Statement of Fr. Marcin Mironiuk OMI about his remarks during announcements on July 18th:
I would like to communicate to the faithful of Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish and all those who have been hurt by my remarks during the announcements at the end of Mass on July 18th 2021.
I want to acknowledge the pain and sadness which came to be as the result of my remarks.
I apologize to the Residential Schools Survivors and pledge to do better. I will engage in educating myself about the history and legacy of the Church’s involvement – and the trauma that generations of the Indigenous communities in Canada carry until this day as a result of those experiences.
I apologize equally to members of the Jewish community who I offended by my remarks regarding the massacre of Jews in Jedwabne. I will engage in educating myself further about that historic event – and contemporary efforts to build bridges of understanding between Catholics and Jews both in Poland and here in Canada.
Especially with reference to the former, I am deeply sorry, humiliated, and ashamed at the reality that stands behind the Residential Schools System and did not intend to undermine that in any way. As a Catholic and a Priest, I see the terrible hurt the Residential School System has caused and I lament the loss of all lives as a result. If and when I get a chance to meet survivors, I will seek to learn from their stories and come to know their history better. At the same time, I ask for their forgiveness.
I, in my own humble way, want to commit myself today to better my own knowledge of those times, so I can be an active part in advancing the cause of Truth and Reconciliation with our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters in our communities and in all of Canada. I will do this through working with those who have studied these realities and are competent to help me come to know this horrific past, so I can use this knowledge in the process of healing. I also, as a Catholic Priest, commit myself to pray for those who have died as a result of the Residential School System and this year will celebrate monthly Memorial Masses for the children who lost their lives.
I am sorry for any hurt I have caused. I ask for your forgiveness, understanding and prayers. I also ask for the parishioners to respect this process of healing and the time I will need to learn and to understand better this reality.
Respectfully,
Fr. Marcin Mironiuk OMI
Read more @ https://caedm.ca/PastoralScene/entryid/900/statement-regarding-rev-marcin-mironiuk-omi