<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#467886;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-CA" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:9.0pt;margin-left:0cm">
<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dean – thanks for your email. One of the groups I have been working with on housing is the Rwandan Canadian Healing Centre (RCHC), and this past Friday I was with Kizito Musabimana, the founder, and a few of
his Rwandan friends who live in Toronto. See <b><a href="https://rchc.ca/about-us/our-team/kizito-musabimana">https://rchc.ca/about-us/our-team/kizito-musabimana</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:9.0pt;margin-left:0cm">
<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In our exchange I was remembering how Rwanda and Burundi were the most Catholic African countries in Africa at the time of the genocide. It reminds us of the importance of remembering our history – thanks for
doing this. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:9.0pt;margin-left:0cm">
<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">David <br>
<a href="mailto:david@dwalsh.ca">david@dwalsh.ca</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Sundaycommunity <sundaycommunity-bounces@lists.integralshift.ca>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Dean Riley via Sundaycommunity<br>
<b>Sent:</b> April 6, 2025 3:02 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Sunday Community <sundaycommunity@integralshift.ca><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Dean Riley <riley234@gmail.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Sundaycommunity] (no subject)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear friends…<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please excuse this long email… I learned this morning that tomorrow <span style="color:black;background:white">is the 31st anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi. Over a span of 103 days, members
of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were systematically killed by Hutu militias. It is estimated that 800,000 Tutsi were massacred. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Particularly striking is the massive number of orphans who were left alone to mourn and to rebuild their lives.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><img border="0" width="640" height="684" style="width:6.6666in;height:7.125in" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image003.jpg@01DBA72B.E5FD0BC0"></span><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">I did some research on Wikipedia and discovered a list of all incidents of genocide in recorded history much longer than I could ever have imagined! </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Of course, the most recent on the Wikipedia list is the Gaza Genocide with a present estimate of 186,000 deaths. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The two first incidents of historical genocide included on the Wikipedia list were very thought provoking for me personally…<br>
<br>
“The Taíno genocide refers to the extermination of the indigenous population of Hispaniola in 1492, due to forced labor and exploitation by the Spanish. Andrés Reséndez argues that even though disease was a factor, the native population would have rebounded
the same way Europeans did during the Black Death if it were not for their constant enslavement in the island's gold and silver mines. According to anthropologist Jason Hickel, a third of Taino workers died every six months from lethal forced labor in the
mines.”<br>
<br>
It is estimated that over 96% of the Taíno population perished under Spanish rule.<br>
<br>
And particularly sobering… the very first recorded incident on the Wikipedia list:<br>
<br>
“The Albigensian Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III in 1209 to eliminate Catharism, a Christian sect, in Languedoc, in southern France. The Catholic Church considered them heretics and ordered that they should be completely
eradicated. Raphael Lemkin referred to the Albigensian Crusade as “one of the most conclusive cases of genocide in religious history”. Kurt Jonassohn and Karin Solveig Björnson describe it as “the first ideological genocide.”<br>
<br>
Estimates of this genocidal campaign are between 200,000 and 1,000,000 deaths.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">In this moment of remembrance and reflection, let us pray for all victims of genocide, seeking comfort, justice, and an end to such atrocities, remembering the sanctity of every human life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">I found an extensive prayer resource for reflecting on and praying for the victims of genocide… I find these prayers very beautiful, and wanted to share them with you all!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Peace to you all - and to the ends of creation…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Dean. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">-::-::-::-<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">In this moment of remembrance and reflection, let us pray for all victims of genocide, seeking comfort, justice, and an end to such atrocities, remembering the sanctity of every human life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Prayer for the victims of genocide…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Acknowledge the Suffering:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“Eternal God, we come before you with heavy hearts, remembering the countless lives lost and the profound suffering endured by victims of genocide throughout history and in our present time.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Seek Comfort and Healing:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“We pray for the families and communities who mourn, for the survivors who carry the scars of trauma, and for those who have witnessed or endured unimaginable violence.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Remember the Sanctity of Life:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“May we never forget that every human being is created in your image, and that no act of hatred or violence can diminish their inherent dignity.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Call for Justice and Accountability:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“We pray for justice and accountability for those who have perpetrated these crimes, and for the dismantling of systems that enable such atrocities.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Seek an End to Genocide:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“We pray that the world will learn from the past, that hatred and violence will be banished, and that love and peace will prevail.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Call for Action and Solidarity:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“Inspire us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, to speak out against injustice, and to work towards a future where genocide is never repeated.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">End with a Plea for Peace:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">“Grant us the wisdom and courage to build a world where all people can live in dignity and peace, and where the cries of the innocent are never silenced.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img border="0" width="747" height="582" style="width:7.7833in;height:6.0666in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image004.jpg@01DBA72B.E5FD0BC0"><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>