My car the hunting machine

Today I hit my first cariboo. I was driving from Chisasibi, home to Waskaganish, and came across many cariboo on the highway. At one point, having just come out of a curve, there were two cariboo on the road in front of me. One of them moved fairly quickly across the road in front of me, and leapt over the snowbank on the other side of the road. His friend followed but more slowly. I could not avoid him at all, and caught him on his behind with the front bumper on the driver's side. Fortunately at that point I was not going very fast. The cariboo was knocked on to the snow on the shoulder of the other side of the road. He only lay on his side for the briefest of moments, before leaping to his feet and jumping over the snowbank to join his friend. Hence no steak for me from my first cariboo.

Stopping to check the front end of my vehicle, the only sign that I had hit anything was a tuft of hair caught in the headlight socket.

Earlier in the journey I had come over a hill and found about half a dozen white birds feeding on the salt on the road. They flew up in the air and I saw that I caught at least one of them, knocking it to the road.

Hence it is that I find I do not need a gun to hunt, I just drive down the road!

Last winter, on one trip, I hit a rabbit which I suddenly came upon on the road in front of me. The rabbit was hit in such a way that he was only nicked on the upper part of one leg, but nevertheless lay dead on the road. I had a passenger with me on this occasion. He picked up the rabbit and put him in the back of my vehicle. Upon arriving at "km. 381", which is the only gas station on the James Bay Highway, as well as being a cafeteria where many travellers stop, we saw one of the Chisasibi postulants for priesthood in the parking lot. Hence we made a gift of the rabbit to this Cree elder. The next time I saw him I advised him that after he was ordained he would not need a gun to hunt, but he would simply have to drive his car down the highway, just like me.

That elder is now a deacon. He will likely be priested later in 2007. I haven't asked him yet if he has got rid of his hunting guns yet. But I am not sure if he will still need them, as I really am not sure if a deacon's vehicle is as effective a hunting machine as that of a priest.

National Indigenous Bishop

Yesterday I was worshiping with the good people of St. Philip's, Chisasibi. In the morning service, which was baptism and communion entirely in the Chisasibi Cree dialect, I had one contribution to the leadership of the service. That was to speak to the gathered congregation of the appointment of Bishop Mark McDonald as the National Indigenous Bishop. Bishop McDonald is currently the Bishop of Alaska, and will begin his new position in March. After explaining briefly the role of the newly appointed NIB, and emphasizing that we will continue to be a part of the Diocese of Moosonee, with Archbishop Caleb as our Diocesan Bishop, I asked the congregation to pray for Bishop Mark, upholding him in prayer along with Archbishop Caleb. I then led in prayer, giving thanksgiving for the newly appointed NIB.

A news story giving more details of the NIB position, along with some biographical info, I had printed off from my email and I gave this to the Rector's Warden. He then took this to the local radio station where he used the info in the story to speak about Bishop McDonald. The Rector's Warden was himself present at the Sacred Circle gathering at which the assembled delegates called for the appointment of a National Indigenous Bishop.

In July 2003 I was privileged to be a student in a class taught by Bishop McDonald. I was at the Native Ministries Consortium Summer School held at the Vancouver School of Theology each summer. On the basis of my experience in that classroom, and my recollections of Bishop McDonald at the School, I am very much looking forward to Bishop McDonald's ministry as the National Indigenous Bishop.