From July 1 to July 4: Neighbors in Freedom

Celebrating birthdays offers the opportunity to reflect on the past and to look forward to the future. In the United States we are celebrating our 250th birthday. Looking back, we have many reasons to give thanks for how we have formed ourselves into a nation built upon the values that all are created equal and given rights and responsibilities.

When I celebrated the 200th birthday of America I was a student at Aquinas Institute of Religious Studies in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was there I had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends with members of the CSJ community. There I learned that July 1st, Canada Day, parallels our July 4th. It was then I sang for the first time, O Canada. It felt so familiar, so in tune with a sense of shared values. The friendships were built on shared faith and values as well.

We share our values learned from faith, family, and our country. In the Declaration of Independence, we read “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Canadian fundamental core values are given a more specific enumeration in The Charter of Freedoms and Rights: Freedom and Individual Rights, Inclusion and Diversity, Fairness and Equality, Compassion and Public Safety. As our societies become increasingly more complex defining and living these values also becomes more complex.

As I look to the future with hope, birthdays provide a meaningful opportunity to reflect on where we have been and how we wish to move forward. While our world faces many challenges, there is reason for optimism when we build upon the shared values that foster unity, cooperation, and care for one another. Those of us who enjoy the blessings of freedom are called to nurture and protect it by living with compassion, responsibility, and commitment to the values that help freedom flourish for all.

On the fourth of July as I sing America the Beautiful, I will pay special attention to the second verse which asks God to “mend thy every flaw, conserve thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.”  And I will continue to cherish the friendships I have with “the True North, strong and free!”   

-Mary Muehle, Guest Blogger     

Image: Hudson Thomas/Will Goodman | Unsplash

Celebrating Two Paths to Nationhood

Canada Day is celebrated every year on July 1st to commemorate the birth of Canada as a country. It marks the day in 1867 when the British North America Act came into effect, joining three colonies — Province of Canada (which became Ontario and Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia — into a new federation called the Dominion of Canada. This event is known as Confederation.

Originally called Dominion Day, July 1st was a day to recognize Canada’s creation and the beginning of its journey toward becoming a self-governing nation. Over time, Canada continued to grow, with new provinces and territories joining Confederation and the country developing its own identity.

In 1982, the holiday was officially renamed Canada Day when the Canada Act 1982 brought Canada’s Constitution fully under Canadian control.

Today, Canada Day is a time to celebrate the country’s history, diversity, and shared values. It is marked by ceremonies, citizenship celebrations, concerts, community gatherings, fireworks, and expressions of pride in being Canadian.

At the same time, many Canadians use the day as an opportunity for reflection and reconciliation, recognizing that Canada’s history includes the experiences and contributions of First Nations peoples, Inuit, and Métis peoples, as well as the challenges created by colonization and past injustices.

Some people celebrate this day by attending a Pow Wow in recognition of our shared responsibility to forge a country mindful of its responsibility to create harmonious relationships with the Indigenous peoples of this land.

Canada Day is celebrated close to July 4th (Independence Day in the United States) because the two dates come from two separate historical events that happened around the same time period, not because one was created in relation to the other.

So, while the celebrations happen only three days apart, they represent different paths to nationhood: one through revolution and independence, the other through federation and political evolution.

On July 1st, I will proudly sing “O Canada, Glorious and Free” and “we stand on Guard for thee”, for it is so necessary in these days of chaos and land grabbing, to be ever vigilant and mindful that we ARE two independent nations with common values and rich connections that bring us together as having the potential of being true neighbours.

-Sister Kathleen Lichti, csj

image: Hermes Rivera/Hudson Thomas courtesy of Unsplash