Ontario Community Newspapers

"Balancing Faith With Traditions", p. 2

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bilitation centre. Last summer's events at Kanesatake and Kahnawake, Que., were on the minds of many of the del- egates, said Fred Deer of Kahnawake. "Everybody has come up and talked to me about it, and I feel very good about how they feel about it," he said. Deer felt strong support from the grand council meeting which he could take home to the people on his reserve. "A sense of community and a sense of unity among Native peoples in a spiri- tual manner goes a long, long way in a healing process." Peace and a vision for the future were mentioned repeatedly in wor- ship, song and dialogue. The grand council approved a request from a Morley, Alta., group to ask The United Church of Canada to return the local church property to the Stoney Indian Band. History was made as the ANCC approved its first ordination. Evelyne Broadfoot will be ordained Aug. 4 at her home community of Norway House, Man. She will be settled in Saskatchewan; Grafton Antone, ordained in London Conference, will be settled in Ontario. The council honored Rev. Angus Harper of Red Sucker Lake, Man., and Rev. Vernon Grieves of Oxford House, Man., for their work with the ANCC. Rev. David Petrie of Regina was honored for his work in helping develop Plains Presbytery and the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Centre. The councils on healing and shar- ing (equivalent to other Conferences' Divisions of World Outreach, Finance and Mission) asked the grand council to call on the government to hold a public inquiry into abuses in residen- tial schools and provide funding for the healing process "which includes counselling and therapy in Indian communities." The councils want Qtainline churches to take a leadership role, to document stories and provide financial or human resources for com- munities or hurting victims. The two councils _want ANCC to declare 1992 as the year for indige- nous people and reflect on what hap- pened when Columbus discovered America. They also hope to encourage the 1992 General Council to focus on this issue. Deana Driver

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