The Residential Schools: were they schools?

 

"Residential schools (in Canada) did not arise from a well-meant initiative run amok. Even the most basic research reveals the destructive intent at the foundation of their design and implementation. They were not schools. They were institutions akin to the re-education centres of the Cultural Revolution in China and its current re-programming camps where ethnic Uyghurs are detained."

    - Michelle Good in "Truth Telling"

This truth needs to be repeated insistently until reconciliation moves beyond hand-wringing words - to action - specifically the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada issued 94 Calls to Action, several of which are directed specifically to the Catholic Church. Here are the key ones that apply to the Catholic Church:

1. Call to Action 58: The TRC calls upon the Pope to issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.

- Pope Francis came to Canada in the summer of 2022 and gave an apology. Some feel that it was just an apology for what "some" Catholics did historically, not an apology for what the Catholic Church did in facilitating and promoting colonial hegemony. Still, it was a well-intentioned start that was accepted by some Indigenous leaders.

2. Call to Action 59: This call asks church parties to the Settlement Agreement to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their congregations learn about their church's role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary.

- There has been no effective action on this whatsoever. At the very least there could be an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement before Sunday mass in every parish church in every diocese in Canada. 

3. Call to Action 60: The TRC calls upon leaders of the church parties to the Settlement Agreement and all other faiths, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual leaders, Survivors, schools of theology, seminaries, and other religious training centers, to develop and teach curriculum for all student clergy, and all clergy and staff who work in Aboriginal communities, on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the roles of the church parties in that system.

- Very few priests and deacons would appear to have even heard of the Doctrine of Discovery, even young priests fresh out of seminary. Catholic priests are largely ignorant of Indigenous spirituality, the history and legacy of residential schools, and the roles of the church parties in that system. On the contrary, much of what we hear is more defensive in nature or, at best, verbal hand-wringing devoid of acknowledging actual historical facts with present-day repercussions.

4. Call to Action 61: This call asks church parties to the Settlement Agreement, in collaboration with Survivors and representatives of Aboriginal organizations, to establish permanent funding to Aboriginal people for community-controlled healing and reconciliation projects.

- There has been some movement here in many dioceses, dependent upon donations to the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund. Most Catholics in the pew view their donations to this fund as charity, or in the same category as funds needed to pay victims of clergy sexual abuse.

These Calls to Action aim to address the historical injustices, and promote healing and reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Indigenous communities in Canada. It's time for a lot more concrete and effective action in response to the calls of the TRC made way back on the 15th December 2015.

Cancer: Battle or Journey?

 

Photo credit: https://www.swiftyfoundation.org/cancer-is-a-journey-not-a-battle/

I asked the same question of three different free versions of AI: Meta, Copilot and Gemini:

People talk of their battle with cancer, and winning or losing the battle. What is the downside of that metaphor, and what is a better way of speaking about cancer?

They all gave very similar answers. Meta's answer was the most nuanced and 'sensitive', if one can speak of AI in that way:

The "battle" metaphor for cancer can have several downsides:

1. Guilt and shame: When someone "loses" their battle with cancer, it can imply that they didn't fight hard enough or didn't have the right attitude. This can lead to feelings of guilt and shame for the individual and their loved ones.

2. Unrealistic expectations: The battle metaphor can create unrealistic expectations about the outcome of cancer treatment. It implies that cancer is a war that can be won or lost, rather than a complex and unpredictable disease.

3. Overemphasis on individual responsibility: The battle metaphor places a strong emphasis on individual responsibility and personal strength. This can overlook the role of systemic factors, such as access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors, in cancer outcomes.

4. Stigma and blame: The battle metaphor can perpetuate stigma and blame around cancer. For example, someone who "loses" their battle with cancer might be seen as somehow flawed or weak.

Here is Meta AI's suggestion for better ways to talk about dealing with cancer:

A better way of speaking about cancer might be to use more nuanced and compassionate language. Here are some alternatives:

1. Journey or path: Instead of a battle, cancer can be described as a journey or path that individuals navigate with the support of their loved ones, healthcare providers, and community.

2. Living with cancer: This phrase acknowledges that cancer is a chronic condition that requires ongoing management and care.

3. Cancer experience: This term encompasses the physical, emotional, and social aspects of living with cancer, without implying a specific outcome.

4. Resilience and adaptation: Instead of focusing on "winning" or "losing," we can emphasize the resilience and adaptability of individuals living with cancer.

By using more thoughtful and compassionate language, we can work to reduce stigma, promote empathy, and support individuals affected by cancer.

Impressive as artificial intelligence might be on the subject, it doesn't hold a candle to this blog post on the topic that I found written by Patti Gustafson: Cancer is a Journey, Not a Battle. Please read it; it is about the same length as this post is to this point. You will understand why she concludes:

I would invite us to ask ourselves, what other ways we can talk about living with cancer that are loving, encouraging and invite patients to stay engaged with life and hope for the future? In this way we help give cancer patients a perspective that is beyond simply winning or losing.

So will you please join me in changing the way we speak about cancer and the people going through it? Can we agree it is a journey, not a battle or a fight? Can we agree no matter the outcome, all cancer patients deserve the best care, the best research, more funding, as well as our prayers and support?

Sending Thoughts and Prayers

 

Immigrant children in a cage.
Image credit: Washington Post

For the last 12 or 18 months I have had the kind of feeling you get when someone or something vital is missing - this with regard to the United States. Today it feels like a corpus delicti has been trotted out in some kind of cruel, twisted triumph. No emoji can express how I feel.

I believe history will show that today is a huge indictment on American Christians, including, perhaps especially, Catholics. I feel betrayed by Catholic leadership, ashamed of this family.

Isn't it time to ordain women to the diaconate?

 

Image credit: National Catholic Reporter

Franciscan Fr. Daniel P. Horan is the director of the Center for the Study of Spirituality, and professor of philosophy, religious studies and theology at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Under the headline, "Enough already. It is time to ordain women to the diaconate" he writes in National Catholic Reporter:

At the risk of stating the obvious, it is clear that the Roman Catholic Church (or at least many of those entrusted with the highest levels of leadership) has a serious problem with women. Pope Francis has made great strides in some aspects of extending invitations for greater involvement by and representation of women in some aspects of church leadership, including the appointment of several women to significant posts in Vatican dicasteries and expanding voting rights at the synod to all participants, which includes lay and religious women. 

But the way the pope often speaks about women in abstract ways doesn't sound much different from Pope John Paul II's "separate but equal" complementarianism, which argued for keeping women in "traditional" familial and ecclesial roles and praising their "genius." A decade ago, journalist David Gibson compiled a list of seven examples of Francis talking about women in what the kids might call "cringy" ways. And these came just from the first year of his pontificate.

You can read the full article in National Catholic Reporter here.

Season of Creation

 

Happy 75th, Ingrid

Yesterday afternoon/evening the clan got together to celebrate Ingrid's 75th birthday. After a main course of braaied boerie and other good things to eat we came up with some of the fine qualities of the clan matriarch, with ideas for qualities triggered by the letters of her name, INGRID.

Dear Ingrid,

On the occasion of your Seventy-Fifth Birthday, 

these are some of the things your family said about you, 

inspired by your name, INGRID.

I is for… 

INGRID - the most beautiful name I ever heard.

N is for… 

Netherlands, the land of your birth, and the rich cultural traditions that you have passed on to our children and grandchildren; and

Never gives up - when you believe in something.

G is for… 

Gentle woman; and

Gay and joyful, always ready with a smile; and

Grounded - keeping me in the real world, here and now.

R is for… 

Real; and… 

Reliable; and… 

Roman Catholic, religious in the true spiritual sense, but never pietistic.

I is for… 

Independent, as in the way you chose to follow Jesus Christ as a Catholic when you were still in high school; and… 

Inspirational - helping me believe in myself when I become discouraged; and… 

Indefatigable - overcoming every adversity with faith, hope and love.

D is for… 

Dependable - your word is pure gold

Congratulations on your 

Seventy-Fifth Birthday.

All my love

Terry

National Indigenous Peoples Day

 

June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day. How much do you know of the Indigenous history of the place where you live, or where you work?

It was only last year that I learnt that we are all treaty people, and only this year that I learnt that the treaties are not deeds of sale. I highly recommend a book by Bob Joseph: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act.

Some Thoughts on the Feast of Corpus Christi

I grew up as a privileged white male Catholic in Apartheid South Africa. In my senior high school days I slowly started to become politically aware, increasingly so through my student days and into adulthood. Outspoken critics of apartheid such as Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and Eugene Hurley O.M.I., Catholic Archbishop of my home town, Durban, inspired me and others to try to live with integrity as a Christian in the context of that place and time. 

There were also a few priests who dared to interpret and apply the Sunday mass readings to the social context and unjust laws of that time. These were all branded by politicians and by many in the white congregations as "meddlesome priests" and "churchmen meddling in politics who should stick to religion," even though there was nothing partisan in their homilies. Some were arrested and deported. Others were detained for 72 hours for questioning, released as required by law, and then immediately detained again for another 72 hours of 'questioning', all within the law. A close priest friend of mine, Fr Cosmas Desmond O.F.M., was banned and placed under house arrest. Another close friend, Fr Casimir Paulsen cmm, was arrested and then deported. Author, Catholic theologian and National Chaplain of the Young Christian Students (YCS) Albert Nolan O.P., went into hiding for a period.

More deafening, however, was the pious and devout silence of the majority of Christian and Catholic preachers. As happened in Germany after the Second World War, so after the fall of apartheid, the Catholic Church scrambled to find names of priests and bishops who had 'grasped the nettle' and spoken out against the evils of the previous regime.

With this as background, I recommend to your reading pleasure the Sunday Scripture Reflection for the Feast of Corpus Christi this year from the Catholic Theological Union by Scott C Alexander. I believe that this is an excellent example of "grasping the nettle".

We are all God's children

 

To Ingrid - Mother's Day 2024

 

July, 1976

You never cease to be for me

The mother of our daughters,

The mother of our sons.

Indeed, it seems to me

That in a way that's strange

You are more so mother now

Than when they all were little ones.

 

Your cares today, your fears, your tears

Are all the ways your love still shows

Still now, still more,

For those whose scrapes you washed

Whose prams you pushed

Whose noses wiped

Whose bruises kissed.

 

The years have flown and beauty fades

But you will always be the one

Who made me glad you stole my heart

And in exchange you gave me yours

For all the days that are to come.

Personal Reflection on Women's Issues, Synodality and Clericalism

The Cappa Magna

It is my considered opinion that a denied misogyny, thinly camouflaged by exaggeratedly lauding great female saints such as Teresa of Avila and Mother Teresa, while stressing the traditional roles of women and showing orthodoxy by promoting traditional pious practices, is at the root of not only the lack of progress with the ordination of women to the priesthood but also with a reluctance to discuss women deacons and the insistence upon celibacy for priests. In my opinion, the beast that cultivates, and is animated and fed by that misogyny, and that devours all discussion on women's issues at a synodal level, is clericalism. 

Clericalism as about clerics defending their position and lording it over everyone else below them in the hierarchy, verbally and symbolically.

I realize that I sound like a conspiracy theorist. Nevertheless, I am convinced that until we make clericalism unfashionable among a critical mass of clergy influencers and Catholics in general, I fear we will not make any meaningful progress in the synodal discussion on women's ordination or married priests. My point is that while I believe that we have to fight on all fronts that are occasions for ecclesial misogyny, our critical fight has to be with clericalism which is the ritualized bastion of ecclesial misogyny. We have to identify it and expose it. But how?

Simply being angry and casting stones will not be effective. I think that one of the foundations supporting clericalism is the beaten, defeated and compliant world view of the average lay man and woman Catholic who accepts and supports the presumption of clericalism. Those who are not beaten down, defeated and compliant have mostly left the Church - beaten, but now indifferent.

I leave you with two Scriptural quotes.

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible — and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Eph. 5:13-14

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another... Heb. 10:24-25

An Atomic Bomb on Gaza?

 

I am NOT Anti-Semitic. I am NOT  Islamophobic. 

I have a few, albeit a very few, Muslim friends, acquaintances and neighbours.

I have more who are Jewish.

I appeal to my Jewish friends: please do what you can to get the message to Netanyahu and his government that he has gone way beyond Exodus 21:23–25 - "An eye for an eye" עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן.

The rabbis will tell you that this passage does not demand revenge, but rather places a constraint on reciprocal justice. I fear that, with this merciless, vicious response, Netanyahu has blasted a bottomless pit of revenge and counter-revenge for generations to come.