Remembering the Children Prayer

We are grieving for our First Nations family in Williams Lake with the discovery of the 93 unmarked graves found near the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School.

Remembering the Children Prayer

God of our Ancestors,
who holds the spirits of our grandmothers and grandfathers and the spirits of our grandchildren,
Remembering the Children,
we now pledge ourselves to speak the Truth,
and with our hearts and our souls
to act upon the Truth we have heard

of the injustices lived,
of the sufferings inflicted,
of the tears cried,
of the misguided intentions imposed, and of the power of prejudice and racism

which were allowed to smother the sounds and laughter of the forgotten children.
Hear our cries of lament
for what was allowed to happen, and for what will never be.

In speaking and hearing and acting upon the Truth may we as individuals and as a nation

meet the hope of a new beginning. Great Creator God

who desires that all creation live in harmony and peace, Remembering the Children
we dare to dream of a Path of Reconciliation
where apology from the heart leads to healing of the heart and the chance of restoring the circle,

where justice walks with all,
where respect leads to true partnership,
where the power to change comes from each heart.

Hear our prayer of hope,
and guide this country of Canada
on a new and different path. Amen

Prayer from the National Church

The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school survivors and their relatives suffering trauma invoked by the recall of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.