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Survivors of abuse by former Anglican priest and Scout leader Ralph Rowe are working to create a national advocacy and advisory council aimed at promoting men’s healing, the Anglican Journal reports.
Rowe, who served in northern Ontario and in several northern Manitoba communities, was convicted of 75 sexual crimes against children that took place between 1974 and 1987. It is believed that Rowe may have abused up to 500 children during that time.
Speaking Aug. 8 at the 12th Indigenous Anglican Sacred Circle in Calgary, Dawn Maracle, the Anglican Church of Canada’s interim animator for Indigenous justice, said the group hopes to establish the Men’s Advocacy and Advisory Council for Healing (MAACH). The idea follows a series of sharing circles held by Indigenous Ministries in 2024.
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The council’s goal would be to provide peer support by sending survivors to communities to share their stories, encourage the creation of local chapters and advise organizations on promoting men’s healing. Survivors are also seeking official apologies from Scouts Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada.
“This is going to become their legacy,” Maracle told the Journal. “They really want to shift from being known as victims to survivors.”
Maracle also updated Sacred Circle on her partnership with the United Church of Canada to develop a “Parallel Paths” curriculum based on the Two Row Wampum treaty, aimed at helping non-Indigenous ministers engage in reconciliation conversations.
She further reported that work continues at the All-Parties Table toward a Covenant of Reconciliation, though progress has been slowed by staff turnover in several organizations.
The Sacred Circle gathering also heard emotional testimonies from church leaders about missing and murdered Indigenous people, including family members still unaccounted for after decades.
Rowe, who served in northern Ontario and Manitoba, was convicted of 75 sexual crimes against children between 1974 and 1987.