When the chief archivist of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation unearthed images of students from federal residential schools in Rome in the archives of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, he knew he had stumbled upon something major.
“There was a very historic, very deep feeling,” Raymond Frogner said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
Few archivists are allowed to explore the private archives of the religious order in Rome, said Frogner, who spent five days early last month browsing the archives of the Oblate General House. There he found photos, personal files and handwritten documents that describe the activities of this religious community around the world since its founding in 1816. And this history includes important chapters in Canada.
The Oblates operated 48 federal residential schools for Aboriginal people in Canada, including the Marieval residential school in Cowessess First Nation, Saskatchewan, and the one in Kamloops, British Columbia, where the discovery of unmarked graves last year prompted calls to justice and transparency.
Archivist Frogner rummaged through the Oblate archives and his interest was piqued by what was inside a set of metal drawers. “The great find for me was the photographs,” he says.
There were 20 photo drawers and three of them held images of the order’s missions to Canada, many of which depicted children in residential schools in the early 20th century. Mr. Frogner believes that there would be up to a thousand photos that could be important to understanding what happened in Canada.
“I was not unduly surprised to find that the archivist there had no idea of the importance of what they held” in Rome, he says.
The next step is to work quickly to digitize these photos, the Oblates and the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation said in a joint statement recently. The footage must then be transferred to the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg.
“We welcomed the Oblates’ invitation for an initial assessment of the General House archives in Rome,” said Stephanie Scott, Executive Director of the Center. The records we have assessed will help compile a more accurate timeline of Oblates attending residential schools across Canada. »
Identify children in photos
Frogner now hopes to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to identify children in photos found in Rome. “As we sift through records and try to uncover the lost fates of these children, these photographs could tell us where they were at certain points in their lives,” he recalled.
The archivist had brought with him to Rome a list of priests known to have committed crimes against children in these boarding schools. He went through personnel files on the activities and places where these priests had ministered. Although none of these documents contained information on the crimes committed, some show that priests traveled frequently, that they sometimes had difficulty working with children, or that they were advised to marry and leave orders. “(The information) was worded in very vague terms…”, underlines the archivist.
Mr. Frogner maintains that he did not have enough time to fully analyze these documents. Once the images are digitized, he hopes to examine the personnel archives in more detail.
Traditionally, Oblates keep personnel records sealed for 50 years after a member dies. The order promised that it was taking steps to speed up access to these documents.
The Oblate Order documents currently in Canada probably contain more complete information, Frogner admitted.
The Oblates have already provided the National Center with more than 40,000 documents and another 10,000 have been digitized. The Royal British Columbia Museum has received approximately 250 boxes of material from the Oblates since 2019, a third of which relate to residential schools. Agreements have also been concluded between the Oblates and other archival services to transfer relevant documents to the National Centre.
Frogner already knew his recent findings were of particular significance as Pope Francis came to Canada last week to apologize for the role played by members of the Catholic Church in federal residential schools for Indigenous people.
Throughout the papal visit, indigenous leaders have called for the release of all documents related to these institutions.
The Oblates have already apologized for their involvement in residential schools and the wrongs they inflicted on Aboriginal people. Father Ken Thorson, Provincial Superior of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, OMI Lacombe Canada Province, said in a statement that transparency is essential to truth and reconciliation efforts.
“While this has been a constructive year of partnership, I know that these steps are only the beginning of an ongoing journey towards truth, justice, healing and reconciliation. »