Two Catholic churches burn to ground on First Nations' land
David Carrigg
VANCOUVER SUN
© JAMES MILLER Firefighters' jackets hang Monday on the fence outside what used to be Sacred Heart Church on the Penticton Indian Reserve. The church was destroyed by a fire around 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Two Catholic churches on Indigenous land in the southern Okanagan were destroyed by fire early Monday, as shock waves continue from the discovery of 215 unidentified graves near the old Kamloops Indian Residential School.
According to Penticton South Okanagan RCMP spokesman Sgt. Jason Bayda, an officer on patrol spotted fire coming from the Sacred Heart Church on Penticton Indian Band land at around 1:20 a.m.
Penticton Fire and Rescue were called and arrived to find the church fully engulfed in flames.
Bayda said that less than two hours later — at 3:10 a.m. — Oliver RCMP and the Oliver Fire Department were notified that St. Gregory’s Church on Osoyoos Indian Band land was ablaze.
Oliver is a 40-minute drive south of Penticton on Highway 97.
“Both churches burned to the ground and police are treating the fires as suspicious,” Bayda said.
The wooden churches were each at least 100 years old and are the responsibility of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson.
“Investigators have and continue to liaise with both the Penticton and Osoyoos Indian bands as we investigate these fires,” Bayda said.
“Should our investigations deem these fires as arson, the RCMP will be looking at all possible motives and allow the facts and evidence to direct our investigative action. We are sensitive to the recent events, but won’t speculate on a motive.”
Two Catholic churches on Indigenous land in the southern Okanagan were destroyed by fire early Monday, as shock waves continue from the discovery of 215 unidentified graves near the old Kamloops Indian Residential School.
According to Penticton South Okanagan RCMP spokesman Sgt. Jason Bayda, an officer on patrol spotted fire coming from the Sacred Heart Church on Penticton Indian Band land at around 1:20 a.m.
Penticton Fire and Rescue were called and arrived to find the church fully engulfed in flames.
Bayda said that less than two hours later — at 3:10 a.m. — Oliver RCMP and the Oliver Fire Department were notified that St. Gregory’s Church on Osoyoos Indian Band land was ablaze.
Oliver is a 40-minute drive south of Penticton on Highway 97.
“Both churches burned to the ground and police are treating the fires as suspicious,” Bayda said.
The wooden churches were each at least 100 years old and are the responsibility of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson.
“Investigators have and continue to liaise with both the Penticton and Osoyoos Indian bands as we investigate these fires,” Bayda said.
“Should our investigations deem these fires as arson, the RCMP will be looking at all possible motives and allow the facts and evidence to direct our investigative action. We are sensitive to the recent events, but won’t speculate on a motive.”
© ROY WOOD The remains of St. Gregory Church on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve. It was destroyed by fire at around 3 a.m. on Monday.
Bayda was referring to the discovery of the remains of the 215 kids found late last month. This discovery has sparked outrage directed toward the Catholic Church that operated the majority of B.C.’s 28 residential schools, and the federal government that created the policy and funded the institutions, where children were systematically degraded and abused.
June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.
Father Thomas Kakkaniyil, the priest in charge of St. Gregory’s Church, said Sunday had been the first mass at the church in over a year — due to COVID-19. He said the church had daytime security for the mass, but there was no security overnight.
“Somebody from outside came and burned it as I understand it,” Kakkaniyil said. “It was done on the Osoyoos First Nation land but not by those people. It was somebody else.”
A spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver said there would be no comment on Monday’s fires.
“We do not consider this as cause for concern for churches locally,” Makani Marquis said.
Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band said the Sacred Heart Church was a community fixture that hosted weddings and funerals but many people also feel pain due to the Roman Catholic Church’s role operating abusive residential schools.
“There’s a lot of anger, a lot of hurt in every First Nations, Indigenous community throughout Canada,” he said, adding that he was not speculating on the cause of the fire.
Gabriel said he was awoken by a staff member calling at 2 a.m. to report the church was on fire.
“I quickly rushed down to the church site and by the time I got there it was already gone. It was a very old church and didn’t take very much time for it to completely burn down,” he said.
The church was built around 1912, he said.
The Penticton Indian Band is also asking that band members not be approached to ask how they felt about the fires.
dcarrigg@postmedia.com
— with a file from Canadian Press
Bayda was referring to the discovery of the remains of the 215 kids found late last month. This discovery has sparked outrage directed toward the Catholic Church that operated the majority of B.C.’s 28 residential schools, and the federal government that created the policy and funded the institutions, where children were systematically degraded and abused.
June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.
Father Thomas Kakkaniyil, the priest in charge of St. Gregory’s Church, said Sunday had been the first mass at the church in over a year — due to COVID-19. He said the church had daytime security for the mass, but there was no security overnight.
“Somebody from outside came and burned it as I understand it,” Kakkaniyil said. “It was done on the Osoyoos First Nation land but not by those people. It was somebody else.”
A spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver said there would be no comment on Monday’s fires.
“We do not consider this as cause for concern for churches locally,” Makani Marquis said.
Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band said the Sacred Heart Church was a community fixture that hosted weddings and funerals but many people also feel pain due to the Roman Catholic Church’s role operating abusive residential schools.
“There’s a lot of anger, a lot of hurt in every First Nations, Indigenous community throughout Canada,” he said, adding that he was not speculating on the cause of the fire.
Gabriel said he was awoken by a staff member calling at 2 a.m. to report the church was on fire.
“I quickly rushed down to the church site and by the time I got there it was already gone. It was a very old church and didn’t take very much time for it to completely burn down,” he said.
The church was built around 1912, he said.
The Penticton Indian Band is also asking that band members not be approached to ask how they felt about the fires.
dcarrigg@postmedia.com
— with a file from Canadian Press
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