We are a unique community where we pray using symbols, music and rituals which are meaningful to our People and to our culture. The interior of our Church is designed to illustrate our journey in faith using our Native and Metis culture.
We use sweetgrass, sage, cedar, tobacco and fungus as well as drums in our liturgy and we sing songs that speak deeply to us. We extend the hand of friendship to all our brothers and sisters worldwide, to share in the hopes and faith of the People of the First Nations and Metis Nation by listening to God’s Word and by breaking bread with us.
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In 1990, the Missionary Oblates officially staffed the Parish with Oblate priests to work with the Native people. In 1993, Archbishop M**** designated ******** Parish “The official Parish for the Catholic First Nations Peoples of ******* and surrounding communities”. Since that time we have a place to call our spiritual home and where we can share our gifts with one another.
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Many nationalities have their own parishes - St. Maria Goretti would be Italian, St. Therese de Lisieux would be French, the Poles might have "Our Lady of Czestochowa". Now this group has their own ethnic parish which is great - but using fungus and tobacco in liturgy? It doesn't sound right to me.
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