One year after the Broncos tragedy, stories are resurfacing, as are recollections of the event and the aftermath. Approaching the one year mark and the Humboldt Broncos 1st Year Memorial Service, Humboldt is at the epicentre of a much wider circle we call community.

All those in neighbouring towns and RM's are part of this community. So is the province and the country for that matter. Everyone who has been personally affected shares membership in this community, but at the centre of it all is Humboldt and its satellite towns and villages. Looking into the spiritual state of this community one year later is no easy feat. However, that is the work that has been undertaken by the counsellors, health care providers, and members of the Humboldt Ministerial Association. The priests and pastors charged with looking after their congregations and the wider community reflect along with us during this time.

Reverend Brenda Curtis is well known in this community. As the spiritual leader of Westminster United Church, Brenda has been a key source of support throughout the ordeal and its ongoing aftermath. She assesses the state of the community with a little surprise in what she refers to as an unexpected quiet. She is a bit surprised about what she perceives to be a relative lack of conversation about the Memorial Service and about the anniversary in general. It doesn't mean that the events are not on people's minds, only that there seems to be another vehicle of expression.

"I wonder in some ways," Curtis speculates, "if that's because most of the conversation is being fed by the media. Over the last two weeks, there's been coverage about the accident, about everything that's happened since, and I just wonder if the media is doing our talking for us. So we are not feeling compelled to talk to each other."

Curtis suspects that the weekend will trigger responses and everyone needs to recognize this. Her sincerest wish is that "we can be gentle with one another, and vigilant in caring for one another. There is a lot of unresolved grief that has to be worked through for some." 

This recognition and the work spawned by it has been going on throughout the communities since the accident. Curtis gives an example, "The church had a trauma and healing workshop with a professional counsellor last Sunday after church, and there were probably 20 people there. It was very helpful to think about the stages of grief and how we all move through things so differently."

It's the differences in the process that can be confusing. As one individual manages in one way, another may be at a different stage and may have a different mechanism. With that in mind, Curtis advocates for patience and understanding of each other over the months to come. 

Reverend Matteo Carboni of St. Andrew's Anglican Church fully understands this notion of stages as he speaks to his congregation and those who seek support. At the year marker, Carboni understands that there are some individuals who are ready to "leave this stage and begin to build a new life." Other people, he acknowledges, haven't been able to get there yet. Such is the nature of grief, and a search for a Mecca that many individuals in the community have been asked about: closure. 

Carboni adds that the relentless exposure to events surrounding the tragedy adds an additional element. "There are people still struggling with trauma, with loss, with the grief, and sometimes, with it being in the news all the time, it remains fresh in their minds." Carboni hesitates to use the word normal. He talks about reaching a point where people can simply go on their healing journey.

When broached with the subject of the Memorial Service, Carboni admits that there may be a bit of a watershed in the ceremony itself. He is cautious about not predicting the future, but he muses, "As a Ministerial group, we felt that it was important to remember what happened and to mark it. It represents that "last of the firsts', in the same way we paid attention to the home opener, or we paid attention to the first day of school. We felt that the anniversary of the accident would be a good time to come together as a community because it can bring back a lot of memories and it might be good to come together to support each other."

Looking ahead, both Ministers see the need for continued vigilance, continued support, and continued connection. For her part, Brenda Curtis notes that the United Church has made provisions for some of the church members to receive training in mental health support and suicide prevention. She is a strong advocate for arming people with knowledge and the ability to intervene when necessary. Matteo Carboni and the Anglican church are sponsoring a youth drop-in centre on Wednesdays and Fridays to connect youth to each other and to additional supports in the community. He intends to see the church continue to work with other congregations and support agencies, which has been critical during the past year. 

As people continue to search for meaning in such a monumentally tragic circumstance, the two ministers, along with their counterparts throughout Humboldt and area, recognize the struggle. They support that quest for meaning and comfort in whatever form it may take. Whether it be space for quilts or helping to organize and advocate for change to the transport industry, the victims, the church, the social supports, and the population in general will continue to work in support of the healing process.