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Statement from the Primate on flooding in Southern Alberta

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Published on 
June 22, 2013

The following is a letter to the Diocese of Calgary from the Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, on the floods affecting Southern Alberta.

Also available as a PDF

June 22, 2013

The Diocese of Calgary
Rt. Rev. Gregory Kerr-Wilson
180-1209 59th Avenue
Calgary, Alberta T3C 0M5

Dear Friends:

With countless other Canadians I have been following the news of the record-breaking floods in communities across Southern Alberta. It is frightening to see waters rising at such rapid rates and to see rivers overflowing their banks at such a pace. Many people are traumatized by these events. As others have said it is unbelievable to see the downtown core of a city like Calgary silenced by a lack of power, and the need for people to evacuate.

It is good to read that many who have been forced to leave their homes are able to stay with family and friends. It is also good to know that in true Albertan spirit, those who have nowhere to go are being housed in temporary shelters and that entire communities are coming forward to help with food, bedding, medical care and friendship.

In this difficult time I assure you of the prayers of our Church across Canada. With you, I thank God for emergency personnel engaged in search and rescue, the Red Cross and the Canadian Forces who are assisting them and I pray for their safety. I have no doubt that some people are living in fear for those seen to be carried away by the floods and who remain missing. Already we know that a few families will be grieving the loss of loved ones.  As we hold them in prayer, let us also remember those who seek to provide support and counsel. I think as well of clergy who will be drawing communities together, praying for the waters to recede and for the success of recovery operations and the labours of city officials, public servants and town managers to restore the flooded areas.

Please know my heart pours out to one and all. May God give you strength to meet the days ahead and hope to see beyond them.

I am,

Sincerely yours,

+Fred

Fred J. Hiltz
Archbishop and Primate

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.