Fr. Tim's Holy Week in Gamètì

Located 200 kilometers north of Yellowknife on the shore of Rae lake, Gamètì is a vibrant and colorful village settled in the early 1960s by people like Fred and Mary Ann Bantia of the Tłı̨chǫ Dene peoples. His parents picked the location due to its accessibility to their trap lines, plentiful fishing, and proximity to migrating caribou, at least until six years ago. Before settling in Gamètì they lived on the land following a familiar trail across the north. Gamètì was their first permanent home. In contrast, Brendan and his wife Crystal, along with their five children, were born and raised in Gameti; it is their only home. Their eldest daughter will leave for university in the upcoming fall.

​These are some of the people that Fatima Lee introduced me to when we landed at the little airport outside the village for Holy Week. Fatima is the pastoral coordinator for the area. The only way in and out of Gameti in the summer is through its airstrip, and during the rest of the year, the winter road brings in larger supplies but is only open for two months.

Easter weekend was the last weekend the people of Gameti could make the six-hour drive to Yellowknife. Many said they were taking advantage of the nice weather to make one last trip before it was shut for the summer. So we were warned attendance at church might be slim.

Fatima visits the community every month. The last time a priest had been in Gamètì was July 2022. On most Sundays, they have a lay-led Sunday celebration of readings. Fatima knows the community well and she filled me in on the different families and the challenge of building a faith community in such an isolated place. We prepared the church for Holy Thursday but no one came, so Fatima and I celebrated the beginning of the three days on behalf of all the missing members!

Good Friday was a beautiful spring day. I went looking for wood for the Easter fire, and stumbled upon a snow-covered cemetery. I stopped a passing truck to inquire about kindling and met Cory and his wife, the parents of one of the babies to be baptized that Sunday. Cory later delivered a bag of kindling to me. Before the Good Friday service, I joined a small group of locals who carried the cross around the village on this holy day. A few more people came for our Good Friday service.

Holy Saturday brought good news! The son of Therese and Louie brought home three caribou from the trail. This will provide food for many in the community. Fatima and I met with two families to help them prepare for their children’s baptism this Sunday. We invited the community to come to the Easter Vigil and proposed that we begin with Feeding the Fire. Done regularly across communities in the north, this event is designed to remember their ancestors and ask them for strength. A small bowl was prepared, and Gabriel lit the fire. Some brought food for their ancestors. We blessed the fire and sang a Litany of the saints. We added the names of many of their beloved dead to our chants and asked them also to remember us. We then lit the Easter candle and gathered around the flame, sang a shortened Exsultet, and listened to some of the stories of our faith journey, rewritten in simple language. Finally, we renewed our vows, and a pine bough was used to sprinkle us with Easter water.

On Easter Sunday, almost fifty members of the community gathered. We sang an Easter hymn and a refrain to the Gloria. Therese, fresh from preparing the caribou meat for drying, translated the Gospel and homily into Tłı̨chǫ. We went on to celebrate the baptisms of Cory junior and Talina, and the genuine smiles on their faces were signs of Easter joy!

Originally published on Faithfully, https://www.catholicyyc.ca/blog/fr-tims-holy-week-in-gameti