Kairo's Blanket at St. Jerome's University

On Friday, October 21st, Fr. Greg and four students from the McMaster Catholic Chaplaincy took a road trip to Waterloo, to take part in the Kairos Blanket Exercise. The Kairos Blanket Exercise builds awareness and understanding of the shared history between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by having participants literally walk through situations that include pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance.

[For more information about the Kairos Blanket Exercise, please see their website: https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/]

Fr. Greg and the students arrived at St. Jerome’s University just before 3pm, where they were welcomed by staff and asked to remove their shoes for the exercise. Shortly, they were joined by 35 other individuals—the group consisting of students from Guelph and Waterloo, as well as other members of the community. The blanket exercise began with a smudging ritual, which involved the burning of sacred herbs (e.g., white sage) for the use of spiritual cleansing. The two facilitators then walked the group through the shared history between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. After the exercise was completed, the group went around and shared their thoughts, take-aways, and personal experience of completing the Kairos Blanket Exercise.

Following the sharing circle was a delicious dinner—which was graciously provided by St. Jerome’s. The rule for dinner was: “No sitting next to someone you already know!” Fr. Greg and our students ate, chatted, and connected with various members of the community—it was truly a beautiful evening of learning, reflecting, and fellowship.