parishioners. They responded with eagerness and joy to the various rites, and sang the appropriate hymns in Cree.

A phenomenon that struck me while I was at the mission was the fact that the people took off their shoes and boots before entering the church proper! They knew that Catholic Missions In Canada had donated a large portion of funds to build this church just a few years ago, and they had contributed and had done much of the work themselves, so they were determined to keep their worship space clean and in good condition for a long, long time.

"It's the best confession room in Canada!" This seems like an odd boast, but from Oblate Father Pietro Bignami, the pastor of Pukatawagan, the claim was quite understandable, since he had the charge of the newly-built Sacred Heart Church and rectory on the reserve, constructed with the generous help of Catholic Missions In Canada donors. "It has the best sacristy in Canada!" he continued, and later exclaimed, "It has the best bell tower in Canada!"

I was hearing all this in The Pas, the evening before I would fly up to the reserve to begin preparing for the Holy Week celebrations. Then Father Pietro left me to fly to Brochet, where he would be presiding himself. In the beautiful clear sun of an April-in-Manitoba midday, I flew in to Pukatawagan. I toured the church and rectory. And at that moment, I had to agree, it is the best in Canada!

It took three plane flights: the first, to get me to Winnipeg; the second, from there to The Pas; and the third, to the Northern Manitoba reserve of Pukatawagan, where I would celebrate the Holy Week and Easter celebrations with the people who otherwise would not have a priest at this most important time of the Church year. To Winnipeg on a large jet could be compared to sitting in a living room, but the second regional flight was bumpy and somewhat turbulent.

It was the third leg, the small prop plane that lifted up and was buffeted by the wind, and rose and dropped unpredictably and only levelled off occasionally, that gave me a greater appreciation of what our missionaries have to undergo to get to the many missions and remote locations where they minister. Catholic Missions In Canada makes it possible for our priests and bishops, our sisters and lay missionaries to reach so many people to administer the sacraments and to share the Word of God. Often, small planes are the only means to get there. For me, the joy of arrival at Pukatawagan, and the wonderful response of the people wiped the inconvenience of the flight from my mind. Nevertheless, I am left with awe at the devotion of our travelling missionaries!

(Reprinted from Catholic Missions In Canada Magazine, Summer 2007)