Hon. Dan Christmas: Honourable senators, how privileged are we who get to see the best: doctors, lawyers, athletes, poets, political leaders and learned professors, leading in their fields, to the betterment of us all?

They often leave us with a feeling of awe and a sense of thankful appreciation for their giftedness. We are indeed blessed to be in their company, and thankful for their myriad contributions to Canadian society.

Colleagues, it can and must be said that there are indeed angels among us, tapped into something bigger than you or me. I’m honoured to share the story of someone just like this.

Friends and colleagues, Sister Dorothy Moore, now 89, was recently the subject of a biography entitled A Journey of Love and Hope. What’s more, there was also a very recent film documentary shown at the 2022 Atlantic International Film Festival: Sister Dorothy Moore: A Life of Courage, Determination, and Love.

Sister Dorothy’s first incredible achievement was her decision to become the first Mi’kmaq student to attend a public school during the 1940s in Nova Scotia — an absolutely unheard of notion at the time.

Racism abounded at off-reserve schools. In time, the authorities kicked her out, but she unapologetically returned. She was on nothing short of a mission. There was no stopping her. Despite all the odds, she graduated from public high school — another unheard of notion.

Yes, honourable senators, in the case of Sister Dorothy, the phrase “no stopping her” kept taking the form of further and numerous miracles. This included obtaining two degrees: bachelor’s degrees in arts and education from St. Francis Xavier University in the 1950s.

She became a teacher and a school principal, and later pioneered university-level Indigenous studies at Cape Breton University in the 1980s — the first of its kind in Canada.

Those who know Sister Dorothy well would readily attest to the deep importance of faith in her life. She has always heard the Creator’s call, and she has resolutely responded to it. Witness her decision to become one of the first Mi’kmaq in 1954 to take up holy orders with the Roman Catholic Sisters of Martha as evidence of this.

What more productive, gentle, faith-filled, determined and helpful example of servant leadership to the benefit of all could there be? What better descriptor might we apply to this real angel among us?

Others readily endorse this view of Sister Dorothy, such as Ramona Lumpkin, PhD, President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Saint Vincent University:

Sister Dorothy Moore has been my hero, guide, and mentor. Sister Dorothy’s story is that of a deeply spiritual woman who has overcome the cruelties of racism, fought to get an education, campaigned to preserve the Mi’kmaw language, and advocated eloquently on behalf of Mi’kmaw culture and values.

In the final analysis, Sister Dorothy’s wisdom echoes through the years, always with her gaze fixed on the long horizon.

As she herself would likely say, “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”

We’lalin. Thank you.