"Let us say NO to forms of colonialism old and new. Let us say YES to the encounter between peoples and cultures. Blessed are the peacemakers. Here I wish to bring up an important issue. Some may rightly say, “When the Pope speaks of colonialism, he overlooks certain actions of the Church”. I say this to you with regret: many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God. My predecessors acknowledged this, CELAM has said it, and I too wish to say it. Like Saint John Paul II, I ask that the Church “kneel before God and implore forgiveness for the past and present sins of her sons and daughters”. I would also say, and here I wish to be quite clear, as was Saint John Paul II: I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.

I also ask everyone, believers and nonbelievers alike, to think of those many bishops, priests and laity who preached and continue to preach the Good News of Jesus with courage and meekness, respectfully and pacifically; who left behind them impressive works of human promotion and of love, often standing alongside the native peoples or accompanying their popular movements even to the point of martyrdom." 

-Pope Francis, Two Rivers Report

 

Upcoming Events

Please see the recent statement from the Bishop of Rapid City

https://www.rapidcitydiocese.org/wounded-knee-decision/

November is Native American Heritage Month 

Throughout the month of November, we call to mind the great contributions and rich cultural tapestry of Native Americans. There are 574 federally recognized tribal nations in the US, and many more in Canada. Currently, there are 567 reservations in America. Today, there have been Natives in federal and state governments, Natives in the film and music industry, and there are more Native Americans who have served and been decorated in the US military than any other race of people, per capita. 

Did you know there was a Native astronaut? John Herrington, from Wetumka, Oklahoma, is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and was an astronaut with NASA. 

Did you know that the Code Talkers (from Navajo, Lakota, Choctaw, and other tribes) played a major role in US victory over Japan in WWII?

Did you know that the author and poet N. Scott Momaday, a Kiowa, won the Pulitzer Prize for his book House Made of Dawn. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by the US President in 2007. 

Did you know Lawrence Hart, a Southern Cheyenne (Oklahoma), was a traditional chief AND a former Marine fighter pilot? AND Ben Knighthorse Campbell, from the Northern Cheyenne (Montana), was a senator for the state of Colorado and later served as Chairperson for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in the federal government. 

Did you know that the ONLY American (male or female) to win a gold medal in the Olympic 10K (6.4 miles) was an Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota? Not only did he win the Olympic gold in 1964, Billy Mills has spent his entire life working to improve the quality of life for Native Americans across the US. BTW- he was an officer in the US Marine Corps at the time he won the Olympic 10K in Japan.

Did you know that the FIRST AMERICAN to earn the title prima ballerina was a member of the Osage Nation? By the end of her life, Maria Tallchief was called, “One of the most brilliant American ballerinas of the 20th century," by the New York Times.  

Did you know that Jim Thorpe, a Sac, Fox, and Potawatomi—who was declared the Greatest Athlete of the first half of the 20th Century—won gold medals for the pentathlon and the decathlon in the 1912 Olympics in Sweden? When their king presented his awards to Thorpe, he proclaimed, “You sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.” Before he died, he’d competed in professional football, baseball, and basketball. He once led Carlisle Indian school to a 27-6 victory over a West Point (Army) team which included the future president Dwight D. Eisenhower who later said about Jim Thorpe, “He never practiced in his life, and he could do anything better than any other football player I ever saw.”

1. How many Natives do you know? 2. What tribes lived where your city or town is now? Where is the closest tribe or reservation to where you live? These are all very important questions as they help to remind us that Natives still exist, they are not confined to the past, and they are not costumes.

We Have a New Resource

We have a new resource at Native Affairs and it comes from Maria DesJarlait. Maria is a truly wonderful person. She is a member of two tribes, the Arikara and Anishnaabe (Ojibwa). She was raised on the Fort Berthold reservation in North Dakota and also has roots on the Red Lake reservation in Minnesota. She is a school teacher and an author who has just written her newest children’s book, I Am Not A Costume. 

This amazing book tells the story of Ayasha, a young Native girl who was deeply hurt when her non-Native classmates dressed up in Indian costumes for Halloween. Her response was to take the opportunity to teach her classmates about Native culture and why certain symbols and regalia are important to Native people. This book is the perfect message to promote during this season. Check our Resources tab for a link to where you can find this awesome new book.  https://www.usccb.org/committees/native-american-affairs/other-resources

November 20th

The office of Intercultural Ministry at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine (at the Basilica in Washington, DC) is hosting an event for Native American Heritage Month on November 20th, from 2 to 4pm. It will consist of a talk on Martyrs of La Florida: Lessons on the New Evangelization, by Dr. Mary Soha. Fr. Bailey from the Native American Affairs Subcommittee of the USCCB will also be at this event.

November 23rd

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, in conjunction with the American Indian Catholic Outreach, will be hosting a Native American Mass at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City on November 23rd, at 3PM. This very special Mass will incorporate some of the original languages of this continent. Procession/ Recession will be sung in Kiowa by singers from Riverside Indian School. 1st & 2nd Readings will be in Cherokee & Kiowa. Prayers of the Faithful will be read in Comanche, Kiowa, and Potawatomi. On the altar concelebrating the Mass with the Archbishop will be the abbots of both Oklahoma monasteries and Fr. Bailey from the USCCB Native Affairs Subcommittee. For more information, go to: American Indian Catholic Outreach | Archdiocese of Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, OK

The Church & Indian Country Podcast on YouTube

The month of The Church & Indian Country Podcast, we sat down with Deacon Roy Callison (Cherokee), and Michael Scaperlanda, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, to discuss the Boarding School healing initiatives in the state of Oklahoma. Check it out, and please share. https://youtu.be/VEGTT-R7kqc?si=0w4MBk1_QG3uqmeG

 

For a full list of all episodes of The Church & Indian Country Podcast, click the link: The Church & Indian Country Podcast - YouTube

 

Keeping Christ’s Sacred Promise

Dear friends in Christ,

Welcome to the work of The Bishop's Subcommittee on Native American Affairs and its website.  The Subcommittee's mission and ministry is to assist and support each other in the challenges and joys that the ministry to the First People present.

Jesus Christ guides us in healing the history of injuries and many historical past conflicts of our Country toward the Native American Nations.  We as our diverse Church community embrace this mission with all of the saints who have gone before us especially Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Through Catholic Education, Parish leadership and Church evangelization ministry we develop mutual trust and cultural respect.

For those Christ has called to this ministry there is joy and wonder in encountering Christ in the people and families that make up such a rich tapestry of culture, spirituality and grace.


 

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS

 

The Subcommittee Mandate

The subcommittee on Native American Affairs is under the direction of and assists the Committee on Cultural Diversity within the Church by working directly with the standing committee and collaboratively with other USCCB committees to address the pastoral concerns of Native American (North American Aboriginals) Catholics to affirm the gifts and contributions of Native American Catholics and to provide more opportunities for Native American Catholics to engage in the life of the Church and help shape its evangelization mission.


This mandate includes the following areas of responsibility:
The subcommittee is directly responsible for outreach to Native American Catholics under the direction of the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church.

 

 

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