A decision made by the University of British Columbia in 1986 to grant Bishop John Fergus O’Grady an honorary degree is now under review..O’Grady, who died in 1998, was principal of the Kamloops Residential School where the remains of over 215 children have been found..“The university is aware of the community concerns relating to the honorary degree conferred in 1986 to Bishop John O’Grady,” writes UBC’s President and Vice-Chancellor in a joint statement with UBC Okanagan’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal..“The issues raised are deeply upsetting and we take them seriously. UBC’s Senate will be reviewing this matter immediately per our processes and policies relating to honorary degree recipients..“The devastating legacy of the Indian residential school system has affected nearly every Indigenous family and the effects on communities are still here today.”.The Indian residential schools were in operation for over a century as a partnership between the Canadian government and major churches. The last school closed its doors in 1996..“A major component of Fergus O’Grady’s dream was the role of education to bring communities together and to open up future possibilities for members of local communities,” states archives dating May 29, 1986, the date O’Grady received his honorary degree..“In 1956, when Fergus O’Grady became Bishop of Prince George, a position he still holds, he seized on the opportunity to make education more accessible to local communities in the interior and to do so in a way which would bring the native and white communities closer together.”.Archives also state that O’Grady served on the staffs of Native Indian schools in Mission and Kamloops..Although some reports of O’Grady’s exact role and time spent in the Kamloops Residential School are unconfirmed, a letter posted on the BC Teachers Federation website confirms that he was in fact the schools principal in 1948..“It will be your privilege this year to have your children spend Christmas at home with you,” writes O’Grady in the letter dated November 18, 1948..“This is a privilege which is being granted if you observe the following regulations of the Indian Department.”.O’Grady warns parents to bring the children back to school “strictly on time,” and how failure to do so will result in the child not being allowed to return home for Christmas the following year..Catholic bishops in Canada have released statements in response to the discovery of children’s remains at the former Kamloops Residential School..“On behalf of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), I express our deepest sorrow for the heartrending loss of the children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation,” wrote Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops..“This tragedy profoundly impacts indigenous communities, with whom many people across this land and throughout the world now stand in solidarity. As we see ever more clearly the pain and suffering of the past, the Bishops of Canada pledge to continue walking side by side with indigenous peoples in the present, seeking greater healing and reconciliation for the future.”.Investigations into the Kamloops Residential School, as well as O’Grady’s role are ongoing..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
