Christianity and Indian spirituality coming together

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In 1977 Lucien and William Meek packed their belongings and began the long trip west, from their Ojibwa home on Tenagami reserve in Ontario.

Most of Lucien's family had migrated to the Edmonton area from the east in the 60s so the move wasn't that hard on her and their family of five children, she says.

Today, she's the director of the Native Pastoral Centre in Edmonton, a job she loves because religion has always been an important part of her life.

European religion had a great effect on the people of the Tenagami (Deep Water) reserve back home in Ontario, she said.

But Indian spirituality was taught directly by reserve elders.

"We know of the sweetgrass, we were taught about our Creator and how to fast. European religion was viewed as not so good," said Meek.

However, as director of the Native Pastoral Centre, she now sees the two religions having very close similarities.

"Here I see Christianity and our culture coming together. To me this is a real exciting time. It's almost like a pioneer thing in the church," she beamed.

Presently, she is studying theology at Newman Theology College in Edmonton, where she's learning bout the Old Testament. It has brought her closer to believing the Old Testament and Indian tradition are very similar.

"On Earth Day (April 22) we held a service at the center. We brought dirt into the church and it was blessed by Father Gary Laboucane. We also blessed the dirt with sweetgrass.

"In the scriptures it says God created man from a mound of earth. Mother Earth is important to both Indian tradition and Christianity," said Meek.

According to Indian traditions, Indian people are the keepers of the earth. The same thing was told to Hebrew people in the Old Testament, she noted.

"They talk about a temple in the Old Testament. God talked about the four directions. 'From the center of the temple will flow living water.' In the Bible this is the Holy Spirit.

"In Indian tradition we live our lives by the four directions and the center is our Creator. There are many similar passages in the Old Testament that coincide with our Native beliefs," she said.

Ever since she was a small girl Meek was taught by her grandfather Alex Paul about the spiritual world, both from the Christian and Indian view, she said.

"My grandfather was a very good Catholic. Because there was no priest on the reserve my grandfather said the prayers at wakes, buried peopled and baptized them."

"He was born in 1885 and as an elder he knew the old ways very well," said Meek, who plans to receive a theology diploma from Newman College in two years.

She is also a member of the social justice commission for the Edmonton archdiocese.

"We work to make people within the church more aware and responsible towards people suffering like the Lubicon people and the El Salvadorean people.

"Basically, we try to help make the world a better place," she said.

Before accepting the position as director of the Native Pastoral Centre, Meek was a nursing assistant at Royal Alexander Hospital in Edmonton for nine years.

A firm believer in community involvement, she has worked at the Boyle Street McCauley Health Centre and for a time she worked an evening shift at Spady Detox Centre as a helper.

"I really enjoyed working in the inner city area and I 've working with people," she said.

But now Meek says her life revolves around the pastoral center. Working with the many Native people who come to services and other church events has helped her grow.

"Just watching all the people who come to church makes me happy."

"I love my work here. It has helped me to grow spiritually and in my faith in the Catholic Church."