Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas:  Archival Issue

November 9, 2023

Dear All,

I wanted to clarify an issue with our archives.  Back in 2014, the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas submitted a copy of all residential school archival files to the NCTR that we knew of.

In June 2021, a member of the Archdiocesan staff found a box of files that contained a few Residential School lists.

We immediately contacted NCTR and met with them in October 2021 where we agreed to have the files digitized and passed on to them, following their required procedures. I thought the files had been passed on to NCTR at that time. We only realized the digitalized files had not been received by them this September and on October 3 we met again with NCTR. NCTR needed a metadata sheet to be created before they could receive the digitalized files. This was finally accomplished by one of the NCTR staff on November 6. We are sorry that it took this long for these last few files. We will continue to work with NCTR.  We are also looking at developing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the NCTR and the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas to access some of our sacramental records or other areas of our archives that could be helpful.

We will continue to work with Bands and families as we work at reconciliation over this painful part of our history.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

With faith, hope and love I remain,

Archbishop Murray Chatlain

Indigenous Peoples

“That We May Walk Together” Series of Pastoral Letters (2023)

On 8 February, 2023, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following four pastoral letters on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.  Intended as a framework for local encouragement with Indigenous Peoples, the letters are the fruit of many months of listening, encounter, and dialogue with them, including through Listening Circles, the Indigenous Delegation to the Vatican in April 2022, and Pope Francis’ Apostolic Voyage to Canada in July of the same year.