CARITAS AWARD — Tom Lussier (left), president of the Catholic Foundation of Manitoba, stands with Winnipeg Archbishop James Weisgerber at the recent dinner at which Weisgerber received the Caritas Award. (Swart photo)

Weisgerber receives Caritas Award

By James Buchok

WINNIPEG — Archbishop of Winnipeg James Weisgerber was praised for his leadership, his vision of the church and his love of social justice as he was presented with the 2010 Caritas Award by the Catholic Foundation of Manitoba April 15.

Weisgerber “mixes with everybody, pope and pauper” said longtime colleague Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, of Cornerbrook and Labrador. Crosby told the 800 people in attendance at the annual Caritas dinner that, in his work with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Weisgerber proved to be “a master of understanding complex issues.” Weisgerber served as CCCB general secretary and vice-president, and was president from 2007- 2009.

“Perhaps his most outstanding quality is his love for and commitment to social justice,” said Crosby. “Some of us find those kinds of people irksome because they make us work. Because he is not afraid of hard work, he makes us work.”

Weisgerber’s devotion to justice led him to develop “a deep respect for Aboriginal people,” said Crosby, reminding the audience of Weisgerber’s work to arrange an historic gathering at the Vatican in April 2009 attended by Pope Benedict XVI, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine, former students of residential schools and First Nations elders. The pope expressed his sorrow for the conduct of some members of the church which led to abuses suffered by Aboriginal children in Canadian residential schools.

Foundation president Tom Lussier, principal of Winnipeg’s St. Paul’s High School, said what he noticed on Weisgerber’s first visit to the school years ago was that he was obviously a teacher, having at one time been Dean of Arts at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask.

“He knew how to connect with the students. He is a spiritual leader with a strong vision of the church, a church of communion,” said Lussier. “He has demonstrated that leadership in Manitoba and in Canada.”

Accepting the award, Weisgerber said he was “filled with gratitude” for the Catholic Foundation of Manitoba. The Caritas dinner is one of the year’s highlights, he said.

Weisgerber spoke of living on the prairie and no matter how many times one sees the large harvest moon shining on the horizon, “we still have to say, ‘Look at the moon!’ The moon is just a rock, but when the sun shines on it, how glorious it is.” He compared it to “the splendour of Jesus rising from the dead and shining on us.

“Sometimes we are like a rock,” said Weisgerber: “cold, lifeless, dark; we are going through a lot of that right now. We always need to be transformed by Christ; his splendour makes us who we are and the splendour of the risen Christ never abandons us.”

Weisgerber said he has had “a marvellous time being a priest, a bishop and a leader of the church. It’s a struggle at times, as it is for any leader. I wish to acknowledge my family and friends and in a particular way the priests. The bishop is nothing without his priests.”

Weisgerber said his work with the CCCB kept him away from the archdiocese at times “and I regretted that, but there were other callings. Now I’m back here full time and you may regret it.”

Weisgerber said his priority is the reconciliation of Aboriginal people with non-Aboriginal people. “Neither will succeed without the other,” he said.

“I have said before the challenges we face are the same as they were 200 years ago and we did not handle it very well 200 years ago and now we have a second chance. It’s not too often that history gives you a second chance.”

Weisgerber said the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission “is an opportunity for all of us to become involved.”