Father Jon Hansen, pastor at Inuvik's Our Lady of Victory Parish since 2015, was ordained as NWT's newest bishop March 16.
Bogdan Stanciu/NNSL photo
The parish, also known as the Igloo Church, will still fall under Hansen's pastoral responsibility, but he is now also responsible for all 32 communities in the diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith.
"It's the largest Catholic diocese in the world in terms of geography, which is about 1.5 million square kilometers of territory," said Hansen. "I was happy that I could tell [Inuvik] that I'm not leaving, I'm just moving, and that I'll be back as often as I can to visit."
Before his role as pastor in Inuvik, Hansen spent six years working as a pastor in an inner city parish in Saskatoon. Previously, he has also worked in Toronto, Sudbury, Vancouver and Newfoundland.
But his heart is in the North, which he says runs in his family's blood.
"I have grandparents that were working as a dentist and a doctor in the 1920s in Greenland, so I grew up listening to stories of my grandfather going by dogsled through the community and driving the boat up and down the coastline in the summertime, and my sister has been a doctor in Yellowknife for 30 years," said Hansen. "I think from my earliest childhood I found myself reading books about the North, mostly about the geography and the animals."
As he grew older, he started reading biographies of missionaries who had opened up the territory to the church here.
"I fell in love with their sense of adventure, their independence, their resilience and also their pastoral zeal to be with the people and learn the language and share in these cultures that so many people don't really have any idea about," said Hansen. "We have such a rich diversity of cultures in our country that for most is inaccessible because of the distance or remoteness, and I'm just really glad to be a part of it, and I love the land."
Hansen said one of his main concerns as NWT's newest bishop will be to do what he can to address the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
"That's the work that's going to be foremost as I begin my role here," said Hansen. "To begin rebuilding relationships that were damaged by the church's past mistakes to restore people's faith and trust in the church."
He added that he hopes people will see him as a brother in his role as bishop.
"I would like to share an image of a brother to the people in the territories," said Hansen. "I want to be there for them and for them to be able to come to me and rely on me and to get to know them. I want them to see me as walking with them on their journey as opposed to someone who is in an authoritative position above them."
Hansen said he does not know who will replace him as pastor at Inuvik's Igloo Church yet.
"It is a priority of mine. I've begun talking to the diocese, talking to the leaders in religious communities and letting them know our need," said Hansen. "So we'll be praying very hard and seeking someone as quickly as possible."