Join the Mission Team on January 26 at 7:00 p.m. by Zoom and in-person (should restrictions allow) for follow-up conversations about the Residential Schools testimonies we heard from our Indigenous elders and neighbours on October 13.
· How did hearing first-hand accounts about Residential Schools make you feel?
· What do you think about the process of Reconciliation so far?
· Where do we want to go as a congregation in the Reconciliation process?
· How can we be better equipped to engage in the process of Reconciliation?
The Mission Team looks forward to your participation as St. Andrew's travels the Road toward Reconciliation.
Here is the Zoom link for the event:
Wed, Jan 26 – 7:00 pm: Indigenous Residential School Follow-up
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO ZOOM
Meeting ID: 818 5960 8415
Passcode: 344227
Residential Schools and the Road to Reconciliation – Why should we care?
By Lori-ann Esser - Coordinator Growth and Care
On October 22, 1966, 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack died alone in the wilderness in
an attempt to escape from Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora,
Ontario, and reunite with his family liiving over 400 miles away.
The Presbyterian Church ran the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School.
That is why we should care.
Like many Canadians, I am a fan of the Tragically Hip. Like many, I mourned when
lead singer Gord Downie succumbed to glioblastoma on October 17, 2017.
While his music is a legacy, perhaps a greater one was his quest to use his
celebrity status to tell Chanie Wenjack’s story, and bring the history of Residential
Schools into the forefront of our Canadian conscious. Downie’s The Secret Path
project does just that. It is made up of a solo album, a graphic novel and an
animated film. To quote from the project’s website,
"Secret Path acknowledges a dark part of Canada's history — the long-suppressed mistreatment of Indigenous children and families by the residential school system — with the hope of starting our country on a road to reconciliation.”
CBC streamed the film, as well as footage of Gord Downie in conversation with the
Wenjack family. After the film, CBC Arts hosted a panel discussion. That entire
programme is available here:
So that we may continue on the path of reconciliation with our own Indigenous
neighbours, the Mission Team at St. Andrew’s is asking for your participation in two
upcoming reconciliation events:
On January 26, the Mission Team is hosting a hybrid in-person and Zoom
congregational follow-up to the testimony we heard from Indigenous Elders on
October 13, 2021.
On February 23, the Mission Team has invited Indigenous Elders to return for a
conversation and a Healing Circle with our congregation.
Please mark these dates in your calendars. We look forward to learning and
working together towards reconciliation.