On May 26, 2025, the Jesuit Forum gathered LTIV Facilitators and Organizers on Zoom.

  • This was an occasion to present the platforms that the Forum is putting together (resource page, Facebook group, email list - sign up by emailing us at ltiv@jesuitforum.ca).
  • Participants expressed the wish to have at least three online meetings per year. 3 types of meetings were discussed:
    • Formation (with an elder or knowledge carrier – on training facilitation, on how to organize a dialogue series etc – to be recorded and passed on to beginners)
    • Presentations from facilitators (on best practices, book suggestions etc)
    • Open discussion

--> The Jesuit Forum is happy to initiate some of these meetings, but facilitators can take initiatives: don't hesitate to meet, to voluntarily suggest presenting your experiences, suggestions and wisdom, or to ask your questions or share resources you think could be helpful to others.

1 - Best practices were shared on several themes

  • Best practices and resources around Land acknowledgements
    • In ‘Winnipek’ (chapter ‘Seeds’), Niigaan Sinclair writes: “Territorial acknowledgements must always be personalized and must answer questions such as ‘What does it mean to share land with Indigenous nations?’, ‘How has history impacted the way we see or do not see one another?’, ‘What we do once we commit to seeing differently?’ and most importantly ‘How do we make this world we see a peaceful and ethical one, based in treaty justice and collectivity?’"
    • “The indigenous practice of respect for the land is a beautiful tradition that recognizes land as a gift. When we acknowledge the land and the people we are not making a political statement, we are recognizing a mutual spiritual truth that unites us and draws us into a deeper understanding of God our Creator.” - quote from a presentation of the Archdiocese of Vancouver on 'How to Use Land Acknowledgement in a Catholic context'.

 

  • Best practices on Starting a LTIV group
    • If you encounter issues in having authorizations to organize an LTIV series, ask the Forum Team to present the approach. Don’t hesitate to ask for our support!
    • If beginner facilitators need help in drafting invitations, visuals or other concrete tasks, they can also ask the group and the Forum for examples or templates.
    • Suggestion to use the Documentary on the Doctrine of Discovery: "Stolen lands, strong hearts", from the Anglican Church of Canada,  to set a group in the right dispositions before starting their LTIV journey.
    • Example of a group who has been able to hold hybrid sessions, by having a circle gather in-person, while other people joined online break out rooms managed by facilitators.

 

  • Best practices on How to involve Indigenous peoples?
    • A parish invited Elders to every session. Parishioners then recognized ‘They have helped us, how can we help them now?’ and the relationships grew organically.
    • Connecting with Indigenous Catholics can be a good starting point.
    • Some groups might be reluctant to start a series when they don’t have any relationships with Indigenous people, but often these relationships will also be created thanks to the work on LTIV.
    • The LTIV journey led a parish group to have a piece of art created by a local indigenous artist, with everyone involved in its making and in celebrating its installation.
    • It is important to have standards in organizing LTIV circles (e.g. making sure that organizers facilitate and don’t ‘teach’ to their group), but it is also good to be creative and have an approach that is tailored to the specifics of a group. Having an Elder present during the LTIV journey can really help setting the right tone.  However it is not always easy as Elders are in-demand, and beginners might be lacking knowledge on how to respectfully interact with Elders.
    • Every group is different and there is no check list that works for all. Everyone should discern their approach.

 

2 - Ideas for follow-up after the LTIV sessions

    • An organizer explained that after going through three full series of LTIV sessions, a group decided to study the book ‘Winipek’ by Niigaan Sinclair, using similar questions to the ones in the LTIV dialogue guide (What struck you? What you are taking away / What changed you? What did you notice from others in the group?) Another tip was to show the group short YouTube clips of the people, places and events mentioned in the book.
    • A congregation used the LTIV dialogue guide for many groups, then followed up with the Kairos blanket exercise and then the ‘Home on native land’ online resource https://homeonnativeland.com/

 

  • LTIV and Ecology:
    • A group explored ecology by having forest bathing groups with local guides, experiencing nature with all senses, all seasons, with food every time.
    • Other mentioned that their group initially formed around Laudato Si and ecology, and then got introduced to LTIV
    • Some organizations always do something special about the ‘Season of creation’ in September, like mass on the land with Indigenous Catholics.

 

 

3 - Potential LTIV resource updates or expansion - The idea of LTIV Supplements