Indigenous

Sister Sue Ernster on the trauma of Indian boarding schools

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration President Sue Ernster describes listening to experiences of Indian boarding school survivors and the group's interest in pursuing healing and reconciliation.

By Erica Ayisi | Here & Now, ICT News

November 19, 2025

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Sue Ernster on listening to experiences of Indian boarding school survivors.


ICT News

Sister Sue Ernster:
We have had a member of the Ho-Chunk come and speak with us about his experience, because his grandmother was one of the children in Bad River. So he could speak from her experience and shared that story with us about how they didn't have the best feelings towards the sisters because of this. And to hear him come into our space and share that story — realizing the courage it took and how much inner work he had to do to be able to speak calmly about the hurt and the anger that had been going on for decades, how he had to, how they have reconciled that to this point — there's still more reconciling and healing to do on both sides.

Erica Ayisi:
And who guides those conversations?

Sister Sue Ernster:
We actually are — we have a group, a truth and healing team, that is working with different tribal members from the different tribes as part of that. So, it's some of our sisters, some of our partners in mission, or others call them staff, along with the respective tribes.

This report is in collaboration with our partners at ICT.

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