A group of people gathered together beside a lake on a very cold day in October in northern Wisconsin. There was a carpet of multicoloured leaves on the ground. Both nuns and Native Americans from the Lac du Flambeau Band were present.

During the ceremony, the nuns gave the land title to the delegation of Indigenous people. What was involved was two acres of land, which included a cluster of cabins, and a house called the Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Centre. The sale price: $30,000, exactly the amount the order of nuns paid for it 60 years ago. Its valuation today? Around $2.6 million.

In contrast to the land acknowledgement that is common at meetings on stolen land and which is nothing more than a symbolic confession, this was the real thing: the first known case of a Catholic institution in the United States voluntarily returning land to a tribe as an act of reparation.

"We wanted to do more than just say we were sorry."

Sister Eileen McKenzie, president of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA), told reporters that the order had spent two years researching the history of the land. They learned that the property was on the traditional territory of the Lac du Flambeau Band, from whom land was stolen through broken treaties.

"We wanted to do more than just say we were sorry," she said. "We wanted to change the story, even in a small way."

The nuns made the decision after painful reflection. FSPA helped run a Catholic boarding school that separated Indigenous children from their families and their culture. That is a shameful legacy not only for FSPA but for Catholics and Protestants throughout North America, as unmarked graves are still being found in every corner of the continent.

"It felt right to give something back," McKenzie said. "This land wasn't ours to begin with anyway."

An emotional homecoming with fond memories

For the Lac du Flambeau Band, there was deep emotion associated with the moment. Tribal President John Johnson Sr. called the act "a step toward restoring balance."

He spoke about elders who remember fishing on that same lake, and about the old paths that used to go through the forests. "When you return to land that knows your name, you feel something inside settling," he said. "That's not a question of ownership. There's a deep connection between our tribe and this place."

The tribe intends to keep the property as a place for healing and cultural renewal — a place where people can gather, stories can be told, and ceremonies can be held on land that is once again under their care.

"It's like a circle closing," Johnson said. "The land remembers us, and now we can remember it."

The quiet revolution called 'Land Back'

Throughout the United States, a growing movement called 'Land Back' is challenging the concept of land ownership. It's considered a critically important effort, and tribes and allies are negotiating, fundraising, and sometimes going to court to reclaim ancestral lands.

What's most striking about this story is the way it happened. It wasn't a government order or a court settlement — but a group of elderly nuns who decided among themselves to do the right thing.

"This changes the moral temperature," said historian and Indigenous rights advocate Nick Estes, who has written extensively on the Land Back movement. "When you see people of faith — people whose institutions benefited from our dispossession — voluntarily giving land back, it opens hearts and possibilities."

More important than just the land

Land is just earth and trees. But for Indigenous Nations, there's memory, language, law, and identity in it. Their culture and the land are interwoven. When they get even a small piece back like this, it makes a huge difference to them, because it begins the reversal of the loss.

Sociologist Dr. Danielle SeeWalker, who studies Indigenous reconciliation efforts, put it simply: "Each acre that's returned is like a heartbeat restarting. You can't measure that in dollars."

For the nuns of FSPA, returning their land to the tribe is an important step. "Francis of Assisi taught us to repair what is broken," Sister McKenzie said. "In this era, perhaps this is what is broken and needs repairing."

A sign, not an ending

This is unlikely to be the end of the story. It's reported that other Catholic communities are doing deep reflection on their own role regarding boarding schools and the land associated with them.

Questions have been put to both the Jesuits and the Benedictines about property that was connected to missions or schools for Indigenous children.

Legal experts believe that voluntary acts like this could influence public policy — showing that reparative transfers like this can be done without ten years in the courts. "An act of reparation like this can be viewed as an act of relationship instead of a political fight," said one law professor.

But the nuns themselves insist they're not seeking praise. "We're not heroes," McKenzie said. "We listened, that's all."

Conclusion

When the ceremony ended, the group formed a small circle, passing around a wooden bowl full of water from the lake. An elder of the tribe blessed the site in his native language - Ojibwe - and the nuns sang a Franciscan hymn. The wind carried their voices over the trees and up into the sky, spreading the hopeful message across the world, without limit, without restraint.

In a country full of empty promises and where money is a false God, an act like this is rare. But by setting down a single example, it's likely that the small group on the edge of the lake has begun inspiring a new movement that will be far greater than they know.

As you reflect on this, think about how we ourselves can do acts like this that will give support to minority and disadvantaged groups in our own country - groups like legal immigrants and the Travelling community.

And we can always support efforts that will promote the Irish language and the preservation of our culture. Look at what President Catherine Connolly is doing in Áras an Uachtaráin, for example, regarding the use of the language.

Finally, in the famous words of Margaret Mead: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Lessons in Equality from America’s Progressive Senator

Bernie Sanders is an independent senator from the state of Vermont, and one of the most influential figures in progressive American politics — and, indeed, across the world. He is often described as a democratic socialist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1941, into a Jewish family. His father — an immigrant from Poland — came in search of a better life. Sanders has spent more than forty years in politics — from his days as mayor of Burlington to his long service in the U.S. Senate.

He was twice a serious contender for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination (2016 and 2020), and he transformed America’s political conversation by focusing on economic inequality, corporate power, and social rights. He believes that healthcare, education, housing, and a living wage are basic human rights. His message has always been clear: politics should serve all people, not only the wealthy.

The Politics of Economic Inequality

Throughout his political life, Bernie Sanders has defended one principle, tirelessly and without compromise.

“We have a political system controlled by millionaires and billionaires. Our duty is to build an economy and a government that work for ordinary people, not just the wealthy few.”

He believes that the same trends can be seen across the world — from Russia to China, from Hungary to India. Ordinary citizens must break that grip and return political power to the people. His message is simple but strong: the people of Ireland, Europe, and America alike can challenge how wealth and power are distributed.

How the Voice of the Working Class Was Lost

According to Sanders, the Democratic Party traditionally defended the working class in the United States. But in the 1970s, it turned toward the wealthy and the big corporations. Factories closed, union power declined, and working people were left without protection.

“People — and especially working people — didn’t vote for Donald Trump because they wanted billionaires to get richer,” he says. “They voted for him because he said the system was broken — and that he’d do something about it.”

Sanders’s solution is to place working people once again at the heart of politics: good jobs, fair pay, affordable housing, and governance that serves that public.

Universal Rights

At the heart of Sanders’s views lies a firm belief that certain rights belong to everyone, regardless of status or wealth. Among them:
– Healthcare as a human right through a comprehensive public system
– Free third-level education for all
– Affordable housing for everyone
– A Green New Deal linking climate action with job creation

When told that his goals are too ambitious — especially on healthcare — he replies: “If every other advanced country in the world can provide healthcare for its citizens, why can’t we?”

Tax and Power

According to Sanders, the wealthy and large corporations should pay much higher taxes than they do at present. “They can still live quite comfortably,” he says wryly, “even if they pay their taxes.”

For him, this is both a political and an economic issue — one of power and influence. If the wealthy and corporations can shape elections, then what we have is no longer democracy, but oligarchy.

Climate Change

Sanders sees the climate crisis as part of the same unjust system. The wealthy pursue profit regardless of the damage done to the environment. That is why he supports a Green New Deal that connects carbon reduction with the creation of secure and sustainable jobs.

That idea can also be seen in Europe, but Sanders believes we must act on it with greater urgency — as a moral call rather than merely a policy. Countries seeking to move away from fossil fuel industries could learn from his approach: social justice must be at the heart of climate transition.

Patriotism Without Nationalism

Though opposed to American imperialism, Sanders speaks with genuine love for his own country. He is the son of a Jewish immigrant who came to the United States penniless and seized the opportunity to build a new life for his family.

In his speeches, Sanders often quotes Lincoln at Gettysburg, paying tribute to the soldiers who fell in the Union army during the Civil War: “…to ensure that they shall not have died in vain, and that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

For Sanders, that is true patriotism: balance, fairness, and the chance for everyone to take part in their own government.

Ireland and the Broader Lesson

Ireland’s open economy has grown impressively, yet still struggles with a housing crisis, healthcare pressures, and the high cost of living. It is worth reflecting on a few important questions:
– Wealth and welfare: What benefit does the ordinary citizen gain from economic growth?
– Tax and fairness: Can we find a balance between foreign investment and tax justice?
– Public participation: Can more voices from the working population be brought into political decision-making?

Ireland has a strong tradition of solidarity and compassion, from trade union movements to rural communities. Sanders would say that on such foundations a stable democracy for the future can be built.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, this is the critical question: who truly holds power — the people as a whole, or the wealthy few? From Washington to Moscow, from Dublin to Budapest, the struggle between democracy and oligarchy is the greatest challenge of our time.

According to Sanders, along with democratic government, we must build economic systems that provide dignity, security, and fairness for everyone. “It isn’t a radical idea,” he says calmly, “to demand that everyone be able to live with dignity. It’s simple common sense.”