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Litany for Truth and Healing

The Litany for Truth and Healing is excerpted from the Theology of Church Apologies by the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada (2025). This structured prayer offers a flexible way to respond to the church’s history of harm and its calls to repentance.

Suggested approaches

  • Small group prayer sessions
  • Parish worship or penitential services
  • Ecumenical gatherings and reflection sessions

The resource includes prompts and reflections to support prayerful engagement, healing and reconciliation. For deeper theological and historical context, consult the full Theology of Church Apologies resource.

Key themes

  • Church repentance and accountability
  • Prayer for healing and reconciliation
  • Ecumenical penitential practices
  • Spiritual reflection and community restoration

Best suited for: parish leaders, prayer groups, ecumenical gatherings.

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.