St. Regis Mission Church
Pictured are the two indigenous pilgrimage groups sponsored by the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall who went to Quebec City for the Papal visit of Pope Francis last week. One group represented 36 Indigenous Catholics and residential school survivors from the Ottawa area and the second group represented 33 Akwesasronon St. Regis Mission parishioners.
We wish a very grateful and heart felt thank you to Archbishop Marcel Damphouse for sponsoring our Akwesasronon pilgrims for the Papal visit which included the costs for hotel, buses, food, meal expenses, tickets to the venues and everything else associated with the pilgrimage.
A heartfelt thank you also to Father Geoffrey Kerslake, Ted Hurley, Donna Naughton, Christian Veselovsky, Genevieve Bonin-Labelle and Dr. RJ Dolly McDonald for the many weeks of planning, emails, Zoom meetings and conference calls that were required to organize our historical pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage was an amazing success and healing experience for all of us. It was wonderful to see Pope Francis in person, to hear his heartfelt apology for the horrors of the residential schools and to build new relationships between the St. Regis Mission and the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. GOD BLESS everyone who attended the pilgrimage and who assisted in so many ways with the logistics along the way.
The Pope’s journey to Canada is scheduled to take place from July 24 -30, 2022. He will visit the cities of Edmonton, Québec and Iqaluit. “Dear brothers and sisters of Canada, as you know, I will come among you especially in the name of Jesus to meet and embrace the indigenous peoples”. “Now I am about to make a penitential pilgrimage, which I hope, with God's grace, will contribute to the journey of healing and reconciliation already undertaken.” The Pope is scheduled to deliver nine homilies and addresses and say two masses during his stay in Canada.. On July 28th, Pope Francis will be at Ste. Anne de Beaupré to celebrate Mass at the Ste. Anne de Beaupré Basilica with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and others.
The Archdiocese of Ottawa is sponsoring two buses to attend the papal mass. One bus will be leaving from Ottawa and the other from Cornwall. Forty-three Akwesasronon will be participating in the pilgrimage. The bus from Cornwall will be departing at 8:00 AM from the St. Columban Church parking lot for Quebec City. There will be a lunch stop at noon with the bus from Ottawa and Cornwall meeting together for a bag lunch (provided). Arrival in Quebec City will be 2:00pm. There will be ceremonies on the Plains of Abraham site in Quebec City from 3:30pm to 5pm. Supper will be on our own. The cost of the bus, driver, lunch and dinner, as well as overnight accommodation will be covered by the Archdiocese of Ottawa. We thank the Archdiocese for their generosity and support to the St. Regis Mission at this important time in church history.
Buses will leave the hotel at 6:00 AM July 28th for the Papal Mass at St. Anne de Beaupre. Indian Residential School survivors will have priority for seating in the Basilica, all others will be outside the Basilica. Departure for Cornwall will be 4:30pm and arrival back at St. Columban Church at 10:00 pm. For more information please contact RJ Dolly McDonald, Communications and Liaison at rosealmamcdonald@gmail.com.
