By Quinton Amundson | OSV News
The compassion of Christ is what is needed now as the small Canadian community of Dauphin, Manitoba, comes to grips with the loss of 15 of its members in a tragic accident on the Trans-Canada Highway, said the pastor of the local parish.
In his homily June 18, three days after the crash that claimed 15 lives and saw 10 others injured, many critically, Father Michel Nault, pastor at St. Viator’s Parish in Dauphin alluded to the Gospel reading (Mt 9:36-10:8) about Jesus showing benevolence to the crowds in his midst before charging the disciples with the power to drive out unclean spirits and cure all manner of disease and illness.
“Jesus showed compassion for the people, and I really think it is important to show compassion on a day like this where we are all dealing with something really difficult,” said Father Nault.
Residents of Dauphin, in western Manitoba, and Canadians from coast to coast are mourning and seeking answers about the devastating crash between a transport truck and a minibus.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCPM) is investigating the collision. The bus was carrying 24 seniors and a driver on a day trip from the Dauphin Active Living Center. The collision took place near Carberry, about 118 miles south of Dauphin just before noon June 15.
The truck was heading east, and it collided with the southbound minibus at the intersection. According to police, dashcam footage from the transport truck showed it had the right of way.
Father Nault told The Catholic Register, a weekly newspaper based in Toronto that covers all of Canada, that he was in the parish office that afternoon when he received news about this horrific event through text messages.
“When I heard that it was a minivan that left from here, my gut just was — I just felt terrible,” Father Nault said.
He went over to visit the Dauphin Active Living Center and the horrific news was confirmed.
One of the foremost messages Father Nault said he imparts when helping people to grapple with tragedies is that “to feel not normal is normal,” and to experience “up-and-down feelings is not unusual in a situation like this.”
“I want to share that in a time like this that the feelings, the tears — they are not signs of weakness. Quite the opposite. They are signs of love and that we share a common humanity, even though we didn’t necessarily know everybody in the accident. We are sharing this experience of tragedy as a community,” Father Nault said.
The St. Viator pastor offered his insight on the difficult question of what could be done to help somebody going through a tragedy.
“The bottom line is grief,” said Father Nault. “And grief is grief. The most important aspect of grief is just to be present and listen.”
“We just deal with (grief) like we usually do, but just a little more. We pray a little more for others. We do more acts of kindness for each other. What you do, if you are doing it out of love, it will have a positive effect. The fruits of love will be there,” he said.
Messages of love and support have flooded the Dauphin community since the tragedy.
Archbishop Richard Gagnon of Winnipeg released a statement June 16, saying that the archdiocese “extends its prayers to the people of Dauphin and the families and friends of those who lost their lives or were injured.”
The archbishop called for all parishioners to pray for everyone affected by the accident. He encouraged all parishes to include a special intention during the prayers of the faithful for the next two weeks.
“We pray for those who were injured in the accident that took place in Carberry, Manitoba, this past week,” he said. “For their families and all those affected by the tragedy, may they find strength and healing in the weeks to come.”
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Quinton Amundson is a staff writer for The Catholic Register in Toronto.