Introduction

Canadian societal customs from the 1940s through the 1970s did not consider, or recognize, an unwed mother as a responsible parent. To our regret we acted on that conviction. Our participation in a system that separated a young unmarried mother from her newly born child was, we now acknowledge, a practice that caused great harm and hurt. We are truly sorry for participating in that practice. 

History

In 1933, the Catholic Children’s Society in the Archdiocese of Vancouver founded the Our Lady of Mercy Home for unmarried mothers under the direction of the Superintendent of Child Welfare of the Province of British Columbia. 

The home was located at the corner of 54^th Avenue and Oak Street in Vancouver, British Columbia. Unwed pregnant mothers were offered a place to stay, arrangements for medical care, counselling, financial planning, and temporary foster care for those who needed time to plan their future and make decisions about the care of their child, including adoption. We now know that many of these mothers faced pressures that adoption was the only choice. 

Our Apology 

The Archdiocese of Vancouver apologizes for our participation in the separation of mothers and fathers from their children. Our role in any pressured and coerced adoptions created a legacy of pain and suffering. We contributed to a culture of shame, guilt and secrecy, which often led to pain and isolation.   

Today, we express our regret for our part in denying mothers the support they deserved and their right to love and care for their children. We apologize to the mothers who were not informed of their rights, and consequently could not provide fully informed consent. We feel great sorrow knowing that women in these types of homes were often denied true friendships with other young women experiencing pregnancy. Sometimes they even suffered mistreatment at the hands of staff and, in many cases, their own families. 

We recognize that many of these mothers have suffered long-term harm from their experiences. We have heard your stories of grief and deep loss. We have heard how you lived with the shame and stigma placed on you by society and the Church. We are truly sorry. 

Some children who were adopted were not given the opportunity to know their family and community of origin. Some were misled or lied to about the circumstances of their birth. We apologize to those of you who struggle to find a sense of identity and belonging, who are torn between two families and communities, and who live with a sense of uncertainty within yourselves. 

We recognize that these practices also affected fathers, excluded from their own children’s lives. We acknowledge the hurt caused to brothers and sisters, grandparents, partners, and members of extended families who have shared in the pain of their loved ones. 

Moving Forward

Regretting our history, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver has, over the past three years, listened to mothers pressured into relinquishing their babies for adoption.  In the hope for true healing, we have taken the following steps:

1. Initiated training for Catholic counselors, social workers and psychologists to increase their awareness of the complex issues related to adoption, reunion and healing.
2. Raised awareness about the suffering of mothers and adoptees through a series of articles and publications in The BC Catholic newspaper in 2020 and on our RCAV website.
3. Collaborated with mothers and adoptees to create a link on our RCAV website specifically for those impacted by adoptions: see ADOPTION: Loss and Healing or call 604-828-9577 for help.
4. Included, for the first time, mothers who lost their children to forced adoption in Archbishop Miller’s Mother’s Day Blessing message and video, May 2021.

Next Steps in Our Continued Commitment

We will:

1. Post our apology in The BC Catholic newspaper and on our website.
2. Through a trauma informed group of counsellors, we will offer therapy for mothers who experienced coercion from Catholic Social workers and/or stayed at the Our of Mercy Home in Vancouver and for their families, for any related trauma.
3. Continue training for counsellors, social workers, priests, Church staff and other support positions to increase their awareness of the complex issues related to adoption, reunion and healing.
4. Working with our counsellors and the Adoption Loss and Healing Advisory Group, Archdiocesan staff will collaborate to identify and support people willing to increase their knowledge and abilities to support mothers, fathers, and adoptees.
5. Recommend that all parishes in the Archdiocese acknowledge this issue by sharing the Apology and finding ways to inform parishioners regarding its impact. These could include Mother’s Day acknowledgements of women who have lost children to coerced adoption and other ways to allow impacted women to share their stories.
6. Share this Apology with other dioceses throughout Canada and work with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to further engage mothers who have been impacted by this tragedy.

We want to thank the mothers who have allowed us to journey with them and learn more about their lived experiences. We hope that this apology and the other listed steps will contribute to their healing and allow them to share these resources with women and men involved in adoption during that era.