National Day for Truth & Reconciliation – Orange Shirt Day
On Friday, September 30, wear an orange shirt to remember and honour Indigenous children who were taken from their homes.
This year, Indigenous communities across the country continue to share the truth they have always known: that many of the children who never returned home remain on the grounds of those institutions in unmarked burial sites. These communities are now seeking to honour the missing children.
On Orange Shirt Day we also observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For non-Indigenous Christians in particular, this is a time to reflect on their role in colonialism and the ongoing responsibility to make reparations.
Why Orange?
Phyllis Jack Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation went to St. Joseph Mission Residential School. On her first day of school, Phyllis wore an orange shirt that her grandmother had given her. It was immediately taken away, and that marked the beginning of Phyllis’s long separation from her family and community, a separation caused by actions of the church and federal government.
Orange Shirt Day is a time for us all to remember those events and their ongoing impact.
Hear Phyllis Webstad speak about Orange Shirt Day (2021) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuW4WbekhxY
Learn more about the calls to action at: TRC Calls to Action PDF
Read Spirit Bear’s Guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action. It is a child-friendly version of the Calls to Action.
we are grateful that you came to us as a child,
who grew out of a community that nurtured, supported, and taught you the way of your ancestors.
You have asked us to do the same:
to treat every child as we would treat you,
to love every person as you have loved us.
We are grateful that
your power is rooted in love, not force;
your strength is displayed through community, not might.
You have taught us to work toward a better world where all of creation thrives,
and where every child matters.
On this Orange Shirt Day,
we remember Phyllis Webstad as a child,
and the stolen childhood of all the children forcibly raised by church-run institutions, known as residential schools.
We lament how these institutions
stole from children the opportunity to grow in a safe and loving environment,
stole from Elders the opportunity to share their teachings and wisdom with younger
generations; and
stole from communities the opportunity to live intergenerationally.
We mourn the children who never made it home,
the communities that were destroyed,
the broken hearts,
the stories never shared, and
the shattered relationships.
We ask that you provide
comfort to all who are seeking healing and who daily wrestle with the ongoing harmful legacy of
these colonial institutions,
strength to all who name how colonial powers have harmed us as peoples and as a nation;
often at great personal cost, and
courage to all who are working toward reconciliation.
Christ Child,
As you grew, you reminded us to always welcome and care for children.
We remember your children today.
We lament and acknowledge the sinful ways that colonial powers tried to eradicate Indigenous cultures within Canada,
breaking Indigenous families,
removing children from their homes while destroying communities.
And we pray for healing,
so that we who live together in this country
can also work together to build a better future
where all children are cherished, beloved, and given what they need to thrive.
So that we may treat all children as we would treat you, our Beloved.
May it be so.
Amen.
(Source: United Church of Canada website)
