Mark Orange Shirt Day September 27 and 30!

On September 30, people all across Canada will wear orange shirts to remember and honour Indigenous children who attended Residential Schools. Indigenous Ministries and Justice at The United Church of Canada asks you to participate in Orange Shirt Day!

We’re asking you to join the national observance on September 30, but also to wear orange in your community of faith’s gathering on September 27 and to share pictures across the church. We’ve also prepared a prayer for you to use that day. Please visit the United Church website to get a copy of the prayer and information on sharing pics!

United Church Residential School Designated National Historic Site

Portage la Prairie Residential School on Long Plains First Nation in Treaty 1 has been designated a National Historic Site. The school was run by The United Church of Canada from 1925 to 1969. This important contribution to fulfilling the TRC’s Call to Action 79 is the result of dedicated advocacy by survivors of the school and their community. Shubenacadie Residential School was also recognized, and with the designation of the residential schools system as an “event of national importance,” the door is open for other survivors and communities to seek historical designation for residential school sites across the country. In a time when how we mark the past is under serious critique, this feels like a positive step forward.

See the United Church’s response here and an interview with residential school survivor Evelyn Korkmaz, Senator Murray Sinclair, and NCTR director Ry Moran here.

“Pathways to Awareness and Understanding” Conference and Webinars

The St. Paul’s Circle of Indigenous Friends and Advocates in Bowmanville, Ontario has organized an online speakers series in honour of Orange Shirt Day. The series begins with a concert featuring Twin Flames on Friday, September 25 and be followed the next day by a conversation between Senator Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Dr. Lee Maracle, an award-winning author, Indigenous knowledge keeper, and historian.

The series will continue on Wednesdays through October with a series of diverse Indigenous speakers, and wraps up a closing presentation by Jesse Thistle, Métis-Cree author of the award-winning bestseller From the Ashes. All events will be recorded and made available to registrants for two weeks following each webinar.

The full schedule, along with registration and ticket information is available on the St. Paul’s United Church website.

Pacific Mountain Region Reconciliation Dialogue Circle

In April 2019, over 70 non-Indigenous participants from 29 congregations in Pacific Mountain Region came together for an in-depth conversation with over 40 Indigenous participants. The program was supported by a grant from the United Church’s Justice and Reconciliation Fund. Indigenous facilitators guided the process. This Reconciliation Dialogue Circle provided a unique networking opportunity for a large group of ministers and congregation members working on reconciliation within region. They witnessed and took part in Coast Salish protocols and ceremonies, shared stories, and created visions – and plans – for meaningful reconciliation. New relationships blossomed, old friends visited, hearts and minds were opened, understanding deepened, and opportunities for collaboration between individuals, congregations and Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants emerged. To learn more about this initiative, contact Kaisa McCandless of the Reconciliation Matters Network, who contributed this story.