Since being named co-chair of the Roman Catholic Evangelical Dialogue Group in 2018, Bishop Joseph Dabrowski has done extensive work promoting unity and understanding among Christian traditions.
Bishop Dabrowski and others within the group have also been involved in educating themselves on issues of reconciliation and establishing healthy relations with Indigenous communities across the country.
Through this work, the Bishop of Charlottetown discovered a poignant testament to a lifetime of reconciliation in practice, which lay in the story of Harvey Satewas Gabriel.
The Indigenous elder from the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, south of Montreal, met with Bishop Dabrowski as part of the dialogue group’s visit in June. Following conversations on the importance of reconciliation and harmonious relationships between the two parties, Gabriel presented Bishop Dabrowski with the culmination of nearly two decades of his life’s work — a Bible translated into Mohawk.
“It was a profoundly inspiring experience, and what initially struck me was that despite his age, he spoke with eloquence, passion, and humility about his remarkable dedication to translating the Bible into Mohawk,” Bishop Dabrowski said. “We asked him to pray with us, and hearing him recite the Lord’s Prayer in his native Mohawk was moving. It brought the language to life in such a meaningful way.”
Now 83, Gabriel told the group the translation has taken nearly 17 years to complete. To the elder, the Mohawk Bible is not a translation for leisure but rather a testament to preserving his culture while making the word of God accessible to his people, the Mohawk Nation, which is part of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy in the St. Lawrence region of Canada and upper New York State.
The story goes that upon hearing his church minister translate Scripture into Mohawk in the late 1950s, Gabriel began wondering why there wasn’t a Bible in Mohawk. This sparked a lifelong journey that culminated in August 2023 when the Bible was completed.
To Bishop Dabrowski, the Mohawk Bible is more than a physical collection of books crafted with materials; it is a tangible sign that reconciliation and mutual respect between Christians and their Indigenous brothers and sisters is indeed a two-way street.
“Gabriel’s story demonstrates how Indigenous communities are not just recipients in the reconciliation process but active contributors as well. I was pleased to hear that he continues to encourage young people not to lose their language and to do so by reading the Bible,” he said. “I was also stunned to hear that a passage from his translation of the Book of Revelation was read aloud at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in Toronto, so it is already being shared in the country.”
Gabriel gifted the signed Bible to Bishop Dabrowski, asking him to present it to Pope Francis next June upon leading his diocesan pilgrimage to Rome during the Holy Year. It was an act of selflessness that looms large in the mind of the Charlottetown bishop.
“When you think of all Gabriel has put into this translated Bible, it shows what a humble and peaceful man he is by signing this original copy and gifting it to me. Due to Pope Francis’ deep commitment to reconciliation, I believe it will resonate deeply with him as well, as a symbol of our shared efforts to walk together,” he said.
The meeting in Kanesatake came two years after the dialogue group’s initial discussions of the Truth and Reconciliation report, where members also watched the documentary from the Cree communities in Northern Québec, The Survivors.
Bishop Dabrowski touted his experience as a shift in how he viewed reconciliation, not just as a political or systematic process, but as a deeper personal and community-centred effort.
Bishop Dabrowski has been primed for Roman Catholic/Evangelical dialogue long before taking the position of co-chair six years ago. He credits his lifelong experiences in ministry, field education, and the inspiration of St. John Paul II’s initiatives toward interfaith dialogue. Bishop Dabrowski served at Pope John Paul II’s Masses in Rome various times during his studies there from 1985 to 1991.
Moving forward with that inspiration always in mind, he hopes that his short time meeting Gabriel can be a model of reconciliation through genuine relationships built on mutual respect and trust.
“For Catholics, I think this dialogue should be seen as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of reconciliation both historically and spiritually by showing that collaboration across religions and denominations models Christ’s desire for unity and service to others,” he said.
“I thank Canadian Catholics for their continued support of reconciliation at the national level. It is a beautiful sign that journeying together in healing can bring a great collective result.”
Canadian Catholic News
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