Ken Perrault of Minnesota, an Ojibwe, conducts a purification ritual called "smudging" at the start of a morning Mass during the Tekakwitha Conference in 2014 in Fargo, N.D. The organization celebrated its 75th anniversary in Fargo, where it all began. A t first composed mostly of missionary priests dealing with "reservation-related challenges," the conference began in 1948 to look at issues of off-reservation resettlement and help families adjust to city life, and later included religious sisters and lay people as members. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)
by GSR Staff
"Grandfather, look at our brokeness.
We know that in all creation only the human family has strayed from the sacred way.
We know that we are the ones who are divided and we are the ones who must come back together to walk in the sacred way.
Grandfather, sacred one, teach us love, compassion and honor that we may heal the earth and heal each other."
- Ojibwe prayer