This free digital supplement, in English and French, is being published for the many thousands who will not be able to venture to Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit for any of the events with Pope Francis as he is expected to apologize on Canadian soil for past wrongs done to Indigenous people by Catholic entities.
“We are developing a special edition of Living with Christ that will allow Canadian Catholics, wherever they are, to participate in prayer with the Pope as he is meeting with Indigenous people across Canada,” said Joseph Sinasac, publishing director for Novalis. “This special edition will include the liturgical text of the celebrations over which the Pope will preside, it will have his itinerary and a couple of articles to help people in their prayer.”
Sinasac said Novalis felt it essential to contribute to this landmark event.
“We thought early on that there is a role we can play that would be helpful. We are not doing this to make profits,” said Sinasac. “We are doing this as a service to the Church of Canada. We assembled our English and French editorial teams and kicked around a number of different ideas.”
Going the digital route made the most sense to avoid any hiccups that come with printing materials on a tight timeframe.
One of the featured articles will be a written reflection from Deacon Harry Lafond of the Diocese of Prince Albert. Lafond is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Marcelin, Sask.
Lafond told SaskToday.ca in mid-April that he hopes the apology made by Pope Francis on April 1 to Canada’s Indigenous populations, and the forthcoming visit, will inspire a new dynamic and more Indigenous involvement in Catholic liturgical ministry.
“I would hope that it would change in the context of what we’re asking for: reconciliation, which is an understanding of who we are (as Indigenous people) and the value of our spiritual teachings,” said Lafond. “The value of our spiritual teachings is part of our worldview and our culture. We’re not looking at returning to the spiritual missionary experience that we’ve had in the last 400 years.”
Once finalized, the digital edition can be accessed directly at livinginchrist.ca, or through an email blast Novalis will disseminate through its extensive network within the next couple of weeks.
Currently, the team behind this supplement is assembling the editorial content, including liaising with the Vatican to acquire the liturgical text.