OLDS – Father Nilo Macapinlac is on a sacred homecoming to Maskwacis this week to witness Pope Francis’ historic communion with thousands of Indigenous citizens – a ‘penitential’ pilgrimage’ to offer God’s embrace of his people who endured longstanding abuse throughout the Catholic church's residential school system.
“He has the conviction and sincerity to walk together on the path of truth, healing and reconciliation with our Indigenous people of Canada, especially here in Alberta,” said Macapinlac of the papal visit on July 25.
He was the parish priest at Maskwacis’ Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Catholic Church from 2013 to 2019. Since July 19, 2019, the 49-year-old Macapinlac has been the parish priest at Olds’ St. Stephen's Catholic Church.
“For me it’s a reunion, a homecoming, a hallmark of history of healing,” said Macapinlac, who is originally from the Philippines. “It means so much for me as a shepherd because I was able to touch the wounds of these people. I was able to hear their groanings and their sufferings and their crying.
“This is God's comfort,” he added. “This is God's loving embrace, and (I’m) praying this will continue and will make a change, and make a troubled world a better place to live in, like in Maskwacis where the people are in dire need of this.”
Macapinlac’s attachment to Maskwacis remains deep. In June, he welcomed a visit from Randy Ermineskin, the chief of the Ermineskin First Nation, one of four First Nations in and around Maskwacis, and the site of Pope Francis’ July 25 visit.
“For six years I was enriched by a lot of experiences, a lot of depression and a lot of needs for healing,” said Macapinlac. “I was totally immersed with them… and they are coming back to see me there.”
Macapinlac left Olds early on the evening of July 24 to join hundreds of other church officials coming to Maskwacis from across the province and beyond. He had to navigate through the anticipated travelling challenges with an expected 250,000 motorists on Highway 2, many of them wanting to arrive early to the locales of the pope’s Alberta visit.
The pope arrived in Edmonton on Sunday morning, July 24, for a six-day visit to Canada, including three days in Alberta. Amidst heavy security, there was a brief welcoming ceremony at the airport with government officials, and church and indigenous leaders. He made no public statement on Sunday.
The 85-year-old pope, who faces mobility issues from knee pain and a longtime case of sciatica, appeared tired from his journey and rested for the remainder of the day.
On July 25, the pope will visit Maskwacis in the morning.
The stop at Maskwacis is considered vital as it’s the former site of the Ermineskin Residential School, one of the largest residential school sites in Canada. It operated from 1895 to 1975.
Historical accounts record overcrowding and illness were problems in the school’s early years. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has recorded the deaths of 15 students at the school during its 80 years of operation.
Macapinlac told the Albertan it's expected Pope Francis would “reiterate” his April 1 apology at Maskwacis for past abuses made at Catholic residential schools.
“I think it's fair to those people who have been victims and survivors of the residential school system at that time can hear directly and here in the land where it happened,” Macapinlac.
As for how the papal apology will be received by Indigenous citizens on Canadian soil, Macapinlac said he’s heard a “lot” of excitement about the visit but also many mixed feelings, including melancholy and rejoicing.
However, he also believes there’s a sense of feeling privileged because the highest official of the Catholic church is coming directly to them.
“It's just like Jesus who came down from heaven reaching out to his wounded people. He will open his eyes to those miseries because it's a walk together for loosening their suffering,” said Macapinlac. “It’s a sign of the times that at this time in history we have the pope who could fully understand their very culture, their nature, and the essence of the First Nations.”
Macapinlac said there is only the slightest of chances he will meet the pope face-to-face, noting the papal priority is the survivors, along with their family members, and Indigenous leaders at Maskwacis.
“We are only secondary to that because we are just there to support them and to support Pope Francis’s crusade for reconciliation and healing and restoration,” said Macapinlac, adding there’s also the issue of the pope’s security that must be considered.
After his visit to Maskwacis, the pope will go to Edmonton’s Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples to meet parishioners and Indigenous community members.
The pope will attend a morning open-air mass at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on July 26, which is expected to attract an audience of up to 65,000.
Macapinlac said he also plans on attending the mass. He will then return to Olds the same day.
Pope Francis will then end his Alberta tour on July 26 with a visit to Lac Ste. Anne, the site of an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year.
His Alberta tour will then end. On July 27, the pope will leave the province to continue his six-day Canadian visit to Quebec City and Iqaluit.
