September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, which began as Orange Shirt Day, a Survivor-led movement lifting up the need for reconciliation and honouring all the Indigenous children who were taken to residential schools.

Although the residential school system was in operation for over a hundred years, the roots of Orange Shirt Day began in 1973, when six-year-old Phyllis Webstad entered the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in B.C. Young Phyllis was wearing a brand-new and beloved orange shirt on her first day of school, but those in charge took it away and replaced it with the school’s institutional uniform. She never saw the shirt again. The loss of an orange shirt has become symbolic of all that was taken from children at the schools—language, spirituality, culture, family and community relationships, safety, security, identity, and sometimes even their lives.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada ran 12 residential schools. We therefore bear a collective responsibility to work for reconciliation: for truth, for healing from the harms of intergenerational trauma and racism that we helped cause, and for reparations and justice for Indigenous peoples. In the church’s Apology, we make five fundamental commitments, including listening to and learning from Indigenous people and telling the truth about the past.

Some suggestions for marking the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation:

  • Read Phyllis Webstad’s story and learn about the origin of Orange Shirt Day. Wear an orange shirt.
  • Read the Apology of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, adopted by the General Assembly in June 2024, to learn about the church’s complicity in colonization and the residential school system. Guidelines are available for congregations planning to read the Apology in a worship setting.
  • Listen to Vivian Ketchum’s talk about the importance of Orange Shirt Day. There is also an accompanying study guide.
  • Watch the webinar “The PCC, Colonization and Residential Schools.”
  • Visit the Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s website and learn more about the children who attended residential schools.
  • To learn about local commemorations, contact the Friendship Centre closest to you. You can also check with your local municipality to ask about other local commemorations; many municipalities now host gatherings or learning and memorial events on this day.

Additional Church resources: