From the Desk of Rev. Michelle….
I wanted to reach out today to remind everyone that it is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is an important day for us to stand with First Nations communities in remembering and acknowledging the history and legacy of the Indian Residential School system. It is a time to learn and reflect and to honour the survivors who have told their stories. Today is not just a holiday; it is to be a day of action as we take another step towards understanding and mending the broken relationships with our Indigenous neighbours.
Learning facts and figures, listening to stories and imagining ourselves in another’s position are all ways that we can deepen our understanding of the past. Five years ago, I gained a deeper understanding of what an indigenous parent must have felt as I imagined myself in the past to which this day points. On the first Orange Shirt Day after Reid started school, I took the knowledge I had about the residential school system and the impact on the community, and I imagined what it would be like to be a parent whose child was taken to residential school, not by choice but by government order. I knew that, unlike myself, who chose what program Reid would be in, indigenous parents had no choice but to have their children board buses, trucks and planes to travel to schools often hours away. If they tried to resist, they would face punishments of fines or jail time.
I imagined what it would be like to know that my precious child was going to a place known by my community to do harm. Knowing that I had seen how joyful and passionate children were not the same when they came home. I thought about how, instead of releasing Reid into the care of caring and dedicated teachers who I knew shared my values, what it would be like to send my boy off to the unknown with no means of checking on him or knowing that he was ok. I imagined the worry that my baby would be broken like so many others by his experiences.
I knew that Reid would be coming home to a big hug, dinner and bedtime stories, as I imagined what it would have been like for those native parents so long ago. My heart broke with grief as I thought about what it would be like to say goodbye that morning, knowing that I would not see him that night or the next, for children went months and even entire school years without seeing their parents. Even in this thought experiment, my arms ached to be wrapped around Reid and pull him close, and the dreadful weight of silence filled my home.
When I could take it no longer, I went to the nursery and picked up Ella. As I rocked my little three-month-old girl, pouring my love onto her, I was struck with the sickening feeling of helplessness from another time and place. For in that moment, I realized how painful having your child taken to a residential school would have been, and the hopelessness of knowing in 5 short years, the government or church worker would be coming for this baby too.
We cannot change the past, but we can address how it continues to impact us today. The foundation of change is knowledge and understanding. This is why learning about the Indian Residential School System is found repeatedly in the 94 Calls to Action that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This call to learn about the history and impacts of colonialism behind the system is directed to the churches involved in the running of the Residential School System, which included both the PCC and the UCC.
I encourage you today to wear Orange and to continue to learn and grow in your understanding of that past and seek to forge new relationships for the future. For events in the city, check out https://www.frederictoncapitalregion.ca/see-do/festivals-events/calendar-events/truth-and-reconciliation-day-2025
As we enter this day, let us pray:
God of truth who seeks to reconcile with us,
Today, we ask that you open our hearts anew.
On this day, we remember the children and communities affected by the residential School system. We remember those who never came home,
And honouring the survivors.
As we wear orange to say: every child matters,
Help us listen deeply to hard truths and new hopes and to invitations to renewed and strengthened relationships.
Help us to walk humbly with Indigenous communities, and stir in us the desire to know those closest to us.
Holy One, guide us all toward healing and justice,
With the courage to confront the past,
And commitment to build a future of respect,
rooted in love, and led by your Spirit.
Here our prayer, and in your love answer. Amen.
For additional learning, check out:
https://presbyterian.ca/justice/social-action/indigenous-justice/
https://united-church.ca/social-action/justice-initiatives/reconciliation-and-indigenous-justice