Families join procession in front of the mission at Ile-à-la-Crosse in northern Saskatchewan.
Last Easter, a typical little story unfolded at the Mass on the mission at Ile-à-la-Crosse in northern Saskatchewan. The Métis and Cree families had gathered in the lovely round church, ready for the liturgy. One family near the front row was of particular interest: the mother was cradling a tiny baby and trying to rein in an active two-year-old, while the young father was minding an older boy and two girls.
Mass began well enough, as the procession and opening hymn started the Paschal celebration. But, just as the priest began to speak, the two-year-old child "escaped" from his family, and darted about on an exploratory tour of the sanctuary and the other parts of the church. All eyes were on him, and little attention went to the religious nature of the event. An elder, from the other side of the space, went slowly to the little fellow, gently picked him up, and with a smile returned him to the family. The little guy never balked, and stayed where he was put for the rest of the Mass. Not a word had been spoken.
This kind of incident happens in many places, I'm sure. And the community of Ile-à-la-Crosse would be similar to many small communities, native or Métis or non-native, where most people know and recognize one another's children, and have a genuine care for them. The love of a family spreads outward.
Pope John Paul II gave us a clear meditation on life and the family in 1995 with his publication of "The Gospel of Life." In that work, whose formal title is Evangelium Vitae, the pope offered clear and easy-to-understand directions on the importance of the family. He said, "It is above all in raising children that the family fulfils its mission to proclaim the Gospel of life." (92) He spoke of the importance of the example of parents, and the need for parents to teach their children the faith.
To this end, Sister Margaret Sadler, s.e.j., stands as a mission leader. She works in Lynn Lake, in the north of Manitoba, to improve the religious literacy of the native parents, so that they can be better able to pass on the faith to their children. We at Catholic Missions In Canada are eager to lend support to efforts all over the nation which strive to improve the family's life in faith and expression of that faith with elders, parents and children.
The late Holy Father wrote about the necessity of families to participate in Sunday Mass, and the importance of family prayer. And he said that there is something of further importance:
"The celebration which gives meaning to every other form of prayer and worship is found in the family's actual daily life together, if it is a life of love and self-giving." (93)
Oblate Father Chris Rushton speaks of the many challenges of the people of Natuashish, Labrador, in the Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador, who had been moved from Davis Inlet a few years ago. The many programs and sessions that gathered the elders, and then family groups, to bolster their esteem as God's special people, and later retreats and counselling sessions, helped them to define themselves more positively as family and community members, caring for one another.
"Special attention must be given to the elderly." (94) Pope John Paul II elaborated on the sacred state of life of those who have grown older. In this respect, it is edifying to see that many efforts across the country have a special place in their mission programs to be with the elders, whether they be wise or capable in certain ways, or feeble and dependent. For instance, Father Roger Pronovost, of the Northern Ontario Diocese of Hearst, makes it a priority to visit the elderly regularly in the remote mission of Aroland, and has no compunction about requesting the help of Catholic Missions In Canada to perform this ministry.
As we continue thinking about the past 100 years of service of Missions Canada, it is fitting that we stress the need for attention and support for our families well on into a second century of endeavour.
