Unmarked

 Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are simply those of the author.

      There are times when I face difficulties writing about some subjects. This particular one is no exception. Due to coursework and school work, I have not had much time to sit and mull in the way I am accustomed to. Before I am consumed further by the mounting pile of work that awaits me, I need this time to be at one with my thoughts. 

     A news story broke in recent days regarding unmarked graves at a former residential school site.  By way of definition, unmarked is an adjective that means not marked or not noticed. Synonyms such as clear, immaculate, and unblemished are completely opposite ways of describing how this story will continue to unfold. I have to say I felt ashamed not only by the colour of my skin but, though lapsed, by my faith affiliation as well. 

      It is something that I introduced this post by speaking of piles of work. As Irish poet Seamus Heany likened the writing process to the connection with his ancestors through “Digging”, I cannot move past the idea of fresh mounds of dirt that had been overturned - revealing more secrets from an ugly time in Canada's history. "Glorious and free" -  my ass. Maybe there was that sense of freedom for some Canadians, but certainly not for all. Nothing could be further from the truth - especially not for those poor unfortunate souls who were maimed, abused, silenced, and made to feel like lesser humans because of who they were and how they lived. 

     The education offered to me and countless Canadians failed somewhere along the way.

     Yes, I had some pretty progressive teachers and Canadian history professors.

     Yes, I was a self-motivated student who absorbed and devoured as much history and literature as she could. 

     Somehow it was not enough. 

     Perhaps I should try to establish 215 reasons why my whitewashed version of history merely brushed upon the horrors that our Indigenous brothers and sisters endured here in Canada. The facts and figures regarding the atrocities that emerged from the wars fought on faraway shores will forever be ingrained into my brain. It is valuable to study history to avoid the repetition of mistakes. To know that so many battles had been waged against a culture that had been the original settlers of this nation we call home truly sickens me. And for what purpose? Assimilation, which, in turn, resulted in years of shame and systemic racism.

     Global News, through its coverage, offered some statistics and perspectives regarding the role of religion in what I can only deem one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history. While the report acknowledged how numerous Christianity based faiths apologized and made amends regarding their respective roles, some quotations can stand alone and speak for themselves: "The Catholic Church was responsible for operating up to 60 percent of residential schools in Canada. . . The Catholic Church is also the only one that has not made a formal apology." I would love to say I am surprised. However, I am not. Please note: my relationship with God and Jesus Christ has no relation to the general sadness I feel right now. It sickens me to know that pain and suffering were at the hands of those whose role it was to spread the good word. Maybe 215 reasons how faiths that preach fellowship, goodwill, and love created so much suffering under the guise of “educating” through prayer and manual labour could be warranted. I still cannot understand how and why physical and sexual abuse by the hands of clergy worked its way into their sick and demented curriculums.

      As Canadians, we must not ignore this most recent chapter related to our Nation’s unspeakable past. As human beings with any sense of decency, we are obligated to speak up and not sit idly by. And I know if His works had been truly followed, none of this should have happened. As one born and raised in the Catholic faith, I know the Church teaches about the immortality of the soul and how people will be accountable at death for his or her earthly actions. I surely hope and pray that the priests responsible for this will get their comeuppance.