In the late 1970s, my dad was a special constable in the RCMP. One night when he was on patrol, he pulled over a vehicle because he suspected the driver was drinking. When he got to the window, he recognized the driver. It was a priest who had abused him in residential school.
I first heard this story about a year ago, when my brother shared it. I felt sick when I read this post. It made me realize that despite all of my reporting on residential schools, I didn’t know anything about my dad’s experience. I didn’t know where he went or for how long.
Since last August, I’ve been investigating the St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake, SK. & trying to find the priest who my dad pulled over that night. The first 2 episodes of our podcast are out now open.spotify.com/episode/1TVz38… & a new episode will be out on Tuesday.
St. Michael’s opened in 1894 & was one of the last residential schools to close in 1996. My dad was the third generation in our family to attend. St. Mike’s was run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Catholic order of priests who ran 48 residential schools in Canada.
I visited the provincial archives in Alberta, where the Oblates handed over thousands of documents from St. Michael’s. I found attendance records, photos, staff lists, ledgers … and my dad’s enrolment form from 1961. He was six years old.
At the archives, I found a few editions of the St. Michael’s Clarion, a newsletter featuring the kids at the school. No one in my family had visited the archives before so I posted more of the pics on FB. facebook.com/10000029337276…
My dad passed away in 2013. In the podcast, I explain why it’s so important for me to learn about his experience at St. Michael’s — how I’ve come to realize how it shaped his life & our relationship. As difficult as it’s been, I’m so grateful to have gotten to know him better. 🧡
What we’ve uncovered at St. Michael’s is deeply disturbing — this has been a very difficult story to report but I’m so lucky to with an incredibly talented team @Gimletmedia: @ellenfrankman @MaxRaphaelGreen @pieglue @anyaviolet @SPBAAdam @seedevonwrite @mungerem & Heather Evans.
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