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Winnipeg Free Press

A ‘meaningful step forward'

Reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people takes many forms. Some are very noticeable, like Pope Francis coming to Canada to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church's involvement in residential schools. But it also happens in quieter ways, like how the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, or Oblates, made the personnel files of 140 priests who worked at residential schools in Quebec, Ontario and western Canada available to survivors, their families and communities. They did it through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), located here in Winnipeg. In a joint statement, the NCTR and the Oblates — their formal name now is OMI Lacombe Canada — announced late last month that those files are now more easily accessible to the public. Eric Gay / The Associated Press files Surrounded by Grand Chiefs, Pope Francis reads his statement of apology at Maskwacis, the former Ermineskin Residential School, July 25, 2022, in Maskwacis, Alta. 'It's a significant step forward,' said Raymond Frogner, head of archives and senior director of research at the NCTR. 'It gets us one step closer to a complete understanding of the residential school system.' In an interview, Frogner said when he arrived at the NCTR he discovered a lot of information about the children who attended the schools — but very little about the priests and sisters who operated them. Adding the personnel files of the Oblate priests to the NCTR's collection puts more of a human face on the story 'that is too often only institutional,' he said. 'We were missing that part. The story was incomplete without it.' The released files are predominantly reports from priests to their superiors about life at the schools, along with some personal correspondence and other information. In addition to helping survivors, Indigenous communities and researchers have a fuller picture of life at the schools, the files could also be a resource for those who are searching for children who never came home. 'We are creating a central source to examine, understand and heal from one of the longest serving and least understood colonial social programs in the history of the country,' Frogner said. Before the scanned files came to the NCTR, they were available on a limited basis as original documents in archives in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. Now that they are scanned and in one location — work paid for by the Oblates — they are easier to access. Father Ken Thorson is the provincial, or executive director, for OMI Lacombe. 'We weren't trying to hide them,' he said of the files that were in those provincial archives. 'But as archival documents, they could only be viewed by specialists due to their fragile nature. Some of them are over 100 years old.' For Thorson, the release of the files is a 'meaningful step forward,' even if it is just 'one part of a long and painful journey … we remain committed to continuing this important work. We were complicit in a colonial system that harmed Indigenous people. Now we want to do what we can to make it right.' It is customary for archives to limit access to personal files like these for 50 years after a person's death. But the Oblates decided to make that time period just two years — a decision expedited by the discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops residential school, which had been operated by the Oblates. That discovery spurred the order to reduce the time frame for releasing files. 'The survivors are getting older and passing on,' Thorson said of the urgency felt by the order. As for the files themselves, 'I don't know what people will find in those records,' he said. 'But if something is important, we want them to be available. We want to do what we can to help towards healing.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. In addition to the personnel files, the Oblates have also released to the NCTR the scans of the daily logs, called codices, of the Oblate communities involved with the schools — something they also paid for. By paying for the scanning and making all these records more accessible, the Order hopes to 'contribute to the healing for Indigenous people,' Thorson said, adding that releasing the files is the right thing to do. 'We have an obligation to tell the truth,' he said, adding it is also in keeping with 'who we profess to be as Christians.' The Oblates began involvement in residential schools in 1884. Altogether, they operated 48 of the 139 schools recognized in the 2006 Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. In 1991, they apologized for the order's involvement in the residential school system. faith@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER John LonghurstFaith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.