(CCN) — Dioceses across Canada sought to raise awareness about the need to promote healing and reconciliation initiatives with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities over the past two weeks and to raise funds for these projects around the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30.
Canada’s Catholic bishops issued a message for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30, saying the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council and Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle “honour the survivors of the Indian Residential School System, the children who never returned home, their families, and the generations who continue to live with its legacy.”
“We remember also the courage of those who have shared their stories and encourage those who continue to listen, so that the truth of our histories remains the foundation upon which we build our collective futures,” the bishops said.
The message was issued by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on the conference website Sept. 29.
“We cannot turn away from these truths when they are painful or uncomfortable. Our faith calls us instead to encounter them with humility, honesty, and charity as we walk together and learn to live rightly with one another,” the bishops said.
The bishops named the “Doctrine of Discovery” knowledge-sharing symposium held in Edmonton in spring among this year’s “signs of hope.”
The symposium, they said, “created space for honest dialogue among diverse voices about the historical and contemporary realities that shaped colonization.”
The bishops noted that Catholics dioceses across the country have committed $30 million through the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund toward healing and reconciliation projects developed with Indigenous communities.
The bishops also acknowledged “a noticeable shift in the discourse concerning Truth and Reconciliation in recent months,” which they described as “a temptation to become distracted from the healing mission Pope Francis called us all to continue during his penitential pilgrimage to Canada in 2022.”
“We must remain patient with one another and trust that the journey is guided by the Holy Spirit, who accompanies us at every step. To aid in this journey, ongoing dialogue and mutual accompaniment remains paramount,” they said.
Cardinal Frank Leo, archbishop of Toronto, invited the faithful of his archdiocese to join him in praying “for all those who continue to carry emotional, physical and spiritual wounds, especially residential school survivors, their families and their communities.”
He also asked his faithful to support the archdiocese’s $4.5-million pledge to the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund through a special collection that was held in parishes, Oct. 3-4.
“Through prayer, generous support and a sincere willingness to listen and learn, may we continue walking together in faith and hope, guided by the Holy Spirit toward truth, healing and renewed relationships,” Cardinal Leo said.
In its message, the CCCB also looked ahead to Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.
