Land Acknowledgements and Why They Matter

A short video on why we do a land acknowledgement before our meetings and events. Made by Bruce Weaver and the PWRDF of the Anglican Church

A Call for Clear and Courageous Leadership

Open Letters To The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

Prayers For Reconciliation

Most Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, on September 30, 2019, at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony honouring all children who did not return home from the Residential Schools:Prayer for the Children Who Didn’t Return HomeAlmighty God, we remember before you all of the children – our dear relatives – who did not return home from the Residential Schools.   May you remember their suffering and pain.   May you grant them rest in the Land of Peace.   May you surround them with beautiful and sacred love and joy.   We pray to you also for ourselves and our children.   At a time like this we remember we need your Spirit so very much.   We pray to you, your Spirit prays through us, in the Name of Jesus, who suffered with us but raised us and will raise us with our departed loved ones.  Amen.Creator God, remember your children.The ones who ran freely in the forests and through summer fields, the ones who loved freely the birds of the air, the winged ones, and the animals in the forests, the four-legged ones.Creator God, remember your children, the ones whose names were changed, the ones whose language was forgotten, the ones who cried for their parents at night, who lost the comfort of the stars and the moon and the breath of God blowing through the trees at dusk.Creator God, remember your children, the ones who lie forgotten in a mass grave like yesterday’s refuse, unmarked, hidden in secret to hide the shame of the ones who did not see Your beauty within each child.  Creator God, remember your children!Prayer for ReconciliationHoly One, Creator of all that is, seen and unseen, of story and of song, of heartbeat and of tears of bodies, souls, voices and all relations: you are the God of all truth and the way of all reconciliation. Uphold with your love and compassion all who open their lives in the sacred sharing of their stories. Breathe in us the grace to trust in your loving forgiveness, that we may face our histories with courage. Touch us through the holy gift of story that those who speak and those who listen may behold your own redeeming presence. Guide us with holy wisdom to enter through the gates of remorse that our feet may walk gently and firmly on the way of justice and healing. Amen.                         From the Anglican Church of Canada                                                                                                                           wwwkairos.org    Ottawa Rite of Remembrance and ReturnGod of surprises, you call us from the narrowness of our traditions to new ways of being church, from the captivities of our culture to creative witness for justice, from the smallness of our horizons to the bigness of your vision. Clear the way in us, your people, that we might call others to freedom and renewed faith. Jesus, wounded healer, you call us from preoccupation with our own histories and hurts to daily tasks of peacemaking, from privilege and protocol to partnership and pilgrimage, from isolation and insularity to inclusive community. Clear the way in us, your people, that we might call others to wholeness and integrity. Holy, transforming Spirit, you call us from fear to faithfulness, from clutter to clarity, from a desire to control to deeper trust, from the refusal to love to a readiness to risk. Clear the way in us, your people, that we might all know the beauty and power and danger of the gospel. Amen.TR-Prayer.pdf (edu.on.ca)                                                                                                                 Prayer for Truth and Reconciliation                                                                                                  (Prayer of repentance and solidarity with Indigenous Peoples following Canada’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission)Honouring the Four Directions (anglican.ca)Prayer for the Students of Kamloops Residential School – Grace United Church (gracedunnville.ca) 
Dear friends of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Over the past several weeks, there has been a painful national conversation on the tragic history of residential schools in Canada. The role of the Catholic Church in the residential school system has been a central part of that discussion. We acknowledge the terrible suffering that took place and condemn the system, established by the federal government and operated by faith communities, which separated children, often forcibly, from their parents and attempted to strip away their language, culture and identity. The Catholic Church must continue to atone for our involvement in this dark history. It is undeniable that some Catholic teachers (priests, religious men and women and lay staff) entrusted to care for children at residential schools assaulted the dignity of the students through mistreatment, neglect and abuse. A recent poll suggested that only 10% of Canadians have a thorough understanding of the history of residential schools. We also know that many Catholics have asked for additional information, unsure of this history and wondering how to respond when asked about it. In addition to resources like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, we have prepared a webpage at: www.archtoronto.org/residentialschools with numerous resources, links and information. We encourage you to access our latest document, “Background for Catholics – Residential Schools”, which provides answers to eight frequently asked questions on recent topics of discussion. We’d also like to make you aware of the following recent developments:On June 29, 2021, it was announced that a delegation of Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Keepers, residential school survivors and youth from across the country will meet with Pope Francis from December 17-20 at the Vatican. There will be four days of meetings – focused on encounters with First Nations, Métis and Inuit participants – as well as a final audience with all delegates coming together on December 20, 2021. Pope Francis is deeply committed to hearing directly from Indigenous Peoples, expressing his heartfelt closeness, addressing the impact of colonization and the role of the Church in the residential school system, in the hopes of responding to the suffering of Indigenous Peoples and the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma. We have received numerous inquiries regarding financial support related to residential schools. A more detailed response on the settlement process, what has been paid and where we have fallen short, can be found in the latest “Background for Catholics – Residential Schools” document. Currently, dioceses across the country, including the Archdiocese of Toronto, are in discussions to determine how to best engage in a renewed financial effort to meet the goal of the $25 million “best efforts” campaign. In addition, the archdiocese is developing a series of pastoral initiatives, with Indigenous participation, to engage parishioners and the broader community in a continued journey of prayer, listening and dialogue as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts.We look forward to sharing more information with you on these plans in the days ahead. Together We Pray “For the children who died in residential schools throughout Canada and for all those who continue on a journey through the darkness, that there may be healing founded on truth and that the Spirit will inspire our ongoing commitment to reconciliation. God, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, continue to offer us correction so that your grace might change and transform us in our weakness and repentance. Give us humility to listen when others reveal how we have failed and courage to love others as ourselves, mindful of your love for the weakest and most vulnerable among us. Amen.” Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us. Thomas Collins Archbishop of Toronto  Background for Catholics – Residential Schools

CREATOR GOD REMEMBER YOUR CHILDREN

The ones who ran freely in the forests and through summer fields, the ones who loved freely the birds of the air, the winged ones, and the animals in the forests, the four-legged ones.

Creator God, remember your children, the ones whose names were changed, the ones whose language was forgotten, the ones who cried for their parents at night, who lost the comfort of the stars and the moon and the breath of God blowing through the trees at dusk.

Creator God, remember your children, the ones who lie forgotten in a mass grave like yesterday’s refuse, unmarked, hidden in secret to hide the shame of the ones who did not see Your beauty within each child.  

Creator God Remember Your Children!

SUMMER SOLSTICE

This piece is a celebration – a celebration of the land, of light, and of the people who have danced these lands since time immemorial.

Santee Smith is a producer and also Chancellor of McMaster University.

Ohneganos: Let’s Talk Water

A YOUTH-LED VODCAST HOSTED BY MAKASA LOOKING HORSE (MOHAWK, LAKOTA) FROM SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER.

Tune in to their Facebook Page or YouTube Channel