FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
First Nations Catholics
November 13, 2009 (Toronto) – Salt + Light Television, Canada’s Catholic Network, takes a look at First Nations Catholics on the Wednesday, November 18th and Sunday, November 22nd episodes of their flagship show, Catholic Focus.
In his address to the native peoples in Canada in 1984, Pope John Paul II said: “…The Gospel does not destroy what is best in you. On the contrary, it enriches, as it were from within, the spiritual qualities and gifts that are distinctive of your cultures.” In the late pontiff’s 1987 address to the native people in Arizona, Pope John Paul II added: “…Preserve and keep alive your cultures, your languages, the values and customs... these things benefit not only yourselves but the entire human family.”
To explore how our First Nations people integrate their native spirituality with their Catholic beliefs, Salt + Light producer and host Mary Rose Bacani visits Fr. James Holland, OMI, at the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, which has been the official parish for the Catholic First Nations peoples of Edmonton and surrounding communities since the early 1990s; and the school community at Ben Calf Robe-St. Clare School in Edmonton, a one-of-a-kind school in the Edmonton Catholic School Board with students who are mostly First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. Bacani also speaks with Wayne Ashley, a Cree artist in Edmonton, about how his mosaic artworks on display at Holy Cross Cemetery and Edmonton City Hall integrate his native and Catholic beliefs. And finally, Mary Rose sits down with Fr. Frank Wagner, CSC, pastor of St. Ann Parish in Toronto, and talks to him about Toronto’s native parish and the devotion to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the only native person to be declared a Blessed by the Catholic Church.
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About Catholic Focus:
Catholic Focus is a current affairs program that examines in depth Catholic themes and personalities. You can watch Catholic Focus on Salt + Light Television daily at 7pm and 11pm with a morning repeat at 7:30am (all times Eastern).
About Salt + Light:
Established in 2003, the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, headquartered in Toronto, ON, Canada is dedicated to bringing our viewers current events and perspective of the Church into the home of Catholics and Christians around the world. From Vatican events to Salt + Light’s very own innovative and thought-provoking series and documentaries, the network offers multi-lingual programs that investigate, explain and celebrate issues related to the Catholic Faith.
Salt + Light Television Available Nationally:
Salt + Light Television is now available nationally on Bell TV (Channel 654), in Western Canada on Shaw (Channel 160), in Ontario on Rogers Digital Cable (Channel 240), and Cogeco Digital Cable (Channel 185), in Québec on illico Vidéotron digital TV (Channel 242), and in the Maritimes through EastLink Digital Cable (Channel 356).
To arrange an interview with the producer or to obtain a copy of the screener or for any other further information - media contact:
CHRISTOPHER KETELAARS
Marketing & Communications Manager
Phone: 416-971-5353 ext 245
Mobile: 416-892-1729
cketelaars@saltandlighttv.org
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