John Robinson, a wise and gentle man, living in Toronto, and serving at the Native Peoples Mission in that city, died on May 26, 2022. I am still grieving his loss, writing this blog from the far away, Philippines, where I am presently attending to my mother’s medical needs. John died unexpectedly just a few days after I arrived back in the Philippines. I could not attend his funeral nor tell stories about him because no one else here knew him! I felt like there was a whole history that would have needed to be told before people would be able to relate or understand.

You might ask “Who was John Robinson”?

I would answer that this Ojibway elder was so many things to so many people. For me personally, he was a man who welcomed me to the Native People’s Mission when I went there in 2018. From that meeting, we began to work together, and through that working together, we became friends.

Before and beyond our personal relationship, John had a long history in Toronto, of working to bridge the cultural gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons, and is highly esteemed for his wisdom and his reconciling work.¹ He was the Indigenous pastoral elder at the Native Peoples Mission in Toronto, and had been part of the parish since 1972. We were supposed to be celebrating the 50 years of his parish ministry this year.

John was light-hearted and easy to be with. He loved to make jokes. When I first met him, I asked him to tell me what is the protocol to meet him, an elder. He said, “you need to give me some beer!” I was very new in Toronto so I had to search for a place to buy beer! When I gave the beer to John, he politely accepted it. He told me later that he was just joking and that he does not drink! He loved telling this story to others. I love remembering this too.

I appreciated the unique way John conducted the purification ritual during the Mass. Every Sunday, when I attended the Eucharistic celebration and John lead this ritual, I felt connected to the ancestors, the Indigenous peoples of the land and to the ongoing reconciliation work. Then, of course, the coffee time with John, first in the church refectory, then, to the coffee shop next door.

I followed him whenever he was invited to do the ritual and speak. Eventually, he asked me to sing and drum for him. He gave me some teachings about Indigenous spirituality and some sacred items. The joke between us was that I become his voice because he could not sing. I remember the moment when he gave me a tobacco to honor what I was doing for him. I tied that tobacco on the drum. When I return to Toronto, I will lay the drum and voice to rest, as John has now entered through the Western door.

It was a great privilege for me to support John in his work. It was also a great privilege to have John support me in my work. Whenever I needed advice, John was there. His favorite words were, “you’ve got to share” and “you’ve gotta have faith.” These simple words, said in the right context are quite powerful.

John Robinson, this great man with a great generous heart, will continue to inspire me in life and in the work of reconciliation..