By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News
Bishop Mark Hagemoen addressed fund-raising for healing and reconciliation Oct. 12, 2021 in two messages to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.
In one letter, the bishop of Saskatoon, expressed the diocese’s commitment to moving ahead with the Catholic TRC Healing Response fund-raising launched this summer by the Catholic bishops of Saskatchewan, which will now be part of a national $30-million fund-raising pledge announced by Canadian Catholic bishops Sept. 27.
In a second message, Bishop Hagemoen further addressed details of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA), which has recently been the focus of media coverage raising questions about the efforts of Catholic entities who were party to the agreement.
Read the bishop’s messages:
Catholic TRC Healing Response
In his message about the fund-raising already underway through the Catholic TRC Healing Response, Bishop Hagemoen further committed to “fully participate in this collective project.”
“Our diocese has already launched this appeal through the leadership and of the Diocese of Saskatoon Catholic Foundation,” wrote Hagemoen, pointing to the website established for online giving: LINK.
Priorities for the allocation of funds to be raised in support of residential school supporters and their communities are: healing and reconciliation, cemeteries on the sites of former residential schools, and education and cultural support.
“Funds would be allocated to local and national initiatives responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action involving a financial commitment, as guided by Indigenous representatives of communities and organizations here in Saskatchewan,” wrote Hagemoen, citing several of the Calls to Action (#61, #73-76; #82).
“Efforts are now being made to gather such representatives to form an oversight circle and board to discern, allocate, and distribute funds as we are able to gather them,” he said.
“We commit to work hard and contribute to maximize our efforts and contribution to this collective national effort of our Catholic dioceses and eparchies across Canada.”
Catholic participation in the IRSSA
In a second letter to the diocese Oct. 12, Bishop Hagemoen addressed “the recent scrutiny of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) and the participation and contribution of the Catholic church entities through the Corporation of Catholic Entities Party to the Indian Residential School Settlement process (CCEPIRSS).”
“I have heard from many people sharing their strong concerns regarding the suffering experienced in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools, the role of Catholic communities and dioceses in this system, and the obligations of these entities under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA),” noted Hagemoen.
As part of the IRSSA, Catholic entities agreed to support a range of programs that would advance healing and reconciliation, guided by the advice and contributions of Indigneous leaders, including cash payment contributions ($29 million), in-kind services ($25 million), and a national ‘best efforts’ fundraising campaign, which fell short of its $25-million goal.
Background provided by the bishop included the history of how many different Catholic “entities” – including religious orders and some dioceses – were employed by the Government of Canada to staff and run the various residential schools set up across Canada from about the 1880s until the last schools were closed in the late 1900s. Of the 139 residential schools identified in the IRSSA, 64 schools (46 per cent) were operated by Catholic entities, with 16 out of 70 Catholic dioceses in Canada associated with the former residential schools, in addition to about three dozen Catholic religious communities.
“All these groups needed to come together to work with the Government of Canada to carry out and fulfill the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA),” noted Hagemoen “At the request of the federal government, the Corporation of Catholic Entities Party to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement (CCEPIRSS) – a corporate entity – was temporarily established to coordinate the delivery of these initiatives.”
The 50 Catholic entities party to the IRSSA, amongst other things, committed to contribute to finance services and programs to Indigenous survivors, families, and communities, with three elements in the agreement:
1. Payment of $29 million in cash, comprised of $22 million in cash and about $8 million already paid out in compensation for cases resolved prior to the signing of the agreement. These monies were directed to programs and services to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and after its dissolution, to the Legacy of Hope Foundation (80 per cent) and “Returning to Spirit” residential school healing program (20 per cent).
2. A “services-in-kind” commitment, whereby various community services and programs worth more than $25 million were organized by the various Catholic entities to be provided for Indigenous communities. In order to ensure these projects meaningfully contributed to healing and reconciliation, a First Nation band council, Métis Settlement, Friendship Centre, or other similar Indigenous body was required to identify the project as “valuable” for it to be considered part of the agreement.
“I cannot speak to every program that was approved by the committee, but I understand that these efforts were taken based on constructive collaboration with Indigenous leaders, Elders, and knowledge keepers and with oversight by the federal government,” said Hagemoen. “I also highlight that these ‘in-kind services’ were asked for from Catholic entities, which would provide such services given their own identity, mission, and service provision.”
In relation to “in kind” services offered by Catholic entities being faith-based, Bishop Hagemoen also offered his own experience of hearing from Indigneous Elders and leaders in the dioceses of western Canada where he has served. “When asked, ‘What do you want from the Church?’… the response was an overwhelming call for more commitment of clergy in their communities, and greater help with delivering church programs for their Indigenous families and community,” said Hagemoen. “Many Indigenous groups seek in-kind services from Catholic groups because these services are faith-based.”
3. A final $25-million “best efforts” fundraising appeal that was titled “Moving Forward Together.” This appeal included a commitment of just over $2 million by CCEPIRSS for the services of the fundraising company engaged to facilitate the campaign. This campaign was to also involve not only the 50 entities, but an invitation was extended to all dioceses in Canada to participate. Bishop Hagemoen said that this campaign included “outreach to major donors, regional committees tasked with engaging local businesses, and pew collections across the country. However, I share in the widespread disappointment that it did not yield the results it had hoped to achieve.”
A court decision in 2015 released the Catholic entities from further efforts – a decision which has come under media scrutiny in the aftermath of reporting about unmarked graves on former residential school sites in the summer of 2021.
“Recent events have helped to raise the consciousness of Canadians in a way that was not present several years ago. I am hearing from many people in this diocese that we as Catholics and Canadians are now better informed and want and need to do better to respond and support healing and reconciliation. I am also hearing from some Catholics that they regret not engaging more deeply in the fundraising campaign several years ago,” reported Hagemoen in his Oct. 12 message to the diocese.
“We are hearing now that we cannot have ‘reconciliation’ without ‘truth’ – and this message is resonating with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples across cultural and religious boundaries.”
Hagemoen added: “I am personally committed to working with Indigenous survivors and their communities to provide any available information that may assist in the memorialization of those buried in unmarked graves. I am also committed to raising funds in support of reconciliation and healing for residential school survivors, their families and communities, and to continuing our efforts as a diocese to further reconciliation in our community.”
Media coverage
At the same time, Bishop Hagemoen also expressed concerns about recent media coverage that “gives partial information and impedes relationship.
As an example, he pointed to how “the role and contribution of Indigenous groups in the (IRSSA) agreement and process is greatly down-played.”
“I also acknowledge the disappointment by many of you regarding the division created by incomplete information and its interpretation,” said Hagemoen in his message to the diocese. “We are all on this journey together! Our efforts and responsibilities – as individuals and as organizations and communities – continues to bring clarity and truth as we achieve healing and eventual reconciliation. I pledge my support and leadership of our Catholic community to work with all our Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues to provide as complete a picture of past and renewed future efforts.”
Renewed commitment from Canada’s bishops
Hagemoen also pointed to a renewed commitment by Catholic bishops across Canada. “Catholic dioceses throughout Canada have taken many important lessons from past efforts, from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the TRC Calls to Action. In a message to Indigenous peoples of this land on Sept. 24, Canada’s bishops together unanimously expressed our profound remorse and issued an unequivocal apology for the Catholic Church in Canada’s role in the residential school system.”.
He added: “I join with my brother Canadian Catholic bishops in our recent collective national financial commitment, and I will work hard to see that we are successful in contributing to delivering important contributions to programs and initiatives for Indigenous communities and residential school survivors. With a target of $30 million over up to five years, this national effort will include initiatives in every region of the country that will be determined in consultation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in each region.”
He added: “I also join my voice with the Catholic bishops of Canada in supporting the circulation of court records to better understand issues and guide our future efforts, and to confirm the handling of legal fees. Although some individual bishops would have been involved with CCEPRISS if they represented a diocese that historically ran a residential school, the majority of Catholic bishops throughout Canada are not familiar with information on settlement discussions. CCEPIRSS carried out its work and agreement directly with the federal government, and all documents and records were entrusted for oversight and archiving by a legal steward – as per the settlement agreement. It is our understanding that Catholic entities party to the IRSSA honoured their settlement obligations.”
Ongoing discussions around the legacy of residential schools also bring opportunities for deepening relationships and moving forward, Hagemoen noted.
“As we work with diocesan and Indigenous partners across the country on local initiatives, we have an opportunity to not only provide support to deserving local programs, but to engage, educate, and inspire Catholics and members of the general public on ways everyone can play a meaningful role in the healing journey. In the weeks and months ahead, Canada’s Catholic bishops will continue to provide updates on this work, as part of a long path towards healing and reconciliation,” said Hagmoen.
He concluded the message to the diocese about the IRSSA with a copy of the Sept. 24 apology by the Canadian Catholic bishops.
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