NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION: A DAY FOR ALL OF US
September 30 is a painful day in so many ways as we remember and honour the Indigenous children who didn’t return home from residential schools, the survivors, their families and their communities. We also acknowledge the ongoing trauma Indigenous people today face as a result of this harrowing experience.
It can be overwhelming for non-Indigenous people to know how to respond. But there is lots we can do to learn more, address the harm that is still being felt, and work toward reconciliation wherever we may be.
A good place to start is to visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website. It is packed with information and educational resources for all ages. Then visit your diocese’s website and look for information on Indigenous issues. (If you don’t find anything, send an email to ask that some content be added.) If others in your parish are drawn to learning more, start a small study group, book club or film club and learn together. Register for the University of Alberta’s free online 12-module Indigenous Canada course. Or invite an Indigenous guest speaker to speak to your parish. And wear orange on September 30 to signal to your neighbours and co-workers that you are honouring this day and are committed to reconciliation. It’s inspiring to see our children learning about residential schools from a young age. Talk to them about what reconciliation means to them!
If you want to offer your time or a financial donation to the important work of reconciliation, look for a Friendship Centre or other Indigenous hub in your community or elsewhere. Getting to know Indigenous people makes the issue personal and motivates us to become allies and amplify their voices.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle is a fine example of Indigenous and non-Indigenous working together. The aim of this coalition, which includes Indigenous people, bishops, clergy, lay movements and institutes of consecrated life, is “renewing and fostering relationships between the Catholic Church and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.” Check out their website to find out what the Circle is doing and sign up for their email list to be kept in the loop.
And let us all pray for healing and reconciliation – on September 30 and always.
Prayer for Healing and Reconciliation*
O Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Guadalupe
Intercede for us with your Son
That we who live in this land,
Indigenous and non-Indigenous together
may experience healing and
reconciliation,
on a renewed journey for justice
and peace for our children.
Mother of the Church, pray for us.
—Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle
* also available in French
Anne Louise Mahoney is managing editor of Novalis. She is the editor of several books, including Pocket Book of Hope, and is the author of I Am and I Hope, part of the Seeds of Faith series for young children.
