ATHABASCA — It came as a surprise when the invitation arrived, and it was a well-kept secret until just recently, but the Athabasca RCMP now has a new chaplain.
There are no records of anyone ever holding the position before, so Rev. Monica Rosborough is very likely the first chaplain the local detachment has ever had and it came after a surreptitious search of local websites by recruiters watching her online sermons at the Athabasca United Church and reading her social media posts.
“Imagine someone phoning you out of the blue and saying, 'I've been reading your stuff,’” Rosborough laughed. “Nobody reads my stuff.”
The hard part was keeping it a secret as the actual contact and application was made in September 2020 and she then had to undergo an extensive security clearance, but she had done a few things during that time to let the local RCMP members and staff know she was thinking about them.
“I gave Valentines to the officers and the support staff so that they would feel supported,” she said. "And when they had the shooting up in Calling Lake (Aug. 26) I dropped off some coffee and Timbits for them just to try and provide some moral support without any judgment one way or another, just to be there for them.”
She was finally able to announce the appointment late last month and noted her role is to be available for RCMP to seek comfort or guidance from a spiritual advisor and therefore the role is non-denominational.
“I'm just to be a safe space for them and meet them where they are (mentally, emotionally or spiritually) and not necessarily try to pull them to some place that they don't want to be,” she said.
Rosborough was also given an official jacket with the RCMP logo and word ‘Chaplain’ embroidered on it in both official languages, as well as a shirt with the same, a Bible with the RCMP logo, a notebook and training.
“I have had some official training,” she said. “I think people are recognizing more and more that you can never have enough training for anything that you do in life if you want to do it well. So, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our listening skills, improve our pastoral care skills and so there will be ongoing opportunities to train and that will benefit everyone.”
There are no set hours and while she is available anytime for the RCMP members, even outside regular office hours, she will spend a few hours a month at the detachment to start.
“To start with I'm planning to go in every other week to touch base with them,” said Rosborough. “This is a volunteer position so, my primary position is as a reverend, as a minister, so that doesn't change and at this time, I'm going to try volunteering twice a month and see how that goes.”
She also is looking forward to helping the RCMP make connections with the local community. Rosborough is keenly aware of the large Indigenous population around the region and years of distrust of law enforcement has built resentment toward the RCMP.
“The generational trauma that has happened for Indigenous people in this area has been ... intense, so we don't want to add to that trauma if we can help it,” she said. “And how can we mitigate it? That's a real challenge and that takes a lot of strategy, and consultation, and forethought.”
Rosborough will spend at least the next two years, the minimum commitment, working with the RCMP members and staff and being a source of spiritual comfort whenever she can.
