Saskatoon Catholic cathedral covered with paint after discovery of 751 unmarked graves

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

The doors of a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Saskatoon were splattered with paint Thursday afternoon after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School.

Video of the event posted to social media showed a woman painting and splattering red paint on the door and the sign of  St. Paul’s Co-Cathedral. 

Photos of the aftermath show the words “We Were Children” scrawled on the church door.  

The Catholic Church has been criticized for its role in the residential school system, especially for its reluctance to provide records relating to burial grounds.

On Thursday, the Cowessess First Nation announced the preliminary discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the former residential school. The announcement caused shock and outrage across the country.

The finding comes after another discovery at the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in B.C. which announced the discovery of a burial site adjacent to the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Preliminary findings indicate the site contains the remains of 215 children.

Emotional experience

An eyewitness said watching the event was a beautiful experience.

Cathy Bohachik was outside the cathedral commemorating the 60th anniversary of her parents’ marriage when roughly 20 people approached the area wearing orange shirts. Then one woman broke away from the group and began to paint the door.

“It was very solemn, and it was very peaceful and it was really beautiful,” she said.

“She started to do her artwork, and we were actually quite speechless.”

Bohachik was raised as a Catholic and said she had never heard of the residential school system growing up.

“It was the most amazing experience I’ve seen in Saskatchewan, ever,” she said. 

“I was very emotional all evening long, and I was so grateful that I was there to see it.”

Bohachik said the woman was approached by police and ordered to leave. A spokesperson from Saskatoon police said no charges had been laid at this time.  

Anger and resentment

Indigenous affairs columnist Doug Cuthand said he was not surprised to see something like this happen, given recent events.

He said First Nations people across the country have a lot of anger and resentment that has been built up over the years. He mentioned two Catholic churches that burned down on the Penticton Indian Band and the Osoyoos Indian Band this week, as well as the removal of a statue of Father Joseph Hugonard at Sacred Heart Catholic cemetery in Lebret.

“This is kind of something we’ve got to expect,” he said.

“The church has become a target and we can expect more of this in the future.”

While Cuthand said burning down churches was unacceptable, he said First Nations people have the right to be angry at the church for its role in residential schools.

“A lot of people remember getting their knuckles rapped by a nun or strapped by a priest,” he said. 

“They’ve harboured all these feelings with them all these years. So, yeah, I expect this is going to overflow.”

By Friday morning, the paint had been removed and a security guard had been posted outside the church.

WATCH| Pope under mounting pressure for residential schools apology:

The CBC’s Megan Williams reports from Vatican City on the Catholic Church’s response so far to a demand for an apology over the church’s role in Canada’s residential schools. 2:24

As of early Friday morning, neither St Paul’s Co-Cathedral nor the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon had issued a statement on the incident. 

On Thursday, the Catholic Bishops of Saskatchewan addressed the Cowessess discovery, saying that the experience was “heartbreaking and devastating,” especially for residential school survivors.

The statement went on to say the Bishops support reconciliation and committed themselves to stand by Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. A Saskatchewan-based line is now available by calling 306-522-7494.