Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader Ministry Program - NEW COURSE starts Sept. 24, 2024 - REGISTRATION

Video: program overview and insights

This video was made possible thanks to a Pastoral Study Grant from the Louisville Institute.

New series of courses started in 2024

The next course –  “Introduction to Inuit Studies” – will be offered online, 4:15 pm to 5:30 pm (SK time) on Tuesdays, Sept. 24 to Nov. 19, 2024. REGISTRATION LINK

IPL is led by teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous instructors, modelling respectful and reconciling relationships.

No prerequisite is required. Each course is 18 hours including out-of-class time commitment to additional reading and course work. The fee is $200 for each course.

Funding assistance and bursaries may be available for both clergy and laity – diocesan residents can apply for support through the diocesan Education of Laity Fund: LINK. (Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools may have funding assistance for teachers, please check with the school division.)

Reflections from Participants - Click here to browse!

About the Indigenous Pastoral & Lay Leader program:

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, St. Thomas More College, and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools jointly launched Indigenous Pastoral & Lay Leader Ministry Education, a continuing education program for Catholic Indigenous and non-Indigenous clergy, lay ministers, educators and leaders, which is led by teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous instructors, modelling respectful and reconciling relationships.

The Indigenous Pastoral & Lay Leader Ministry Education Program includes:

  • An overview of the features of Indigenous peoples in western Canada, with specific reference 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.
  • Provide mutual sharing and hope for a respectful and harmonious future as children of God, who together seek beauty and good of all.

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.

Who should take this program?

  • Clergy
  • Lay ecclesial ministers
  • Catechists
  • Catholic school teachers
  • Youth
  • Family ministry leaders

Schedule and Registration:

The first four-course series has been offered twice, and included:

  • Introduction to First Nations Studies
  • Indigenous-Settler Relationship
  • Introduction to Contemporary Effects of Colonization
  • Introduction to Reconciliation: The Church and Indigenous Peoples

The second series begins in January 2024, and includes:

NOTE:  If participants complete all 8 courses, they earn a Diploma. (Diplomas, an increasingly popular option amongst post-undergraduate professionals, provide more in-depth knowledge of a field of study and are of longer duration than certificates).

The program sessions for each of the courses will be offered online only, with sessions offered 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.

Funding assistance and bursaries may be available for both clergy and laity – diocesan residents can apply for support through the diocesan Education of Laity Fund: LINK. (Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools may have funding assistance for teachers, please check with the school division.)

For further information, please contact programs@rcdos.ca

Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader Ministry Education Program graduates and leaders: Cohort Two certificates were presented at an in-person conference day held Dec. 2, 2023 in Saskaoton. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Second Cohort of IPL Program Presented with Certificates Dec. 2, 2023 – LINK

First Group Completes IPL Certificate Program in November 2021 – LINK

 

Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader (IPL) continuing education program graduates, leaders and fadilitators gathered in November 2021 to mark the presentation of certificates to the first group of graduates. (Catholic Saskatoon News photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski)

Image: Icon of the Sacred Heart 2017 in collaboration with Romeo Crow Chief of Siksika First Nation, written by Andre J. Prevost.