Bishop Rouleau called together the seven priests of his diocese – all of whom are Oblates – in Rankin Inlet,Nunavuton the north western side ofHudson’s Bay.

Stereotypes cannot help but colour our perception of life and ministry in the North; even those of us who have grown up in Canada often have but hazy ideas based on school lessons from long ago or from reading Midst Ice and Snow. The Arctic has changed. Vast distances, isolation, high cost of living, intense cold (despite global warming!), language and closeness to the land remain … but the North is a living culture, not a static museum.

Alcohol and drugs such as crystal meth, marijuana and even heroin, have become a growing problem; sometimes people in the community who should be part of the solution are in fact part of the problem. Flowing from this is an increase in violence and accidents – often with tragic results. Break-ins and vandalism, almost unheard of in the past, are becoming more commonplace. Problems difficult enough to deal with in a southern community, where resources are more readily available, can be overwhelming in an isolated village, lacking social services, where something as basic as going for a drive is not an option and ‘getting away for awhile’ is prohibitively expensive. Television, via satellite dish, is a constant in every home, indoctrinating the children with foreign values incomprehensible to the community elders and subtly teaching the young that traditional culture cannot possibly compete with the excitement of life ‘down south’.

Added to this pot of social disintegration, and souring the relationship between the Oblates and the people to whom they were sent, are the offences committed by missionaries in the past. While abuse in its various forms was perpetrated by a few, it is all the Oblates who pay the price. When children coming running up and want to hug Father, what do you do? You are faced with the unpalatable choice of turning children away or leaving yourself open to accusations.  Missionaries can no longer assume they are welcome in every home; anger has been openly expressed and threats of violence made.

Recent history has seen evangelical churches moving into communities that were once largely Catholic or Anglican. These churches are often well funded and come with ready-made resources and a well-honed plan of proselytization, which capitalizes on missionary’s past mistakes. As confusion and discord grow in people’s minds, church attendance and participation in the sacraments fall off.

Despite difficulties, hope flourishes. For daily Eucharist a large group gathered and afterwards people stayed to visit. They were evidently happy to have the northern Oblate missionaries gather in their community and they celebrated joyfully, especially true when the Bishop had a mass honouring his anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Inuit liturgies are not staid affairs but filled with lively singing and movement. Present were an Inuit couple whose names have been forwarded to Rome with the request that they be named Honourary Oblates.  Mass was followed by a special meal and people lingered late into the night sharing stories.

When asked what struck him most during his visit, Andy replied,
“I was impressed by the sincerity of the missionaries working in Nunavut – the depth of their faith and courage – their patience to work in what is sometimes a very difficult situation. Despite the difficulties they wouldn’t want to move. It’s home for them. They’ve learned the language, Inuktitut, and always spoke it with the people. Mass was in Inuktitut and all the visiting that happened afterwards was in the local language.

They have a wonderful community there. They rely on one another and the young missionaries listened attentively to the older ones; you could see that they really wanted to learn from their experiences! They have a true missionary spirit. You can see that they are alive and excited about what they are doing. At the liturgies even the older missionaries would be clapping and kind of dancing as they sang the Inuktitut hymns.”

Andy also spoke of how all the Oblates contributed to the building up of community. Proving once again that missionaries make excellent cooks, they prepared their own meals and at various times feasted on caribou, Arctic char and a dish special to Polish culture (Bigos) – a mixture of sauerkraut, mushrooms and various meats including chicken gizzards. For men a long way from the country of their birth, it was a nostalgic taste of home!

To be a northerner is to be a storyteller and Andy brought back a number to share on his return. Fr. Szwarc OMI, based in Kugaaruk, was happy to share pictures of his hunting trip. In his words:

“It happened on Friday, January 27th in the afternoon around 3.00 P.M. I was in my house and the phone rang. It was my neighbour Bernadette. She speaks only Inuktitut so it was hard to understand what she wanted to tell me … but I got at least one word, nanuk, which means polar bear; I still didn’t know what about it. Then I caught another word that means “see” and I looked through the window. A few meters from the church there was a polar bear.

It was dark but right when I was watching two Inuit came on snowmobiles to hunt it, so I could see it clearly in the light from their machines. I dressed up and went out. There was no danger because polar bears are afraid of the snowmobiles. When I came out from my house three young Inuit came to me from the house of Bernadette, Jackie, Henry and Chester. While we were watching, the bear began running towards the bay. They said that they were untying a dog when suddenly Henry saw a bear just few meters behind them. He said only “Nanuk!” The other two looked behind and started the fastest run of their lives. Bernadette’s house was very close and the bear was young and not too big so nothing bad happened. We heard two shouts but it was too far to see anything. Anyway, we were sure that they shot it. Polar bears are too dangerous and should never be allowed to enter the town.

It was Henry Totalik, son of our church’s leader, who shot it. So right after I went to help them to skin it and cut it, and of course take some pictures.

The next day I was going by taxi to the airport and the taxi driver said that thanks to this bear his business is running better; because people are afraid to walk alone, they call taxi more often! It was the second polar bear that came close to the town this year.”

Fr. Krotki OMI, from Igloolik, recounted how he and a traveling partner, on their way to a far off mission, were caught in a blizzard. With conditions steadily worsening, they had to make a decision – do they go on, stay or turn back? When in a near whiteout you have to, at all cost, stay on the trail; wander off and the likelihood of anyone finding you is nil!  To test the conditions, they drove in a large circle; coming back to their starting point they could no longer see the track so knew it wasn’t safe to go on. They quickly set up their tent and not knowing how long the blizzard would last, took stock of their food supplies. That didn’t take long. Two fish! By cutting up the frozen, raw fish into pieces and eating only when necessary, they calculated they would be able to survive several days. Things turned out for the best. When the storm ended and they had not arrived at their destination, people came looking for them. The distant roar of a search party on snowmobiles was welcome indeed. In Fr. Krotki’s words, “Thank God we stayed on the trail or we wouldn’t be here today!”

What does the future hold for our northern missions? Andy, Tom and the Bishop were asked about the possibility of one or two more men being made available – it would help alleviate the pressure on the present personnel as they try to meet the needs of their many, isolated missions. It was questioned why there were no young Canadian missionaries in the North but only themselves from Poland. They explained that it was the allure of the Arctic, the chance to go to a difficult mission that had drawn them. Would OMI Lacombe be open to them traveling to southern parishes and talking to young people about vocations, especially about missionary life in northern Canada?

Oblates have a long, proud history of missionary work in the Arctic. Saints have been produced in its icy crucible. As with most of our ministries, its future is unclear. However, should any area of evangelization in Canada offer both challenge and hope, the Arctic community certainly does. Young missionaries and old, bonded in Oblate community continue to be inspired by the vision of De Mazenod as they work to establish the Kingdom of God.

(Submitted by Harley Mapes, OMI)
Feb 2006