‘It’s the same great spirit’

*The following is an opinion piece I wrote for the Winnipeg Free Press after attending the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha in Rome last weekend. Read the original article text here. VATICAN CITY -- "Sainte Kateri, Protectrice du Canada et premiere Sainte Amerindienne..." Those words from Pope Benedict XVI were ones Chief Wilton Littlechild travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to hear. Despite the 26 C heat, he watched from the crowd in St. Peters Square wearing a traditional war bonnet, resplendent with beadwork, tanned hide and eagle feathers. "It's unbelievable, just amazing" he said...

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Missing & Murdered Relatives

Here's a video of the 11 year old girl wondering about her mom, who is missing and presumed murdered. Watching this video I was struck by Vernon Mann. The scene where he walks with his daughter made me empathize with him big time. As one father to another. As a fellow brother who has children with an Aboriginal mother. What a difficult position to be in. I pray for them. We have to do better. These are our relatives.Here's the video focusing on Vernon:

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