Summary:
All of the churches involved in residential schools are members of KAIROS Canada - an organization that works for ecological justice and human rights. KAIROS Canada’s Blanket Exercise is a particularly important educational resource that many of the churches use to teach their congregations about the history of residential schools.
The Call to Action:
We call upon church parties to the Settlement Agreement to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their respective congregations learn about the church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families and communities were necessary.
Analysis:
All of the churches involved in residential schools are members of KAIROS Canada - an organization that works for ecological justice and human rights. KAIROS Canada’s Blanket Exercise is a particularly important educational resource that many of the churches use to teach their congregations about the history of residential schools.
According to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, in their Catholic response to implementing UNDRIP, there is a list of recommendations for churches to follow. One states that the Catholic Church should “continue to work with Catholic educational institutions and programs of formation in learning to tell the history of Canada in a way that is truthful, ensuring proper treatment of the history and experience of Indigenous Peoples, including the experience of oppression and marginalization which resulted from the Indian Act, the Residential School system, and frequent ignoring or undermining of signed treaties.”
In a statement to CBC News, the Presbyterian Church in Canada says that healing and reconciliation is named in its strategic plan. In 2006, it launched the “Healing and Reconciliation program …. Its mandate includes providing educational resources and leadership to our denomination.”
The church now offers workshops and activities with members of the church to draw “attention to the relationship of the church and Indigenous peoples” and “works with ecumenical partners in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, including support for the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
In 2007, the church created a Liturgy for Healing and Reconciliation, which talks about the legacy of residential schools. There are two sermons included in the package.
The Anglican Church of Canada, in its official response to the TRC report, states “We enthusiastically support the call for teaching about the history and legacy of the residential schools in all Canadian schools, and commit ourselves to ensuring that the teaching ministry of our churches also acknowledges these realities.”
The church also has prayers and liturgies that focus on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, as listed here. The church has an Anglican Council of Indigenous People, which were instrumental in finding the first Indigenous Bishop.
Melanie Delva, Reconciliation Animator for the Anglican Church of Canada, says that there is a Primates Commission on the Doctrine of Discovery, Reconciliation and Justice, and its job is to look at what the church is doing to respond to UNDRIP and the legacy of residential schools, and to create educational material. It has created brochures on topics such as Doctrine of Discovery and the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
The United Church of Canada has created an educational strategy for congregations to learn about the church’s role in colonization and residential schools. Among the educational material available are worship resources, histories and photos of the school available on the web, and a book called Sorry: Why Our Church Apologized. In addition to this, the church states it uses educational material provided by KAIROS, such as the Blanket Exercise.
Lori Ransom, Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice Animator for the United Church of Canada, says the church has an “ongoing commitment” to teaching congregations about residential schools.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada has created a resource called “Indigenous Rights and Relationships,” which supports its mandate to encourage “all members and congregations to reflect upon our own national and church history, to seek greater understanding of the issues facing Indigenous Peoples, and to walk with Indigenous Peoples in their ongoing efforts to exercise their inherent sovereignty and fundamental human rights.”