Holy Family and Holy Trinity administrators held a reconciliation retreat at Wanuskewin, led by Knowledge Keeper, Lyndon J. Linklater.
May 13-14, 2022
Wanuskewin, Saskatoon
“Walking Together in the Light of Christ” Psalm 89:15
The purpose of the retreat was to “connect” as
- Catholic leaders learning and worshipping together.
- As treaty people to journey on treaty 6 territory to better understand Wanuskewin Heritage Park and Indigenous ways of knowing.
- As people in education securing a deeper skill and understanding of Indigenous tradition to lead in the reconciliation journey.
- There was an opportunity for Knowledge Keeper, Lyndon to tell stories and share practices.
Wanuskewin Heritage Park allowed us to learn much through artifacts and tradition.
As two Catholic school divisions, we were invited to light a candle and pray together for a brighter tomorrow.
Lighting of the 4 Sacred Candles
The light signifies our prayer, which is offered in faith, entering the light of God. In Indigenous spirituality, the Sacred Fire starts a ceremony or sacred event; it is a sacred practice meant to help individuals feel open, grounded and connected with people on Earth and those who have moved on. Today, as we come together, we pray for Pope Francis, in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples in different regions across this land, we will now light 4 candles, representing the 4 Directions.
Our Closing Prayer was:
Creator God, we thank you for this opportunity to pray for the delegation that went to Rome to meet Pope Francis. We ask that your spirit guide and protect all those involved in this historic encounter and the future encounter with Pope Francis on Canadian soil. We will continue to hold in our hearts and prayers, the Residential School Survivors, Knowledge Keepers and young people who share their experiences directly with the Holy Father.
We keep in our prayers the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in this ongoing journey of healing and reconciliation, knowing that this encounter has served as an important foundation for the future visit of the Holy Father to Canada. May our entire Catholic church and all Canadians open their hearts in the spirit of truth, justice, humility and love, so that we can walk together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, in the spirit of the Treaties: “For as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the river flows”.
Amen
;
