Growing up in a predominantly first generation Irish and Italian Catholic neighborhood outside of Philadelphia, Christopher Columbus Day was celebrated in my parochial school and the Columbus Day parade was televised on our local TV stations. I loved this holiday that corresponded with my birthday because it meant an extra long weekend! Then I earned a degree in American History and had to plan lessons on pre colonial history for high school students, in other words: I had to pause, learn and tell the truth.Just like I took delight in attending the Knights of Columbus “Beef and Beer” fundraisers each October with my high school friends and celebrated the Columbus Day/ Birthday long weekend, our beloved Episcopal Church exclaims “all are welcome” and celebrates our status as a Church known for its progressive views on racial equality and social justice. But the recent publications on the Episcopal Church’s role in the Indigenous schools in North America give us reason to pause, to learn and to tell the truth.
As we recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on October 11, we are left grappling with how to hold two truths: We love and follow the teachings of Jesus and a Church that is a life giving and liberating home for diverse people AND as Bishop Curry recently stated, “The Episcopal Church was associated with Indigenous schools during the 19th and 20th centuries. We must come to a full understanding of the legacies of these schools…We are grieved by recent discoveries of mass graves of Indigenous children on the grounds of former boarding schools, where Indigenous children experienced forced removal from their homes, assimilation and abuse. These acts of cultural genocide sought to erase these children’s identities as God’s beloved children.”
This October, part of how I am seeking to tell the truth and evolve in my own faith journey is to learn the history of our Church, pray for those living with the generational trauma of this history with Indigenous people and tell the truth to repair the breach. Here are some resources that I used to get get started:
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