Marie Wilson to give Royackers lecture

Marie Wilson will be the keynote speaker at Regis College’s second annual Martin Royackers Lecture on April 6.

A commissioner with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission examining Indian residential schools, Wilson will speak on “Fostering Cultural Reconciliation in Canada: Healing Relations with Aboriginal Peoples through Truth-telling.” It takes place at 7 p.m. in Regis’ St. Joseph Chapel. Fr. Gordon Rixon, S.J., dean of Regis College, said Wilson was invited to reflect upon “what it means to go forward, prepare people in ministry in the Church, post-residential school in Canada.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2008 as part of the court-approved Residential Schools Settlement Agreement negotiated between legal counsel for former students, legal counsel for the government of Canada, the churches that ran the schools, the Assembly of First Nations and other aboriginal organizations. It is set to complete its work in 2013.

The lecture is named for Fr. Royackers, a Jesuit priest working in Jamaica who was murdered in 2001. Many believe his death was because of his outspokenness in helping poor Jamaican farmers. The lecture honours his work “in service of the Gospel,” Rixon said.

“(Fr. Royackers) was someone who worked for justice and was sensitive to the cultural issues. (Wilson) is an appropriate speaker to come in the spirit of what (Royackers) was about. He spoke directly to the heart,” he said.

For information, call (416) 922-5474 ext. 221.