On 12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church in Canada celebrates the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.

This initiative of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has been coordinated since 2002 by the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council (formerly the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council).

This year, the reflection by the Council is inspired by Pope Francis’s words of healing and reconciliation spoken during his “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada.

2022 Message of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council

On 12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church in Canada celebrates the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.

This project, with the approval of the Bishops of Canada, has been coordinated since 2002 by the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council (formerly the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council).

This year, the reflection by the Council centres on the theme We are called to Healing, Forgiveness, Reconciliation. “We, the Body of Christ, are called to live in friendship and harmony with all peoples. We are brothers and sisters of our One Creator God. God gives everything to all of us. God creates and sustains the wonderful diversity of peoples, cultures, races and creeds.”

2021 Message of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council

On 12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church in Canada celebrates the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. This project, with the approval of the Bishops of Canada, has been coordinated since 2002 by the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council (formerly the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council). This year, the reflection by the Council centres on the theme Healing of the Earth. “Together we share one common home, Mother Earth, and we are all dependant on her for our existence. We continue to face very real threats to our ecology and way of life, which has never been more apparent as we live through the present Covid-19 pandemic. We must come together as one human family. Pope Francis reminds us in his encyclical Laudato Si that: ‘Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.’ We turn to the Earth for sustenance: for shelter, food and medicines. And when we die, our bodies will return to the Earth where our ancestors reside as we await to be with God in Heaven forever.”

2020 Message of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council

On 12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church in Canada celebrates the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. This project, with the approval of the Bishops of Canada, has been coordinated since 2002 by the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council (formerly the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council). This year, the reflection by the Council draws on theme of the United Nations 2019 year of Indigenous Languages. “We all like to be spoken to in our mother tongue. So too in the faith, we like to be spoken to in our “mother culture”, our native language (cf. 2 Maccabees 7:21,27), and as a result our hearts become better disposed to hear the Word of God.”

2019 Message of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council

On 12 December, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church in Canada celebrates the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. This project, with the approval of the Bishops of Canada, has been coordinated since 2002 by the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council (formerly the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council). This year, the reflection by the Council draws on the theme explored during the recent Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment and its connection to traditional Indigenous spiritualties. “…that for young people to achieve their potential, to become prophets of the future that God has made them to be, they are in need of the dreams of their Elders, of the prophets who have gone before them.”

2018 message of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council

Since 1980, over 1000 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered in Canada. While Indigenous women make up only 4% of Canada’s female population, 16% of all women murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012 were Indigenous. In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action designed to redress the legacy left by the Indian Residential Schools. In Call to Action no. 41, the federal government is invited to launch a public inquiry into the causes of, and remedies for, the disproportionate victimization of Indigenous women and girls; “The inquiry’s mandate would include: i) investigation into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls; ii) links to the intergenerational legacy of residential schools.” In December 2015, the federal government of Canada announced the launch of the first phase of a public inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

The overwhelming grief caused by these violent crimes can be felt throughout the community. Families of victims are looking for answers to understand what happened to their loved one, a demonstration that the public cares, and to be treated fairly. Justice and hope need to come together for each and every one of the victims and their families.

Many are coming together to share in ceremonies, uniting the families of victims, the community and the spirit of the departed to deal with their grief. One such ceremony encourages people to “leave it on the cross”, offering tissues with their tears into a fire and in turn releasing their grief to the Creator. The Native Women’s Association of Canada has developed a useful guide on how to hold a “Sisters in Spirit” walk in communities. These ceremonies can often provide a sense of closure for the victims and their families.

On this day of prayer (12 December 2017), we the members of the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council, wish to bring awareness to this important issue. We call on all Catholics to pray to the Creator for hope and justice for the victims and their families. We call on communities, parishes, and individuals to support the national inquiry in any way they can, by participating in ceremonies and truly experiencing them, participating in search and rescue operations, and providing spaces for people to meet. We call on individuals to pray for the victims and their families and to share any information they may have with the proper authorities.

Today we come together in prayer for the victims and their loved ones.

Let us pray.

Creator God, we acknowledge all of the gifts we have been given. We especially acknowledge the gifts of the women in our lives, our mothers, grandmothers, wives, aunties, sisters and nieces. We express our sorrow and hurt for those of our Indigenous sisters who have gone missing or have been murdered. At this time, we ask for blessings for all women, and especially for those who have experienced inexplicable violation and suffering. We ask for comfort, care, and consolation, for those family members left behind. We again acknowledge the gifts of the Spirit we have been given and we ask for these blessings in Christ.
Amen.

The Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council has released a prayer of thanksgiving for families to mark the 2016 National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. The Aboriginal Council and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops have promoted the annual National Day of Prayer since 2002. It is celebrated on December 12, the memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom Pope Pius XII proclaimed patroness of the Americas in 1946. The devotion dates to 1531 when the Blessed Mother appeared as an Aztec princess to a humble Aboriginal peasant, Saint Juan Diego, at a place called the Hill of Tepeyac, which eventually became part of Villa de Guadalupe, a suburb of Mexico City.

Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica on December 12 in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with prayers especially for the Church in the Americas. The celebration will be accompanied by a number of ancient liturgical hymns composed in various Indigenous languages from Central America.

Link to the Prayer for Families (PDF)

Catholicism and Traditional Indigenous Spirituality – A Reflection on Commonalities

The National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples has been celebrated on December 12 since 2002. The following reflection by the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council identifies areas of commonality found in Traditional Aboriginal spirituality and the Catholic faith, seeking to point out bridges for mutual understanding. These will hopefully lead to a deeper respect and appreciation among all Catholics toward traditional Indigenous spirituality, and at the same time show how Aboriginal Catholics see a relationship between their Catholic faith and their cultural and personal identity.

The belief in a benevolent Creator, a natural world that is good, the need to answer the call to live a life of virtue, and the importance of communication with the Creator are some of the elements that Catholic and Indigenous spiritualties have in common.

There is a similarity in Catholic and Indigenous spiritualties as both are committed to a relationship with the Divine Being who is honored and loved for His gifts and kindnesses to the human world.

Link to the complete text (PDF)

Together we pray:

O Great Creator, we give praise and thanks to You for our lives and world. You make all things new and good, and you invite your peoples throughout creation to receive and share all that is good with each other. Thank you for how wonderfully and intimately You share Your life with us all. Likewise, we seek deepening relationships with each other and all Creation.

We commit to live and work with one another – our families; our communities; all cultures, nations, and peoples – in union with Mary, all the Saints, and our Grandfathers and Grandmothers who have gone before us and inspire us. We thank Your Great Holy Spirit for the great variety of gifts and talents You give Your people, and we commit to always using Your blessings to help one another and all Creation.

O God, there are many challenges in the world. We thank You for the gift of Your Son – Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We rely on our friendship in Jesus and the power of Your Great Spirit to help us live good and moral lives. May our journey towards deepening virtue help us to battle evil and to bring blessing to the most difficult challenges.

We commit, O Creator, to share with and care for each other as You continue to do with us: with great reverence, generosity, and respect.

All praise and thanks to you, O Creator, for the privilege and call to share in Your wonderful life!

Amen.

The National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples has been celebrated since 2002 on December 12 by the Church in Canada. This year and next, as we join our Bishops in reflecting on the pastoral challenges for the family and its needs and role in evangelization, the members of the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council wish to honour elders who helped them develop their own faith:

• “My father was a spiritual leader, both traditionally and in the Church. His strong faith played a great role in building my personal faith. He provided foundation and preparation for ‘earth walk’, teaching a way of life following the seven grandfather teachings. Although these were never mentioned by name, I later learned their English names: Respect, Humility, Honesty, Compassion (Courage), Truth, Wisdom and Unconditional Love. The teachings shared by elders can help to discover a pathway for healing. It is in integrating them into our daily living that we can achieve balance, harmony and well-being. We can learn to use the gifts that will nourish, strengthen, give us direction, and help us find the meaning of the circle of life. This will enrich our spiritual life, leading to a deeper understanding, appreciation and respect for the richness of our native culture, and greatly enhance and strengthen our special relationship with God the Creator.” — Rosella Kinoshameg, Anishnabe, Wikwemikong First Nation
• “I was greatly influenced in my younger days by elders who served our Lord at St. Paul’s Church in my community. I witnessed them serving the Lord in God’s House in many ways. There were those who greeted people coming into the church, with a big smile and warm handshake; those working at church fundraisers; and those who assisted at wake services and funerals, working to comfort families in difficult times. When I returned to the Church, I was encouraged by an elder to read at the lectern. There was no talk of residential schools from them. I only knew they loved their work in the Church and I wanted to be like them. Now I am studying to become a deacon in the Catholic Church.” — Rennie Nahanee, Squamish Nation
• “My grandmothers were so very spiritual, both led by example in meaningful, yet different, ways. One was very quiet and soft spoken, she never ‘preached’ to us about being Catholic and spiritual. The other was more visible and involved; she led the church choir and we prayed at her house with her. I worshipped the ground they both walked on. To this day, whenever I think of them, the Blessed Virgin Mary comes immediately to me and I know they are watching over me. I owe much of who and what I am to their spirituality and to their humbling belief in Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and how we needed to live our lives so as to walk always with both. Everything else just falls into place for me after that.” — Melody McLeod, Métis, Northwest Territories
•  “I have been influenced by an Anishnabe Elder from Key First Nation in Saskatchewan. He provides an annual vision quest ceremony in the spring and leads a cultural camp in August of each year. I have been attending one or both of these events annually since 1994. If I were to capture the essence of his many teachings and talks over the years in a single sentence, it would be his statement, ‘Our ancestors left us a beautiful cultural and spiritual legacy’. His songs, prayers, ceremonies and stories all provide evidence of the truth of this statement, and provide us with the moral and ethical guidance to live our lives in a way consistent with Jesus’ life and direction.” — Dennis Whitford, Peace River

Together let us pray: Thank you, God our Creator, for our elders, who through strong faith, spirituality, humility, teachings, and serving ways, gave us foundation and a deeper appreciation of our cultural richness, leaving us a spiritual legacy to help us be who we are today. We thank you through Jesus and with Mary. Amen.

PDF Version

The National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on December 12 every year, on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, who appeared to a humble Aztec peasant, Saint Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. The Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council celebrates this day of prayer, solidarity and reconciliation by issuing an annual message honouring Indigenous people who have been inspired by their Catholic faith.

?ehtseo Ereya – A Dene prophet who preached the good news of Jesus

Ereya was the original Dene name of the prophet now lovingly known as ?ehtseo[1] (Grandpa) Louis Ayha. Born in 1857, he became known throughout the Northwest Territories as a great spiritual leader. People used to travel many miles to visit with him, and today they still come to visit his grave. All the elders that knew ?ehtseo Ereya talk about how special he was in the eyes of God.

The local priests also appreciated the holiness of ?ehtseo Ereya. Father Jean Denis, O.M.I., a long-time pastor at Deline parish, was impressed with the holiness of ?ehtseo Ereya’s life, his healthy melding of Dene and Catholic spirituality, and the positive effect his teaching had on the people he visited with.

?ehtseo Ereya was raised in Tlicho territory, in the Behchoko area of the Northwest Territories. Together with his family, ?ehtseo Ereya traveled around the Sahtu area. He built his first log home in what today is called Deline, a community on the shores of beautiful Great Bear Lake (the largest fresh water lake solely in Canada and the seventh largest lake in the world). He chose this place for its good fishing, hunting and trapping.

Later in his life, ?ehtseo Ereya said that when he was young he was visited by two angels to share the teachings of the Holy Book. These visits continued for years. Once he had grey hair he was told to share his knowledge and to speak to Dene people everywhere. Even though he had no knowledge of written words, he had a rich knowledge of the Bible. Throughout the day, he would go from home to home, talking to the people. The Dene people have a tradition of prophets: good people who have some sense of the future and good words of guidance for the people. ?ehtseo Ereya is seen as one of the most gifted prophets. Some people would doubt his wisdom, but he was able to read their hearts and often predict their actions. He predicted the future for the people and the land. He would also do anything to help people in need. ?ehtseo Ereya would often say, “Remember to always share and to love one another.” He also said, “Remember to always keep the words that I taught you. Use them and teach them to each other.”

?ehtseo Ereya’s nephew remembers how he would say that you must not be stingy with your food. He would say, “If on your table cloth you have served tea many times and have said prayers over the food many times, what is placed on that table cloth will not disappear.” This was in one of the harshest climates in Canada where hunger and starvation were common.

?ehtseo Ereya also warned the people about the “yellow poison” that would be mined at Port Radium, also on the shores of Great Bear Lake. This first Uranium mine was open from 1942 to 1960. The uranium was used for the bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Early mining practices were very primitive, and many of the miners suffered from exposure to uranium.

?ehtseo Ereya died on September 23, 1940, at the age of 83. He is remembered as a great prophet who worked hard and preached to many Dene people the Good News. He was loved and respected by young and old alike because of his strong belief in God. ?ehtseo Ereya was a great teacher, and so the local school has been named after him. His stories continue to be a gift for the people. ?ehtse Ayha in his own life tried to live out the best of two traditions. He prayed with the drum, participated in drum dances, feeding the fire ceremonies, and in many ways was fully active in his Dene traditional culture. At the same time he was a faithful Catholic. He had great respect and love for Jesus, for the stories of the Bible, and for the sacraments. He encouraged his people to practise both their traditional culture and their Catholic faith.

In the 1980s, ?ehtseo Ereya’s log cabin was rebuilt and made a place of prayer. In 1991, a spiritual gathering was organized to celebrate his life and teachings. This gathering occurs annually in mid-August in Deline, and is attended by many Dene from near and far. In many homes throughout the Northwest Territories there is a picture of ?ehtseo Ereya on their wall. His continuing positive influence on his people supports that he truly was a holy man.

?Ehtseo Ereya reminds us that the particular spiritual legacy and gifts of our aboriginal brothers and sisters have much to offer our present-day society. He also calls us to respect both Catholic and Indigenous spiritualties, and to celebrate what is common between them. As ever, our Church needs good prophets.

PDF Version

[1] ?ehtseo means grandpa in North Slavey or Dene Roi. The “?” symbol indicates a pause at the beginning of the word.