Parishioners return to Sacred Heart of the First Peoples Church

The Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples officially reopened its doors Sunday.

After years of repairs and renovations, parishioners streamed into the new Indigenized church for a rededication ceremony and the first mass back in the building in two years.

The church was damaged by a fire in 2020. While the damage to the building was minimal, the fire exposed asbestos in the walls that needed to be abated.

Father Mark Blom, priest and associate pastor, said the church saw the opportunity to update the church to better represent the parish. Blom says they consulted with parishioners and Elder Fernie Marty on a plan to redesign the church during the necessary repairs.

“We started to dream about how we could change the space inside the church to more deeply reflect our Indigenous character,” Blom said. “And one of the suggestions that came up first was that we would have a teepee in the sanctuary.”

“When anyone walks into this church, and you see this in the center of the sanctuary, you know that this is a church where Indingeous people belong.”

Blom said the teepee poles also represent tents, which have Christian meaning . The four poles, Marty said, share significance for both Christian and Indigenous beliefs.

“For me the teepee poles are so powerful because that represents the home of us all and the four sacred directions, four races of man in the beginning of time, the four seasons, four stages of life. It’s all fours - the four gospels.”

Blom said the new church is part of repairing the relationship between the Catholic church and Indigenous people after the harms done to them by colonialism, residential schools and the church’s involvement in them.

Candida Shepherd, Sacred Heart parish council member, said the redesign is a win for the Indigenous parish.

“It has allowed us to claim this building truly as something we can be proud of and that it truly is Indigenous. So now we can Indigenize the rest of the community, Indigenize the city and of course nationally across Canada and hopefully the world.”

Father Cristino Bouvette, a coordinator for the papal visit, has been working with the church over the last few months to prepare for the Pope’s arrival. While parts of the church are still under renovation, builders have been working overtime to get as much done before the Pope visits on July 25.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” Bouvette said. “The work that’s been done in such a short amount of time is stunning.”

The church’s parishioners are also getting ready and are excited for the opportunity to host the holy Father on July 25.

Papaschase Elder Marty is a day school survivor and has been a member of the Sacred Heart for 20 years. He said he appreciated the Pope’s apology in Rome, but wants to hear it again here where the legacy of residential and day schools lives and continues.

“I believe that it’s very very important that he comes here to Canada to make that apology,” Fernie said. “This is where the atrocities happened, here in this country.”

“For me it’s a tremendous opportunity for the healing of this nation, Canada.”