Indigenous Healing Group

04/23/2026

Earth Day 2026
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
Let's pledge to care for our creation

03/30/2026

Marguerite Bourgeoys, educator and saint (born 17 April 1620 in Troyes, France; died 12 January 1700 in Montreal, Quebec). One of the earliest French settlers in Montreal, Marguerite Bourgeoys established the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, a religious community for women that exists to the present day. She opened the first school in Montreal in 1658 and provided a temporary home and mentorship for the Filles du Roi, who arrived in New France between 1663 and 1673. Bourgeoys was canonized in 1982, becoming the first female Canadian saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

Read the full entry in the
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/marguerite-bourgeoys

11/11/2025

The Vatican has issued a 2.55-euro stamp featuring St. Kateri Tekakwitha, also known as “Lily of the Mohawks,” in honor of the Jubilee Year. St. Kateri Tekakwitha was the first Native American to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

Watch our video about St. Kateri Tekakwitha:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/saints-of-new-york-the-witness-of-saint-kateri-tekakwitha/

Photo: CNS/Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office

11/03/2025

They sold it for about 1% of its appraised value of $2.6 million value, citing their role in colonialism and residential boarding schools.

10/01/2025

Nearly four in ten Canadians say this country belongs first and foremost to Indigenous Peoples, according to a new national poll released ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Leger survey found 38% of respondents agreed, while 43% disagreed and 19% weren’t sure. Support is strongest among young adults: 58% of Canadians aged 18–24 backed the statement, compared to just 24% of those over 65. Newcomers were also more likely than Canadian-born respondents to side with Indigenous Peoples, at 50% versus 36%. In Ontario, nearly half of respondents agreed, making it the most supportive province, while numbers were lower in Quebec and the Prairies. Experts say the results highlight both generational and regional divides, but also a shift as education and immigration reshape the conversation around reconciliation. The data underscores how central Indigenous rights remain in Canada’s evolving national identity.⁠

09/30/2025

Today, we pause to remember and honour the children who never came home, the survivors of residential schools, and the deep wounds still carried by Indigenous communities.

As Catholics, we are called to listen with open hearts, seek truth, and walk humbly toward reconciliation.

Let us pray for healing, justice, and the courage to confront our shared history. May Christ, the Prince of Peace, guide us to true reconciliation.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” — Matthew 5:9

09/22/2025

"In this Holy Year of Jubilee, we are called to reflect on our journey as Pilgrims of Hope. We are invited to discern how we may reconcile with those who may have caused us pain and we strive to build anew relationships that have been fractured in the past. The late Pope Francis, despite his advanced age and physical frailty, traveled to Canada on a penitential pilgrimage in 2022 to invite us to walk together with Indigenous Peoples of This Land and reflect on the pain and suffering experienced by many. As Pilgrims of Hope this year, I invite you to join me in praying for those who are still healing from emotional, physical and spiritual wounds. In a particular way, we lift our prayers to the Lord on 30 September, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation."

Read Cardinal Leo's Letter to the Faithful on National Day for Truth & Reconciliation and Indigenous Reconciliation Fund https://bit.ly/news-NDTR2025

09/04/2025

06/06/2025

Sudbury’s got something special to celebrate, and it’s lighting up hearts across the north! The Anishinabe Spiritual Centre in Espanola flipped a new page, with the Jesuits handing over the keys to an Indigenous-led board. After 45 years as a sacred hub for Anishinaabe and Catholic spirituality, this move’s a big win for self-determination and reconciliation.

Back in the early ‘80s, the Jesuits turned an old tourist lodge on Anderson Lake into the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre, a place where Indigenous and Catholic traditions could mingle. It’s been a go-to for First Nations, Métis, and others in the Robinson-Huron Treaty lands, offering retreats, Elder teachings, and daily Mass. For over four decades, its cozy dorms and unique chapel have welcomed folks for healing and connection, blending solstice ceremonies with Lent meditations. It’s a rare spot where Anishinabe spirituality and Catholic faith find common ground, drawing thousands to reflect and grow.

On May 30, control shifted to an Indigenous board led by Rosella Kinoshameg, who’s been visiting for years. She told CBC it’s like losing “that extra layer” of oversight, opening a brighter future for programs. This aligns with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 60, pushing for Indigenous-led spiritual spaces. Executive Director Edwina MacDonald called it a “new beginning,” and the vibe’s electric. The Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie will still handle Catholic sacraments, so Mass and retreats keep rolling, but now Indigenous voices steer the ship.

This isn’t just a handover, it’s a milestone. The centre’s been named a Jubilee 2025 pilgrimage site by the Catholic Church, inviting Canadians to visit next year for special events. It serves the Anishinabek Nation’s 70,000 citizens and beyond, making it a beacon for reconciliation. Sudbury’s own backyard is home to this powerhouse, bridging cultures and healing old wounds.

This shows Indigenous leadership taking charge, from faith to community. The centre’s programs will grow stronger under Kinoshameg’s board. It’s a model for how to honor treaties and build trust, especially in a region where 14% of folks are Indigenous, per Sudbury’s health board. No drama here, just progress, with X posts buzzing about the “new era” for the centre.

Sudbury, let’s lift this up! Visit the centre, join a retreat, or spread the word about this Indigenous-led victory. Push leaders to back more projects like this, ones that empower communities and weave cultures together. Head to Anderson Lake, soak in the peace, and support a place that’s making history. Ontario’s watching. Let’s show how reconciliation shines.

05/09/2025

They say his name is Pope Leo XIV, and that he is the first to come from the United States. But to us, the First Peoples of these lands — the ones whose stories stretch back to the rivers, stars, and stones — we do not judge leaders by their titles, but by their relationship to the truth.
And so, we look closely.
Before the white smoke rose in Rome, Robert Francis Prevost spent years in Peru, walking among Indigenous peoples in the Andes. He was a missionary there — a man of the Church bringing his teachings into communities that already had their own ways of praying, healing, and knowing the land. Some say he offered education and support. Others know the weight that always follows when priests arrive with crosses in one hand and promises in the other.
He is no stranger to our communities — not by name, but by role.
A missionary.
To many of our ancestors, that meant more than faith. It meant the dismantling of language, the replacing of ceremony, the burning of sacred objects.
But this Pope, like the one before him, speaks of bridges.
He says he wants to walk with the poor. To reach those forgotten.
He says he respects the work of Pope Francis, who came to our lands, apologized for the Church’s role in the genocide of residential schools, and asked for forgiveness — even if the Doctrine of Discovery still hangs like a ghost in Vatican vaults.
Pope Leo XIV brings with him the promise of continuity — to build on what was started.
But we do not need continuation. We need transformation.
We need a Pope who will not just visit our territories, but return what was taken.
We need more than apologies — we need the Vatican to rescind the very doctrines that declared our lands empty and our lives disposable.
We need our languages supported, our spiritual leaders respected, our sovereignty recognized — not just in words, but in deeds.
If Pope Leo is truly listening, then let him hear this:
We are still here.
We have our own ways.
We are not seeking salvation — we are seeking respect, justice, and the restoration of what was stolen in the name of Christ.
If he is to walk beside us, he must come not as a teacher, but as a guest.
Not as a savior, but as a learner.
Let the bridge he builds be made of truths finally spoken —
and foundations set not in Rome,
but in the lands where our ancestors still whisper to us through the trees.
Tapwe,
Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network

04/01/2025

Year of Hope: Blessings of St Kateri School, Milton

02/27/2025

Walking Together: Pilgrims of Hope
Year of Hope 2025
Session with the Catholic Teachers of Halton Region on Indigenous Healing Group Spirituality
Prayer for Reconciliation and Healing...
Remembering our Elders..