Last Thursday, September 30, 2021, was National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It had been proposed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 as one of its 94 Calls to Action and this the first observance. My calendar for that day had several entries, pared down from many possibilities which had presented themselves in my inbox in weeks prior. It was a day to be anticipated, and also a day many were afraid of.
I could have spent the whole day at my computer virtually present at many events, or I might actually show up in person somewhere. I opted for the latter, took it outdoors. Glad I am I did! Turns out this was one of the most inspiring days I have encountered for a long time.
I headed north from my Midnapore ‘homeland’ suburb wearing my orange shirt, along with an increasing number of other vehicle occupants in similar garb as I got closer to Fort Calgary, the sacred space just east of the new library. Here began my surprise, my thrill if you will. It was like a well-planned worship service! Civic ceremonies tend to be long on words and short on spirit, with dignitaries following protocol doing their thing along with media and journalists and cameras also doing their thing. Not so here, the city’s Indigenous Relations Office did itself proud with smudge and prayer by Elder Clarence Wolple (sp?), an excellent speech by outgoing Mayor Naheed Nenshie (also impressive accolades from municipal staff as well as the audience for his 11 years in office). Retired Grand Chief Phil Fontaine utilized his oratorical skills to speak his words of hope, now that the truth, the evidence of Residential Schools’ unmarked graves is for all to see. Only now can reconciliation begin, said he, because it could never happen without truth. This man is some speaker.
Fellowship. 2:30 p.m. I showed at my next important appointment, coffee with one of my good friends from the South Sudanese Community. A new immigrant to Calgary, he came out of his ESL class at Mount Royal University – wearing the identical orange sweater as mine because two weeks ago we had volunteered as parking attendants at a high-end charity polo match. These smart looking orange Calgary Polo Club sweaters, our uniforms of that day, had become our gifts to take home and now perfectly orange for this day! 😀 So this white Caucasian and the black African had a meeting in company of the orange-clad university students, he “practicing his English” telling me about truth and reconciliation as learned from his instructors that morning, and me with my enthusiastic report of the downtown event I had just come from!
Hear the Word. An evening service. This one on-line, and a good thing it was, indeed a perfect way to communicate the richness of the Word – the words! It was a Calgary Interfaith Council event – an Ecumenical Indigenous Clergy Panel Discussion hosted by one of our CIC members,Tony Snow. Sometimes one’s stereotypes can disappear in a blic. That happened to me this evening. My general perception of Indigenous speakers is that they are ponderous, easily off on a story or ‘rabbit trail’ as my people the Mennonites would describe, and not much given to time consciousness. Not only was I surprised, but moved by the articulate presence of each participant: Tony’s elder brother Rev. John Snow, United Church Minister of Chinook Winds Regional Conference in AB and Pacific Mountains R.C. in BC; Rev. Beryl St Germain, Lutheran pastor at Stoney Plain, AB; and Archbishop Mark McDonald of Anglican Church of Canada.
I was expecting some
possible further negativities about our horrible church Indian Residential Schools violations during our western Canadian colonial history. The story was there alright, but gently wrapped in the arms of a loving God. They brought to us a message of
faith. It was indeed the gospel message, clergy doing the very thing they have been anointed to do. The last panel presentation was a moving testimony by a Metis-Italian Catholic priest, Fr Kristino Bouwette, of his call to ministry in the Catholic Church. And then there was the closing, with benediction words coming from the lips and the heart
of Rev. St.Germain. She obviously knew them for memory.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we
are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
Two days later I suddenly remembered. These headings: Call to Worship; Call to Fellowship; and Call to Hear the Word, were always the guiding structure, whether formal or folksy, of every worship service I helped to plan during my years of pastoral ministry. Surprise! I had not expected to be reminded of those sentimental memories just by donning an orange shirt and being with some good people on this first National Truth and Reconciliation Day. Thanks be to God. May these holy coincidences continue.
