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Eighth Sacred Circle (2015)

Also in National Sacred Circle gatherings
Lifted on the wings of faith • Heeding the Indigenous Call • Sacred Circle 2015 logo

Eighth National Sacred Circle
“Lifted on the Wings of Faith: Heeding the Indigenous Call”
August 16-22, 2015 | Port Elgin, Ont.

At the 2015 Sacred Circle, delegates worshipped and sang praises to God, met daily in small talking circles, learned about the issues affecting Indigenous people, and heard about new developments in our ministry and the implementation of new area missions. A key area of discussion was the document Where We Are Today: Twenty Years After the Covenant, an Indigenous Call to the Wider Church. We considered next steps and set directions for the Church and the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples—all with lots of singing together and witnessing at the evening Gospel Jamborees.

Highlights

Friday Aug. 21: Photo Montage
Photo memories from Sacred Circle.

Friday Aug. 21: Primate’s Homily – Closing Service
Homily from the closing service of Sacred Circle by Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Thursday Aug. 20: Keynote presentation – ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson
ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson delivers the Thursday, Aug. 20 Keynote to Sacred Circle.

Wednesday Aug. 19: Keynote presentation – Kaisa Huuva
Kaisa Huuva, the adviser on Sami issues at the Church of Sweden gives the Wednesday evening Keynote to Sacred Circle.

Tuesday Aug. 18: Keynote presentation – Robert Kereopa
Canon Robert Kereopa, Executive Officer The Board of Anglican Missions of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, delivers the Tuesday, Aug. 18 Keynote address to Sacred Circle. Read a transcript of this talk.

Tuesday Aug. 18: Gospel Jamboree
Full video of Tuesday night’s Gospel Jamboree from the 2015 Sacred Circle.

Tuesday Aug. 18: Bishops’ Song
During the nightly Gospel Jamboree, the Bishops gathered come on stage to sing along to an electric version of The Little Light of Mine.

Tuesday Aug. 18: Bishop Mark MacDonald on the Doctrine of Discovery
National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald talks to Sacred Circle on the Doctrine of Discovery. This talk introduced an afternoon plenary session from the Primate’s Commission on the Doctrine of Discovery, Reconciliation and Justice. Read a transcript of this talk.

Monday Aug. 17: Keynote presentation – Climate Change
Keynote address on the topic of climate change given to the 2015 Sacred Circle by the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald.

Monday Aug. 17: Primate’s Sermon – Eighth National Sacred Circle
Watch and read Archbishop Fred Hiltz deliver a sermon during the opening Eucharist service of the eighth national Anglican Indigenous Sacred Circle.

Daily reports

Background documents

News from anglican.ca

News from the Anglican Journal

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.