Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
What is reconcilation? Father Cristino Bouvette explains in this video prior to the 2022 Papal Visit to Canada. Father Cristino is a priest for the Diocese of Calgary. He is of mixed Cree-Métis and Italian descent. Father Cristino is committed to fostering healing and reconciliation among Indigenous people and the Catholic Church. He was the National Liturgical Coordinator for the Papal Visit to Canada.
What can we do?
PRAY
Pray that our journey of Walking Together with Indigenous Peoples will continue to heal wounds and nurture a path that fosters healing and reconciliation.
The Catholic faithful of Canada are invited to enter into this day with a spirit of charity and compassion, as followers of Jesus Christ, members of his “living body of reconciliation,” so that together with all Canadians, we may continue to walk forward with Indigenous Peoples on the path of truth, justice, healing, reconciliation, and hope.
Let us recall the words of the Holy Father during his 2022 postolic Voyage to Canada: “The Church is the house where we ‘conciliate’ anew, where we meet to start over and to grow together. It is the place where we stop thinking as individuals and acknowledge that we are brothers and sisters of one another.”
ATTEND EVENTS
September 30 is a solemn day to honour residential school Survivors and the children who never came home. Rooted in the Catholic call to repentance and reconciliation, this day invites deep listening, prayer, and education as we commit to truth and healing.
Stay tuned for further event information