Diocesan seminarian Huy Le was part of a young adult group that recently accompanied Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen on an experience of mission, outreach and celebration in Canada’s north.
In addition to service in various places in the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, the trip included participation in a Spiritual Gathering at Deline, NWT, celebrating and recalling the teachings of four Dene prophets, on the site of the house of prophet Ehtseo Louis Ayha (1857-1940).
By Huy Le, Seminarian for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon
Stepping into Deline, Northwest Territories as a guest from the south, I knew I was stepping into a world far removed from the familiar rhythms of my daily life.
Tense and unsure of what to expect, I was quickly eased by the profound hospitality of the local Dene community. And it is here at Deline that I discovered a unique environment where Catholic faith and Dene spirituality are interwoven into a living, breathing tapestry of daily life.
Yet, underneath the warmth of communal meals, and the striking vastness and beauty of the north, there lies profound vulnerability. Deline serves as a microcosm of the deeper struggles facing both the Church and Indigenous cultures in our time.
In my conversations with adults and community leaders, a quiet heartache often emerged. They shared their ongoing struggle to find ways to transmit their traditions to the next generation. Like many parishes and communities across the world, they watch their youth slowly drift from the Church and in some ways, from the community itself.
The intrusion of the Internet has radically shifted the cultural landscape, bringing distant worlds into the palms of young hands while occasionally distancing them from the land beneath their feet. This modern disconnect compounds and further complicates a devastating crisis of addiction.
These realities force a heavy, existential question upon the community: What happens when we lose the connection between faith and culture? And what is the role of the Church in the life of a modern Dene person?
The answers to these questions began to unfold during the Deline Spiritual Gathering held Aug. 13-18 at a site sacred to the people. Driven by a deep desire to see change in their community, this event was organized to honour Dene roots and chart a path forward for healing.
A banner announces the Deline Spiritual Gathering. (Submitted photo)
I was deeply moved by the initiative of the local leaders. Refusing to stay at superficial pleasantries, many courageously named the issues at hand. They spoke openly about the addictions and challenges that are plaguing their community. Furthermore, they did not stop at naming the darkness; they actively sought to bring light to these problems by transmitting the light of their ancestors.
Through the intentional sharing of the Dene language and translation, the joyful energy of traditional Dene games, and the fellowship of communal meals, the leaders fostered an immersive experience of Dene culture.
Drumming, songs and Dene culture are part of the Spiritual Gathering. (Submitted photo)
Guiding the gathering were the enduring teachings of the Four Prophets, the revered spiritual leaders of this area whose teachings continue to anchor the community in faith. Their message of faithfulness to the Creator God echoed through the drum songs and prayers, reminding everyone that the best is yet to come.
The focus of the gathering this year was the next generation. I was blessed to be a part of a gathering circle of young people, where we shared the reality of deadly sins and the call to live the virtuous life in Christ.
Rather than relegating it to a catechism lesson, the gathering becomes sacred ground for young people to stand up and offer honest, raw testimonials about the struggles that they are going through.
To hear young persons speak with great vulnerability about addiction, isolation and their desperate wish to change their lives is a humbling experience for me. I was privileged to witness the young generation courageously naming their journeys of healing and offering rays of hope for their friends. In a way, they are actively immersing themselves in Dene culture, longing for a path to bridge the gap between their ancestors’ wisdom and their current realities.
Seminarian Huy Le (third from left), participates in a gathering with youth at Deline, NWT. (Submitted photo)
My understanding of ministry is transformed through the experience at Deline as well. Often, I found myself having the urge to have immediate answers, to fix problems, or to preach idealistic solutions to complex crises. Yet Deline taught me a different path.
The Spiritual Gathering provides a space to simply start a conversation and rekindle the flame of cultural heritage that had been flickering. More importantly, it revealed what the Church must be in this context: a presence.
The Church and her leaders are called to walk alongside the people in their specific cultural context. It is an opportunity to offer a space for people to begin their healing journeys from their personal trauma by standing in solidarity with them. I witnessed first the sheer power of presence, the grace that flows when the Church is simply there, listening, validating the pain, and celebrating the victories, no matter how small.
Leaving Deline and returning to my discernment of priesthood, I am left with a powerful sense of hope, grafted onto the enduring faith of the Dene people. Amidst the battles of addiction, cultural transmission, and modern challenges; they are proving that faith and culture can sustain another and can enliven the community.
Guided by the wisdom of the Four Prophets and the grace of Christ, I left the north believing in the promise of the best is truly ye
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