Collar or Not

All the clergy were asked to meet with the bishop this week for a special presentation by one of our priests, a Native American who is rector of a basically Anglo congregation. The meeting had to do with the return of the remains of the indigenous children to South Dakota from Pennsylvania.

¶ With the discovery of many children’s bodies at schools in Canada and now at one in the United States it has become plain that a lot of what was done to the Native population in the name of assimilation is a cruel thing visited upon them. It is something about which we should all be ashamed, and also something about which we should learn. ¶ Because the Episcopal Church ran schools for Native American children at the direction of the government, we as clergy are involved in the repercussions. Several Native Americans have said that they had good experiences at the schools run by the Episcopalians. In contrast, there are several cases of abuse reported in the schools run by the Roman Catholics.

¶ Roman Catholic and Episcopal priests basically dress alike when on duty. The round white collar, sometimes called the “dog collar,” is common to both. So we have a situation in which one really cannot distinguish one priest from another unless you know the person. During the meeting we were warned that there are times when we probably should not appear in clerical dress. A couple of priests present at a meeting were told not to wear their collars. It is the age old situation of the bad apple in the barrel. What a few have done reflects on the many who are innocent of wrong doing. I have experienced myself the angry looks and the avoidance when I’ve been in public following one of the many exposures of clerical abuse. It’s frightening when a total stranger looks at you with contempt or even hatred in their expression. ¶ There will need to be a great deal of healing in the US and Canada. Healing happens when people are fully aware of the situations in need of healing. Ignorance does not promote healing. It just sweeps bad things under the carpet. Our society does not benefit from hiding part of our story. There are a multitude of bills wending their way through state legislatures that seek to ban the teaching of part of our history. This only deepens the divisions in society by using ignorance to further discrimination.

¶ The children brought home to South Dakota have been given a proper burial, at last. Hopefully, healing will come to the Native population as we work together to understand. I’m not surprised, given the priorities of our governor, that she has made no statement that I’ve seen or heard concerning this situation. I know that she would not have been welcome at the reburial ceremonies given her relationship with the state’s Native Americans. At the very least she could have issued a statement of solidarity with our Native population and expressed sorrow for the multitude of people affected. Instead she has offered nothing. This is the picture of how the Native Americans have been treated in South Dakota. We will take your good land and give you the poorest in return, send your children to schools far away and try to make them just like us, real South Dakotans. Except, we are not. It is the Native population that is real. ¶ The ivy geraniums have gone to town this week providing a plethora of blooms. Several of the other pots are overflowing with beauty. ¶ If I should return home at an importune time, namely during someone’s nap, I am greeted, if at all, with a large yawn. The whole attitude is, “I’ll see you later when I am finished with my nap, something far more important than you, obviously.” ¶ It’s been a good week. Next Monday I will have a CT scan which will reveal any changes in the lesions in my body, and, hopefully not reveal any new ones. Thank you for your messages and thoughts and prayers and all you do for others.