- May 5, 2023
Today, the Catholic Native Boarding School Accountability and Healing Project published a list of Catholic-operated U.S. Native boarding schools, which were operated from the 1820s to the 1960s. Three of the provinces of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are included on this list because sisters from these provinces served in some of the listed schools.
- Find the list and learn more about the project
- Learn more about the development of the list: Inside the effort to identify Catholic-run boarding schools for Indigenous children (Global Sisters Report)
The St. Louis province apologizes for any ways in which we were complicit in unjust systems, including the forced assimilation that took place through the Native boarding school system and the Catholic church’s role in that system. We are committed to deepening awareness of this history.
At this time, we are taking the following concrete steps.
- With respect for the tribal nations impacted by these schools, in the spirit of transparency, cooperation and good will, we are reaching out to their leaders to ensure they are aware of the records in our archives.
- We are cooperating with the Catholic Native Boarding School Accountability and Healing Project as they compile a detailed finding aid to assist future researchers in identifying relevant records.
In July 2022, Pope Francis visited Canada and formally apologized for the legacy of these residential schools. We echo his prayer for God’s grace as we grapple with this history.
“Yet, it is right to remember, because forgetfulness leads to indifference and, as has been said, "the opposite of love is not hatred, it's indifference and the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference" [from Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel]. To remember the devastating experiences that took place in the residential schools hurts, angers, causes pain, and yet it is necessary.”
Learn More
We encourage everyone to learn more about the Native boarding school system, beginning by listening to our Indigenous brothers and sisters. Here are a few resources for more information.
Indigenous Voices
- National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
- Standing in the Tension Point (Beyond the Habit podcast)
- Q & A with Sr. Kateri Mitchell on 'a new day' for Indigenous Catholics
- Buried Secrets: America’s Indian Boarding Schools Part 1 (Reveal)
Theological Insights
- Guilt, Responsibility, and Purgatory: How Traditional Catholic Teaching Can Help Us Think About Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations (Church Life Journal)
- Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery”, 30.03.2023 (The Vatican)