Interfaith Center at the Presidio
  • Home
  • About
    • Leadership
    • History
    • Archive
  • Chapel Restoration Campaign
    • Interfaith
    • Military Service
    • McDonald Windows
    • Preservation
    • Plan
    • Support
  • Events and Programs
  • Veterans
  • Concerts
  • SF Bay Area Interfaith
    • Interfaith Councils and Coalitions
    • Public Service Announcements
    • Inspiration and Hope
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Contact

NAINConnect 2015- Monday

7/22/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Reports from ICP Executive Director Linda Crawford, who is attending the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) gathering in Canada, July 19-22.
Monday, July 20, 2015


Restoring Spirit Through Sacred Listening

Goodness, where to start. I said yesterday that I was looking forward to learning more about Canada’s First Nations, and I did.

Did you know that there is a Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada? The morning plenary session was presented by Dr. Marie Wilson, one of the commissioners who had also served on the same type of commission in South Africa. Why a TRC in Canada?

Like the U.S., Canada has its ugly history in how it has treated indigenous, aboriginal, First Nations people. (I never heard the word “Indian” or “Native Canadian.”) From 1831 to 1969, nearly 30% of Native Canadian (Wikipedia) children were ripped from their families to attend Residential (Boarding) Schools for the purposes of assimilation and Christian conversion, predominantly by the Roman Catholic Church in Canada (60%), but also the Anglican Church of Canada (30%), and the United Church of Canada (10%).

These children were not allowed to speak in their own language, visit their families, or participate in their culture. As Wikipedia reports, “(this was equivalent to) cultural genocide or ‘killing the Indian in the child’”. They were terribly abused – physically, sexually, emotionally and psychologically. It is believed that over 4,000 of them died – many never accounted for.
The first church to apologize to the First Nations, Inuit, and Meti peoples was the United Church of Canada in 1986. The Canadian government didn’t apologize until 2006, and that was mandated by the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the result, I believe, of a lawsuit. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed out of that.

See http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=3.

In the afternoon, I joined a tour of the Royal Canadian Mounted (Not Any More) Police Depot (Training Center for all of Canada) & Heritage Center. We visited the Chapel where the chaplain talked about his role in serving the needs of all diverse faiths in the RCMP. He has created a multi-cultural center where provisions are made for cadets of all faiths to have a sacred place to go.

It turns out that it was the RCMP who rounded up the indigenous children and took them away to the residential schools.

The day ended with my attending my first ever sweat lodge behind First Nations University. What a blessing. There were 4 half-hour sessions with the flaps thrown open for air and the ability to go outside. Each session had a focus, such as contacting the grandmothers and fathers, healing, and gratitude. One woman was so overcome with emotion within the first 20 minutes, that she had to leave. She sat outside and came back in later.
The elders prepared us well and were quite gracious and helpful, but it sure got hot.

Reflection: There’s a reason NAIN chose the word “Network” instead of “Council” or some other name. It really is about networking and building relationships. In each session, mealtime & tour, we got a chance to meet each other and connect. It’s been quite wonderful.
​

Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Newsletter

    This is the archive for the Bay Area Interfaith Connect, the former newsletter  for the Interfaith Center at the Presidio .

    Archives

    December 2019
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    August 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

130 Fisher Loop
San Francisco, CA 94129

Like our page on Facebook! 
Click here! 

Picture

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
  • Home
  • About
    • Leadership
    • History
    • Archive
  • Chapel Restoration Campaign
    • Interfaith
    • Military Service
    • McDonald Windows
    • Preservation
    • Plan
    • Support
  • Events and Programs
  • Veterans
  • Concerts
  • SF Bay Area Interfaith
    • Interfaith Councils and Coalitions
    • Public Service Announcements
    • Inspiration and Hope
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Contact