About Us
Welcome to Kateritv.com.
This Internet TV site has been prepared by the Building Bridges Project, Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops.
The purpose of this site is to help teachers and learners, school-aged and lifelong, to delve more deeply into the Aboriginal part of the Canadian Catholic Church -- its rich history, its moments of sadness, its modern-day search for healing and reconciliation and the many men and women who have worked for decades to bring this about.
Through these videos and study guides, we hope you can come to know better the men, women and youth who, together are creating the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Church community throughout the cuntries dioceses and archdioceses, in urban areas, the Far North and along both Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
Kateritv.com Leadership Team
Sr. Eva Solomon, CSJ
Sr. Eva Solomon, CSJ, is a co-producer of this site kateritv.com and coordinates the Building Bridges Project, an initiative of the Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops.
The goals of the Building Bridges Project are: "to heighten awareness and understanding of interculturation of faith in the context of diocesan faith life; to help the broader Canadian Roman Catholic Church take on greater responsibility for ministry to Aboriginal Peoples; and to help Aboriginal Peoples recognize and take more ownership and responsibility for the faith life of their communities."
Sister Eva is an Ojibway from Northern Ontario. She has been a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie for almost fifty years. She has a strong commitment to the development of a truly Aboriginal Catholic Church. She has worked for many years with her own people and many other Aboriginal peoples of both Canada and United States. She spent one year with Indigenous People in various parts of Mexico as well.
She holds a doctorate of ministry degree (cross-cultural ministry) from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago Illinois, as well as Bachelors of arts and teaching (Native Studies) from University of Lethbridge, Alberta. She was the coordinator for Aboriginal People, World Youth Day, 2002.
She served eight years on the National Tekakwitha Conference Board of Directors in United States and has been involved with it since 1980. The Tekakwitha Conference is a Spiritual conference dedicated to the growth and development of Native American Catholic Church.
For twelve years prior to attending Catholic Theological Union, Sister Eva's fulltime ministry was in Pastoral work with First Nations Peoples; working as a diocesan resource person in the Diocese of Thunder Bay as well as a resource person for various groups throughout Canada and Unites States. In much of her work, her focus is on interculturation of faith - the bringing together of Catholic faith and Aboriginal traditional ways.
She has a vision of Aboriginal Church that incorporates her dream for a religious community of First Nations People, "COMPANIONS OF KATERI". She and four others have already made a formal commitment in this pious association.
Since 1987, Sister Eva has initiated and coordinated several "ONTARIO NATIVE KATERI CONFERENCES" in the province of Ontario.
In 1990, Sister co-produced a 13-part TV series called "THE KATERI MOVEMENT" which has been aired numerous times on VISION T.V. Significantly, it was First Nations people who presented the first Catholic series of programming on VISION T.V.
In her traditional way, Sister Eva is a Sacred Pipe Carrier and Conductor of the Sweat Lodge as well as various other ceremonies. She has conducted many retreats and days of reflections with many different groups.
On May 16, 1999, Sr. Eva received the "Christian Culture Award Gold Medal" from Assumption University in Windsor, ON, for her work in reconciling Anishinabe spiritual traditions and Christianity. This medal "is bestowed annually to an ‘outstanding exponent of Christian ideals.’" Past winners include: Dorothy Day, Jean Vanier, Lisa Sowle Cahil.
Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie, OMI
Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie, OMI is a co-producer of Kateritv.com.
Archbishop Sylvain is Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Keewatin-The Pas. He is the founding chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Ministry for the Assembly of Western Bishops as well as a former member of the group of Northern Canadian Bishops and also served on the board for the Corporation of Catholic Entities party to the Indian Residential School Settlement (CCEPIRSS).
Archbishop Sylvain received a B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan in 1970. He joined the Oblates in the fall of that year and studied theology as a member of the St. Charles Scholasticate Oblate community. He obtained a Bachelor of Theologyfrom Newman Theological College in 1974 and was ordained to the priesthood on October 19, 1974.
As an Oblate missionary, he spent over 30 years ministering among the Aboriginal peoples of north and central Saskatchewan. Part of that ministry has been lecturing and giving workshops on the topics of spirituality, grieving and the Twelve Steps. For a period of three years he teamed up with a lay couple and directed an archdiocesan Keewatin Renewal Team that offered sessions on faith renewal, personal healing and community development throughout the archdiocese of Keewatin-The Pas in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He then ministered in the diocese of Prince Albert as part of a First Nations ministry team and later was a member of an Oblate Cree language learning community.
He has authored numerous articles on Aboriginal ministry, a booklet entitled Together We Heal on healing the trauma of sexual abuse by means of the 12 Step program, and a book entitled Drumming From Within on his ministry among the First Nations and Méétis that was published by Novalis. He was chair of the Oblate Lebret Task Force on Aboriginal ministry that initiated the first Directions for Aboriginal Ministry session at Lac St Anne in 1997.
On August 29th, 2005, he was ordained as coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Keewatin-The Pas and took over as archbishop in March 2006.
For recreation he enjoys gardening, sail-boarding, kayaking, photography, singing and playing the guitar.
Additional information:
- Has taken courses on Pastoral Communications and Linguistics
- Spent two years learning Cree
- Is in the process of writing another book, this one on addictions awareness and recovery from addictions.
- Motto as an archbishop is Regnum Dei Intra Vos –– The Kingdom of God is among you, which is his over-riding focus and passion.
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