Page 16 - Presbyterian Connection
P. 16

Connection
RECONCILIATION
Praying for Lives Lost at Residential Schools
16
PRESBYTERIAN
SUMMER 2021
presbyterian.ca
  The Memorial erected on the PCC-run Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School site in Kenora, Ont., as part of the Truth and Reconciliation commemoration activities.
dren never came home from the schools where they were forcibly taken, and the weight of the trauma that loss has wreaked in Indigenous communities, in which the church shared a large role, is still causing intense harm today.
In humility, the church calls for a time of prayer and lament to honour the lives of those children whose graves were just found and for all family, friends and communities who have lost loved ones through the In- dian Residential School system—for whom this news opens fresh wounds. We also call for a time of reflection and recommitment to reconciliation. In the month of June, which is Na- tional Indigenous History Month, we encourage all church members to re- flect on the harmful history in which we have been involved, and from that reflection seek renewed ways to work for healing and reconciliation with Indigenous people.
Prayer
Creator God of love and justice,
Comforter of those who mourn,
We have learned of more Indig- enous children lost, more children who never were able to return to their families from schools they should never have been forced to attend in the first place. This news is devastat- ing. We pray first for healing for the children’s families and communities, who are met again today with pain no
one should ever have to bear.
We also acknowledge the actions of our church, our complicity in run- ning residential schools and taking children like these, who were just found, from their families. We re- pent for the pain and ongoing harm we have caused, and ask for the will and wisdom to act to end that harm. We have asked for forgiveness and committed to work for healing and reconciliation. But we recognize that
for many, that change came too late. Comforting God, we pray for heal- ing in the communities and families of all who experienced residential schools, comfort for all those griev- ing, and strength for all to pursue
reconciliation. Amen.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada operated 11 residential schools and, in addition to the trauma of be- ing forcibly taken from their homes, families, and communities, students faced abuse, neglect, non-consensu- al experimentation, increased illness and death. The church has confessed its role in running the schools and is seeking a path of reconciliation with Indigenous people. But the trauma those schools caused for individuals, families and communities continues to significantly impact Indigenous people today. As a church, we are called to repentance and to action.
To learn more about how the PCC is pursuing reconciliation and supporting Indigenous Rights visit presbyterian.ca/indigenous-justice. The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available for any former residential school students and oth- ers needing support. That help can be accessed at 1-866-925-4419.
The Presbyterian Church in Can- ada grieves with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, who re- leased news that the unidentified graves of 215 children have been found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School
in Kamloops, B.C.
The devastating pain and loss
this news triggers are not isolated to Kamloops, but is shared by all who lost family, friends or commu- nity members to Indian Residential Schools. So many Indigenous chil-
  Two Years Since Release of National Inquiry Final Report
 June 3 marked two years since the publication of Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The report exposed the paths through which violence against In- digenous women, girls and 2SLG- BTQQIA (two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) people was allowed to take root, and the intense harm it causes not only to those murdered or missing, but to their friends, family, and community. The report (mmiwg-ffada.ca/final- report) discussed colonialism and the ways colonialism operates even today, drawing on stories witnesses provided to help readers understand how this violence continues to thrive and what can be done to stop it. It found that the violence of colonialism
has constituted a genocide against Indigenous peoples in Canada.
When the report came out two years ago Reclaiming Power and Place published 231 “Calls for Jus- tice.” Some of these calls are di- rected at governments, others at institutions, social service providers and policing, still others at industries. Eight of the calls (Calls 15.1–15.8) are addressed to all Canadians. There are things named in the Calls for Justice that each of us can do to help end this violence. The federal government received the findings of the final report when it was released and promised a National Action Plan to respond to the Calls.
It has now been two years and, as of writing this article, the National Ac- tion Plan has yet to be released. When the Rev. Amanda Currie was Modera- tor of the PCC, she participated in a
The Rev. Amanda Currie, former moderator, spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the status of Canada’s National Action Plan.
call with Prime Minister Trudeau and members of the Governing Board of the Canadian Council of Churches in May. She was able to ask the Prime Minister about the status of that Na- tional Action Plan. The government has begun the process of developing the plan in collaboration with Survi- vors and family members, as well as other stakeholders, but there is no ex- pected release date for it yet. You can track the action plan’s progress and see descriptions of how it is proceed- ingatbit.ly/3fnzONP.
Responding to Reclaiming Power and Place’s Calls for Justice is part of the work of reconciliation. The 2019 General Assembly referred Re- claiming Power and Place to the Life and Mission Agency and the National Indigenous Ministries Council for study and asked for a report with rec- ommendations to the next Assembly to find the further actions that we can take. That study was completed and there are recommendations in the Justice Ministries section of the Life and Mission Agency report to the
2021 General Assembly.
Since the situation it addresses
is complex, Reclaiming Power and Place is lengthy, but it includes an executive summary that lays out the report’s key points, methods, and reasoning. The PCC also has a freely downloadable study guide on the report to help people work through its themes. That guide is available under “resources” on the Indige- nous Rights page of our Social Ac- tion Hub at presbyterian.ca/justice/ social-action/indigenous-justice.
































































   14   15   16   17   18