Message of Faith from Reverend Mary White
Good Evening and Blessings
Sometimes all we can do is cry with those who are suffering. Then after the tears have dried, we can take action.
Keep safe, Keep connected.
Blessings and the strength of Love be with you.
Rev. Mary
Kamloops Residential School: A Time for Mourning and Support
Breadcrumb
This message comes from Indigenous Ministries and Justice at The United Church of Canada.
If you are a residential school or intergenerational survivor and this content is upsetting, please call the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.
As news came on May 28, 2021, that the remains of 215 children were found in a mass unmarked grave on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School, we entered into a time of mourning for these relatives, their families, and their communities.
Gatherings were held around sacred fires across the country. Prayers were sung and spoken. Church bells were rung. Orange ribbons were tied on branches and fences. Shoes were laid out on the steps of churches and government buildings. Candles were lit and flags were lowered as a sign of respect.
Three generations of the Burns family (Russel, Charlene, Russelle, Jacob, and Jenny) travelled into the Rocky Mountains to make a tobacco offering for each and every one of these 215 children. Russelle offered this reflection:
My heart has been heavy since hearing about Kamloops. It was an absolute BLESSING to be with Nikâwiy ewka Nohtâwiy [Mother and Father] this weekend.… Nohtâwiy didn’t do one offering for the 215 children found; instead he took the time to offer tobacco for every single one of them. My prayers were for the Mosoms, Kokoms, and Chapans [Grandfathers, Grandmothers, and Great-Grandparents] those little souls never got to grow up to be.… I know they’re happy today, dancing and enjoying all the prayers being sent! Jenny and me PROUDLY wore our orange shirts today.
Indigenous Ministries asks all of the church to continue in this time of mourning and of support for each other as we grieve this loss, and others that we do not yet know about.
You can show this by doing any of the actions named above. You can use one or both of the prayers created by Indigenous Ministries Executive Minister Murray Pruden and Moderator Richard Bott. You can support those organizations in your community, such as Friendship Centres, that support Indigenous people who live with trauma every day.
We understand the desire to do “something” that will make this right. But we ask you, right now, to come together as people of the United Church and take the first step of mourning and remembering.
Prayer for the Loss in Kamloops, BC
by Rev. Murray Pruden, Executive Minister, Indigenous Ministries & Justice, The United Church of Canada
Creator,
We give thanks for this day and each day you grant us life to walk on this great land, our Mother.
Give us the heart and strength to come together in prayer in time of mourning, reflection, and peace.
The news we have heard these last few days of our relations, our families, the children who have been physically taken away from us and who have now been found.
And with this news, we grieve for their memory, for their struggle, for their spirit.
We pray for good understanding, guidance, and love for all our families and communities who will need direction and resolution at this time.
And we come together in prayer and ask for your light to guide us to be a part of that needed peace, support, and resolve for everyone who is reacting to this great tragedy in our Indigenous Nations of this great land.
Creator be with us, allow us to be brave. Allow us to be strong. Allow us to be gentle to one another. Allow us to be humble. But most of all, allow us to be like the Creator’s love.
Peace be with us, we lift up our prayers to you. In love, trust, and truth, peace be with us all.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen