For St. Boniface Archbishop Albert LeGatt, the Grandfather Rock is just a “small symbol” of reconciliation — even if it stands over 1.5 metres tall. 

The Grandfather Rock, so named by Indigenous people for how it contains generational knowledge, ancient memories and a spirit, was unveiled June 20 in the Archdiocese of St. Boniface’s Heritage Park, across the street from St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg.

“I hope it will indicate to Indigenous people this is a safe place and all are welcome,” said LeGatt, adding it represents an “intertwining of Christian faith and Indigenous spirituality, values and beliefs, a weaving of the two together.”

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Called M’shoomis Asin in Ojibwe, the Grandfather Rock was donated to the archdiocese by a parishioner five years ago. It is surrounded by a symbolic see-through sweat lodge made out of rebar by local high school students.

The placement of the Grandfather Rock and sweat lodge in the Heritage Park is a way for Roman Catholics to indicate they are taking seriously the Calls to Action directed at the churches by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, LeGatt said.

“It shows how we are playing a part on the long and rich journey of reconciliation between First Nations people and non-Indigenous people," he said. “It is a way to understand and share our common values that are truly essential for a unified humanity."

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At the same time, it’s a way to acknowledge “the inherent value and worth of Indigenous spiritual values” and the Church’s acceptance of Indigenous culture and spirituality, he said.

Elder Clayton Sandy of the Sioux Valley Dakota First Nation worked with LeGatt to create the installation. For him, the placement of the Grandfather Rock and symbolic sweat lodge on property owned by the archdiocese is significant since Indigenous spiritual practices like sweat lodges were forbidden for many decades by the Roman Catholic Church.

“Now there is a representation of a sweat lodge on church grounds,” said Sandy, whose parents and six siblings are residential school survivors while he was a Sixties scoop child. It is, he said, a “symbol of healing between Indigenous people and the Church . . . we have come a long way.”

It also shows that Roman Catholics and Indigenous people are making progress in the journey of reconciliation, he said, adding “if we don’t come together with open minds, nothing changes.”

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Beside the installation are two panels, one explaining the significance of the Grandfather Rock is in English, French, Dakota and Ojibwe and the other, in English and French, describing the role of sweat lodges in Indigenous tradition and culture.

In addition to the Grandfather Rock and symbolic sweat lodge, the Heritage Park also contains information and statuary about the religious orders who were instrumental in the development of Manitoba’s health, educational and social service systems.