Moon Landrieu, Mayor of the City of New Orleans for most of the 1970s, died earlier this month at the age of 92. Remembered by many as a political “game changer,” Landrieu was an advocate for racial integration and equity throughout his political life. When asked about his commitment to racial justice, Landrieu’s daughter, former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, stated, “He told us where he got it – from the Jesuits and their call for social justice and equity.” Mayor Landrieu was a graduate of Jesuit High School and Loyola University, both in New Orleans.
This past June, the Provincials of Canada and the United States approved the JSN’s new Strategic Plan, which includes six initiatives that will help our network achieve the goals set forth in the plan. Among those initiatives approved by the Provincials, “the promotion of justice,” is rooted deeply in the Jesuits’ longstanding commitment to the call for social justice, reflected in the well-known statement from the 32nd General Congregation: “The mission of the Society of Jesus today is the service of faith, of which the promotion of justice is an absolute requirement.”
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While this statement from GC 32 is well-known, the sentence that concludes the paragraph in which it is contained offers an even finer focus for developing JSN’s strategic efforts: “For reconciliation with God demands the reconciliation of people with one another.” For a number of years, the Jesuits of Canada have been engaged in a process of truth and reconciliation with indigenous communities, particularly in their involvement in indigenous boarding schools. Recently, the Jesuits of the United States joined their Canadian brothers and colleagues. In response, many JSN schools across our network have been implementing reflective programs and cultural experiences that support these important efforts. With the new JSN Strategic Plan, we now recommit ourselves to this effort by developing and then offering resources and programs that support and promote broader truth and reconciliation efforts. |
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Hemispheres – the JSN journal that promotes global mindfulness and a commitment to justice – is an effective tool for achieving those goals included in this important initiative. It is one of the areas in which we will be supporting and promoting reconciling efforts. This edition of Hemispheres is an example of that commitment. Ultimately, we at JSN hope to inspire young people – some of whom may one day lead a major Canadian or American city such as New Orleans – to embrace the ministry of reconciliation and justice, which Saint Paul reminds us, “is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5: 18)
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Truth and Healing at Red Cloud
Red Cloud Indian School is a former Indian boarding school founded by the Jesuits. To confront this history, we began a formal Truth and Healing Process in 2019 which you can read more about here. While this history may seem to be unique to Red Cloud, every Jesuit high school has a racial history. For instance, every Jesuit high school currently stands on land that once belonged to Native Americans. Many Jesuit high schools were once segregated institutions that served only white people. Furthermore, Pope Francis' trip to Canada underscored that all Catholics are deeply connected to issues of racism and colonialism in North America.
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September 30th is an international day of remembrance of the history of Indian boarding schools referred to as Orange Shirt Day. We’ve found this article by Theologian Brett Salkeld very helpful in illuminating the theological issues and orientations to this difficult topic. There are also resources here if you’re interested in talking about Orange Shirt Day in your classes or schools.
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Beyond boarding schools, students could research the land their schools sits on to create a land acknowledgement that publicly names the tribe who once dwelled on the land where the school now sits. |
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Father Sosa, SJ Visits Red Cloud Indian School
Click here or the button below to read about Father Sosa's recent visit to Red Cloud Indian School.
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Orange Shirt Day
As part of Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Loyola High School in Montreal will be helping to raise awareness by wearing orange t-shirts on September 30. Orange Shirt Day is an annual event that seeks to recognize the harm caused to generations of Indigenous Peoples by the residential school system in Canada. The symbolism of the orange shirt is drawn from the experience of Phyllis Webstad, an Indigenous woman who was stripped of all her belongings, including an orange shirt, when forced to enter a residential school in Western Canada.
This year’s orange t-shirt that will be worn by Loyola students and the school community was designed by Thahnhahténhtha Gilbert (pictured), a junior at Loyola. The t-shirts are being produced and manufactured by Karahkwa Designs, an indigenous-owned business in Kahnawake, an Indigenous community on the south shore of Montreal. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these orange t-shirts will be donated to the Karihwanoron Mohawk Immersion School in Kahnawake as part of their efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages and heal some of the wounds caused by the residential school system that sought to strip them of their cultural heritage and dignity.
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Listening to Indigenous Voices
Listening to Indigenous Voices is a self-contained dialogue guide created by the Jesuit Forum for Social Faith and Justice in Toronto under the guidance of an advisory committee consisting of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons.
The guide brings together writings and artwork from a wide variety of Indigenous authors. Over the course of eleven sessions, the guide explores worldviews, cultures, the history of colonization, and pathways to right relationships.
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The guide aims to engage people in themes of justice, reconciliation, and right relationships with Indigenous Peoples by stimulating sharing circles in community groups, high schools, universities, faith communities, and anywhere people can come together for dialogue.
The guide invites us to listen deeply, open ourselves to be transformed, and act to address injustices, heal relationships, and bring about a post-colonial Canada. The resource includes material for use in classrooms.
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Listening to Indigenous Voices was created in collaboration with KAIROS Canada and was published by Novalis in English and French in April of 2021. To date, nearly 7500 copies have been sold or distributed across Canada and facilitators from across the country have been trained in its use.
The guide may be ordered at www.ltiv.ca for $19.95 Canadian dollars. Supplementary online materials may also be accessed at the same address.
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Walking Together in the Spirit of Reconciliation
Mother Teresa Middle School (MTMS) is a Nativity School located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada that serves largely an Indigenous population. Lasting intergenerational trauma from Canada’s Residential School System is a reality for many families whose children attend MTMS. A key to helping change the narrative for MTMS students is recognizing this trauma, understanding the link to their distinct ancestral experience, and working together with Indigenous people and the community to support healing within families and communities. In short, our focus is on telling the truth and walking together in the spirit of reconciliation.
The recent visit by Pope Francis to Canada acknowledges the truth of residential schools and paves a path toward healing and reconciliation set out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report. Fostering relationships with community Elders, storytellers, and local artists who support the School’s collaborative efforts to journey with youth and learn from one another is at the heart of the work we do together at the school. MTMS authentically honours the Educational Calls to Action in the TRC Report, specifically No. 10 and No. 62 – No. 66, related to Education and Youth Programs.
Indigenous traditions, spiritual practices, and teachings are infused into the curriculum and permeate all programming. Students participate in land-based learning, smudging, pipe ceremonies, storytelling, drumming, First Nations dance, beading, Cree language lessons, and learning from traditional knowledge keepers. The Universal Apostolic Preferences serve as guiding pillars when delivering the curriculum through an Indigenous lens, which encourages both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to learn and respect the spirituality, teachings, perspectives, and traditions of others.
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A Culture of Encounter for McQuaid Students
Franciscan Friars founded St. Anne's Mission in 1927 to serve Arizona's Navajo Nation, a sovereign land within the state's borders. This July, twelve rising seniors at McQuaid Jesuit will visit the Mission for ten days, immersing themselves in a new culture as they learn more profoundly how to become men for and with others. The entire experience, from preparation to post-immersion reflection, honors the context of being on a reservation, incorporating the history, culture, and spirituality of the Navajo people in a respectful, educative way. Each workday involves traveling to the home of a Navajo family or individual, and the informal conversation and encounter that follow ensures that participants are naturally immersed in a new culture.
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216. The word “culture” points to something deeply embedded within a people, its most cherished convictions and its way of life. A people’s “culture” is more than an abstract idea. It has to do with their desires, their interests and ultimately the way they live their lives. To speak of a “culture of encounter” means that we, as a people, should be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone. This becomes an aspiration and a style of life. The subject of this culture is the people, not simply one part of society that would pacify the rest with the help of professional and media resources. (Fratelli Tutti, 216)
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How are the Jesuits addressing the history of Native boarding schools?
The Jesuits are committed to examining Native boarding school history. Through recent archival research, we have identified 22 locations across the U.S. where Jesuits ran boarding schools. Part of a wider system of assimilation, boarding schools separated families and suppressed Indigenous cultures, contributing to the intergenerational traumas felt in Tribal communities today. We recognize and apologize for our complicity in this institutional sin.
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From @jesuitschools – One of the keynote speakers at JSN Colloquium 2022 was Joanna Williams, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative, who centered her speech around UAP 2 - WalkingWith the Excluded. Based on her experiences of accompaniment, and those of her team, she invited listeners to join her in recognizing our wrongs and our complicity with injustice and practice a ministry of presence and listening, especially amidst overwhelming suffering that doesn't have clear solutions. From that space of conversion and compassion, Joanna encouraged participants to commit to taking risks to promote creative and lasting hospitality. Check out her full speech here.
We encourage you to share your justice journeys inside and outside of the classroom by using #JSNschools, #JSNglobal, and/or tagging @jesuitschools.
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Global Citizenship
Programs, Events, and Initiatives
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Screen the Caminantes "Walkers" Documentary by JRS Colombia
Directed by Katherin Alfonso, JRS Colombia's Communications Nation Coordinator, this 16-minute documentary tells the story of some of the Venezuelans who have fled their homes to find refuge in Colombia and beyond. Visit JRS/USA's website for a guide to the documentary. The video is available both in English and Spanish for free on YouTube.
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Exploring Truth and Healing Through the Right to Education
This year, Magis Americas’ campaign for the right to education, La Silla Roja, seeks to guide students on a reflection on education as a builder of community, a source of hope, and a means to promote the dignity of the entire human person. The campaign officially launched on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15, 2022.
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The theme for this year’s campaign is Building Community, Building Hope. We seek to explore how vulnerable and marginalized communities experience healing through community. Participate in defending the right to access quality and inclusive education and choose to #BuildCommunityBuildHope on the road to truth and healing. Sign up your school here and get started with our action packet. The packet is also available in Spanish for world language classroom implementation.
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From Our Partners at Educate Magis
Introducing "Get Involved", a new page that will help you learn and explain why, who, and how to get involved in the global community of Educate Magis. Check out the Get Involved page here!
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New Global Project for Students! We would like to invite all teachers from JSN to learn, dream, hope, and pray together with their students for a more just world (UAP #1 “Showing the Way to God”). This is a new global project that focuses on practicing and guiding a contemplative prayer - to pray for the world that Christ desires - in your classroom. Here are some recommended steps to take for the implementation of this project." |
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Lets meet and talk about the major environmental issues that are happening in the different countries! On September 29th, David Chamorro, a teacher from San Ignacio Alonso Valle school in Santiago de Chile, together with the Educate Magis team, will be hosting a Connected Classroom through which students will have the opportunity to meet and talk about the major environmental issues that are happening in the different countries, and to share possible actionable solutions. This is a new format of a Connected Classroom and we encourage you to join today! Watch David’s video invitation here.
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From the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States |
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