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Litany for Healing and Restoration

A Litany for the Healing and Restoration of our Church (2017) gives Anglican communities a structured way to enter prayer around the realities of colonization, the call to repentance and the hope of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Its language names harm with clarity while inviting humility, compassion and transformation. Suitable for worship and study contexts, this litany can be used in full or adapted for worship, formation or community gatherings. It was first circulated by the Primate’s Commission on Discovery, Reconciliation and Justice following its development in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land.

Suggested uses

  • Services marking the National Indigenous Day of Prayer
  • Worship during Lent, Advent or other penitential seasons
  • Ceremonies or gatherings focused on reconciliation, truth-telling or healing
  • Parish or diocesan study sessions exploring the Church’s history with Indigenous Peoples
  • Moments of corporate confession in worship seeking renewal and right relationship

Key themes

  • Truth-telling about the Church’s role in colonization
  • Repentance, healing and transformation
  • Commitment to justice for Indigenous Peoples
  • Renewal of the Church’s mission in light of reconciliation
  • Prayer for restored relationships grounded in the Gospel

Best suited for: parishes seeking to deepen engagement with reconciliation and healing, diocesan events or synods highlighting repentance and renewal, small groups exploring Indigenous–settler relations and worship leaders looking for prayerful language that names harm and invites transformation.

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.