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Archbishop Albert's Statement on the Troubling Statements Made by Fr. Rhéal Forest

This week, Archbishop Albert responds to the troubling statements made by Fr. Rhéal Forest, pertaining to Indian Residential Schools. In doing so, he clarifies two vital elements to better appreciate his current reflection on this and similar issues. First, regret is not enough. He expresses his total, absolute disavowal, renunciation, and repudiation of those patently incorrect ideas which were preached. These were wrong, and beyond that, so deeply hurtful to Residential School survivors, and to their loved ones. Second, a mere statement of apology does not go far enough, either. Rather, Archbishop Albert invites us to ask for forgiveness from Indigenous peoples.
Apology can mean many things, and may, in some cases, only reinforce the dynamics of power already at play. Instead, he is calling all Catholics, himself foremost, to ask forgiveness, from a position of deep humility and vulnerability, requesting, as a Church, that Indigenous peoples consider forgiveness for the evil and wrong that was perpetrated to them and their ancestors, and that continue to be reinforced when such statements are made. These recent incidents are yet another reminder of the broad conversion to which we are called as Church, as we continue to address racist ideas and attitudes that persist. Please pray for our Church, and especially its leaders, as we continue to move forward in the steps of recognition, contrition, apology, and reconciliation.

Bihsop LeGatt: Let Us First Inform Ourselves, and Acknowledge

The Honourable Murray Sinclair, in his tireless work to bring about truth and reconciliation, suggested the way forward was by acknowledging, apologizing, and acting. This week, Archbishop Albert reflects on the steps that need to happen within the Canadian Church, both at the hierarchical and at the charismatic, lay levels, for an apology to be made with any real integrity, and for real, lasting action to follow.
The reason many in the Canadian Catholic Church have had difficulty in apologizing, is that this acknowledgement has not yet fully happened. We must thus actively endeavour to educate and inform ourselves, as Catholics in today’s world, to then be able to truly and fully acknowledge the sin of over 150,000 children being ripped from their families in Residential Schools, and the horrors of colonization. Only then will an apology have any integrity. And only then will true, real action ensue, at institutional levels, but first and foremost, at individual, interpersonal levels.

Bishop LeGatt: "They were like sheep without a shepherd"

What is a shepherd? What is a good shepherd? How can we know if a shepherd is of God, and trustworthy? Or worthy of blame, as when the prophet Jeremiah accused the kings of Israel of driving the people of Israel away?
In his homily on the Gospel of Mark, Bishop Albert reflects on those Catholics who, in their anger over the recent discoveries at former residential schools, want their names stricken from parish registers. Are they being led by the media? Or are they believers who know what our priorities really should be? What are their intentions? Do we truly even know our own intentions?
And to whom shall we all turn to, when we need a good shepherd? To the one who is peace and, through the cross established peace, reconciling all with God.

Bishop LeGatt: Honour Your Father and Mother

Pope Francis instituted a Church-wide celebration of the first World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly. Starting this July 25th, it will be held annually every 4th Sunday in July. This year's theme is: “I am with you always" (Mt 28:20), revealing the closeness of God and the Church to the elderly, as well as the inter-generational closeness between the young and the elderly.
As such, Archbishop Albert reflects on the vital role grand- and great-grandparents have in each family, and even in the fabric of greater society, and takes a moment to share on the impact his grandparents had on him.
The 4th Commandment, calling us to honour our father and mother, is never truly understood without also considering the honour adult children are called to give their aging parents. This Commandment was never truly meant for children, but for the adults, who may sometimes forget to care for, be attentive to, and support their aging and declining parents. This year, let us reflect on these realities, on the true gift these elders are to us, personally, and to greater society, and to pray for them.
➡️ More info and multiple resources here: https://www.archsaintboniface.ca/main.php?p=401

“COVID-19 Update for Religious Services” – New Version

New Code Orange Alert restrictions for all of Manitoba come into effect on July 17.

The most significant changes:

 Religious services open with 50 per cent of capacity or 150 people, whichever is lower. The gathering limit for funerals, weddings, baptisms and prayer vigils for the deceased increases to 25 people indoors and 150 people outdoors.

Click here, or on photo for the updated COVID-19 Health Measures and Protocols for Religious Services document.

Click here for the latest Provincial health orders.

Bishop LeGatt: "If you go with less, you will get more"

In his July 11 homily on the Gospel of Mark, Bishop LeGatt reminds us if you go with less, like the disciples, you will get more. But more of what? God’s love. And the advancement of God’s kingdom. This means more to share, more friendships, and more opened doors.
This observation is applicable in many situations, but most recently regarding our relationship with the Indigenous.
We know of the first contact between the Indigenous and the Christian missionaries, who brought the Christian message. The missionaries carried with them a pearl of great price: Jesus and His Gospel.
But how did it go so wrong? The pearl was carried by the missionaries in an envelope – a cultural envelope – in which Jesus was proclaimed. But because the envelope contained a lot of cultural baggage about how to do things in a European way, Jesus could scarcely be heard, or not at all.
The missionaries came with more. If they had come with less, they would have found more – in the life and teachings of the Indigenous. And the Indigenous would have discovered Jesus.
Let us share Jesus with gratitude… and almost nothing else.