- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Real Estate
The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration transferred nearly 2 acres of land on Trout Lake to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians on Oct. 31, selling the property for the $30,000 they originally paid in 1966 — a steep discount from its current market value.
The transaction, which includes the Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center, is described as the first known return of Catholic-owned land to a tribal nation as an act of repair for colonization and residential boarding schools, according to the tribe.
That sale price is just over 1% of its current market value, the tribe said. Marywood will serve as a site for Ojibwe culture and traditions, with lakeshore access, healthcare-related uses and workshops.
“This return represents more than the restoration of land — it is the restoration of balance, dignity, and sacred connection to the places our ancestors once walked,” LDF President John Johnson said in a statement. “The Franciscan Sisters act of generosity and courage stands as an example of what true healing and partnership can look like.”
The sisters described the land transfer as an important step toward reconciling the organization’s past with their current tribal relationships.
“The return of Marywood is both a conclusion and a beginning,” said Sister Sue Ernster, president of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. “We honor the decades of ministry and see this transition as a hopeful step toward healing and right relationship.”
The sale was facilitated by the Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corporation in partnership with nonprofit Land Justice Futures. In a statement, the latter organization said the Marywoods transfer, at just a fraction of the market value of the land, represented a step away from “commodification.”
“Christian colonization has been the cornerstone of our modern property system for 500 years, authorizing a small elite to make decisions about the land,” Brittany Koteles, the organization’s co-founder and director said. “But now we’re confronting the cycle of commodification and extraction. This historic act is proof that we can choose a different path forward.”
The business development corporation will manage the site’s future development, according to the tribe.
“Land is the foundation of sovereignty,” Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corporation CEO Larry Turner said in a statement. “Through tribal ownership and management, this property will provide opportunities to serve the people of Lac du Flambeau for generations to come.”
