Opening to Aboriginal perspectives with Joséphine Bacon

Joséphine Bacon’s presentation at Maison Jésus-Marie (MJM) on October 26 gave full meaning to the expression “going out to meet”.  A theme at the heart of the approach taken by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) several years ago to open to diversity and the multiple realities experienced by people from all walks of life.

An Innu woman of letters, poet, translator, interpreter and Innu-aimun language teacher, Joséphine Bacon won over her audience with the sincerity and simplicity of her words. Recounting part of her history in residential schools, she dwelt on their positive impact on her life. Her talk, interspersed with references to her writings, revealed her nomadic heritage.

During the reading of some of her poems, an atmosphere of warmth and peace pervaded the room. “Everyone was hanging on to her every word,” said event organizer Héloïse Vincent-Ozell, a partner on the SNJM Québec Justice and Peace Committee. During her presentation, Ms. Bacon shared her relationship with spirituality and its expression in her life. She also spoke of her relationship with nature. Her words touched her audience.

Partner on the SNJM Québec Justice and Peace Committee, Héloïse Vincent-Ozell next to Sr Claudette Bastien, at the presentation.

The meeting concluded with a lengthy question-and-answer session, a perfect illustration of the openness of heart and mind of the Sisters and guests to the perspectives of the Aboriginal world presented by Joséphine Bacon. She embodies a generation capable of bearing witness with sensitivity and charisma, and fighting against the oblivion and disappearance of a culture and its traditions.

This meeting is part of the action program of the three partners of the SNJM Québec Justice and Peace Committee. The latter has two main components: training and awareness-raising for Sisters and members of their network, and involvement with organizations linked to the themes of the SNJM’s corporate stands. In Héloïse’s case, she works on the “migrants/aboriginals” theme.

Photos credit: Sr. Suzanne Brault