On June 21st, the National Indigenous Day of Prayer, we join in recognition and celebration of the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across Canada. We acknowledge the painful history of which churches shared in the colonization and destruction of Indigenous spirituality and culture; and we are committed to the long road toward reconciliation.

In advance of this day, we invite our churches to:

• Celebrate with the Indigenous people in and around your communities
• Share in Indigenous events to learn more about the gifts within their distinct cultures
• Read Indigenous authors – fiction and non-fiction – who through their stories and wisdom help us all see our history in its fullness
• Celebrate with the Sacred Circle Church in the Anglican Church of Canada at the signing of their Covenant and Our Way of Life documents, which found a self-governing Indigenous Church
• Receive with open hearts the invitation to walk together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, as offered in the 2023 National Indigenous Day of Prayer sermon delivered by the Most. Rev. Christopher Harper, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop and Presiding Elder for Sacred Circle

Additionally, we encourage non-Indigenous individuals in our churches to:

• Deepen your knowledge of Indigenous histories and heritage
• Acknowledge the pain caused by the actions of recent predecessors in governance and in faith, through the residential and day schools, unmarked burial sites and generations of racism – and repent for our part in that pain today

Together, let’s give thanks for the courage and resilience of Indigenous peoples in the face of continuing inequities in Canada – and work to end them.

Join with the Sacred Circle in this prayer…

Creator, we give you thanks for all you are and all you bring to us for our visit within your creation.
In Jesus, you place the Gospel in the Centre of this Sacred Circle through all of which all creation is related.
You show us the way to live a generous and compassionate life.
Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your spirit,
for you are God, now and forever. Amen.

The Most Rev. Chris Harper
National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, Anglican Church of Canada

The Rev. Susan Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls
Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church of Canada