Spring Keynote: One Year Anniversary of the Revelations of Unmarked Graves at Kamloops Residential School- and a year of sober reckoning for our Church
Roman Catholics, along with all Canadians, were shocked last May to learn of the uncovering of unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Residential School. The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the findings after work using GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar. Preliminary reports suggested that the remains of 215 children, some as young as 3, were buried there. Since then, there have been more graves uncovered, statements by bishops, the creation of a Reconciliation Fund, a delegation of Indigenous leaders to the meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican and, just last week, the announcement of a Papal Visit to Canada in July where it is hoped the Pope will offer an apology to Indigenous peoples on their own soil.
What does all this mean if you are Indigenous AND Catholic? On Saturday May 28, Hon Graydon Nicholas, CM, O.N.B., LL.D will offer our Spring Keynote: Reflections from an Indigenous Catholic on Evangelization.
Visit our event page to register
A distinguished and highly respected Wolastoqey Elder, lawyer, judge, social worker, and activist, Graydon Nicholas CM ONB served as the appointed 30th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick (2009-2014). He is the first Indigenous person to hold the office, the first to be appointed as a provincial court judge (in 1991), and the first in Atlantic Canada to obtain a law degree. Graydon is also a devout Catholic, a member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle and a founder of the Indigenous Catholic Research Fellowship.
As we mark one year since the revelations of unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, Graydon will share his reflections as an Indigenous Catholic.
Hearing Early Voices in the Wilderness - Advocating for Indigenous Rights
Following the Wrong Road - the alliance of colonization & evangelization
A Disastrous Pathway - government & church partnership in residential schools
Inculturation - the Christian faith and Indigenous spirituality aligned
Evangelization Reimagined - a source of Indigenous authenticity, resurgence & reconciliation