Our Way

By Frances Sanderson
May/June 2011

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The strong spiritual values of Native people are steeped in hundreds of years of living a life dedicated to harmony with nature. Our culture is rooted in fundamental values concerning our relationship to the Creator, to the environment, and to each other.

My ancestors lived on this continent enjoying their own government and way of life long before explorers from other countries first came to North America. Newcomers were welcomed unconditionally and offered a place by the fire to keep warm, food to allay their hunger, and the knowledge that was required to build a life in this new land.

In the First Nations way, people do not just grow old, they become Elders. The teachings of our Elders and their role in society is extremely important. They are our history keepers. They guard the past and guide us in our responsibility to Mother Earth—to the waters, land, and air; to the plants and animals, and to other human beings. They also lead us into the future by helping us set our course, giving us spiritual direction in the ways of our people as the wisdom of thousands of years flows from their lips. We follow the teachings of the Elders and our ancestors.

As a Native person I can say that I am spiritual. I believe in the Creator—the Great Spirit who created our world and every living creature. The Creator is the ultimate caretaker and spiritual guide—the Great Mystery who cannot be defined, who is neither He nor She.

We believe that everything, beginning with the Earth, has a spirit. Everything that exists is an expression of the Creator. The Sun protects, warms, and shines down on Mother Earth who nurtures and supports all life on the planet. We do not worship the Sun or the Earth; we worship the Creator. And when we give thanks for Mother Earth, Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon, the Little Sisters (the Stars), and for all other life, we give thanks for these beautiful expressions of the Creator.

Sr. Noreen Kearns and Connie Nudo outside the former Maryglen residence. Sr. Noreen Kearns and Connie Nudo outside the former Maryglen residence.

Whatever happened to the Maryglen?

In 2007 Frances Sanderson, Executive Director of Nishnwabe Homes Inc., purchased Maryglen Residence—Our Lady’s Missionaries’ housing ministry to women in downtown Toronto. Nishnwabe South House, as the residence is now called, offers accommodation to Native women and men.

Mission in my life is

...living in openness to receiving and sharing with others the many gifts that God blesses me with, not for myself alone but for the building up of the Reign of God.
Sr. Rosemary Hughes, OLM, Toronto

...believing in Christ and trying to follow him more closely and carry on his work in our world today as God’s Spirit leads me. Sr. Margaret Walsh, OLM, Toronto

...looking for the beauty in each person and in all of creation.
Sr. Joan Missiaen OLM, Toronto

...advocating and working for the cause of affordable housing in my community and in the larger global community.
Pamela Roth, Markham, Ontario Canada

...to take my family and as many people as I know, and even those that I don’t know, to heaven.
Juanita Gutierrez, Hillsborough, California, U.S.A.

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