Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, It is with joy that I extend my fraternal greetings as the United Church of Canada and the United Church of Christ consummate their…
Faced with the growing problem of child poverty in the Anglican diocese of Ottawa, Bishop John Chapman in his 2009 Charge to Synod expressed the desire for a strong diocesan…
When a serious crime is committed, both perpetrator and the victim are profoundly impacted, albeit differently. Though the criminal justice system in Canada often revolves around punishment of the perpetrator,…
While teaching at St. George’s College in Jerusalem during the 1990s, the Rev. Canon Dr. Richard LeSueur took up residence with his family on the top floor of a school…
Seven years after the 2008 financial crisis and ensuing global recession, the situation facing young workers remains challenging amidst periodic reports of economic recovery. As precarious jobs with fewer benefits…
Reconciliation has been on the hearts and in the minds of our church for decades. In 2015, the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report, the #22Days project,…
In a world wracked by inequality, poverty and hunger, the biblical call to care for the poor and needy—one of the most vital aspects of Christian ministry—has taken on an…
With the 2015 Canadian federal election underway, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, addresses the leaders of Canada’s five largest political parties, including Stephen Harper (Conservative),…
Located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Québec, the Kahnawà:ke territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) people, faces an issue shared by First Nations communities across the…
In advance of the annual Sisters in Spirit Vigils, which take place across Canada on Sunday, Oct. 4 to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the…
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.