A Day of Reconcili-action and Friendship

On March 14, the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London provided a superb program to foster understanding and friendship with the three indigenous nations close to London.  Those fortunate to obtain a place met at the office of the London Roman Catholic School Board Office at 8:00 a.m.  After a short introduction, we formed a large circle on the adjacent lawn. Elder and Knowledge keeper Ray John from the Oneida Nation provided a teaching before leading us in the smudge which officially opened the day’s program. This ceremony comprised a prayer to the Creator, a means for cleansing our minds, and for uniting us in carrying out the activities of this Day of Reconciliation.

We returned to the building for breakfast before boarding the bus which took us to the three reserves near London: Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Munsee-Delaware First Nation, and Oneida First Nation.  Tyler Wadilove from Munsee Delaware First Nation became our guide during our tour of the three reserves. At our first stop, the Mount Elgin Residential School Monument.  Mr. Wadilove described the life of students at this industrial school, e.g., working twelve-hour days.  The monument was comprised of seven pillars arranged in a circle. The external surface of each pillar depicted one of the seven characteristics of a wise person.  The internal face of the pillars listed the names of people who had attended the residential school.  Here, we listened to some history of residential schools and stories of the suffering of both students and their families.

The three reserves, larger than I had anticipated, provide a welcome experience of land free from the noise and density of roads, buildings and traffic.  The Oneida Reserve, largest of the three First Nation reserves, has a population of more than thirty thousand people.  Throughout the three areas, schools, health centres, band offices, and recreational facilities were impressive. We visited the Elk River elementary school, which contained a double gymnasium and several attractive classrooms. Throughout the school amazing art enclosed us in indigenous culture.

Our guide, Tyler Wadilove, spoke of the delayed construction of pipes to bring potable water to the three reservations and the consequences of this situation.

In responding to a question about what we might do to help the three first Nations, Mr. Wadilove suggested that we could advocate to demand that it be corrected. This can be done by writing a letter to your member of Parliament.  Your letter could express appreciation for the work already done to provide potable water to First Nations across Canada. The letter should also urgently request funding to support infrastructure and training for sustainable water treatment facilities to Chippewas of Thames First nation, Munsee-Delaware First Nation, and Oneida Nation of the Thames. Bottled water provided as a short-term solution has become unsustainable.

Our bus transported us back to the school board office where we enjoyed a lunch that included a traditional soup and Bannock. The afternoon program provided excellent presentations by Anishinaabe and Mi’kmaq knowledge keepers. The program concluded with teaching about the history and nature of round dances.  Following some instructions, we engaged in a round dance, our last activity of the day. 

The “Day of Reconciliaction and Friendship” was an experience well worth attending, and I hope that the Truth and Reconciliation Committee will offer it again.

-Sister Pat McKeon, csj

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Violence Against Women and Girls     

November 25 each year proclaims The International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women. For me, it is a sad day as I read about the plethora of startling statistics from around the world documenting the horror of murders, attacks, and suffering of women in diverse countries, including our own. The 2024 United Nations report on this subject estimate that globally 736 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability reported in 2022 that 184 women and girls in Canada were violently killed, primarily by men. One woman or girl is killed every 48 Hours. An average of 102 women and girls were victims of gender-related homicide per year in Canada. In 2009 the Canadian Department of Justice stated that 7.04 billion dollars was spent dealing with the aftermath of spousal violence alone. In countries such as Afghanistan, the freedom of women to study, work, travel, or be protected from violence is non-existent. 

However, public protests, stories, and reports have been effective in reducing sexual violence in Canada. Women’s persistence in reporting sexual abuse in universities and places of work has achieved results.  Complaints about police abusing women are now taken seriously.  Progress has been slow in changing, practices in the Armed Forces to provide justice for women, but there is progress. The “Me Too” movement has encouraged women to speak about abuse and demand justice. Women are more likely to complain of abuse and seek justice without being ignored.

I have observed how women have stopped abuse by changing themselves. Some women have told me how one day they decided that they would no longer tolerate spousal abuse. Their firm declaration of this brought an end to the abuse. A woman who ends an abusive relationship without changing herself is likely to repeat the pattern with a subsequent partner. On one occasion, I asked a client who was in an abusive relationship, how she had taught her first husband that it was all right for him to beat her up.  After a startled reaction, she exclaimed: “I guess I let him get away with it the first time”.  I asked how she stopped the abuse and she replied: “I left him.”  She then began to pay attention to how her failure to listen to what she felt or wanted left her open to the unreasonable demands and abusive treatment by others, including her current partner. Her decision to change brought results. She discontinued allowing herself to be the subject of abuse or the unreasonable demands of friends and relatives.

Women have been indoctrinated to be caregivers and prioritize the needs of others.  We cannot solve the widespread problem of violence against women but we can help women, particularly young women, to respect their own freedom and dignity so that they are less likely to be subject to abusive partners, friends, and relatives.

Today we unite to End Violence against Women. #NoExcuse

-Sister Patricia McKeon, CSJ

Honouring Our Veterans

Image: Quaritsch Photography/@quaritsch| Unsplash

On November 11 each year we remember the men and women who have served in our armed forces.  We honour those who have given their lives to bring about peace in our world. On Remembrance Day, when I watch the ceremonies televised from the National War Memorial in Ottawa, participate in London’s solemn remembrance of our veterans, or listen to radio broadcasts of the stories and soul-stirring songs of World War Two, I am profoundly affected.   The aging veterans of WWII marching in Ottawa, wearing medals and berets, present a powerful image of the human costs of war.  In WWII, Canadian soldiers or their forefathers were likely to have immigrated from the British Isle or France. Canadians were united in fighting for their own country as well as for Britain and France.  WWII was our war fought by our citizens for our Country. 

Today our population is more diverse. Wars in far-off places are perceived as less relevant. Brigadier Romeo Dallaire took command of a lightly armed force of 2,500 troops in Rwanda in 1993.  When the situation worsened Dallaire’s urgent request to the United Nations headquarters in New York for more troops and was turned down. The murder of Rwanda’s president shortly afterwards initiated a war in which the Hutu populations exterminated the Tutsis; 8,000 persons were murdered, and 2,000,000 persons became refugees. Canadian Armed Forces have served as peacekeepers in Rwanda (1993-95), Cyprus (1964- 93), Afghanistan (2001-2014), The Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-2010), Namibia (1989-1990), Mali (2018.2023).  Our military personnel have engaged in battles or assisted other nations by training troops, providing transportation, logistics, and stabilizing emerging countries. 

Today, conflicts in Africa, Afghanistan and the Balkans seem peripheral and less relevant to us. I was told by an officer who fought in Afghanistan that the war there seemed to accomplish nothing; there was little enthusiasm for joining in this venture. Many veterans of these wars have suffered greatly but their stories receive little public recognition. At home Canadian veterans of foreign wars and peacekeeping services do not “fit” in the culture of the Canadian Legion.  Participation in the many branches of this organization throughout Canada has declined significantly.  However, concern for our veterans, pride in their service to Canada, and a desire to honour them still flourish.

Romeo Dallaire’s open stories of his post-traumatic stress have taught us the terrifying price of war for our combatants. In London, Veterans’ Parkway honours our veterans and reminds us of their sacrifices. This year the Invictus Games for veterans wounded in war will take place in February 2025 in Whistler, BC.  These games validate the courage of our veterans, arouse pride, and instill hope. Let us continue to honour and thank our veterans in national and local memorial ceremonies, monuments, and public recognition.  May we work towards peace in all our relationships, and hope for a future that is free of wars.

“God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”. Book of Revelations, 21:4

-Sister Patricia McKeon

Image: Unsplash/Ellie Pourreza @ellieeepr  |

Summer Reading for Lazy Days

Summer Reading for Lazy Days 

Have you decided that you deserve a break this summer from reading intellectual textbooks, reports, and dense papers?  If so, let me recommend an enjoyable series of light mystery stories written by Ashley Weaver.  Murder at Brightwell is the first of a series of seven books.  The protagonists are a wealthy couple who, especially the wife, become interested in solving murders while working through the marital conflicts stemming from their personalities and histories.  The plots are surprisingly complicated and the development, or not, of marital bliss keeps you hoping that the couple will have success both as amateur detectives and marital partners.   

There is another series of three mystery novels by the same author which I found entertaining.  The main character is a young woman whose family consists of persons who are loyal to England but sometimes on the wrong side of the law. However, family members have skills that become valuable to the British Government in England during WWII.  Once again, a mix of patriotism, romance, and unusual skills result in enjoyable hours of entertainment.   

The Ashley Weaver novels are available in public libraries but can also be accessed for reading on your iPad using the readily available APP Libby.  Library staff will facilitate your acquiring and using this APP. I suggest that these books, whether in print or on your IPad are delightful companions when you are lounging at the beach, loafing in the backyard, or awake in the small hours of the night.  

-Sister Pat McKeon , csj

Image: Anna Hamilton/Unsplash

World Press Freedom Day

World Press Freedom Day

The thirty-first annual World Press Freedom Day will be held on May 3.  It is a time to reflect on the quality and adequacy of information about events and situations that impact our lives in Canada.  Consider the role of journalists and news organizations in obtaining information, obstacles that impede the publication of information that impacts the well-being and freedom of people, the health of our environment, and the administration of justice. World Press Freedom Day is also a time to consider the responsibility of each of us in advocating and protecting freedom of the press.

In south-western Ontario communities our news reporters, radio and television stations generally, in my opinion, function quite well.  For example, in London, Mayor Josh Morgan is available weekly on the radio to provide information about local government and respond to citizens who phone in with questions.  Newspapers report information about the administration of justice, safety, environmental, and social issues,  Local radio explores current problems such as public transportation or traffic safety.  Citizens have opportunities to raise concerns through letters to the editor or phone calls to a radio station.

Provincially, information about the public good is less available.  Questions arise about private healthcare facilities unjustly charging patients for services, the sale of public land reserved for green spaces, particular developers being favoured, or the construction of highways that many consider unnecessary.  At the federal level, news organizations and journalists protected by legislation continue to demand answers about matters pertinent to the public good.  Yet the government often fails to respond in a timely or adequate manner.  Long-promised revisions of the Access to Information Act languish.  We are fortunate to have journalists who will investigate questionable situations, and report possible abuses. Public pressure and the persistence of journalists uncover actions that the government attempts to keep secret, such as the interference of foreign governments in elections, and the sale of scientific information and products to China.

Attempts to prevent or block disclosure of information occur for various reasons. Information about safety concerns may result in fines, lawsuits, loss of reputation, votes, business, or jobs.  Competent women are sometimes targeted because they are successful in roles traditionally filled by men such as politicians, police,  airplane pilots, or CEOs. In Ontario, there have been several incidents of local female members of city or town councils being targeted by verbal or physical harm. This discourages women from participating in politics.  Corruption in political leaders may lead to scandal, theft of public funds, or defeat in elections. 

Each of us can help to preserve freedom of information.  One way to do this may be by writing a letter to your local city council or member of parliament about a public concern.  Respectful complaints or inquiries about concerns encourage the provision of civil answers.  Prompt and truthful responses would facilitate trust.  Acknowledging errors, failures, and wrongdoing along with what corrective action is being taken is far more acceptable than denial and procrastination.

Democracy cannot survive without freedom of the Press and protecting this freedom is the responsibility of each one of us. On this World Press Freedom Day, may all of us consider ways in which we can support freedom of the press.

-Sister Patricia McKeon

Images: Patrick Fore, Thomas Charters/Unsplash