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By Fannie Dionne
Can faith still guide our deepest decisions — especially when the road is unclear? At a time when many search for meaning beyond material success, Edwina MacDonald, executive director of the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre and member of the Michipicoten First Nation, offers a living answer. Her choices don’t follow prestige or convenience. She follows the Spirit — trusting its movement.
“I’ve always looked for a way to bridge that divide between the Indigenous and Catholic worlds,” she explains. “I feel it is my vocation.”
This sense of “bridging” resonates deeply with those who know her. “Part of the bridging she does is to discover that faith is already present,” observes Fr. Gordon Rixon, SJ, president of Regis College, who has participated in monthly ministry planning meetings with Edwina since her appointment. “Even if sometimes it feels like a pilgrimage to somewhere else, Edwina is discovering — along with the rest of us — that the evidence of faith is already at the starting point.”
The path hasn’t been simple, but Edwina knows that God will lead her — and provide what is needed. She trusts that anyone can do the same. “If we are quiet enough to listen to his voice,” she says, “we will know.”
From the Parish to the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre
Edwina MacDonald — or Eddie, as many know her — built up her experience in different roles for decades, both as a volunteer and as a staff member, putting herself where she needed to be. For example, while raising her children, she began volunteering at her parish simply because she “felt moved to.” But administrative and managerial skills were not the only ones she sharpened; she also deepened her spirituality — becoming, for instance, a spiritual director in the Carmelite tradition. The thread tying it all together? “I bring people together,” she says, always following her call.
Still, the Spirit stirred something deeper during the last few years.
“I was working, but I was also thinking, maybe there’s more. So, I started putting in applications. But every time I sent one, I would say a prayer to the Holy Spirit: ‘If this is what I should do, then let it be done.’ Every time.”
One of those applications was for the role of executive director at the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre — a place far from the home she shared with her husband. After a heart-to-heart conversation, she sent in her application, accompanied by her usual prayer.
When the acceptance came, she faced a decision regarding her future.
“But the position at ASC is the one that I felt I was called to. I also felt the movement of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. I felt a deep connection because it’s Indigenous — because that’s my heritage — but also because it’s Catholic.”
Her family and close friends saw it too. As one said, “She is supposed to be there. Everything she has done has led her to this.”
Working Toward Change
Change is not easy for anybody, but it can help us grow. Edwina experienced this when she moved to a cabin at the centre — alone, and far from family. “It was like a retreat,” she reflects. “It helped to change who I am — in a good way.”
Change is not easy for anybody, but it can help us grow.
Her first impression? “It’s a beautiful place.” Then came the reality: “Oh my gosh, I’m responsible for all of this.” She took off the rose-coloured glasses and got to work.
And change was coming fast, as she was about to discover. One day, while in her cabin, she heard an unusual sound — like a helicopter. “I looked out the window. And there were seven eagles. They landed. One turned and looked at me.” When she asked her Elder what it meant, he said: “Really, really big change is coming. Be prepared.”
So, she prepared — with courage and vision. One major step, again following her calling, was guiding the centre through a transition to become an Indigenous-led organization, a change affirming Indigenous rights to spiritual autonomy and leadership. Now, with her usual big-picture vision of service, Edwina is working to ensure that the centre can better serve Indigenous communities in the north — where the needs are great and priests are few.
Her gift for partnership has helped the centre navigate major transitions with clarity. As Fr. Rixon recalls: “She is a person of faith and of great energy. There’s transparency and trust in her leadership — she keeps the focus on mission, helping everyone find their place. She creates space for others to feel comfortable, to test new ideas, to share intimately and receive support.”
Living Her Vocation — And Inviting Others to Theirs
Edwina wasn’t surprised when she learned that the theme of this magazine issue was vocation. It’s something she prays for every day — for others to discover their calling.
She’s clear about her own: “My vocation is to help people see God everywhere, including in each other, and to find peace within that — to share the word but also to look beyond what we feel safe with and experience, but in a larger way. And Indigenous spirituality and Catholic spirituality together allow that largeness. We can see God in a larger way.”
“Indigenous spirituality and Catholic spirituality together allow that largeness. We can see God in a larger way.” – Edwina MacDonald
With the richness of her journey, she offers not just a testimony but an invitation — to be still, to trust, and to listen.
Because vocation isn’t reserved for the few. It begins with a question anyone can ask: What am I being called to — here, now, with what I have?
“It is God who plans our vocation, not us,” she reminds. “So, we just have to be willing to wait for his word.” Whether you’re at the beginning of a journey or years into one, Edwina’s path reminds us: the call to serve is never far — it’s often just quiet.
