The United States Department of Indian Affairs has released two large reports regarding the history of Indian boarding schools. The first volume of its Investigative Report on Federal Indian boarding schools was released in May of 2022. The second report was released in July 2024, titled “Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report Vol. II”.
Hundreds of boarding schools were formed to house and educate American Indian and other Indigenous populations (eg, Hawaii) over the course of the late 1800’s through the 1900’s. The report is overall a very negative assessment of the program, with accusations of forced inculturation and abuse in most of these institutions.
The federal government often contracted, like it does to this day, with private organizations to administer these schools and the federal government programs associated with these schools. Among these private organizations is the Catholic Church. And that is how Holy Childhood School gets brought into the picture of the federal Indian Boarding Schools programs.
However, the situation with Holy Childhood School is not so simple as to list it as just another failed school which tried to wipe Indian culture away. According to an article in Native News Online:
“Holy Childhood, one of the longest operated Indian boarding schools in Michigan, once housed hundreds of American Indian students from throughout the Great Lakes region. The school is now gone because it was demolished in 2008. The school can trace its roots back to a request from members of the Odawa tribe sent to Congress in 1823 when the group expressed a need for a “teacher or minister of the Gospel.” The request was fulfilled in 1829 when a small church with a school was built. The school ran out of funds and was closed from 1839 -1884. Reopened in 1884 by the Franciscan Fathers of Sacred Heart of St. Louis, the school operations were transferred to the School of Sisters of Notre Dame in 1886. Holy Childhood became officially part of the federal government-funded system of Indian boarding schools in the mid-1880s, according to Eric Hemenway, director of archives and records Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. During the 1920s, the school lost its government funding, but stayed open through funds from the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord, based in Gaylord, Mich. and other fundraising efforts.”
The Diocese of Gaylord recently held a meeting to discuss and apologize for the treatment of Native American children at Holy Childhood Indian boarding school. This school functioned until 1983. This conference was titled, “Walking the Red Road”, and was described as the following:
“This conference invites all Native Americans in the Diocese of Gaylord to come together, listen to the words of apology from our bishops, hear how to live as Natives and Catholics, dialog with the Church and see how we can experience reconciliation and healing. Nonnatives are also invited to attend and learn more about the struggles of their Native American sisters and brothers and grow in mutual love for the gift of each other. Come, let us journey together to God on the path of understanding and prayer.”
Gaylord Diocesan Watch was unable to find this conference listed on the Diocese of Gaylord website. Instead, it was announced on some news media websites. The conference started with a smudging ritual, which is described as a pagan form of worship as opposed to Christian worship.
It is almost impossible to find any positive writings about Holy Childhood school. Instead, past students give accounts of abusive nuns and more accounts of abusive nuns. The Diocesan response has been to apologize. But the issue and history of the Catholic Church’s involvement in Native Americans is much more robust and positive than a post facto apology. This is because the Church did much to protect, preserve, and honor cultures that it came to preach the Good News. This topic is filled with too many details and points of history to review in this blog, but a few notes of reflection on this topic are worth considering:
- The Church has provided education, housing, and hope for innumerable people throughout its history, including Native Americans. Many Native American populations were plagued with a variety of societal problems, such as orphans, child abuse, alcoholism, etc. The Church gave and still gives many people hope and dignity in a broken world.
- The Church in the United States, as well as elsewhere, at times has abused its status in society by abusing its members. Unfortunately, this abuse often overshadows the good that the Church is done. What is even worse is that this abuse of status and trust was and is perpetrated and nurtured by those in power. What is also a disgrace is that many of them are still in ministry.
- The legacy of Holy Childhood Indian Boarding School should not only include the stories of abusive nuns, but it should also incorporate the good the Church has done for Native Americans in our Diocese and beyond. We can turn to the work of Venerable Bishop Baraga as just one of many examples to see how the Church evangelized and improved the lives of Native Americans.
- It is of questionable prudence that Bishop Walsh should apologize for what was done previously and for which he had nothing to do with. Instead, it would be a more useful act of leadership to ensure the abuse of people today is not tolerated. When the Michigan Attorney General came out with a report of sexual abuse of priests and religious in the Diocese of Gaylord, Bishop Walsh did not act until the report was made public, even though the Diocese was made aware of its contents regarding priests in active ministry who where found to have credible allegations against them months before it was released to the public.
- The stories of abuse regarding children at Holy Childhood school are at times horrific. But so are stories of abuse that children and teachers in public schools report today. Is it so much better than what the sisters at these Catholic schools offered children at that time?