Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader Ministry Education – Start of Course 3 – Contemporary effects of colonization

* An opportunity for learning, growing and building relationships –  The Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader Ministry Education is a continuing education program for Catholic Indigenous and non-Indigenous clergy and lay ministers, educators and parishioners, led by teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous instructors, modelling respectful and reconciling relationships. The program is jointly sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, St. Thomas More College and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.

The Indigenous Ministry Education courses reflect the following:

• An overview of the features of Indigenous peoples in western Canada, with specific recurrence to the Saskatchewan context.
• An overview of the history and features of contact and relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples with specific reference to the Roman Catholic Church experience.
• Creation of a dialogue between Indigenous and Christian world views.
• Insight into the history that has shaped the complex nature of the relationships in the present day.
• Time for mutual sharing and hope for a respectful and harmonious future as children of God.

Why take the program?

• To participate in a concerted effort to answer the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action.
• To learn about the history of the interaction between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples including the impact of Roman Catholic missionaries on Indigenous communities.
• To discuss areas of culture convergence/divergence.
• To further Catholic social and moral teachings.
• To support the building of right relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Catholics in Western Canada.

Program details:

Participants completing all four courses will earn an Indigenous Pastoral & Lay Leader Ministry Certificate. The program sessions for each of the four courses will be offered online only from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (SK time) on Tuesday afternoons. Participants will receive log-in information before the first session. Each course is 18 hours including out-of-class time commitment to additional reading and course work. The fee is $200 for each course. Registration is limited to 30 participants.

The schedule for the four courses:

• Course 1 (Introduction to First Nations Studies) – Sept. 20 to Nov. 15, 2022;
• Course 2 (Indigenous-Settler Relationship) – Jan. 10 to March 7, 2023;
• Course 3 (Introduction to Contemporary Effects of Colonization) – March 28 to May 23, 2023;
• Course 4 (Introduction to Reconciliation: The Church and Indigenous Peoples) – Sept. 26 to Nov. 21, 2023.

REGISTRATION: Register and/or find reflections from previous program participants at https://rcdos.ca/ministries-services/indigenous-ministry-2/indigenous-ministry-education/ or for more information please contact: programs@rcdos.ca or telephone 306-659- 5831.