Brag Spring 2022

Susan Beaudin
Perhaps we should first introduce ourselves and
explain why we have become invested in TRC
work:
Susan: I am a member of the Cowessess First Nation. I
am a survivor of residential school as were my parents
and grandparents. I am an educator who speaks and
writes about the great harm experienced by Indigenous
children who attended Roman Catholic run residential
schools. This has created immense trauma that continues
to negatively affect the lives of Indigenous people. I am
currently a member of the Truth and Reconciliation
Committee at the Archdiocese of Regina.
Leah: Each of my great-grandparents came from a
different country than their partner, seven from different
parts of Europe and one was Cree. Overwhelmingly, the
settler experience is what was passed along to me. Then,
I pursued a life and career deeply invested in faith in the
Roman Catholic Church, and it didn’t take long for me
to realize how the Church hurt Indigenous peoples and
communities past and present. I want to be a part of
the truth telling and reconciling that is necessary for our
respective communities and for my own healing.
What is the main purpose of the papal visit to
Canada?
Susan: In May 2021, the recovery of children in unmarked
graves found at a Catholic run residential school caused
the general public to demand answers from the Catholic
Church. Indigenous people knew about many children who never returned home
and have repeatedly asked the church to provide documents to find out what
happened to them. The RC Church worked with the Canadian government to
take children from their homes against the will of their parents. These children were
subjected to many abuses, neglect, and unsafe living conditions. They could not
speak their languages and practice their cultural traditions.
Leah Perrault
The purpose of Pope’s visit is to apologize to Indigenous peoples for the spiritual,
cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of Indigenous children in Catholicrun
residential schools. Indigenous peoples want more than an apology. They
want real actions on how the Catholic Church is going to make reparations to
Indigenous peoples for healing and the revitalization of their languages and
cultures.
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