Today, across Canada, we mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day to pause, to remember, to lament, and to commit ourselves again to the work of healing and justice with Indigenous peoples.
At the heart of this day is the truth of the Residential School system and its devastating legacy. Children were taken from their families, their languages silenced, their culture and spiritual traditions suppressed. Many never came home. The grief is not only historical; it is carried in the lives, families, and communities of Survivors today. To honour this day faithfully, we must listen to the truth with open hearts, and we must let that truth move us toward reconciliation—not as a distant ideal, but as a lived practice.
One powerful symbol of this journey is the Survivor’s Flag, created to honour those who endured Residential Schools and those who never returned. Every element of this flag carries meaning:
- The eagle feather speaks of spirituality and healing.
- The children in the circle remind us of the generations who were taken and of the sacredness of every child.
- The open door of the school signifies both the history of forced entry and the Survivors who walked out.
- The incomplete circle reflects lives cut short, families broken, communities wounded.
- And yet, the sun and the horizon point to the hope of renewal and the resilience of Indigenous peoples who continue to live, resist, and thrive.
For Christians, this day calls us to look deeply at our own complicity. The churches, including our Anglican Church of Canada, were not bystanders but active participants in the Residential School system. To remember truthfully is to confess honestly. Reconciliation is not an act of charity, but a Gospel demand: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).
So today we do not wear orange or raise the Survivor’s Flag as mere symbols. We do so as commitments: to honour Survivors, to teach the next generations, to challenge racism and colonialism wherever they still wound, and to walk humbly with Indigenous partners in the work of healing.
Truth and reconciliation is not one day, but a lifelong journey. Yet it begins, always, with remembering—and with listening.
A Prayer for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
God of truth and God of mercy,
on this day we remember the children taken,
the Survivors who carry the weight of painful memories,
and the families and communities forever changed.
We grieve lives lost and cultures wounded.
We confess the sins of the church,
our part in a system that silenced languages,
denied traditions, and broke sacred bonds.
Open our ears to listen with humility,
our hearts to repent with honesty,
and our hands to work for healing with courage.
Bless the Survivors, their families, and their communities.
May the Survivor’s Flag wave not only as remembrance
but as a sign of hope and renewal.
Guide us, O Christ, into the hard work of reconciliation,
that together we may walk the path of justice,
restoring what has been broken,
and honouring the dignity of every child of God.
In your holy name we pray.
Amen.