Uncharted Thoughts.

According to online sources, since May 2021, there have been between 33 – 100 attacks on Catholic churches throughout Canada. The majority of these attacks are preformed by arson; fire bombs thrown by extremists in the dead of night that char the interior and cause devastating damage, making some of the historic buildings unusable following the attacks. Those not scarred by flames are inflicted by graffiti, paint bombs, theft and vandalism.

Some of these historic churches have been a place of worship for well over one hundred years. For example St Bernard’s church in Grouard, Alberta was 121 years old before its untimely demise. The Archbishop Gerard Pettipas reported how he was saddened by the attack but ‘not overcome’ by its loss. He recalls how this church was a place of frequent masses, baptisms, funerals, confirmations and confessions.

Why then, is there such a surge in anti-Catholic attacks across Canada? Well, according to my online research it is a backlash from a ill-informed group of extremists that were coxed into believing a false narrative from a political ideology. Lets explore this together…

Although there is a considerable amount of misinformation when regarding the treatment of the indigenous people of North America, one thing is for certain. In establishments across Canada (and the United States) children were forced into ‘residential schools’, where mistreatment of the most horrifying nature was bestowed to them on a daily basis.

Missionaries from Western European backgrounds swept over Canada like a dark cloud in the 16th, 17th and 18th century. Their intentions? To bring, so called ‘civilisation’ to the new world by injecting Eurocentric ideologies such as Catholicism and manual labour into the ‘savagery’ of the indigenous peoples. From 1880 onwards these missionaries somewhat resembled schools. Children were taken from their tribal backgrounds transported far from anyone they knew and recognise and placed into ‘residential schooling’ and by 1920, under the Indian act, it became mandatory for children to attend these schools.

These ‘schools’ were formed by the Canadian government in an attempt to destroy the culture of the indigenous peoples. This was done by isolating the subjects, forcing them into a strict routine that allows no form of individuality or leisure time (time to think) and preach Catholic beliefs into their every waking moment in an attempt to brain wash them into a more, westernised thinking. This, while always under the pressure of harsh and often inhumane punishments to those that spoke their native language, or practiced any indigenous spirituality was a recipe for cultural genocide. Much like the Chinese are conducting in camps across Xinjiang against the Uyghurs today.

According to The Canadian Encyclopaedia a day in the life of a residential school consisted of;

‘School days began early, usually with a bell that summoned students to dress and attend chapel or mass. Students then performed chores (usually referred to as “fatigue” duty) before breakfast. Breakfast, like all meals, was spartan, and eaten quickly in a refectory or dining hall. This was followed by three hours of classes or a period of work before breaking for lunch. The afternoon schedule followed a similar pattern, including either classes or work, followed by more chores before supper. Time was also set aside for recreation, usually in the afternoon or evening. Some schools had small libraries, while many schools offered organized sports as well as musical instruction, including choirs and brass bands. The evening closed with prayer, and bedtime was early. It was a highly regimented system’.

Often boy were taught manual labour trades, such as carpentry and farming, as an attempt to make them useful in the white mans new world. While girls were separated and primed for more domestic affairs such as, laundry, sewing, cooking and cleaning. In the hopes to make them wives to a picket fence family one day.

If the destruction of a culture isn’t enough to be condemning these school, then the stories of abuse will be. Where there are vulnerable children, there will always be those that seek to exploit them and these depraved school were no different.

Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse are reported to be a common appearance within the residential schooling system. Some students were chain to their beds as a punishment, others were beaten, there are cases that suggest that if a child was to speak in a native tongue they were to have it injected or prodded with needles. Some of the staff were sexual predators and abused the children on regular occasions, access to the children’s sleeping quarters had no security and teachers, and strangers could go as they pleased.

This, as well as overcrowding, underfunding, and lack of care for what came of these children by the state created a hazardous environment that ended up killing a considerable about of the ‘students’.

In 2021, it was reported by indigenous people that the graves of hundreds of indigenous children were found by using ground penetrating radar systems on the surrounding area of a residential school. The news shocked Canada, and to some extent the world. Headlines by The New York Times read ‘Horrible History’: Mass graves of indigenous children reported in Canada’. The Economist’s headline reported how ‘More graves are found at Canadian schools for the indigenous’ after more radar scans took place across old residential grounds. The Guardian ‘Canada: remains of 215 children found at Indigenous residential school site’.

Indigenous activists roared with anger, I myself remember talking to LaNada Warjack about the subject while attending the 52nd occupation of Alcatraz ceremonies. It was devastating news. Protests occurred across the country and demonstrations of indigenous unity graced news-papers with photographs of peaceful protest. The documentation of abuse from these schools were abundant, those that lived through them were still alive today and extensive work had been done collecting their testimonies. However, with this new discovery, the indigenous population smelt opportunity.

This, grim, horrifying news was perhaps a weight lifted from the shoulders of some indigenous peoples. That there was proof of their conjoined suffering. That the world was now exposed to the barbarity of the residential schools. However, it backfired.

While extremists looted, burnt, vandalised and decimated the holy sights of Christians across Canada. The facts began to roll in from investigators.

The mass graves, were not real.

There is no dispute that the school were barbaric, it is in the nature of the education system for them to be barbaric, but that’s a blog for another time. However, there were, or are, yet to be any discovery of a mass grave site on any of these residential school grounds. The schools were designed to “Kill the Indian, and save man”. This was not a justification for literally killing Indians, rather to kill their culture, history and language. The schools were no doubt a form of ‘Cultural Genocide’ but there is yet to be any evidence of ‘mass graves’.

TB, dysentery and all manor of diseases were labelled as a common causes of deaths within the facilities. Although the number is hotly disputed, the current figure vouched for by the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) stands at 3200 confirmed death. However, there are many who believe that the number is much higher. Evidence is still being gathered today into the whereabouts of many missing children following their attendance at these residential schools, but, in 2021 it has yet to be found on residential grounds.

These attacks on churches across Canada, were attacks on Catholicism. A religion held by over a billion people across the world. It is strange, the articulation of some of the headlines that report on the arson attacks. Although all condemn the act, there is no mention of terrorism, or anti-Catholic prejudice. Many commenters on the News headlines voice their disapproval, stating how “If it was any other house of worship there would be a huge investigation”. One commenter wrote “Imagine the outcry if it were synagogues or mosques?”.

This act of vandalism has perhaps not only ushered in a awareness of fake news, the dangers of misinformation, but also highlighted the agenda of news outlets.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools