Canadian Mennonite
Volume 9, No. 07
April 4, 2005
“Hands Together”
Attiwapiskat, Ont.
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Walk with me hand-in-hand up the bell tower at St. Francis Xavier parish in the Cree community of Attawapiskat on the shores of James Bay. Our host is Father Vezina, priest and friend to many. As part of an MCC Ontario experiential cross-cultural learning experience called “Hands Together,” we are guests of Father Vezina and the community he serves.
A little out of breath as we climb the final ladder into the sunlight, we are given a new perspective on the beauty that surrounds us. In front of the church lies the frozen “ice road”—the Attawapiskat River—laid out like a carpet welcoming us to this isolated town of 1,700 members. Turn around and you see such identifiable landmarks as the store, hospital, homes and schools.
Despite its small size, Attawapiskat First Nation does not have just one school, but a series of disconnected portables each housing an individual class. As one of a group of 11 Mennonites who travelled north by van, train and the ice road, I wonder how the teachers and students struggle to create some sense of community when they are isolated from each other. How are the more than 200 children and youths to be cradled and carried into adulthood with the educational tools they need to further their education? Why are there different standards for different communities?
How are we—as Canadians, northerners and Christians—to reconcile the beauty we see from the church tower with the struggles that continue to be faced on the ground, struggles that we can’t even hear from up here?
We confess, God, that our world has not changed and we ask forgiveness when we are blinded by our own agendas and pious attitudes. Open our eyes to the realities of our world and open our hearts to the life-giving Spirit of Christ. Amen.