General House
Oblates welcome First Nations representatives
On April 29, Pope Benedict XVI held a special audience with Canada's Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine and a delegation of First Nations Elders and former alumni of residential schools. The Canadian Catholic Church was also represented by Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg, President of the Episcopal Conference, and a delegation of missionary congregations involved in the residential schools. Fr. Timothy COONEN, the bursar of OMI Lacombe Province, represented the communities of men religious.
Fr. Timothy COONEN
During that encounter, according to Vatican news sources, the Holy Father expressed his “sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the church and offered his sympathy and prayerful solidarity.” According to the Vatican statement, the pope “emphasized that acts of abuse cannot be tolerated in society. He prayed that all those affected would experience healing, and he encouraged First Nations peoples to continue to move forward with renewed hope.” Grand Chief Fontaine said group members “heard what we came for” and were “very happy” with the meeting and the response of Pope Benedict.
As a gesture of friendship and respect, the Oblate Superior General, Fr. Wilhelm STECKLING, invited Chief Fontaine, his entourage, and other guests to a private reception and dinner at the General House on April 30. Among the guests was Archbishop Gerard Pettipas, CSsR, of Grouard-McLennan and Canada's ambassador to the Holy See, Anne Leahy.
Fr. Wilhelm Steckling and Chief Phil Fontaine
By
this simple act of breaking bread together, Fr. General hopes to forge a renewed relationship between the Oblates and the indigenous peoples of Canada after the difficult
years of working out a just settlement for the troubling events that took place for many decades in the residential schools set up by the Canadian government and administered
by Oblates and other church groups.
After the meal, there were various speeches in which the guests thanked the Oblates for their hospitality and encouraged the Congregation to become actively involved in securing
just treatment for aboriginal Peoples in Canada and elsewhere.
In his remarks to Chief Fontaine and the guests, Father General stated:
National Chief Fontaine, chiefs and representatives of the First Peoples of Canada: we are happy to have you here at the Oblate General House, which is the home of the world-wide
Oblate family, which is spread over five continents. Oblates have been welcomed by you for over 160 years in the homes of your people, and you are still welcoming them. We are
pleased to return the favour in this small way.
Archbishop Pettipas and representatives of the Canadian Church, Ambassador Leahy: we are also honoured to welcome all of you here today to our home.
Since their arrival in Canada in 1841 the Oblates have been committed to working among the First Nations, Inuit and Metis people of Canada. Our mission was, and to this day still
is, to offer the news of Jesus Christ, a message we firmly believe has value and validity for all peoples of all cultures.
The annals of our missionaries are filled with stories of the generosity of the native peoples of Canada; they embraced the missionaries, shared with them the richness of their
culture, taught them their languages, and in some cases taught the missionaries the skills they needed to survive in a new and challenging land. Many of them accepted the message
of Jesus Christ that was offered to them, and in turn became leaders, teachers and missionaries to their own people in the life of faith.
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The
dream of the Oblates has always been that their presence and hard work be life-giving in all its aspects, but unfortunately in practice not everything has been life-giving.
Today we see more clearly that as a community and a church, we have been part of a colonial system that had hurtful consequences. This has been particularly true among your
people, and this painful page of your history should never be forgotten. This is most evident in the Oblates= institutional role in the Indian Residential Schools. As missionaries,
while we always professed to live and act according to our faith, we have also been sinners.
In 1991, awakened by your voices, speaking of the pain caused by colonialism and specifically by the Residential Schools, the Oblate Major Superiors of Canada issued a heart-felt
and sincere apology to all the Native Peoples of Canada at Lac Sainte Anne, Alberta.
In that statement, in the name of the 1,200 Oblates in Canada these Superiors apologised not only for the Oblate role in operating the schools, but specifically for the sins
of members of the Congregation and for the inexcusable abuse of students under the care of Oblates. We join all people of good will in saying ‘Never Again' to such abuse.
Thanks to the courage of your people in requiring a re-telling of your history, thanks to years of patient searching together with the Oblates, we have relearned the place of apology
when hurt is incurred. We hope that the road ahead will teach the place of forgiveness, truth and reconciliation. We are prepared to work selflessly for these new goals.
Here at the General House we are aware that you, National Chief Fontaine, have worked tirelessly, not only to secure the Settlement Agreement, but also to foster healing and
reconciliation in Canada. You have extended your hand to bond a new partnership. You have spoken of how the First Nations of Canada continue to place importance and value
on the presence, service and ministry of the Oblates and of other religious and spiritual groups. We are also aware that you have shown understanding towards the Oblates regarding
the ways of implementing the Settlement Agreement and for this we are very grateful. From our part, we commit ourselves to work with you and the First Nations people for the
betterment also of the social and economic conditions.
The Oblate missionaries in Canada are conscious of their advanced age. They are respected as elders but they are not the force of days gone by. We learn slowly but surely,
with the apostle Saint Paul, that there is strength in weakness. Our faces are now turned to the future.
So, Oblates remain committed to a continuing presence among the First Peoples of Canada. The Oblates in Canada have never turned their back on a challenge. They look forward,
with immense hope, to a brighter future rooted in the spirituality, the wisdom and culture of the First Peoples and the grace and loving kindness of the God of Jesus Christ.
A number of young men from your peoples have joined the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in religious life and mission. We hope and pray that this number will increase. They will
be joining a changing congregation shaped often by young missionaries from among other peoples who have known colonialism, and various forms of oppression. There are about
700 Oblates in training. Just look around this room, and you will see that we are a kind of united nations. Leave here knowing that your peoples have taught and are teaching
us much that enriches our way of life and mission among the peoples of the earth.
And in closing, allow me again to express to you, National Chief Fontaine, our appreciation of, and gratitude for, your work for justice, your support for our ministry, and
your dedication to healing and reconciliation. May our Creator God, the God whom we know in our deeper inner being, continue to bless you with compassion and wisdom.