 OFS JPIC Communiqué JPIC - August 2021Say something. Do something.  “Say something. Do something…”... these words were spoken by Abigail (not her real name), a survivor of the residential school system. Simple words that express so much pain and hope. “Say something. Do something… because…“I ran away from the residential school when I was 14. I travelled 2 weeks on the road in the middle of winter, begging food and shelter on the way. When I got home, I was afraid my mother would send me back. She looked at me and said:” I love you; you’re not going back.” “I was nine years old and forced to pray on my knees all night next to my bed for something I had done wrong, I don’t even remember what it was. All I remember was waking up in the morning with my head on my mattress.” “One day two of my friends ran away… we never saw them again” “On the second floor of the Spanish Residential School were Visitors Rooms. There were two. One for the elite visitors like the government and church officials, and another room for our parents and family. Even in the school our lives were segregated.” “Three times a year (Christmas, Easter and Summer) we were sent home to see our families. Some had no family to visit and stayed in the school. I remember walking to the bus taking us away and, seeing a small hand under an open window sash, slowly waving goodbye. I cried.” “On our Reserve we still can’t drink the water without boiling it first.” “Every family on our Reserve has experienced the tragedy of suicide and addiction” 
In July, I (Michel David, International Counsellor and JPIC Team Leader, OFS Canada) participated in a three-day Spiritual Retreat at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre in Espanola, Ontario (Spanish is a town in the province of Ontario, located on Trans-Canada Highway 17 in the Algoma District near the border of the Sudbury District). The retreat had been organized by Kateri Native Ministry (Ottawa). Approximately 20 of us met around a Sacred Fire. We came in solidarity from as far as Akwesasne in Québec, Hamilton in Southern Ontario, and the upper Great Lake lands. We came to listen, share, pray, and remember the children who died at the Spanish Residential School less than an hour away.
“The Canadian Historical Association, which represents 650 professional historians from across the country, including the main experts on the long history of violence and dispossession Indigenous peoples experienced in what is today Canada, recognizes that this history fully warrants our use of the word genocide……”
0 Comments
Secular Franciscan |
Download this issue here: April Issue of the JPIC Communiqué Indigenous health care How would you react if you faced…? Long waiting lists, lack of doctors and nurses, costs not covered by your Health Benefits, and no transportation? These are the main challenges to health care facing Indigenous people. When specialized treatment is needed, a patient has to endure a long journey to southern-based hospitals and leave behind families and support network for an extended period of time. Living in an urban centre is not much better for Indigenous people as they constantly face racism and discrimination. The rates of Indigenous people being admitted to hospitals and accessing emergency shelters are much higher than the general population. Public Health Care Services… available to all? Indigenous children do not always have the same access to services as non-Indigenous children because different levels of government fund different services for Indigenous children, especially those living on-reserve. Jordan River Anderson, for example, from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba was caught in one Editors Note: Until the National Chapter of Election in May 2022, the National OFS JPIC Team will be focusing on the issues faced by the Indigenous people in Canada. Subsequent Communiqués are not meant to be thorough, but to invite Secular Franciscans in Canada to deepen their understanding of their Indigenous brothers and sisters.... Continued right column... |    ...OFS Canada JPIC Communiqué JPIC of these payment disputes. The federal and provincial governments could not agree on who should pay for his home-based care. Jordan stayed in the hospital until he passed away at the age of 5. Since then, to honour Jordan, Jordan’s Principle was created: it is a child-first principle that aims to eliminate service inequities and delays for First Nations children. Jordan’s Principle states that any public service ordinarily available to all other children must be made available to First Nations children without delay or denial. |
Read more - Download the newsletter
May 7, 2020.
Dear Regional Ministers,
I am writing regarding a very important initiative that is being launched by the National Fraternity of Canada. Well4Africa is an initiative whose objective is to dig wells for some of the struggling communities in Africa and thus allow them to have their own source of fresh, clean water.
During these challenging times in which we are living, we are told to wash our hands frequently as a precaution against contracting the COVID-19 virus. We are also encouraged to drink lots of water. For most of us, we simply turn on the tap and avail ourselves of an unlimited supply of clean water to do as we are advised. This is, of course, but one example of the importance of water in our lives. In short, we cannot live without water! Here in Canada, we sometimes take for granted the vast quantities of fresh, clean water that is ours. Regrettably, this is not the case for many in developing countries, especially in Africa, where obtaining clean water is difficult and challenging.
The OFS National Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Team is calling all Secular Franciscans from across Canada to join in this life-saving initiative. Without a doubt, Well4Africa has and will continue to save lives in African communities where people can only dream of having clean water, the essential gift of creation. The Well4Africa project will undoubtedly yield many benefits for the communities involved, including better health for its inhabitants, a reduction of illness and diseases, concrete support for farming, the growing of vegetables and the planting of trees, a reduction in the stress experienced by its people, especially for women who are normally responsible for fetching water for their families and carrying it over long distances, better education and safety of children, and an overall boost to the development of local communities.
Through this letter, I am calling on all Secular Franciscans from across our wonderful country, and their friends, to support the Well4Africa project and to work together in collecting funds to see another well built in Africa. More specifically, funds raised will be used to support the provision of water to the villages surrounding St. Lawrence Parish in Malawi. Approximately $10,000 CAD will be required to see this project to its completion.
Please circulate this letter and attachments to all of your local fraternities. This is an important initiative that we, as Secular Franciscans, can undertake to really make a difference in the lives of others, including members of our Franciscan Family. May God keep you safe and well.
Dear Regional Ministers,
I am writing regarding a very important initiative that is being launched by the National Fraternity of Canada. Well4Africa is an initiative whose objective is to dig wells for some of the struggling communities in Africa and thus allow them to have their own source of fresh, clean water.
During these challenging times in which we are living, we are told to wash our hands frequently as a precaution against contracting the COVID-19 virus. We are also encouraged to drink lots of water. For most of us, we simply turn on the tap and avail ourselves of an unlimited supply of clean water to do as we are advised. This is, of course, but one example of the importance of water in our lives. In short, we cannot live without water! Here in Canada, we sometimes take for granted the vast quantities of fresh, clean water that is ours. Regrettably, this is not the case for many in developing countries, especially in Africa, where obtaining clean water is difficult and challenging.
The OFS National Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Team is calling all Secular Franciscans from across Canada to join in this life-saving initiative. Without a doubt, Well4Africa has and will continue to save lives in African communities where people can only dream of having clean water, the essential gift of creation. The Well4Africa project will undoubtedly yield many benefits for the communities involved, including better health for its inhabitants, a reduction of illness and diseases, concrete support for farming, the growing of vegetables and the planting of trees, a reduction in the stress experienced by its people, especially for women who are normally responsible for fetching water for their families and carrying it over long distances, better education and safety of children, and an overall boost to the development of local communities.
Through this letter, I am calling on all Secular Franciscans from across our wonderful country, and their friends, to support the Well4Africa project and to work together in collecting funds to see another well built in Africa. More specifically, funds raised will be used to support the provision of water to the villages surrounding St. Lawrence Parish in Malawi. Approximately $10,000 CAD will be required to see this project to its completion.
Please circulate this letter and attachments to all of your local fraternities. This is an important initiative that we, as Secular Franciscans, can undertake to really make a difference in the lives of others, including members of our Franciscan Family. May God keep you safe and well.
RSS Feed