Dear Bishops of Canada,
Recently, a radical left-wing politician in Canada put forth a Private Members’ Bill seeking to criminalize “Residential School denialism.” According to the politician, the government of Canada system of boarding schools for Native children that was largely facilitated by the Catholic Church in Canada committed “genocide.” As a result, this person believes that any Canadian who “denies” the “genocide” should be criminally charged. Leaving aside the fact that Private Members’ Bills rarely ever make it past the first reading, this is still a cause for alarm and reflection, and I believe the bishops of Canada must take this as a “wake up call.”
Before I continue, please know that it is not my intention to offend or disrespect the offices that you all hold, which are apostolic. That being said, there are some harsh truths that should be considered, and I cannot mince words when the truth is at stake.
We all lived through that awful summer of 2021, when dozens of Catholic parishes were either burned to the ground or damaged severely by malcontents and activists who hate the Church. Of course, these acts of bigotry and violence were spurred on by the bogus claims that Catholic schools had murdered thousands of unnamed Native children and thrown them into “mass graves.” At this point, anyone with even half of their wits about them knows that the whole mass grave hoax was just that, a hoax. Nevertheless, the public was more than willing to accept the narrative without even giving it a second thought because they have been indoctrinated with the myriad lies that plague the Church in our once great nation and abroad.
Virtually all Catholics and non-Catholics in Canada have accepted a “black legend” of sorts about our beloved Church and seem to believe that the Catholic Church is an archaic organization with a very dark past. This is, of course, a lie.
You are all in charge of Catholic education in Canada. As a former Catholic school teacher, I can tell you that Catholic schools are not immune from this lie, and I would argue that Catholic educators are often the worst offenders in this regard.
In any event, what makes this whole saga so tragic goes beyond denial of the fact that there were no mass graves and that there was no genocide. Many Canadians are willing to accept the fact that what was reported was false, as is evidenced by the growing awareness of this fact in much of the mainstream press. However, the public must know that not only were there no veritable concentration camps run by nuns and priests, but the schools run by the Church were exceptional.
The nuns and priests who braved the harshest climates of Canada during the early years of development were not maniacal murderers who sought to abuse children. On the contrary, they were the spiritual sons and daughters of the great missionaries who watered the soil of our country with their blood.
They followed the lead of the great martyrs Brébeuf, Jogues, and their companions. When these great men arrived on our shores, they found a civilization—if we can call it that—groping around in the dark of a diabolical paganism. Reading their journals, one is shocked with horror at what they report: mass starvation was rampant, children were so malnourished that they routinely suffered from physical and mental disabilities; there was nothing resembling true marriage and women were often treated no better than whores and objects; in some cases, if sled dogs were injured or died, women would pull the sleds and be whipped by their masters if they did so poorly; cannibalism was not uncommon; and they enjoyed no written language.
Our great martyrs did not flee from this challenge. On the contrary, they embraced their own deaths—the most gruesome deaths imaginable—if only they could save one soul. In fact, Brébeuf loved the people of our country so much that when he was summoned home the first time, he is recorded as saying that he was not worthy to stay in Canada because of his sins. Can you fathom such a deep love of souls such as his? If we were all to do an examination of conscience and compare it to Brébeuf’s, doubtless we would seem like Satan incarnate when compared to him. Nonetheless, he saw his first exit from this land filled with iniquity and savagery as a punishment.
Could any of us even dare to stand in the same room with a man such as him and do anything but weep at our frailty and unworthiness to breathe the same air?
Your Excellencies, you are all the heirs of his great sacrifice.
It is said that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants. Well, in the case of Brébeuf, it is said that he was such an imposing man that he would carry two canoes while portaging long distances across Huronia. To say that you stand on the shoulders of giants is a literal truth. And, this mountain of a man stood on the Holy Shoulders of Christ, the same Sacred Shoulders that bore the Cross that is the instrument of our salvation.
Respectfully, what have you done to honour this great man? Have you stood boldly in the public square and told the truth without compromise or concern for political correctness? Have you led the Catholic school systems that you rightfully oversee into the truth?
I believe you all know the answer to these questions.
