Truth Before Reconciliation

On Sunday a group of White Supremacists staged an event on the Tk'emplups te Secwepemc Reserve near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. They were dressed in black with face masks as is the custom with so many of these hatemongers whose swagger doesn't extend to being identified by others.

They are part of the denialist movement downplaying the grim realities of the Residential School system in Canada. These institutions, run by the Canadian government and several Christian denominations, including the United Church of Canada, were intended to erase Indigenous language and culture for the children who were incarcerated in them. The children were removed from their communities as early as age six and tens of thousands were abused physically and sexually by the staff of the institutions, including priests and nuns and pastors. 

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada documented thousands of deaths amongst these children, most from untreated diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. Often families weren't informed of the deaths and some have spent decades searching for information and the gravesites of their loved ones. This information is ignored by the denialists and it's likely that the majority have never bothered to read any portion of  the final report from the commission. 

The denialists claim that efforts to find burial sites are bogus and while the cowardly supremacists of the weekend were newsworthy there are plenty of "respectable" Canadians who share their views, ignoring the bleak statistics regarding deaths taken from the records of the residential schools. On this  National Day for Truth and Reconciliation we are reminded to acknowledge truth as a step before reconciliation. 

There is a section in the final Truth and Reconciliation Report with the title Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. You might read it or a portion of it as a way of honouring those who died and those who loved them.  https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/trc/IR4-9-4-2015-eng.pdf

As Canadians, as Christians, and specifically as United Church Members we must be vigilant in supporting those who still seek Truth and Reconciliation. Here is a link to United Church resources: https://united-church.ca/social-action/justice-initiatives/reconciliation-and-indigenous-justice/prayer-action-and-community

A screenshot from a video showing a group white nationalists, “appearing to be associated with Second Sons Canada,” according to one report, gathered near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (IMAGE VIA BRANDI MORIN)

Narnia, Meryl and Juliana of Norwich?

 

With the Church through the ages,

we speak of God as one and triune:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We also speak of God as
    Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer
    God, Christ, and Spirit
    Mother, Friend, and Comforter
    Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love,
    and in other ways that speak faithfully of
the One on whom our hearts rely,
the fully shared life at the heart of the universe.

from A Song of Faith, United Church of Canada

The buzz is building for the Narnia movie now filming in London, Great Britain with a release sometime next year. There have been several adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia children's series written by Christian author C.S. Lewis in the 1950s, with varying degrees of success. I'm not sure that it's possible to have a visual portrayal of any portion of this saga that could match what happens when the imagination of the reader or listener encounters the printed page.

The film-maker endeavouring to do so this time is the impressive Greta Gerwig of Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie fame. Apparently Narnia: The Magician's Nephew is taking some creative liberties with the story in both time period and aspects of the setting. What has emerged as the most controversial tweak is the voice for one of the characters, the wise and noble lion, Aslan, who is a Christ figure. Gerwig has chosen to cast Meryl Streep in this role -- who can't she play? -- and this has caused a leonine uproar in the conservative Christian sphere. How dare a fictional character who is a lion but may be Jesus be besmirched with a woman's voice? 

Of course, Jesus, the Christ, was a man and the traditional trinitarian formula describes God as "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Yet in a desire to comprehend "God with Us"  Christians through the ages have explored the feminine aspects of the Triune Deity, although often with strong push-back and censure. The Medieval mystic, Juliana of Norwich was one of them:

It is a characteristic of God to overcome evil with good.

Jesus Christ therefore, who himself overcame evil with good, is our true Mother. We received our ‘Being’ from Him ­ and this is where His Maternity starts ­ And with it comes the gentle Protection and Guard of Love which will never ceases to surround us. 

Just as God is our Father, so God is also our Mother. 

Jesus, as our true Mother? Heretical, some would claim. This makes the words from the United Church Song of Faith seem rather tame, don't you think? Perhaps we turn to the holy words of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe for guidance:

“But as for Aslan himself, the Beavers and the children didn’t know what to do or say when they saw him. People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly.”

So, it may be that Gerwig's "terrible" choice for Aslan is inspired, if not providentially consistent with Lewis' seemingly contradictory vision. Someone has asked whether Christians don't have more important things to do than worry about the voice of Aslan. I hope the film lives up to the hype.

Rivers of Death and Life

  

 He said to me, “Mortal, have you seen this?” Then he led me back along the bank of the river.  As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other.

Ezekiel 47: 6-7 NRSVue 

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:1-2 NRSVue

We are a week away from the conclusion of Creation Time or the Season of Creation or Creationtide, depending on the Christian tradition. Earlier in the month Christians everywhere were invited to reflect on verses from the book of the prophet Ezekiel which I hadn't seen before supporting the theme of Living Water. There are actually more verses in Chapter 47 worth our consideration including those above with a vision of a river lined by trees that I realize are reflecting in another vision found in Revelation,  the last book of the New Testament. 

I've been more aware of river stories during these weeks because of the scripture and the Living Water focus. 

Last week thousands gathered in Toronto for a rally at Queen's Park in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Grassy Narrows a small community in Northern Ontario that has been poisoned for more than half an century. It's estimated that 90% of the residents have health issues related to this poisoning including Minamata Disease. Back in April the Globe and Mail described what transpired: 

In one of Canada’s worst cases of environmental racism, the Dryden Chemical Company in northern Ontario released more than 9,000 kg of mercury into the Wabigoon-English River system from 1962 to 1970. This poisoned multiple generations of Anishinaabeg from the First Nations communities of Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows) and Wabaseemoong (White Dog). The province eventually ordered the plant to stop the practice, but according to the Canadian Environmental Law Association, airborne emissions continued until the company ceased using mercury-based processing in October, 1975.

The recent protest drew attention to the ongoing reality of mercury in the river, the failure to clean up the problem, and lack of medical support for residents. When we celebrate the visions, biblical and otherwise, of clean water, flowing living water, we must include environmental justice and the ways in which contamination of waterways often affect the marginalized in societies the most. One of the Grassy Narrows participants, Chrissy Isaacs, said: 

Our people were river people, and our main food source was from the river and our livelihood was from the river. That was robbed from me from birth. I never got that chance to actually be able to really live that part of my life.”

In a much more hopeful story, the salmon are running again in the Klamath River, a 430 kilometre waterway from Oregon to California. For centuries Indigenous Peoples along this river depended on salmon for their livelihood and culture as well. Hydro-electric dams were built blocking the salmon run. Those dams have finally been removed and to everyone's astonishment the salmon returned almost immediately and have reoccupied most of their range. 

Change can happen, justice can be realized, and we can share our visions for the restored world the Creator intends. 

Pope Leo & Religious Fervour in France

 

                                                        Champs Elysees during the Papal Visit

Europe has become an increasingly secular region, even though thousands of Christian church buildings dot the countryside of a number of countries. France is one of them, not only in the exodus of worshippers and distancing from traditional religious roots but in the restrictive policies of the government.

During the past few days Pope Leo has been in France and we might assume that the head of a struggling Roman Catholic church would receive a tepid welcome. This has not been the case and it may be that the pontiff is surprised by the numbers of people who have participated in public events, many of them young adults.

An estimated 800,000 lined the Champs Elysees for a drive-by on his way to celebrate an outdoor mass. I notice that there were many nuns there in habits. Strictly speaking, was this an illegal religious demonstration? I'm confident that no one was arrested or fined.

 Leo will celebrate a mass in majestic Notre Dame Cathedral with its majestic sanctuary, almost destroyed a few years ago.  Leo stood outside Notre Dame last week and grew emotional as thousands sang Salve Regina. 

These remarkable displays of religious fervour seem to support evidence of a renewed interest in Christianity in France, particularly amongst younger people. The number of young adult baptisms has grown significantly in the past few years, including a 25% increase in 2025.

Huge crowds to honour popes are not new and often as Protestants we attempt to understand the religious rockstar flavour of these papal visits. I imagine Pope Leo, a humble man, is praying that this is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit sparking a renewed desire to follow the light of Christ in a world that seems increasingly confusing and dark.  

Orange Shirt Sunday

 

Today we wear orange

to remember and honour all the Indigenous children who went to residential schools.

Today we wear orange and we pray
for the residential school and intergenerational survivors who are still struggling.

Today we wear orange and we are thankful
for those who speak the truth, and who work to shine a light on injustice.

Today we wear orange in the name of compassion and the spirit of truth and reconciliation.

Help us, God, to remember and act on this this every day.

Amen.

We put up our Every Child Matters flag a week ago, a bit earlier than usual this year for a reason. In Canada September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day -- Every Child Matters. Established to honour Residential School Survivors, their families, and those who never returned home, it serves as a reminder of the lasting impacts of the Residential School system in which several Christian denominations were complicit, including the United Church of Canada.

The orange shirt aspect is inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad having her orange shirt taken away on the first day at a residential school. The movement began as a grassroots initiative in 2013 in BC and is now recognized by the Canadian government, many organizations and school boards, and by individuals across the country. 

The United Church encourages acknowledgement with Orange Shirt Sunday, which this year is September 27 -- tomorrow. The sanctuary at Trenton United will be decorated appropriately and we're encouraged to wear orange to our worship service tomorrow. 

One reason for putting up our flag earlier is that there is a growing denialist movement that publicly attacks Webstad personally, also claiming that Residential Schools weren't so bad and children didn't die there despite evidence in school records. They actually produce orange tee-shirts with denialist slogans.  It's wicked and disheartening. 

Still, rather than despairing we will affirm Truth and Reconciliation as a matter of justice and faith. 

9 to 5 Day & Dolly's Generous Faith

In several cities and states in the US this is 9-2-5 or 9 to 5 Day, a play on words, or numbers, to honour the late, great entertainer and philanthropist, Dolly Parton. September 25, 9/25 -- get it? Dolly died a month ago at the age of 80 and lots of fans were shocked. She didn't make a big deal about her illnesses and offered assurances to those who were concerned about her health.

I was never much of a fan of her music because it leaned country, although she was eventually elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This honour was as much about how admired she was in the music world generally. She wrote and sang hits for herself and there were highly successful covers by other musicians -- think Whitney Houston. Her 9 to 5 working life anthem was central to a highly successful comedy film of the same name  in which she starred. 

I have certainly admired Dolly Parton through the years for her astonishing philanthropy and acceptance of people from all backgrounds without judgement. She grew up in a "hell fire and brimstone" Pentecostal church and knew that wasn't for her. But she was open about her Christian faith and how it kept her grounded in a crazy industry. She recorded several Gospel albums. 

Her generosity was legendary even though she wasn't inclined to draw attention to herself. According to RNS:

 In the 1990s, Parton created a program to give free books to children as a tribute to her father, who was unable to read or write. Her Imagination Library has donated more than 300 million books across the globe. In a 2018 interview, she also cited the Bible as inspiration for this program. “In the Bible, where it talks about honor your father and mother, … I think means to bring honor to their name.” In more recent years, she gave a $1 million donation for COVID-19 research that was partly used to fund the Moderna vaccine and announced a similar donation to help victims of Hurricane Helene, which affected Tennessee, her home state, and six others in 2024, People magazine reported.

When we were on rather remote Change Islands, Newfoundland, in August a neighbour, a big Parton fan, told us that she had received Imagination Library books when she was a child.

 In 2022 Amazon's Jeff Bezos gave Parton 100 million dollars to further her philanthropic efforts. 

Our oldest grandchild, now in his teens, was obsessed with the song Jolene when he was two and three, insisting that we play it whenever he was in our vehicle. I was so grateful when that phase ended. 

I figure Dolly would have made an excellent President but of course the States would never choose an entertainer as a governor or a president...

Gathering to Pray for our Jewish Neighbours

 

We took part in this service last evening, part of a small gathering at Trenton United Church with a purpose of prayer, reflection, and lament. During the service we lit a candle and we sang.

 Of course we prayed for the Sons of Jacob Synagogue and Jews everywhere who wonder about their safety in this country. The attack in neighbouring Belleville was the most violent of recent anti-Semitic incidents with Constable Jeffery Smith seriously injured in an exchange of gunfire with the attacker, who has since died. We prayed for Jeffrey Smith's recovery and for his family. Eventually we also prayed for the family of the perpetrator who live in the Trenton area. 

We were invited to consider what individual acts of kindness and mutual understanding we could engage in and to choose hope rather than despair. 

In the tranquility I thought of the other police officer who responded and was part of the shoot-out. I imagine that the majority of officers in Canada would go their entire careers without being involved in a fatal shooting and this has to be a traumatizing experience even when there is no doubt about the necessity of potentially lethal force. 

We were grateful for the opportunity to bring this deeply unsettling incident and its consequences before God, affirming the importance of freedom of religious expression. As we left the sanctuary we realized that a police cruiser was parked out front, sent to ensure that we too would be able to worship and reflect in peace. We were thankful and mindful that we live in unsettling times. 

Bon Echo Grandeur and Mystery

 

Autumn has arrived in Southern Ontario with a skein of glorious days, sunny and, well, autumnal. This morning we decided to "carpe diem" and head northward to Bon Echo Provincial Park, a gem in our region,  There was evidence of Fall colour along the way and we arrived at the park before many campers had stirred. 

We unloaded our kayaks and headed toward the towering cliff (100+ metres in height, maybe 1.5 km in length) which is Mazinaw Rock. There was virtually no breeze and the morning light was idea for viewing the Indigenous pictographs painted just above the water line along the cliff face. The red ochre images depict human and animal figures, as well as a number of abstract and geometric symbols. 

We have paddled along this cliff a number of times through the years and I've written about doing so in this blog. Today's calm allowed us to take our time and see more of the pictographs than we have on any other occasion. There were no other people around, unlike the Summer when it borders on chaotic. We made our leisurely and contemplative way along the cliff and back. 

Ruth commented that looking for the images was not unlike birding. The invisible becomes visible with attention and spaciousness in terms of time. We found that our breathing slowed and we could simply take in the grandeur of the cliff and the mystery of the unexplained images.

Who were these artists, probably Algonkian, and what was the purpose of their work? Some of the Group of Seven along with other painters came to the lodge which once stood at the water's edge, before Bon Echo was a provincial park. Some of the regular guests at that lodge were clergy who came to enjoy the marvelous view of Creation. While I appreciate these paintings and the sensibilities of the pastors who spent time there I have a reverence for these mysterious and deeply meaningful pictographs. Once again we were moved by what we experienced. 

Season of Creation & UN Ocean Action

                                                                      United Nations Assembly

May he have dominion from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

                   Psalm 72:8 NRSVue

Today representatives from nations around the world will convene in New York City and the United Nations complex as part of several days of sessions on a number of topics. In the arcane ways of geopolitics there will be an Iranian delegation although the members will not be allowed to stroll the streets of the city and buy stuff. Cause global chaos? Yes. Purchase gifts at Saks Fifth Ave.? No way. 

There will be a number of important discussions over the course of several days including what is described as a Climate Summit. Today's theme is Oceans Action and here is how it is described on the UN website: 

Solutions Dialogue on Ocean Action and Leadership Date: 22 September 2026 | Time: 11:00–13:00 | Conference Room 11, United Nations Headquarters Context 

The United Nations Secretary-General will convene a High-Level Meeting on Climate Action and the Just Transition during the High-Level Week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. The Meeting will focus on the leadership, implementation and international cooperation needed to accelerate delivery across the three pillars of the Paris Agreement. It will include a series of multi-stakeholder ‘Solutions Dialogues’, bringing together governments, international organizations and financial institutions, business, investors, subnational actors, civil society and the UN System to identify practical partnerships and solutions to help accelerate implementation across critical sectors and priorities. 

Objectives The Dialogue will focus on the following objectives: 

• Build coherence across the international ocean architecture and the institutions addressing different parts of the agenda.

 • Connect ocean, climate and biodiversity action, including the opportunity for COP31 to advance an ocean-centred climate agenda.

 • Identify how finance, technology and private-sector engagement can move promising ocean solutions from individual projects to scale. 

• Identify a small number of consequential actions and expectations for leaders, the UN system and other stakeholders to advance ocean action through 2030. 

                                                                Haida Gwaii, British Columbia 

Canada is a "sea to sea to sea" nation with the longest coastline in the world at about 250,000 kilometres and bordering three oceans. Our national motto, A mari usque ad mare is taken from Psalm 72. We still traverse those oceans for trade, they are essential to our national security, and we derive tremendous economic benefit from our protected waters. 

So, why are most of us unaware of what's happening today at the UN? We will likely hear far more about the address of the Bloviator-in-Chief today than this Ocean Action dialogue but the subject is vital for the health of our nation and the planet. 

We are midway through the Season of Creation with its theme of Living Water employing seldom-quoted verses from Ezekiel 47. Perhaps we can tie the vision of the prophet of old to the vision of healthy oceans and seas discussed at the United Nations. Once again I'll note that the Church of England calls these weeks Creationtide and I do love the term. 

  Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish once these waters reach there. It will become fresh, and everything will live where the river goes.  People will stand fishing beside the sea[c] from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.  On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

Ezekiel 47: 9-10, 12 NRSVue

The Shattered Peace of Belleville's Jewish Community

 

       Bullet holes in the stained glass windows of the Sons of Jacob synagogue, Belleville, Ontario

As we listened to the CBC Radio national news this morning we were startled to hear of a serious police-involved community of Belleville, Ontario. An exchange of gunfire took place of the Sons of Jacob synagogue last evening as the service to mark the beginning of Yom Kippur commenced. A police officer and an armed assailant were injured and there is little doubt that this was a targeted attack on the Jewish community, a hate crime. The photo, above. was taken from inside the synagogue by one of the congregants and shows bullet holes in a stained glass window.

Belleville is a city of under 60,000 residents and the Jewish population is small. Even on such an important Holy Day there were only 20 or so congregants in the building at the time. The 1950s building itself isn't notable although the exterior menorah clearly identifies it as a Jewish place of worship. We usually drive past it a couple of times a week as we make our downtown. 

When I was in ministry at Bridge St. United Church, just a few blocks away, I wrote a letter of solidarity to the congregation during a rash of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Canada. Other than that I had no interaction with the community but I have often wondered about how this small group feels in the midst of a disturbing rise of anti-Jewish words and actions in this country and around the world. Anti-Semitism is a centuries-old poison, an irrational hatred given that Jesus and his first followers were Jewish and firmly rooted in their religion. Of course, hatred is so often irrational and rooted in prejudices and lies. 

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in Judaism and marks the end of ten days of reflection and repentance. It seems to me that our society needs to enter into a fuller outlook of repentance, education, and protection for the Jewish population of Canada. Canada has the fourth largest Jewish community in the world behind Israel, the United States, and France with roughly 350,000 members. This is, in part, because the Jewish populations of European countries were largely destroyed during the Holocaust or Shoah of the Nazi regime. Canada must remain a safe home for Jews rather than becoming a place of fear 

Today I pray for the traumatized members of the  Sons of Jacob congregation, for anxious Jewish communities across this country which upholds religious freedom, and around the world. 

Vincent, Faith, Hope, and Charity

 

 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 King James Version

[Verse 1]
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land

[Chorus]
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now.

                              Don McLean 1970

Vincent Van Gogh's revolutionary painting style and his chaotic personal life contributed to the sad fact that he only sold one painting before his untimely death. Fortunately his sister-in-law Johanna,  wife of Vincent's brother who also died young, became the executor of his work and published the correspondence between the close siblings. 

These efforts meant that by the early twentieth century Van Gogh was being recognized for his genius and his paintings were in demand. I came across an article about a new exhibition of Vincent's paintings in a smaller museum which owns 88 of them but has never displayed the entire collection at one time:

The Kröller-Müller Museum, which owns pictures donated by the greatest private collector of Van Gogh, has just hung all of its paintings by the artist for the first time since 2003. Based in a national park near the Dutch village of Otterlo, the museum usually has space for only half this number. The remainder of the Van Goghs are usually in store or on loan, with an occasional one in the conservation studio. 

Helene Kröller-Müller, a connoisseur and the wife of a wealthy businessman, acquired the works in the period 1908-30 (it remains the world’s largest collection of the artist’s work, after that left by his family at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum).

Van Gogh’s Terrace of a Café at Night (September 1888) and Country Road in Provence by Night (May 1890) Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

Seeing this collection would be wonderful in itself but I also found the theme for the exhibition fascinating:  

The exhibition is divided into three sections loosely inspired by the three Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. Curator Renske Cohen Tervaert has played with the concept, changing charity (as in towards one’s neighbours) into “love”. 

Tervaert’s idea came from Van Gogh’s only known sermon text, which he delivered 150 years ago on 29 October 1876 at Richmond Methodist Church. Aged 23, Van Gogh had recently been sacked as an art dealer in London’s Covent Garden and was then working as an assistant teacher in a small school in Isleworth, in west London. We have no idea what the congregation thought of this young Dutchman with his strong accent, but his preaching career lasted only a few weeks.

More framed pictures in Van Gogh, All Our Paintings 

Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo (photograph Marjon Gemmeke)

I've read an extensive biography of Van Gogh which describes his earnestness about his Christian faith and anguish at his failure while in London. He returned to the Netherlands where he worked with impoverished mining families. For all his suffering and dissolute lifestyle in subsequent years there was an underlying element of faith and devotion in many of his paintings, some more overt than others, and he always had a passion for Christ. 

Perhaps Van Gogh could be the patron saint of preachers although it might be better to imagine St. Francis in that role, even if he too was unconventional. Vincent also served as a Sunday School teacher in London, which must have been an adventure!

[Outro]
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

Canada, the EU, and Erasmus

 

Once again Canadian political cartoonist Michael de Adder nails it with his take on Canadian Prime Minister wooing the European Union, much to the chagrin of the jilted President of the United States. I repeat myself in saying that cartoonists are often the prophets of our age, speaking truth to power. 

PM Mark was slyly eloquent in his address, pointing out that there are other fish in the sea of trade agreements, and those fish have better manners. The EU wants to shake up the status quo by including Canada, although we're not exactly sure what being the first "associate member" means. To use Hebrew Scripture language, does this make us the most important concubine without being married? 

I was curious about the possibility of Canada now being able to participate in Erasmus+, the  EU's program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It has an annual budget of roughly $42 billion CAD so this would be an impressive inclusion for Canadians. 

                                                                       Erasmus of Rotterdam 

What intrigues me is the source of the name of the program which none of the descriptions  mention. Being a theological history nerd I did some looking and, sure enough, it does refer to Erasmus of Rotterdam, the 15th/16th century theologian, philosopher and humanist. Erasmus was one of the most influential scholars of the Northern Renaissance and a major figure of Western culture. He understood the need for reform in a Roman Catholic church yet resisted the radical direction of reformers such as Martin Luther.

It's ironic that in a time when Christianity is in serious decline in Europe, and Canada as well, that a coveted educational program is named after one of the most prominent Christians figures of his time.