RETHINK - RESTORE

I received this article shared on the WhatsApp group of the Peace and Justice Forum of the Catholic Religious groups. I am just reproducing it, because I don't think such radical and unique models would be easily available. This case points to the possibilities in critical Re-thinking of our policies, positions, possessions etc., and very radical step to Restore - to the people what should have been theirs, which in turn, might restore the original (hopefully better) ecology of the region, the system. 

Environment & Climate

Jessica Kutz: Gender, climate and sustainability reporter

Published -

November 7, 2025, 11:56 a.m. CT

For the first time, Catholic sisters return land to a Tribal nation

"This return represents more than the restoration of land — it is the restoration of balance, dignity, and our sacred connection to the places our ancestors once walked."

Sister Karen Kapell speaks with Mildred "Tinker" Schuman, a tribal member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians as part of a ceremony on October 31, 2025 that celebrated the historic land transfer. (COURTESY OF FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF PERPETUAL ADORATION)

On a sunny afternoon on the shores of Trout Lake in northern Wisconsin, a Catholic sister and a Tribal president sat together at a table and made history. 

Two years ago, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, a Catholic congregation, had approached the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, a part of the Ojibwe Nation, and the original caretakers of the land, with an unheard of proposition: Would they like a piece of their land back? 

The question took the tribe by surprise, said Araia Breedlove, their public relations director. They had never had a private property owner offer up a piece of land, much less Catholic sisters. But after ironing out the details, the two parties were able to close the deal last Friday. 

With a flick of a pen, Sister Sue Ernster signed a document to formalize the land transfer with Tribal President John D. Johnson Sr. for a two-acre lakefront property that the sisters had owned since 1966. The appraised value for the land known as Marywood, which includes a retreat center and cabins, was $2.6 million. It was sold back to the tribe for just $30,000, the price the sisters paid to buy it.  

“This return represents more than the restoration of land — it is the restoration of balance, dignity, and our sacred connection to the places our ancestors once walked,” said John D. Johnson, Sr., Tribal President in a news release. “The Franciscan Sisters’ act of generosity and courage stands as an example of what true healing and partnership can look like. We are proud to welcome Marywood home, to ensure it continues to serve future generations of the Lac du Flambeau people.”

It is believed to be the first such transfer of land from Catholic sisters to a tribe in the country.

Bishop James Powers, John D. Johnson, Sr., Tribal President of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and Sister Sue Ernster pose in front of the Marywood property which was returned to the Tribe on October 31, 2025. (COURTESY OF FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF PERPETUAL ADORATION)

“It’s a huge step forward for our Land Back Movement and reclaiming what was once ours,” said Breedlove. “The land is in a predominantly White area, and so to have a piece of our culture back where it belongs is extremely important for us.”

The two parties’ histories are intertwined in more ways than just the land. Between 1883 and 1969, the sisters operated the St. Mary’s Catholic Indian Boarding School, part of a larger project by the federal government and the Roman Catholic Church to forcefully assimilate Indigenous children and strip them of their culture. Ojibwe children were sent there, mostly from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, but also from the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, according to the La Crosse County Historical Society. The Lac Du Flambeau Band also had a government boarding school on its reservation. In the United States around 500 boarding schools were built for the purpose of anglicizing over 60,000 Native children.