Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
March 18th, 2023
Last year, Massachusetts Catholics for Indigenous Rights and Call To Action's Indigenous Solidarity Collective released a petition requesting the Catholic Church to take collective responsibility for the atrocities that took place at residential schools. Action steps included releasing records, identifying burial sites, and collaborating with Indigenous communities to continue to take actionable steps regarding the 94 Calls to Action.
This Lent, let us remember that for many marginalized people, the wounds of colonization are still fresh. There is no healing them without full recognition of the damage and commitment to long-term repair.
—Meditation by Indigenous Solidarity Collective member Revalon Wesson
Call to Action: 69
69. We call upon Library and Archives Canada to:
i. Fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Joinet-Orentlicher Principles, as related to Aboriginal peoples’ inalienable right to know the truth about what happened and why, with regard to human rights violations committed against them in the residential schools.
ii. Ensure that its record holdings related to residential schools are accessible to the public.
iii. Commit more resources to its public education materials and programming on residential schools.
Suggestions for Almsgiving
The 2023 Lenten Calendar is a project of CTA's Indigenous Solidarity Collective, a working group that addresses the Catholic Church's historical and current role in colonialization. To support more projects from working groups like this one, please consider making a contribution!
Saturday, Mar. 18, 2023
Museums and Archives
Call To Action's 2023 Lenten Calendar is a collaboration between the Indigenous Solidarity Collective and Anti-Racism Team (ART). This calendar provides more than 40 days of prayer and study to lead members into action and solidarity with Indigenous communities. For holy days and Sundays during Lent, we'll publish a reflection from an ART or Indigenous Solidarity Collective member on why we're committed to undoing racism and Indigenous oppression in our own communities and biases and what it means to do this work as Catholics. Following each meditation or reflection, we will feature a call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
We cannot talk about colonization as if it is done and over with. Colonization is ongoing, and residential schools are recent history.
Colonized people of North America have been uprooted from their own land, culture, and history. In an attempt to erase Indigenous identity, children were removed from their families and forced to assimilate. Many died in this process. There is deep trauma that has spanned over these short few generations due to the residential school system.
It's not enough for the oppressor to offer apologies for their violent history. The opportunity for the oppressed to heal from trauma must be given. Part of the reconciliation process includes providing these pathways to healing. Part of this healing process, especially for Indigenous people, is reconnection with culture and with family–both living and dead.
As part of your Lenten practice, please consider donating to one or more of the
following organizations: